Michael Flanakin serves as a member of the Technical Advisory Council and the FOCUS steering committee at FinOps Foundation since January 2023. At Microsoft, Flanakin has held several roles since July 2006, including Founder and Head of Product for the Microsoft FinOps toolkit, where an open-source set of tools was created to assist in adopting FinOps capabilities within the Microsoft Cloud. Flanakin also acts as Principal Product Manager for Microsoft Cost Management, directing the FinOps vision and strategy across multiple teams. Other roles at Microsoft include Senior Product Management Lead for the Azure portal and mobile app, and prior experience includes architectural engineering at Dynamics Research Corporation and consulting through Indigo Consulting Services. Flanakin's career began in the US Air Force, where significant contributions were made to mission-critical software projects. Flanakin holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Troy University.