Beer & Analytics XIII

Etienne Pelletier is a Technical Director at Denodo with over 25 years of expertise in analytics and data governance. His passion in data, analytics, and governance has helped government organizations and businesses understand how a virtual data architecture enables faster and simpler data driven decision improvements. Prior to joining Denodo, Etienne spent 15 years at IBM, where he launched and managed various data platforms worldwide.

Glendon is a dynamic technology leader with a proven track record in data analytics, artificial intelligence, and digital product management. Prior to joining Bronson, he spent 7 years with IBM as a Managing Consultant, working for enterprise-sized clients such as Air Canada and the Bank of Canada. He also led IBM Canada’s internal capability development on GenAI and NLP. He has led high-impact analytics and AI initiatives for leading organizations across sectors, including government, aviation, and major cooperatives. Glendon’s expertise lies in leveraging advanced analytics, machine learning, and generative AI to drive measurable business outcomes, optimize operations, and deliver innovative digital products.

Mahtab is a Data Scientist and Business Analyst with hands-on experience designing, implementing, and operationalizing data workflows. She holds the SnowPro Core Certification in Snowflake and combines deep expertise in database fundamentals and cloud native warehousing with mastery of orchestration tools (Dagster, Apache Airflow, Fivetran) to build reliable, scalable pipelines. Mahtab has led end-to-end projects – from requirements gathering through deployment – in both Agile and hybrid environments, consistently delivering clean, accessible data to support analytics and reporting initiatives. Her strong communication and stakeholder management skills ensure alignment across technical and business teams.

With 20+ years in the employee benefits space, Hugh Doyle is the CEO at Eazy Benefits, a boutique benefits brokerage that helps organizations modernize their benefits strategy through data-driven decisions – from claims analytics to workforce profiling. Known for his deep expertise in group insurance, plan design, and client-focused service, Hugh is a go-to partner for companies looking to balance cost-efficiency with standout employee support.

With over 15 years in the insurance industry, Derrick focuses on data-driven, client-focused employee benefits strategies that adapt to the evolving needs of today’s workforce. He leverages AI and analytics to uncover trends, benchmark plans, and optimize outcomes – ensuring every solution is evidence-based and impactful. Known for strong insurer relationships and clear insights, Derrick helps organizations simplify plan structures, reduce costs, and enhance employee value.

Oliver Benning is a passionate advocate for leveraging technology to solve business challenges. With a unique background as both a software engineer and solutions engineer, he excels at translating deeply technical concepts into accessible, business-focused solutions. He has held key roles in security analysis, software engineering and machine learning, helping companies grow and innovate.

Oliver currently serves as a Senior Solutions Engineer at Snowflake. He is known for solving complex technical challenges and for his ability to develop innovative, cloud-based data and AI strategies rooted in his hands-on experience doing engineering at massive scale. With a passion for applying digital transformation in the public sector, he draws on his extensive private sector experience to help organizations apply machine learning and AI to unlock the potential of their data.

Cobey Haskins leads the Federal Government relationship for Snowflake’s Public Sector team in Canada. Snowflake is an organization that is focused on helping all organizations mobilize and drive outcomes from their data by ensuring Data Silos are broken down and all consumers have access to what they need, when they need it. Cobey has spent more than a decade in technology working along side AWS, Microsoft and Google to help organizations realize the value of their Cloud investments. Five of those years specifically focused on enabling cloud transformation with many large Federal Canadian Government Departments and Crown Corporations.

Jesse Velay-Vitow is an Account Strategist at Palantir, where he works across industries and supports the Canadian Commercial business. He received a Doctorate in Physics from the University of Toronto and now lives in New York.