Expert session 1 on Strategic Networking with speakers Katarzyna (Kasia) Stoltmann and Kendy Rannenberg.

The future of healthcare depends not only on breakthroughs in science, but also on how we harness the power of data, technology, and AI. To realise this future, we must challenge long-held assumptions about how data products are delivered. What once took months of complex engineering now happens in days—or even hours—by re-imagining the way we work. At AstraZeneca, we shifted from a traditional IT-centric model to one where business teams take ownership, rapid prototyping drives innovation, and automation ensures quality, compliance, and trust.

 This change is more than a process improvement; it is a cultural transformation. By aligning every step to business value, embracing bold goals, and learning from failure, we have built a system that empowers people to innovate at speed and at scale. Data products are no longer the end goal but the enablers of something greater: a knowledge fabric ready for AI, where enterprise context unlocks smarter decisions and accelerates the delivery of life-changing medicines.

Our journey proves that when ambition meets courage, and technology meets purpose, we can transform the way data serves science—and, ultimately, transform the lives of patients around the world.

AstraZeneca has implemented a "platform" approach, which serves as a centralized repository of standardized, enterprise grade, reusable services and capabilities that are accessible to AI factories. This platform includes user interfaces, APIs that integrate AI services with enterprise systems, supporting resources like data import tools and agent orchestration services. AstraZeneca will share how, starting with a few generative AI use cases, they have successfully identified common services and capabilities, subsequently standardizing these elements to maximize their applicability through the platform. These solutions leverage technologies like GPT models, Natural Language Processing and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) architecture.

Led by Katarzyna (Kasia) Stoltmann and Aliya Boranbayeva. Explore equitable AI solutions, personal branding, and storytelling to amplify visibility in data.

Introductory keynote session featuring Katarzyna (Kasia) Stoltmann (Head of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, AstraZeneca; Founder, Women in Big Data Berlin), Aliya Boranbayeva (Communications & Events, Hertie School Data Science Lab), and Neil Metzler (Founder, Stealth AI Startup; Host of 'Your Next Big Thing'; ally in tech) discussing community development and allyship.

Panel featuring Olena Nahorna, Katarzyna Stoltmann, Jennifer Lapp, Aliya Boranbayeva, moderated by Anita Fechner, discussing AI in communication and data.

The talk will explore how a background in linguistics can enhance the development of end-to-end AI-driven solutions.

Want to create a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) system perfectly tailored to your data and use case? This session dives into building custom RAG pipelines on Vertex AI. Learn how to combine Vertex AI services like document processing, vector search, and grounding to build powerful, context-aware AI applications.