2026 Emerging Technologies & Fintech Conference

Andrea Anderson

Head of User and Information Experience, Guidewire

Andrea Anderson is a globally recognized software and AI leader with more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of user experience (UX), learning experience (LX), information experience (IX), business strategy, and technology.

Since 2019, Andrea has served as Head of User and Information Experience at Guidewire, leading diverse, high-performing teams to build an AI-driven product development lifecycle and deliver intuitive, profitable intelligent enterprise solutions for the insurance industry.

Andrea’s leadership combines design thinking, agile development, and business model innovation to help teams solve complex problems, turn data and AI into practical tools, and drive measurable business results. A passionate intrapreneur and connector, they have held key roles at industry leaders including Guidewire, MEAD, and SAP, shaping product vision and strategy in finance, analytics, IT, and application development.

Their expertise includes building global teams, standardizing how AI is integrated across products, and championing accessibility and inclusion in intelligent software design. Andrea is known for inspiring trust, supporting continuous growth, and helping stakeholders at all levels embrace user-centric, AI-augmented, future-ready solutions.

Tom Becker

Portfolio Manager, Global Tactical Asset Allocation Team, BlackRock

Tom Becker, Managing Director, is a portfolio manager on the Global Tactical Asset Allocation (GTAA) team within BlackRock's Multi-Asset Strategies & Solutions group. The GTAA team manages multi-asset macro investment strategies, including the Tactical Opportunities Fund and the iShares Global Government Bond USD Hedged Active ETF, for retail and institutional clients around the world.

Tom’s service with the firm dates back to 2010. Prior to assuming his current role, he led fixed income research within the multi-asset Global Market Strategies Group. In 2009 he served as an economist in the Office of International Affairs at the US Department of Treasury.

Tom earned a BS degree in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2003 and an MA and PhD in international and environmental economics from the University of California, Berkeley in 2008 and 2010, respectively.

Tom is co-head of the BlackRock San Francisco office and serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring California with his wife and three daughters.

Multi-Asset Strategies and Solutions (MASS) meets client demand for active asset allocation strategies and whole portfolio solutions through funds, model portfolios, and more. MASS draws on the toolkit of BlackRock's index, factor, and alpha-seeking capabilities to deliver cutting-edge insights and investment outcomes.

Deema Habboub

Client Solutions Director, Robert Half

Deema Habboub is a strategy and operations leader focused on AI, finance, and business transformation. She works with CFOs and senior business leaders to execute complex finance and accounting initiatives in fast‑moving, regulated environments. Her experience of over 15 years spans consulting, healthcare, technology, and finance, where she has led large-scale programs across U.S. and global organizations. Her work includes leading $40M+ transformation initiatives across finance and enterprise operations, including regulatory data privacy and compliance programs, as well as designing global AI/ML enablement initiatives that supported the development of analytics capabilities across 10,000+ commercial leaders.

Deema is particularly focused on the ethical adoption of AI, helping leaders navigate security, accountability, and trust as technology reshapes the future of work. She holds an MBA from IESE Business School and is based in San Francisco.

Karl-Heinz Hoffman

Senior Director, Technology Partnerships, Immersive

Karl-Heinz Hofman is Senior Director for Technology Partnerships at Immersive, where he built the company's cybersecurity technology ecosystem from greenfield to 20+ active alliances with organizations including Google, Microsoft, CrowdStrike, Elastic, and Palo Alto Networks - including work that contributed to strong recognition in industry assessments of cybersecurity skills and excercising platforms. His day-to-day focus is trust between vendors and buyers:executive-level roadmap alignment, integration and GTM design, and restructuring complex licensing so partnerships reduce risk instead of adding ambiguity.

Previously, as VP of Technology Alliances at SingleStore and in multiple VP roles at SAP spanning database and global partner solutions, he scaled partner marketplaces and programs, led IPO- and privacy-ware partner onboarding (including GDPR/CPRA considerations), and drove large partner-sourced revenue and pipeline outcomes. That background shapes how he thinks about AI adoption in the enterprise - especially cyber, third-party risk, data-governance, and the pressure security and financial workflows put on "trust at scale."

He also maintains a personal Django-based investment workflow platform using disciplined, AI-assisted development - useful ground truth for how security and governance show up in real software delivery.

He holds a B.Cs. in Computer Science & Quantitative Management from the University of South Africa, and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Thomas Kang

Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer, Finmo

Thomas is a Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Finmo. He leads the strategic direction of Finmo’s growth team and revenue generation efforts.

He is a financial industry veteran with 25+ years of experience in Venture Capital, Fintechs, Institutional Banking, and Corporate Treasury. He was a research engineer for the US Navy for ten years before starting his career in finance.

Before founding Finmo, he was the Director of Business Development at Rapyd and the Head of Global Outreach at M-DAQ. Thomas also held multiple senior roles at Citi, including Asia Pacific Regional Head in Singapore. He started his financial career at Agilent Technologies as an international treasury manager.

Outside of Finmo, Thomas is a Managing Partner at Voveo Capital, actively seeking emerging technologies and product trends to support socially responsible entrepreneurs.

Thomas graduated with an MBA from Yale University and received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine.

Samir Navani

Senior Software Engineer, BlackRock

Samir Navani is a Senior Software Engineer at BlackRock, where he develops scalable back-end systems powering the firm's multi-trillion dollar iShares ETF platform, including its Bitcoin ETF. Based in San Francisco, he specializes in Java, Apache Kafka, gRPC,, and distributed data systems with a focus on building high-performance infrastructure for financial applications.

Before joining BlackRock, Samir gained experience in strategy consulting, finance, and startups, including roles at Bainbridge Strategy Consulting and Northwestern Mutual. He also founded UC Study Group, a startup focused on improving collaborative learning among students.

He holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Economics from the University of California, San Diego.

Randy Schieber

Independent Consultant

Randy Schieber is an independent consultant and part-time lecturer with over two decades of experience at the intersection of financial services, payments innovation, and regulatory policy. He has held senior leadership roles in enterprise strategy, risk management, and cross-functional transformation initiatives in highly regulated environments.

Most recently, Randy served as Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Visa, where he helped shape global corporate affairs strategy and guided the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence tools. Prior to Visa, he spent seven years as Vice President of Strategy and Analytics at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, where he led enterprise strategy and played a key role in evolving the Bank’s Enterprise Risk Management framework to address emerging risks, integrate risk appetite into decision-making, and strengthen alignment between strategy and oversight.

Randy began his career in national security policy as a staff member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.  He is also actively engaged in community leadership, including mentoring students through the nonprofit Braven and supporting civic dialogue as co-chair of the Silicon Valley chapter of Braver Angels.

KD Singh

Enterprise AI Solutions Growth Executive

KD is a business leader known for harnessing cutting-edge technology to drive billion-dollar scale revenue. A specialist in navigating the convergence of business, policy, and technology. He has led growth initiatives at Accenture, Wipro, and TIBCO. Most recently at EXL, KD has focused on the frontier of Agentic AI and ecosystem partnerships, developing multi-billion dollar solution plays that transform business operations.

He brings the rare blend of startup urgency to deliver impact for a Corporate leader having founded wYne.ai and co-founded IOTracks.

KD is based in Palo Alto, California, where he partners with C-suite leaders for value creation and GTM strategy/execution in the era of AI.

Benjamin Steel

Global Tactical Asset Allocation Team, BlackRock 

Ben Steel, Associate, is a member of the Global Tactical Asset Allocation (GTAA) within BlackRock's Multi Asset Strategies & Solutions (MASS) group.

He focuses on market and economic research, scaling AI applications across the team to enhance productivity and investment research, and developing customized AI architecture for use throughout the team's macro related researcg on markets and trading signals. His work combines quantitative research, software development, portfolio management, and client engagement.

Ben earned a Master of Financial Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business, where he studied advanced applications of AI and data science in financial markets, and a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Ben is also published author in neuroscience (and related) journals.

Zurva Aziz

Graduate Students, Lam Family College of Business 

Zurva Aziz is a Graduate Assistant at San Francisco State University, supporting faculty and students in exploring practical, responsible uses of AI in learning. With a background in software engineering and AI strategy, she focuses on making AI accessible, engaging, and meaningful for diverse student communities across disciplines.

Emily Zubritsky

Graduate Students, Lam Family College of Business 

Emily Zubritsky is an MBA candidate at San Francisco State University specializing in Information Systems. She is an experienced program leader and founder of the Graduate Business AI Club. She was recently elected to serve on the board of the Project Management Institute San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (PMI) and also serves on the chapter’s Sustainability Team. She has participated in campus competitions like SF Hacks and the Lam Family College of Business Engineering and Technology Pitch competition. Emily is passionate about learning and teaching AI, with a focus on ethical AI, and is committed to shaping its safe and effective use. She channels her creativity into sewing and designing clothing, painting, and is also a trained voiceover artist.