Introducing Cohort 5 2025 of the Astronomer Champions Program for Apache Airflow®!

  • Briana Okyere

We are excited to announce the launch of Cohort 5 of our Champions Program for Apache Airflow®! This first cohort of 2025 brings together a distinguished group of data leaders from global organizations, each with deep expertise in Airflow and a shared commitment to driving the evolution of data engineering.

Meet Cohort 5 of the Astronomer Champions Program for Apache Airflow®!

This cohort is truly remarkable, featuring champions from renowned organizations such as Foursquare, Northern Trust, HTC Global Services, and Sofrecom, among others. With a highly selective approval process, Cohort 5 achieved an impressive 17% acceptance rate, gathering 11 exceptional data professionals ready to elevate the impact of Apache Airflow across industries.

From optimizing big data architectures to enhancing MLOps and data processing, each of these champions brings unique skills and expertise to the table. Here’s a closer look at the incredible professionals of Cohort 5:

Dmitrii Zverev

Dmitrii Zverev

Software Engineer

Foursquare

Belgrade, Serbia

Airflow Journey:

As a Software Engineer, Dmitrii has spent over four years using Apache Airflow to support MLOps and build complex ETL pipelines. Now, with the Astronomer platform at his fingertips, he orchestrates large-scale geospatial data processing in the AWS cloud using Apache Spark and EMR Serverless. By leveraging Airflow’s Datasets feature with inlets and outlets, he provides full data lineage transparency—fostering seamless collaboration and clarity across development teams. Airflow’s flexibility in configuring data processing logic also enables Dmitrii to tailor workflows precisely to meet customer needs.

Dave Tuazon

Dave Tuazon

Data Engineering Manager

Northern Trust

Bacoor City, Philippines

Airflow Journey:

Dave Tuazon is a Data Engineering Manager at Northern Trust, where he leads efforts to modernize data workflows and infrastructure. With hands-on experience using Apache Airflow in production environments, he brings a strategic approach to orchestrating reliable and scalable data pipelines. Dave is an Apache Airflow Certified User and leverages the platform to streamline data operations, improve observability, and drive automation across teams. His leadership and technical expertise play a key role in delivering efficient, high-impact data solutions within the organization.

Andrei Khaidarov

Andrei Khaidarov

BI Engineer

VVT

Tbilisi, Georgia

Airflow Journey:

Andrei Khaidarov is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Cloud Solution Architect – Data & AI, who actively leverages Apache Airflow® to orchestrate complex data pipelines and automate workflows for analytics and AI-driven solutions. With several years of experience integrating Airflow into modern data platforms—including Microsoft Fabric and Azure-based architectures—Andrei specializes in designing scalable, reliable DAGs, optimizing task dependencies, and enabling seamless data ingestion and transformation. He is passionate about knowledge sharing, community contribution, and helping organizations build robust, future-ready data ecosystems.

Sathish Kumar Gowri Sankaran

Sathish Kumar Gowri Sankaran

Data Engineer

HTC Global Services

Dharmapuri, India

Airflow Journey:

Sathish Kumar Gowri Sankaran is a Data Engineer at HTC Global Services, where he specializes in building and maintaining data pipelines to support enterprise analytics and operations. With hands-on experience using Apache Airflow, he actively contributes to the Airflow community by assisting fellow users on various forums, answering questions, and providing guidance on best practices. Sathish is passionate about sharing knowledge and helping others navigate the complexities of data orchestration, fostering collaboration and continuous learning within the data engineering community.

Miguel Ruiz

Miguel Ruiz

Data Architect

Convotis

Redovan, Spain

Airflow Journey:

Miguel Ruiz is a data engineer with hands-on experience designing and orchestrating data pipelines using Apache Airflow®. He has built and managed DAGs for complex workflows that integrate tools like dbt, Snowflake, Spark, and Databricks within cloud environments such as Azure. His expertise with Airflow spans Operators, XComs, Variables, and monitoring—enabling the development of scalable, maintainable ETL processes. With a strong background in distributed systems and analytics engineering, Miguel ensures efficient data transformation and reliable delivery across platforms.

Muhammad Saipul Rohman

Muhammad Saipul Rohman

Data Engineering, Management and Governance Specialist

Accenture

Redovan, Spain

Airflow Journey:

Saipul is a Professional Data Engineer with certifications in both GCP and AWS. He specializes in building scalable and reliable data pipelines for startups and consulting companies. Saipul leverages Apache Airflow® to orchestrate data workflows tailored to customer needs. He is also passionate about knowledge sharing, particularly around the open-source version of Apache Airflow, and frequently explores its integration with Google Cloud and AWS platforms.

Marwen Ben Alayet

Marwen Ben Alayet

Data Engineer

Sofrecom

Tunis, Tunisia

Airflow Journey:

Marwen Ben Alayet is a Data Engineer at Sofrecom, where he specializes in developing and optimizing data pipelines to support enterprise analytics and operations. With hands-on experience in data engineering, Marwen focuses on building scalable and efficient data solutions that align with organizational goals. He is passionate about leveraging modern data tools and platforms to drive innovation and improve data-driven decision-making processes.

Nonpavit Detbun

Nonpavit Detbun

Senior Software Engineer

Maxion Tech Co. Ltd.

Phitsanulok, Thailand

Airflow Journey:

Nonpavit Detbun is a Senior Software Engineer at Maxion Tech Co. Ltd., where he specializes in building and optimizing data pipelines using Apache Airflow®. With deep expertise in Airflow, he designs and orchestrates complex workflows that streamline data processing and enhance operational efficiency. Nonpavit’s focus is on leveraging Airflow to automate and scale data workflows, integrating with a variety of tools and platforms. Passionate about optimizing data engineering processes, he is committed to delivering high-performance solutions that drive business value.

Anatole Cadet

Anatole Cadet

Data Architect

Larochelle Groupe Conseil

Quebec, Canada

Airflow Journey:

Anatole is a Data Engineer at Larochelle Groupe Conseil with a strong passion for analyzing and setting up data pipelines using Apache Airflow. He excels in implementing complex functionality with Python, Oracle PL/SQL, and Python scripting automation to streamline and optimize tasks. With extensive experience in automating workflows, Anatole is dedicated to building efficient and scalable solutions that enhance data processing and task automation. His expertise spans across integrating various tools and technologies to solve intricate challenges, ensuring robust and reliable data workflows.

Tiemoko S Thierry Hema

Tiemoko S Thierry Hema

Big Data Engineer

Data354

Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Airflow Journey:

Tiemoko S. Thierry Hema is a DataOps & MLOps Engineer at data354, specializing in the implementation of big data architectures and the optimization of data pipelines. He deploys and manages Apache Airflow® instances in production, ensuring the reliable and efficient orchestration of workflows for clients such as Orange Côte d'Ivoire. His expertise includes designing optimized DAGs, automating processes, and integrating Airflow with environments like Kubernetes. By supporting teams in enhancing their pipelines, Tiemoko contributes to improving the robustness, scalability, and performance of data solutions.

Bineli Manga Herve Arsene

Bineli Manga Herve Arsene

Cloud Data Engineer

Orange

Douala, Cameroon

Airflow Journey:

Bineli Manga Hervé Arsène is a computer engineer specializing in data engineering and cloud technologies. As a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Professional Data Engineer and Data Architect, he excels in machine learning with Vertex AI and big data processing using Apache Airflow®. His expertise ensures optimized workflows, seamless deployments, and scalable data solutions for clients.

Interested in Being a Champion?

Interested in becoming a Champion? Learn more here, and apply for the 2025 Cohort!

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