They're the best of the best. A group of highly-skilled product experts who have come to divulge the most revealing facts and features around SQL Server 2012. Those lucky enough to hear their instruction will become fellow agents in the global effort to transform IT.
John "JG" Chirapurath The Rooster
Sr. Director, SQL Server Product Management - Microsoft
"Our future is in their hands" – the rooster, episode 2
TWITTER: @OriginalJGC
John "JG" Chirapurath is Senior Director of SQL Server & SQL Azure planning at Microsoft where he is responsible for the product strategy and roadmap. His responsibilities span server, appliances, and private & public cloud across established workloads such as OLTP, Data Warehousing, Business Intelligence and emerging workloads like Big Data. Prior this role, he was responsible for Microsoft’s enterprise Identity & Security business. Prior to joining Microsoft, Chirapurath was the vice president of marketing, co-founder, and board member for Sarvega Inc, a Web Services infrastructure company, leading it to acquisition by Intel Corporation. Chirapurath holds a Masters in Computer Science from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Matthew Roche The Rocker
Sr. Program Manager, SQL Server Integration Services - Microsoft
"You're mine now, Belgian" – the rocker, episode 1
BLOG: bi-polar23.blogspot.com
Matthew Roche is a Senior Program Manager on the SQL Server Integration Services team. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2008, Matthew worked as a data warehousing and Business Intelligence consultant and trainer specializing in the Microsoft BI suite, and presented regularly at events and conferences including TechEd and SQL Connections. When he’s not hard at work, "The Rocker" lives up to his namesake and follows Manowar – the loudest band in the world – on tour. Matthew has seen Manowar live scores of times in over a dozen countries, and can be found in the front row on your favorite Manowar DVD.
Sandrine Skinner The Wizard
Marketing Director, SQL Server Outbound Marketing - Microsoft
"Rooster. Rocker. I'm on his trail" – the wizard, episode 2
Sandrine Skinner is Director of Marketing Communications, responsible for the exciting launch of SQL Server 2012, the social/digital strategy for SQL Server and Microsoft Business Intelligence solutions, marketing campaigns and customer evidence. She joined the SQL Server marketing team in April 2011 from the Windows Client Marketing Group where she most recently launched Windows 7. She’s been at Microsoft for 6+ years based in Seattle and was previously a San Francisco Bay Area resident with past work experience at various companies such as Oracle, Silicon Graphics and Wired Magazine (HotWired).
Dandy Weyn The Belgian
Sr. Technical Product Manager, SQL Server Product Management - Microsoft
"They will not foil me. I have something they don't have" – the Belgian, episode 3
BLOG: blogs.technet.com/b/ilikesql_by_dandyman TWITTER: @ilikesql
Born and raised in Belgium, Dandy Weyn aka "The Belgian", started professionally with SQL Server about 15 years ago. After an international career as consultant/trainer, Dandy joined Microsoft to work on internal readiness in 2008. Since 2010 he is a Technical Product Manager on SQL Server Parallel Data Warehousing in the SQL Server PM group. As Microsoft Certified Master he is a frequent speaker at events like Microsoft TechED and SQLPASS, where he also is content owner for the Database Platform Track.