Glitch CEO Anil Dash among latest additions to Inspirefest 2019

18 Feb 2019

Anil Dash. Image: Reggie Cunningham

Glitch CEO Anil Dash, author Jennifer Romolini and business strategist Nilofer Merchant are all among the impressive speakers added to the Inspirefest 2019 line-up.

Entrepreneur, activist and Glitch CEO Anil Dash is set to dazzle audiences at Inspirefest 2019 this May.

Dash began his illustrious career as an independent technology and new media adviser for The Village Voice. In 2003, he became one of the first employees for Six Apart, a company known for creating multiple influential blogging products such as Movable Type, TypePad, LiveJournal and Vox.

He has since clocked up a number of esteemed roles such as contributing editor of Wired magazine and adviser to former US president Barack Obama’s Office of Digital Strategy.

In 2016, Dash was appointed CEO of Glitch, formerly known as Fog Creek Software. The software company specialises in project management tools and most notably fostered the early development of popular collaboration tool Trello before it spun out and became its own company.

Now, Dash serves on the board of directors of a number of different firms, including Stack Overflow, and advises start-ups and non-profits such as Medium and Project Include.

Jennifer Romolini, author of ‘Weird in a World That’s Not’

Image: Jennifer Romolini

Also added to the billing is Jennifer Romolini, author of the honest and sharp-witted career guide Weird in a World That’s Not: A Career Guide for Misfits, F*ckups and Failures. The book is a reflection on Romolini’s own past successes – and failures – in her career in media which has seen her work with prominent media brands such as ShondaLand, HelloGiggles, Yahoo, Lucky Magazine, Elle, The New York Times and more.

Her no-holds-barred and no-nonsense book received massive acclaim, being dubbed “one of the best business and leadership books of 2017” by Fast Company.

Nilofer Merchant, business strategist

Business strategist Nilofer Merchant graces the Inspirefest line-up for the third time this year, having previously captivated audiences with her unique insights into the inner workings of Silicon Valley, informed by her years working as a tech executive for high-profile firms such as Apple and Autodesk.

In 2017, Merchant begged the question of whether Silicon Valley truly encourages innovation, or if it is hampered by pressure to conform, challenging the traditional perception of the California Bay Area as being at the cutting-edge of forward thinking.

In her latest book, The Power of Onlyness, Merchant beseeches readers to make their wildest ideas “mighty enough to dent the world”. She argues that anyone who feels like they don’t have the clout, power or influence to change their world needs to appreciate the uniqueness of our time and the opportunities it presents for people to have an impact.

Art Gilliland, EVP and GM of enterprise products at Symantec

Art Gilliland. Image: Symantec

In his role, Art Gilliland oversees a number of different integral teams at Symantec. Prior to this, he served as senior vice-president and general manager of the information security group.

Before joining Symantec, Gilliland served as senior vice-president of HP software enterprise security products. He has also worked with firms such as SkySports Systems and IMLogic, as well as serving as a member of the board of directos for OneSpan and Gigamon.

Tim Hynes, CIO of AIB

Tim Hynes. Image: AIB

Tim Hynes is an executive with experience in a broad range of disciplines including brand marketing, operations, change management and technology. He has 30 years’ experience working in both regional and global roles at notable blue-chip organisations and has lead teams across more than 40 countries. Hynes holds a master’s in executive leadership from Ulster University and is a qualified bank director.

Buy your ticket now

Tickets are still available for Inspirefest 2019, held on 16 and 17 May 2019 in the heart of Silicon Docks in Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. Overlooking hubs of some of the largest tech firms in the world, attendees will be treated to a host of speeches, panel talks and events that promise to open minds, open hearts and be – without being too on-the-nose about it – inspiring.

Early bird tickets are still available for €275. High-powered C-suite leaders can also avail of the event’s limited-edition platinum tickets, which grant access to exclusive events populated with some of the most influential minds in global business and technology industries.

If you’re a teacher, academic, bootstrapped start-up, student or currently unwaged, fear not – the event has reduced-price tickets to ensure that you won’t be locked out of Inspirefest 2019 and the bounty of opportunities therein.

Inspirefest is Silicon Republic’s international event celebrating the point where science, technology and the arts collide. Early Bird tickets for Inspirefest 2019 are available now.

Update, 12.21pm, 10 May 2019: Art Gilliland will no longer be speaking at Inspirefest 2019. In his place, the event will welcome Stephen Trilling, senior VP and GM of security analytics and research, Symantec.

Eva Short was a journalist at Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com