AICON Silicon Valley

Alicja Kwasniewska, Ph.D., is a recognized expert in applied artificial intelligence and the AI Lead for Customer Engagements in North America at Amazon Web Services (AWS), advertising and marketing vertical. Her work bridges the gap between cutting-edge AI research and real-world impact—powering transformative solutions across industries.

With deep expertise in traditional machine learning, deep learning, and generative AI, Dr. Kwasniewska guides organizations in leveraging AI to drive operational excellence and create breakthrough user experiences. Her thought leadership extends to the global AI community through frequent conference presentations, panel discussions, and her role as a reviewer at major industry and academic conferences.

Dr. Kwasniewska holds over 40 peer-reviewed publications in AI and is widely recognized for her influence—named one of the Top 10 Women in AI and among the Top 100 Women in Data Science by the Perspektywy AI Excellence Awards. She is also helping shape the future of trustworthy and scalable AI as Co-chair of the AI Standard Use Case Subgroup within the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), contributing to global standards and best practices. Her visionary leadership and deep technical expertise place her at the forefront of applied artificial intelligence.

Andrew Wright leads Cybersecurity Services at Kainos, guiding a team of security architects and engineers protecting national‑scale UK public and financial services. His recent work spans national healthcare patient apps, land‑registry modernisation and pandemic‑response platforms. Backed by an MSc in Cyber Security and an MEng in Computer Science, Andrew blends deep technical insight with real-world experience, while honing his multitasking skills as a new parent.

Anne J. Flanagan is an international policy expert in Data and Artificial Intelligence, as well as an economist and strategic technology and business leader. With over 18 years of global experience across five continents, including extensive work in the EU and the United States, she now advises senior technology executives on managing risk at the intersection of Data, AI, and governance.

Anne began her career in the Irish government and EU institutions, where she spent over a decade shaping Ireland’s technical policy and diplomatic strategy on EU legislation related to telecoms, digital infrastructure, and data. She represented Ireland in high-level fora such as the EU Digital Single Market Strategic Group at the European Commission and the Council of the EU’s Working Party on Telecommunications and the Information Society. During this time, she contributed foundational work to the EU’s Digital Single Market and helped shape its early approach to AI governance.

Since relocating to the U.S. in 2019, Anne has held senior roles in technology policy in the private sector, advising business leaders on responsible and sustainable innovation. At the World Economic Forum, she led a global portfolio on data policy and governance, including leading early work on agentic AI. She later joined Meta Platforms Inc. in San Francisco, where she developed cross-product policy strategy for Meta’s Reality Labs. Most recently, Anne served as Vice President for Artificial Intelligence at the Future of Privacy Forum, where she founded and led the FPF Center for AI.

Aoife Ní Mhuirí is the Founder and CEO of Salaso Health Solutions Ltd. (salaso.com), a Health Technology company headquartered in Ireland with offices in the UK and US. 

Aoife started her healthcare career as a chartered physiotherapist in the HSE in Ireland working across several acute and community services. She holds a BSc (hons) in Physiotherapy and an MSc in Sports Medicine from Trinity College Dublin and has over two decades of professional clinical physiotherapy and exercise physiology experience in physical rehabilitation, lifestyle medicine and chronic condition management. Her professional interests center around patient activation and engaging patients with evidence-based physical therapy, lifestyle medicine and exercise and physical activity programs for scalable, accessible healthcare. She lectures on the Adapted Physical Activity Program at the Munster Technological University (MTU) in Tralee, Co. Kerry which holds the UNESCO chair for inclusion of persons with disability in sport, physical education and activity.

In 2011, Aoife established Salaso Health Solutions, (salaso.com) an award-winning Health Technology company, which has developed a clinically validated digital therapy platform for preventing and managing injuries and chronic conditions using exercise and physical therapy. 

The company is a global leader in digital therapy and virtual rehabilitation and its’ platform is used to support existing and new care delivery models for remote rehabilitation, care at home and effective population health management.

Bailey is a Research Analyst at the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, where she is responsible for data analysis, report writing, and the design of research strategies. Her work covers topics ranging from energy, housing, transportation, and economic resilience in California. Bailey is a recent graduate from Stanford University, where she earned her BA with Honors in International Relations.

Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA was appointed Economy Minister on 3 February 2025.

Previous to this, Caoimhe served as Finance Minister from February 2024.

Caoimhe grew up in Coleraine.  She attended Loreto College, Coleraine and graduated from Queen’s University, Belfast with a BSc in Molecular Biology and a PhD by research with a Department of Agriculture and Rural Development studentship.  She also completed a Postgraduate diploma in Management & Corporate Governance at Ulster University.

Caoimhe was elected as an MLA for East Derry in May 2016 and re-elected in March 2017 and again in May 2022.

She is formerly Chair of the Assembly’s Economy and Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs committees. 

Prior to being elected in May 2016, Caoimhe had worked for almost a decade in applied horticulture and plant pathology research including on collaborative EU funded projects.

Previously the Chair of Young Enterprise Northern Ireland.   Ciaran is an entrepreneur with several successful companies including Clarendon Executive.  Ciaran has strong international networks with Irish ex-Pats at C Level.

Ciara Traynor, from County Meath, is Ireland’s Deputy Consul General based in San Francisco.
 
Ciara’s career to date spans across three decades, including twenty years working in the technology, design, and innovation sector and nine years in the fintech and banking sector, three years of which were spent working on-site with projects in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Ciara started working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Ireland in 2012.  As Deputy Director of Communications she worked on several change management projects including development of the award winning Digital Ireland House (Ireland.ie) portal before taking up her current position.
 
Ciara’s role at the Consulate is primarily tech-focussed and aims to gain a more comprehensive understanding of technology’s impact on a global scale. 
 

Dynamic, highly technical executive and inspirational leader with over 30 years of experience in startups (Berkäna Wireless co-founder) and large technology companies (Qualcomm and Intel). Proven record partnering with customers, defining products, leading engineering teams in silicon, hardware, software, and systems, bringing to market innovative solutions delivering value to customers and the enterprise. Extensive executive experience with full P&L responsibility for multibillion-dollar businesses within Fortune 500 companies. Deep people and organization skills, growing and managing global multi-site distributed teams, coaching leaders, planning, and executing M&A and divestitures.

> Business Leader – Co-Founder of Silicon Valley startup Berkäna Wireless – drove company direction including strategy, execution and fund-raising resulting in successful acquisition and integration by Qualcomm. Had full P&L accountability for large businesses at Qualcomm and Intel, and achieved record revenues.

> Engineering/Technology Leader – Deep competency in RF/mixed-signal/signal-processing/VLSI/embedded systems. Have led organizations to deliver complex HW/SW/RF cellular (2G/3G/4G/5G), connectivity (WiFi/BT) and GNSS platforms, at scale.

> Inventor and Author – PhD in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley; more than 20 academic publications; 32 granted US patents.

As a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in algorithmic trading, fintech, and big data, I’ve founded and successfully scaled multiple ventures across the U.S. and Europe. My passion lies in creating purposeful technology—products designed to empower individuals and bridge global gaps.

Professional Highlights:
• Early pioneer at List Group (now Ion Trading), a company that contributed to the development of some of the earliest algorithmic and high-frequency trading systems and electronic stock exchanges.
• Co-founded a proprietary trading desk, achieving $1B in monthly trading volume by age 26.
• Founded Axwave, recognized among Silicon Valley’s fastest-growing companies (ranked #53, Inc. 500, 2014-2017), leading to a successful acquisition.
• Secured over $25M in venture funding throughout my career.

Currently, I’m CEO at Streetbeat, an AI-driven fintech platform democratizing Finacial AI previously exclusive to professional investors and hedge funds. Streetbeat holds 15 patents (9 already granted) and raised a $17M seed round after joining Stanford’s alumni prestigious StartX accelerator.

Senior-level nonprofit professional specializing in leading teams, departments, and organizations to advance institutional missions and goals while honoring culture and tradition. Collaborative leader with high emotional intelligence who is committed to building effective relationships based in trust, inclusivity, and mutual respect; leveraging a diverse range of contacts and connections; and approaching life with creative curiosity.

Eve Purcell graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2024 with a degree in Business and Spanish. After moving to New York City in December, she began working as a Support Tech Engineer for Options Technology and recently transitioned into Market Data and Trading Infrastructure Operations.

As a long-term (~15years) data science leader – who has founded, led, and grown successful companies – I am passionate about developing products that push boundaries, disrupt markets, and deliver never-seen-before insights. Following the completion of my PhD in Data Science from Stanford, I co-founded two VC funded data science companies (Datasnap.io and StreamMetrics), and achieved successful exits in both cases. I have also served as an executive-level data science leader for several other companies. During that time, I led the development of products that advanced biometric identify management, used location analytics to map peoples’ travels through physical space, and established the first-ever causal link between YouTube viewership and revenue generation.

I enjoy the product development process, which starts with conducting in-depth customer research and finding gaps in the marketplace. From there, my team of data scientists build algorithms that derive game-changing insights from massive data sets, delivering value to our customers. As a business development enthusiast, I take the product development process through go-to-market planning and closing deals.

Nothing is possible without a talented and inspired team. Recognizing this, I have stood up several high-performing data science teams through disciplined hiring, coaching/development, and installing a culture of continuous improvement. Great data science teams, in my opinion, not only produce breakthrough products, but also deliver unforeseen value in the eyes of customers.

Jacinta is a globally recognized technology leader, named as one of the top 50 most influential women in technology by Silicon Valley Global magazine.

Jacinta is a category creator and has deep expertise in bringing game changing AI technology to market. She has led all go to market functions including sales, marketing, business development and customer retention for AI companies for 15 years. She was Global SVP Sales and CMO at Cloudmark, a company that applies AI to provide messaging security for 2 billion online users and brand protection for major banks and retailers. Most recently she ran go to market for LeoLabs, a company that applies AI to monitor and predict all satellite traffic in space. She has contributed to several exits achieving valuations ranging from $150M to $12.3B.

In addition to her full-time roles, Jacinta is an advisor to companies on GTM planning and exit strategies. 

Jacinta has also been a long-term board member and ambassador of M3AAWG, a global working group that fosters cooperation between international governments and commercial entities to increase global online security.

Now living in San Francisco, Jacinta is originally from County Clare and graduated from Dublin City University with a degree in International Marketing and Languages. 

Joe Fitzsimons is the founder and CEO of Horizon Quantum. Before founding Horizon Quantum Computing in 2018, Joe held a tenured position as an associate professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, where he led the Quantum Information and Theory group. He was also a principal investigator at the Centre for Quantum Technologies, contributing to both theoretical computer science and physics through his research.

Earlier in his career, Joe spent time as a fellow of Merton College, Oxford, and a senior research fellow in the Materials Department at the University of Oxford. During this time, he co-invented the universal blind quantum computing which has since become recognised as an important enabling technology for securing cloud-based quantum computing.

Joe holds a doctorate from the University of Oxford, where his research focused on quantum computing architectures, and a bachelor of science degree in theoretical physics from University College Dublin.

As the Chief Strategy Officer and Chairman of the Board at Phoenix Managed Networks, I lead the strategic direction and execution of a global FinTech company that provides point-of-sale access, gateway, and managed security services to retailers and transaction processors. With over 25 years of experience in the FinTech, Commerce, and SaaS industries, I have successfully guided companies from early stage to IPOs and exits, leveraging my expertise in corporate development, strategy, and business development.

Throughout my career, I have built and managed teams that drive global product distribution and high-growth revenue through strategic partnerships, alliances, and M&A. I have also raised capital and expanded international operations for various companies, including Uphold, Bitnet, Visa, and Transaction Network Services. As a licensed attorney, I have the ability to handle all aspects of complex deal negotiations, from legal to financial to operational. My mission is to enable the best teams to execute on compelling opportunities and create value for customers, stakeholders, and society.

Judith Millar is Director of Operations at the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), Queen’s University Belfast, with responsibility for strategic partnerships, industry engagement, and major projects. Judith’s role at CSIT leverages her experience in international marketing and business development in technology sectors, within both the software sector and in economic development. She is committed to CSIT’s model of open innovation, supporting opportunities for engagement with both SMEs and multinational companies alike to deliver economic and social impact.

Judith collaborated with peers in the cyber-security industry to found NI Cyber, the Northern Ireland cyber security cluster. NI Cyber is a vibrant and open community of innovative start-ups, SMEs and multinational corporations delivering products and services globally, alongside academic research, education and skills partners, and government stakeholders. It actively supports skills initiatives including CyberFirst to promote career opportunities in cyber security, and a diversity of training pathways into the sector.

Laura Hilgart is an effective advocate with experience serving a wide range of clients on both coasts. Before joining New Deal, she worked as a lobbyist for SF Platinum Advisors and at O’Neill and Associates – a public affairs, government relations, and crisis communications firm in Boston. 

Previously, Laura worked at the French Consulate in Boston, Senator Kerry’s Office in Washington D.C., and the Associacion de Igualdad y Justicia in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is currently a member of the Urban Land Institute, the SF Bike Coalition, SPUR, Leadership San Francisco, the Alliance Francaise de San Francisco, and the Associate Board of Generation Citizen. Laura graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in International Relations.

Laurence Moroney is the Director of AI at Arm, focussed on the next generation AI developer experience. He’s a best-selling author, award winning researcher, and regular speaker on the keynote circuit. Having spent over three decades working on AI in various forms, including stints at Google and Microsoft, Laurence is also a fellow at the AI Fund, where he helps startups navigate the complexities of adopting fast-moving technology.

Logan is the Managing Partner & Founder of Fin Capital where he is responsible for management of the firm, sourcing/making investments, maintaining board responsibilities, and adding operating value across the portfolio. Logan was most recently Vice President of SoFi Ventures, where he was tasked with investing in and working hands-on with FinTech companies, as well as running SoFi’s accelerator and corporate development efforts.

Prior to SoFi, Logan was focused on entrepreneurial advisory and operating roles at Light Street Capital, Formation 8/Group, Zanbato, Addepar, Point Finance, Price, BridgeAthletic and ONEHOPE. Prior to his entrepreneurial pursuits, Logan was a corporate executive, as Head of Strategy, overseeing the enterprise FinTech strategy and execution, while serving as a member of the Operating Committee at Atlantic Trust, the Private Wealth Management arm of Invesco (and now CIBC). Previously, Logan was a Senior Vice President in City National Bank’s wealth management division (now part of RBC) where he led the technology strategy, open product architecture platform, and other strategic initiatives. Logan spent his earlier career in management consulting, in leadership positions at PwC, EMC, and Capgemini, focused exclusively on the intersection of Financial Services and technology.

Logan earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in public policy and political science from Duke University and a M.S. in Management from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business where he was a Sloan Fellow

Micheál Smith, from County Armagh, is Ireland’s Consul General in the Western United States. 

Prior to moving to San Francisco, Micheál was Director of Global Ireland in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

He led Ireland’s Embassy/Consulate expansion, Ireland’s presence at Expo 2020, the development of ireland.ie, and campaigns to increase Irish citizen engagement with Ireland’s global role, among other initiatives

He started his career as an Economic Analyst in the Department of Communications and Energy based in Dublin before taking up a First Secretary role in the Embassy of Ireland in Singapore. Micheál went on to establish IDA Ireland’s first ASEAN office, which he led for 3 years.

Micheál then moved to help drive IDA Ireland’s efforts in the US, focusing on the US Mid-West, South and South-East.

Micheál holds a BSC in Management (Business & Economics) from Queen’s University Belfast and a MSC in Economic Policy Studies from Trinity College Dublin. He is married to Claire and they have four children – Sophie, Senan, Conan and Oisín.

I am a repeat fintech founder working on something huge with an amazing group of people. Our new company is currently in stealth mode. I look forward to telling the world about all we are building soon. We are based in Santa Monica, fully funded by excellent investors, and hiring in many roles. Stay tuned!

Additionally, I volunteer time as a mentor at Stanford StartX where I coach early stage companies on fundraising and enterprise sales strategy. Helping great teams change the world is one of my true passions in life.

I am an active venture investor in the fintech and enterprise software arenas. I invest directly and also through Fin Capital and TTV Capital.

Neil leads a non-profit organisation with a mission to accelerate and double the size of the software industry in Northern Ireland. The organisation focuses on key factors impacting industry growth such as schools, skills, sales and ensuring companies surf the waves of change including AI. Neil’s background spans Technology Consulting, Economic Policy, Human Rights and Documentary Photography.     

Paddy graduated from Dublin City University (DCU) with a BSc in Applied Mathematical Science in 1989, and continued his studies in Mathematics through the completion of an MSc by Research from DCU in 1992, and a PhD from Ulster University (UU) in 1999. He has been employed at what is now Atlantic Technological University (ATU) since 1990. In his strategy role, he was involved in establishing the North West Tertiary Education Cluster (NWTEC); this cross-border tertiary education collaboration includes ATU, UU, North West Regional College, and Donegal Education and Training Board.  Paddy has been the Programme Manager for NWTEC since 2019, where he is now commencing work with NWTEC partners on an important funded digital skills initiative.  He has a strong interest in AI with his teaching commitments including Data Science and Machine Learning for final year Engineering Students.

Rónán Mac Con Iomaire is Director of Regional, Community Development & Language Planning, and is responsible for micro-enterprise, language planning and community development, among other areas.

Previously, he was RTÉ’s Group Head of Irish Language and Leascheannaire (Deputy Head) of RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.  Rónán has a background in media and entrepreneurship, having spent many years working as an award-winning journalist, as Local Government Correspondent for Nuacht RTÉ and TG4, as well as for publications such as the Irish Independent, Evening Herald and Irish Times.

He has founded several his own companies, operating primarily in the marketing and hospitality sectors.

Rónán was awarded New Writer of the Year for his biography of Irish boxer, Seán Mannion, a book that went on to become the fastest-selling Irish language book of all time and on which the award-winning feature documentary, Rocky Ros Muc, was based. Rowman & Littlefield published his second book, The Man Who Was Never Knocked Down, in 2018.

Ryan Ballantine is Head of the Horizon product line at Options IT, where he has spent five years pioneering cloud engineering solutions. Originally from Fermanagh, Ryan combines his technical expertise with the discipline gained as a former Queen’s University Belfast and professional rower. His leadership in building Options’ compute and data solutions forms the foundation for the company’s innovative AI offerings. With extensive experience in cloud architecture, Ryan focuses on advancing artificial intelligence capabilities, intelligent automation, and data optimization strategies. His unique background bridges high-performance athletics and technology, bringing a competitive edge to Options’ evolving AI ecosystem.

I am an astrophysicist by training, and now I work with Andrew Ng and a team of passionate educators and A.I. experts to build educational experiences that deliver industry-relevant skills and serve to grow and connect the global AI community.

Ryan studied astrophysics at the University of Colorado, Boulder and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, eventually getting a PhD in the field. However, having discovered that the academic life was not for him, transitioned to tech, and specifically educational technology and online learning in 2016. He is now at his third online education company (http://Deeplearning.ai ) he has worked at since leaving academia.

Sandy brings his diverse background in aeronautical engineering, physics education, qualitative research, and UX design to his work as a digital product strategist, guiding the development and execution of innovative solutions.  Throughout his career he’s focused on unraveling complexity, successfully launching elegant, streamlined solutions in education, finance, health, science, as well as AI and automation.

As Sr. Director of Strategy & Innovation at Unosquare, Sandy leverages his extensive experience collaborating with product and engineering stakeholders across diverse sectors to define strategic visions, prioritize key initiatives, and steer digital initiatives that foster transformative results.   

Successful entrepreneur and senior executive, 25 years experience building great companies in online and mobile sectors

Specialties: Big Data, Market Research and Intelligence, Mobile Applications and Content, Digital Media, Consumer Electronics, Telecommunications, Speech Technology, AI

Suzanne Gibbs Howard is a strategist, thought leader, and entrepreneur at the forefront of digital learning and organizational transformation. With a background in cultural anthropology and design thinking, she has dedicated her career to exploring how technology can drive meaningful, human-centered change in business and society.
As a Partner at the global innovation firm IDEO, Suzanne built and scaled the company’s design research capabilities, led the Organizational Change Studio, and founded IDEO U, its most successful new venture and a pioneering digital learning platform. Today, she serves as an advisor, executive coach, and board member, guiding organizations through rapid change while ensuring innovation remains ethical, inclusive, and impactful.
Suzanne collaborates with global leaders, including leaders Microsoft, MIT, Apple, Harvard, The Gates Foundation, and The Aspen Institute, as well as cutting-edge startups shaping the future of AI-driven learning. Passionate about the intersection of technology, learning, and responsible innovation, she brings a cross-disciplinary perspective to AI’s role in digital transformation, workforce development, and the future of work.

Specialties: Mobile Apps, IVR, Speech Recognition, Web Content Management, RDBMS, Enterprise Architecture, SaaS, Cloud Integration, Healthcare IT, Big Data, Internet of Things, Technology Foresight, Technology Strategy, Technology Education/TechEd, Innovation Management, Content Curation for Technology Conferences, Immersive Tech, Artificial Intelligence

A member of the MIT Technology Review Global Panel, a community of business professionals.