Explore the Program

In this talk I'll share the situations that exposed my limited toolkit of leadership styles, the new styles I've added, and how I got comfortable using them.

This interactive session is designed to help you become an effective business leader as well as an effective technical leader. It will provide you with the tools to develop strong commercial awareness, frameworks for effective cross-functional working with your management counterparts, and communication skills for influencing non-technical leaders.

This interactive session will equip you with:

• The skills to drive success in your engineering teams and drive your business forward
• The ability to turn engineering from a cost center into a revenue generator
• The communication skills for influencing non-technical leaders.

This talk explores the evolution of the engineering leadership role from the growth-focused 2010s to today's environment of increased scrutiny and accountability.

We'll discuss six skills that have become essential: financial acumen, operational efficiency, strategic prioritization, change management, metrics-driven decision-making, and stakeholder management. This talk aims to provide senior engineering leaders with a framework for self-reflection and a roadmap for personal development. By embracing these new skills, leaders can effectively guide their teams and organizations through the complexities of today's tech landscape.

This talk is your guide to cracking that puzzle, and make leadership growth less of a mystery and more of an adventure!

In this talk we will dive into: 

• Strategies for effectively interpreting unspoken feedback, utilizing various methods such as peer reviews and team performance data to stay connected with your team and business even when traditional feedback avenues diminish.
• Identifying meaningful leadership success metrics beyond project timelines and team productivity to understand areas of strength and areas for improvement.
• Crafting a growth roadmap including setting ambitious goals, selecting valuable resources, and establishing personal accountability mechanisms for continuous development.

An effective engineering strategy is not just about technology choices, it’s about processes, organisation design, and cultural elements. While there are plenty of examples of the importance of having a vision and strategy in place, there are few on how to actually put it together.

This interactive session will cover:

• the skills to understand what makes a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ strategy
• how to put together a new strategy
• how to articulate and communicate it
• how to adapt it as times change.

In this talk we will dive into: 

• Strategies to strengthen collaboration strategies to align engineering and product efforts effectively 
• Tools to enhance communication practices across functions to accelerate customer value delivery 
• How to lead innovation initiatives in tandem with product teams to achieve shared objectives 

As a senior engineering leader, you are no longer solely responsible for your teams’ work and you’re now in charge of leaders of their own high-impact projects; which can be quite challenging when you’re no longer on the ground floor. But luckily, you were in their shoes not too long ago. Now your job is to make them successful without getting too close or straying too far! So how will you keep tabs on what’s going on and get involved in the right way?

In this session we'll look at:

• Where you can add the most value in a project lifecycle
• How to set your leaders up for success
• How to monitor and course correct as the project progresses
• What to do to boost a successful launch
• The pitfalls of the “perfect project” that doesn’t exist

However, we were not taught how to do this in school or our previous roles at less senior levels. I will share some stories to cover three main scenarios and how to overcome these challenges:

• How to stand up for your team and fight to gain more budget for engineering functions?
• How to allocate your budget to optimize for long-term growth and team health?
• How to manage efficiency and be a hero when you come in under budget at the end of the fiscal year?

Now more than ever, they must find ways to optimize their organizations, expand capacity, and boost productivity — the classic "Do More With Less" scenario. A consequence of this post-ZIRP reality is the need for reorganizations. However, few leaders are well-versed in change management and organizational design, which are disciplines in their own right.

In this workshop, we'll explore:

• What change management is and why it's a critical tool in your leadership toolbox
• How to establish foundational principles for your reorganization
• Effective methods for structuring and implementing the reorganization

The session will start by defining the role of a CTO and how it differs from that of a Director. For those aiming to become CTOs, we'll discuss the essential skills required, such as technical knowledge, strategic planning, and leadership capabilities. The talk will also provide insights into how these skills can be developed and refined.

For attendees interested in mentorship, the talk will cover how to identify and nurture potential in others, share experiences effectively, and offer guidance that can help shape future technology leaders.

We'll also discuss the common challenges faced on this career path and offer practical advice on how to overcome them. Real-world examples will be used to illustrate successful transitions to the CTO role and how effective mentorship can make a difference.