Akmal B. Chaudhri is an Independent Consultant, specializing in Big Data, NoSQL and NewSQL database technologies. He has previously held roles as a developer, consultant, product strategist and technical trainer with several Blue-Chip companies and Big Data startups. He has regularly presented at many international conferences and served on the program committees for a number of major conferences and workshops. He has published and presented on emerging technologies and edited or co-edited 10 books. He is now learning about Apache Spark and also how to become a Data Scientist. He holds a BSc (1st Class Hons.) in Computing and Information Systems, MSc in Business Systems Analysis and Design and a PhD in Computer Science. He is a Member of the British Computer Society (MBCS) and a Chartered IT Professional (CITP).