Scaling Data & AI Products: Strategy, Execution & Go A One-Day Event by Thoughtworks Hosted by Amy Raygada, Principal Data and AI Strategist at Thoughtworks

🗣️ Afternoon Talks: Deep Dives into Data Strategy & Governance

2:00 - 2:45 PM \| Keynote: "Data Mesh Beyond the Hype: Why People Matter More Than Tech" – Ilya Vladimirskiy

The Data Mesh concept decentralizes data management, yet its success depends more on people and culture than technology. Ilya Vladimirskiy explores common pitfalls in implementation, such as cargo cult adoption, communication gaps, and unrealistic expectations, sharing actionable strategies to balance people and technology effectively.

3:00 - 3:45 PM \| Talk: "Data Products Need Data Contracts: Open Standards & Open Source Tooling" – Dr. Simon Harrer Data Products promise trustworthy, reusable data, but how do we enforce guarantees on quality and governance? Dr. Simon Harrer introduces Data Contracts, explaining the Open Data Contract Standard (Linux Foundation) and demonstrating how Data Contract CLI enables automatic verification. Warning: There will be YAML!

4:00 - 4:45 \| Talk: "Thriving Data and AI Ecosystems with Product Thinking for Technology Platforms" - Carsten Fritsch This session explores how Product Thinking helps create thriving data and AI ecosystems. By treating technology platforms as products — with clear value, user focus, and continuous feedback — organizations can boost adoption, improve data quality, and accelerate innovation.

5:00 - 5:45 PM \| Panel Discussion & Open Q&A (TBD) Moderated by Amy Raygada & Nicolas Averseng, this session invites all speakers to engage with the audience on Data Product adoption, governance, and execution challenges.

💡 Who Should Attend? CDOs, Heads of Data, Data Product Managers AI & Data Strategy Leaders Engineering and Governance Professionals

🕕 Full-day event This Event is part of a Full-day event. If you want to attend the Interactive Workshop in the morning, please sign up on the event page here: Scaling Data & AI Products: Interactive Masterclass

------ Code of Conduct We adhere to the Berlin Code of Conduct to ensure a welcoming and respectful environment for all participants. The event space operates under largely compatible Thoughtworks Meetups & Events CoC.

Accessibility The Location is accessible for wheelchair users. This includes the entrance (no steps to get into the location), toilets and the stage.