Ateraverse ’24: AI in Action

John Romero

Programmer & game designer

John Romero is an award-winning programmer, game designer and level designer whose work spans over 130 games. Romero is considered to be the "father of first person shooters" having led the design and contributed to the programming and audio design of the iconic and genre-defining games like Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM, and Quake.

Gil Pekelman

CEO & Co-founder

Gil is the CEO and Founder of Atera, the most innovative platform for IT professionals. Prior to founding Atera, Gil held senior positions at Indigo NV, (now a division of HP) and Exanet (Acquired by DELL). He has a degree in Economics and Management from Tel-Aviv University (Cum Laude) and is the sole inventor of three patents.

Oshri Moyal

CTO & Co-founder

Oshri co-founded Atera, and now leads the engineering team and the technology vision. He was formerly the sole developer of a breakthrough SMB Firewall and spent years in the MSP field. Oshri has been developing software since the age of 14, and is also a non-conforming innovator and an elite football player.

Sarah Bird

Chief Product Officer of Responsible AI

Dr. Sarah Bird leads the creation and implementation of responsible AI principles, standards and tools at Microsoft, spearheading the development of key products like Bing and Github Copilot. In the field since its start, she is a founding researcher of the Microsoft FATE research group and an active contributor to the open source ecosystem. She has a Ph.D. in computer science from Berkeley.

Ryan Kazanciyan

CISO & CIO

Ryan Kazanciyan leads corporate, product, and infrastructure security, and ‌risk and compliance initiatives at Wiz. Previously, he worked on detection & response operations and WhatsApp and Messenger security strategy at Meta, and led breach investigations at Mandiant. He’s been an instructor for the FBI’s Cyber Squad and a tech consultant for the TV series “Mr. Robot.”

Tal Dagan

Chief Product Officer

Tal leads Atera’s products, and previously served as VP Product at Redis Labs and Taptica, and Head of Products at Flash Networks. Holding a BSc in computer science and business administration from the Hebrew University (Cum Laude), Tal won the Tel Aviv University prize for outstanding achievements during his MSc and also previously studied at Columbia University.

Lee Hickin

AI Tech & Policy Lead

Lee's 30+ years of experience in the IT industry include diverse roles and domains across Asia, the UK, and Australia. He served as CISSP certified security architect with RSA Security, worked at Tivoli and IBM, led Amazon Web Services' IOT business development team in APAC, and most recently, holds the position of CTO for Microsoft ANZ.

Robert Garmaise

VP of AI Research

Robert has led major business transformation projects and held senior positions at McKinsey, Microsoft, Workbrain Corporation, Blockbuster Canada, and TheGuarantors. Prior to joining Info-Tech's AI research arm, he served as Chief Innovation Officer at Fasken, an international business law firm.

Itzik Tzalaf

NSO and Cybersecurity expert

Itzik is a National Security Officer at Microsoft with over 20 years of experience in software development and Cybersecurity solutions. He led cyber digital initiatives for both the public and private sector, including as a Cyber Solutions Specialist at Microsoft's Global Security Services.

Yoav Susz

General Manager - US

With a decade of experience in the AI industry overseeing the go-to-market strategies and leading sales and marketing teams, Yoav now serves as Atera's US General Manager. With a background as a corporate litigator, Yoav successfully transitioned into Revenue Leadership roles at renowned companies such as Optimove, Contractbook, and most recently Vi. Yoav studied law, and later obtained an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business. He is a self-pronounced bibliophile, and cherishes his role as a loving father to three children.

Michael Reeves

Tech Director

Graham Peck

Data Security Manager

Graham Peck leads data security and strategy across all of Leeds United Football Club’s business units, from daily IT maintenance to installing new security measures and processes. He has an extensive IT and security background, building on his education in accounting, business economics, and computer studies.

Geoff Beulans

Founder

Geoff Beulens is the owner of British Colombia-based MSP Cloud Systems. He specializes in business optimization strategies using cloud-based IT solutions, helping companies streamline and centralize all their IT needs off-premise.

Marco Gozun

IT Manager

As IT manager at Temco Logistics, Marco has spearheaded the opening of over 50 buildings nationwide, established core corporate structures for expansion, and executed cloud migration and network security enhancements, integrating tools like Atera for team efficiency. Marco is a Business Administration graduate of Cal State University Fullerton.

Rachel Wilson

Managing Director & Head of Cybersecurity

With 15-years of experience at the US National Security Agency (NSA), Rachel safeguards Morgan Stanley's Wealth Management division's technology infrastructure and clients amid increased internet-facing operations and expanded digital functionalities, while managing escalating cyber risks and leading field and client education.

Oren Elimelech

Chief Information Security Officer

Oren serves as Atera’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Prior to Atera, he was the CISO at several companies, including Sapiens, CyCognito, and OneZero, and served as a consultant for security and governmental offices, financial institutions, and various enterprises. He also holds certifications including CISO, CISM, CRISC, CISSP, CISA, CFR, PCIP, and CDPSE.

Syed Hasib

Technology Manager

In his 10 years as the technology manager of the Central Park Conservancy, Syed has spearheaded multiple projects to enhance user experience while maintaining and enhancing system security. He has a BSc in computer science and Economics from Queens College.

Joe Summers

Cyber Manager

Joe leads Delap’s managed IT services & client helpdesk, driving resolutions and supporting client technology projects, deployments, and infrastructure. With over a decade of SMB experience, he is passionate about simplifying complexity, streamlining processes, and ensuring IT system efficiency.

Dan Cox

IT Systems Specialist Lead

As IT Systems Specialist Lead at Autumn Harp Inc., a specialized R&D and manufacturer of cosmetic and skincare products, Dan has led his IT team through a period of rapid technological change. A Bristol native, Dan’s been with Autumn Harp for over two decades.

Jim French

IT Manager

As the IT manager at Autumn Harp Inc. for the past four years, Jim has led his IT team through a period of rapid technological change. Previously, Jim held various positions in the Finance, Automotive, Manufacturing, and Health Insurance industries, with a common focus on helping people adopt and use technology to improve productivity.