About the speakers
![Francesco Tisiot](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/sczeoy4w/production/b8d957b3c39a8db55a10737cf8043c0d7b80b854-800x1200.jpg?rect=0,200,800,800&w=220&h=220&q=80&fit=min&auto=format&dpr=1.5)
Field CTO & AI Lead, Aiven
Francesco comes from Verona, Italy and works as a Field CTO & AI Lead at Aiven. With his many years of experience as a data engineer, he has stories to tell and advice for data-wranglers everywhere. Francesco loves sharing knowledge with others as a speaker and writer, and is on a mission to defend the world from bad Italian food!
![John Joseph Kennedy portrait](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/sczeoy4w/production/f2bf9f368d1ef8bf15a8df961001776c15103089-500x500.jpg?w=220&h=220&q=80&fit=min&auto=format&dpr=1.5)
Head of Databases, Product, Aiven
John has been in the data trenches for years since departing from Rocket Science as a degree, tackling everything from teleco networks to massive enterprise platforms. That hands-on experience gives him deep insight into customer pain points, guiding his product vision. He thrives on building great teams and his Irish heritage might have something to do with his love of direct customer.