Day 1
08:00-09:00
Registration & Coffee
09:00-09:10
Chair’s Opening Remarks
09:10-09:40
Keynote – Magic and Mouse House: How Storytelling Completes You as a Leader
- Many critical moments of your career as a leader rely on communication. The new strategy, the unexpected reorganization, the performance plan, and many more.
- In each situation, you must clearly explain the situation, describe what is changing, and, finally, explain why this will work. You need to tell a story.
- In this talk, Lopp vividly and unconventionally demonstrates the power of compelling storytelling. This critical and learnable skill is a toolkit essential for every leader.
Michael Lopp, Founder, Rands in Repose
09:40-10:05
Presentation – Herding Cats and Avoiding Catastrophes: Lessons from team mergers during acquisitions
- Company acquisitions bring exciting opportunities but also significant challenges, particularly in aligning teams, cultures, and workflows. This session dives into the firsthand experiences of navigating these transitions.
- Explore what didn’t work—missteps that led to misalignment, communication breakdowns, and resistance to change—and the lessons learned from overcoming them.
- Hear about strategies for fostering collaboration, maintaining morale, and integrating diverse teams effectively. Leave with actionable insights on what to prioritize and avoid to ensure a smoother transition in your own organization.
Anna Goltsman, CTO, eDynamic Learning
10:05-10:45
Coffee & Recharge Break
10:45-11:35
Panel – Building Resilient Engineering Teams: Lean Practices in Lean Times
- In times of economic uncertainty, every decision counts. This panel discusses how tech leaders are balancing efficiency and resilience, sharing insights into maintaining high performance without overburdening teams.
- Learn about the tools, techniques, and cultural changes that have helped teams stay motivated and productive during tough times.
- Avoid common mistakes like cutting corners or over-relying on automation, which can harm both team morale and product quality in the long run.
Joel Cumming, CTO, SkyWatch
Melissa Young, SVP Engineering, Vox Media
Sandrine Tremblay, Co-President & CTO, KOLOSTAT
11:35-12:00
Community Showcase – Call for Papers
Want to be part of the agenda? Our call for papers submissions are open until January 31st. Click here to submit your ideas!
We value every submission from our community and each is reviewed by our Creative Committee. Stay tuned for announcements of the successful submissions coming in February.
12:00-13:10
Lunch
13:10-13:35
Presentation – AI Assistants: Revolutionising Productivity or Adding Complexity?
- AI assistants promise to transform workflows, from automating repetitive tasks to enhancing decision-making processes, but what’s the reality behind the hype?
- Explore practical use cases where AI assistants have successfully streamlined operations and boosted team productivity, as well as the challenges teams face when adoption goes wrong.
- Learn how to choose the right tools, avoid common pitfalls like over-reliance or poor integration, and balance innovation with user trust to ensure AI assistants become enablers, not obstacles, in your organisation.
Lachlan Holmes, CTO, FirstHX
13:35-14:00
Community Showcase – Call for Papers
Want to be part of the agenda? Our call for papers submissions are open until January 31st. Click here to submit your ideas!
We value every submission from our community and each is reviewed by our Creative Committee. Stay tuned for announcements of the successful submissions coming in February.
14:00-14:25
Presentation – Cultural Alignment in Tech: Bridging Product, Customer Success, and Engineering
- Misaligned teams create inefficiencies and frustration, both internally and for your customers. This session explores how to foster alignment across key departments.
- Learn communication strategies and organisational structures that enable seamless collaboration, ensuring your teams move in the same direction.
- Avoid the common traps of siloed thinking and miscommunication, which can derail even the best intentions.
Speaker coming soon!
14:25-15:05
Coffee & Recharge Break
15:05-15:55
Panel – Managing Hybrid Teams: Lessons from Multicultural Tech Hubs
- Hybrid and remote work are reshaping how teams function. This panel brings together leaders to share their experiences navigating hybrid work in diverse and multilingual environments.
- Gain insights into building trust and inclusivity across geographically dispersed teams while avoiding common pitfalls like disengagement and fragmented communication.
- Explore strategies for fostering innovation and retaining top talent when physical presence isn’t guaranteed, ensuring your team thrives in the new normal.
Jen Krieger, VP of Engineering Operations, GitHub
Neshay Ahmed, CTO and Co-Founder, Wavy
15:55-16:20
Community Showcase – Call for Papers
Want to be part of the agenda? Our call for papers submissions are open until January 31st. Click here to submit your ideas!
We value every submission from our community and each is reviewed by our Creative Committee. Stay tuned for announcements of the successful submissions coming in February.
16:20-16:25
Chair’s closing remarks
16:25-18:25
Networking Reception
Day 2
08:00-09:00
Registration & Coffee
09:00-09:05
Chair’s Opening Remarks
09:05-09:35
Keynote – The Innovation Frontier: Navigating AI, Privacy, and Consumer Trust
- Smaller organizations face a unique challenge: balancing the drive to innovate with the increasing demands of compliance. For companies with limited resources, preparing for new regulations may feel daunting, but it’s also an opportunity to build trust, streamline operations, and future-proof growth.
- Explore how CTOs can embed governance into their innovation strategies without overburdening their teams. Learn how to turn compliance into a competitive advantage, building customer trust while staying agile in a rapidly evolving regulatory and technological landscape.
- Discover actionable frameworks to:
- Align your data practices with upcoming privacy and AI regulations to avoid disruption and enhance transparency.
- Use governance to differentiate your business, opening doors to enterprise partnerships and new market opportunities.
- Build scalable systems that allow you to adapt quickly to change without sacrificing innovation.
Olya Sanakoev, CTO, Rogers Bank
09:35-10:00
Presentation – Bootstrapping the CTO: Laying a Foundation for Leadership Success
- Your first 100 days as a CTO can define your leadership journey. This session will guide you through setting priorities, managing expectations, and establishing credibility from day one.
- Discover the critical actions that matter most—fostering trust, building strategic alignment, and identifying quick wins that demonstrate impact without overwhelming your team.
- Learn how to navigate common pitfalls like spreading yourself too thin or diving too deep into operational details, ensuring your leadership approach is focused and future-proof.
Dwayne Ford, Co-Founder & CTO, Mantle
10:00-10:35
Coffee & Recharge Break
10:35-11:20
Panel – From Startups to Scale-ups: Unique Challenges for Tech Leaders
- Scaling a company isn’t just about hiring more people—it’s about shifting mindsets and processes. This panel dives into the nuances of managing growth while balancing cultural and operational priorities.
- Discover strategies to manage growth without sacrificing company culture or product quality, and learn what scaling too quickly—or too cautiously—can cost your organisation.
- Hear from leaders who’ve turned local success into international expansion, sharing lessons learned from both triumphs and setbacks.
Mehrsan Javan, Co-Founder & CTO, Sportlogiq
Robin Sutara, Field Chief Data Strategy Officer, Databricks
Melissa DePuydt, Director of Engineering, Medium
11:20-11:45
Presentation – Building Careers, Not Just Teams: A Guide to Performance Management and Career Frameworks
- Performance management is about more than appraisals—it’s about creating systems that drive growth, clarity, and accountability across your teams.
- Learn how to design career frameworks that align employee aspirations with business needs, improving retention, engagement, and performance.
- Avoid common pitfalls like rigid processes or mismatched expectations, and gain practical tools to build a thriving, adaptable team culture.
Andrew Potapov, Director of Engineering, Leap Tools
11:45-12:55
Lunch
12:55-13:20
Community Showcase – Call for Papers
Want to be part of the agenda? Our call for papers submissions are open until January 31st. Click here to submit your ideas!
We value every submission from our community and each is reviewed by our Creative Committee. Stay tuned for announcements of the successful submissions coming in February.
13:20-13:45
Presentation – The New Quality Assurance: Redefining Quality in Modern Engineering Teams
- As software development accelerates, the role of QA must evolve to keep up. This session explores how to embed quality assurance into every stage of your development cycle.
- Avoid the pitfalls of reactive testing by learning about proactive approaches, from automated tools to shifting team mindsets toward quality ownership.
- See how modern QA practices can drive innovation, improve reliability, and strengthen customer trust.
Anne Steptoe, SVP Software Development, Propel Holdings
13:45-14:10
Presentation – Lean, Mean, and Green: Sustainability in Tech Operations
- Sustainability is no longer optional—it’s a necessity for competitive advantage. This session dives into actionable strategies for reducing waste and improving operational efficiency.
- Discover how leaders are integrating sustainability into their operations, from energy-efficient practices to greener supply chains.
- Learn why ignoring sustainability isn’t just risky—it’s costly, as regulations tighten and customer expectations rise.
Speaker coming soon!
14:10-14:45
Coffee & Recharge Break
14:45-15:10
Presentation – Bridging the Gap: Harmonizing Tech and Product Teams
- Collaboration between tech and product teams can be a minefield of misaligned priorities and communication breakdowns. This panel explores how to avoid these pitfalls by fostering better alignment and shared goals.
- Gain actionable strategies for defining roles and responsibilities, creating transparent workflows, and navigating conflicts that can arise in fast-paced environments.
- Learn from real-world examples of what happens when collaboration breaks down—and how to fix it before it impacts your bottom line.
Daniel Wolfe, CTO, MANDY’S
15:10-15:35
Community Showcase – Call for Papers
Want to be part of the agenda? Our call for papers submissions are open until January 31st. Click here to submit your ideas!
We value every submission from our community and each is reviewed by our Creative Committee. Stay tuned for announcements of the successful submissions coming in February.
15:35-15:40
Chair’s closing remarks
15:40-16:40
Coffee & Networking