AI DevSummit 2025 + DeveloperWeek Leadership 2025: Full Schedule

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9:30am PDT

[Virtual Exclusive] OPEN Session: Your Brain is Buggy: How Understanding Cognitive Biases Can Make You a Better Engineering Leader

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:30am - 9:55am PDT

VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Expo Stage

Limor Mekaiten, Titan, Software engineering team leader

As engineering managers, we constantly debug systems and optimize processes—but what about the cognitive "bugs" in our own minds? This talk explores common cognitive biases, how they subtly influence our perceptions and decisions, and why understanding them is critical to better leadership.

You'll gain actionable strategies to uncover these mental shortcuts, manage team dynamics with fairness, and build a culture of empathy and clarity. By acknowledging and mitigating cognitive biases, we can improve team performance, strengthen trust, and inspire the humans behind the code.

Speakers

Limor Mekaiten

Software engineering team leader, Titan

Limor is a Software engineering team leader at Titan. Prior to her current role, she worked at different-sized startups with different cultures as both a software developer and a manager. She volunteers in Baot, the largest community for Senior female engineers in Israel in a program... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 9:30am - 9:55am PDT
VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Expo Stage

DeveloperWeek Leadership

Additional Topics Engineering Culture, Learning and Development, Team Collaboration
Session Type OPEN Session
Tracks OPEN Session, Virtual, DeveloperWeek Leadership, Technical Leadership / Management & Teams (Managing People) (DeveloperWeek Leadership)
In-Person/Virtual Virtual, Virtual Exclusive

10:00am PDT

[Virtual] KEYNOTE (Leadership): Shipyard -- How DevEx Drives DORA Metrics: Why Developer Happiness Directly Impacts Software Delivery

Thursday June 5, 2025 10:00am - 10:25am PDT

VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Main Stage

Benjie De Groot, Shipyard, Co-founder and CEO

DORA Metrics measure performance holistically, so that top scorers are those who put people and process first, and do it smartly. This means that prioritizing good DevEx eventually converts to improved DORA Metrics.

DevEx and DORA have a cause and effect type of relationship: the core components of DevEx (unblocking developers, utilizing self-service infrastructure) are all direct drivers of DORA. The 2024 DORA Report urges Platform to study the developer workflow so they can better solve for areas of friction. The most successful Platform teams use DevEx as their North Star for measuring productivity, and the subsequent DORA impact isn’t coincidental. Benjie will discuss how you can manage Platform to enable good DevEx, and what the corresponding DORA outcomes should be.

Speakers

Benjie De Groot

Co-founder and CEO, Shipyard

Benjie is the Co-Founder and Chief Architect of Shipyard, and co-hosts the Kubelist podcast. Previously, he built out CI/CD pipelines for companies ranging in size from seed to Fortune 50. He enjoys automating the mundane, and releasing code that he knows has been tested and validated... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 10:00am - 10:25am PDT
VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Main Stage

5. KEYNOTES & FEATURED

Additional Topics Engineering Culture, Team Collaboration, Learning and Development, KPIs and Metrics
Session Type OPEN Session
Tracks DeveloperWeek Leadership, Technical Leadership / Management & Teams (Managing People) (DeveloperWeek Leadership), Strategy / Methodology & Tooling (DeveloperWeek Leadership), Virtual, OPEN Session
In-Person/Virtual Virtual

10:00am PDT

[Virtual Exclusive] OPEN Session: Empowering Engineers: Key Product Management Skills for Enhanced Developer Efficiency

Thursday June 5, 2025 10:00am - 10:25am PDT

VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Expo Stage

Sangeetha Rajkumar, Microsoft, Senior TPM

In today's dynamic tech landscape, bridging the gap between product management and engineering is crucial for driving successful projects and maximizing developer productivity. This session will explore the key skills that product managers (PMs) need to foster effective collaboration with engineering teams, streamline workflows, and enhance overall productivity.

Speakers

Sangeetha Rajkumar

Senior TPM, Microsoft

Sangeetha is a seasoned technologist and product manager with over 9+ years of software product development experience, adept at working with cross-functional teams in dynamic environments. She holds a Master's Degree in Engineering Management with a specialization in Product Management... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 10:00am - 10:25am PDT
VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Expo Stage

DeveloperWeek Leadership

Additional Topics Developer Career Paths, Engineering Culture, Product Management and Engineering Alignment
Session Type OPEN Session
Tracks OPEN Session, Virtual, DeveloperWeek Leadership, Strategy / Methodology & Tooling (DeveloperWeek Leadership)
In-Person/Virtual Virtual, Virtual Exclusive

11:00am PDT

[Virtual Exclusive] PRO Session: Designing Architecture Flow

Thursday June 5, 2025 11:00am - 11:25am PDT

VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Main Stage

Ivan Padabed, PandaDoc, Director of Platform Architecture

In this session, we’ll explore the essential role of the architect as an accountable decision-maker and how they can optimize their workflow to ensure the right decisions are made at the right time. We’ll discuss why relying solely on an architect’s mental capacity is a bottleneck, how decision-making infrastructure tailored to organizational specifics enables speed and quality, and what best practices can help architects scale their effectiveness in high-growth environments.

Drawing from years of experience building and refining architectural decision-making pipelines in fast-paced, high-tech organizations, the speaker will share practical insights on:
• Structuring decision flows to ensure the right information is available at the right moment.
• Creating a collaborative environment where architectural decisions are well-informed and transparent.
• Designing a decision-making infrastructure that fosters consistency, speed, and quality.
• Avoiding common pitfalls that lead to decision paralysis, misalignment, and bottlenecks.

This session is for architects, engineering leaders, and decision-makers looking to improve architectural effectiveness and scale decision-making without sacrificing quality or agility. Join us to rethink how architecture flows in your organization.

Speakers

Ivan Padabed

Director of Platform Architecture, PandaDoc

Over 20 years in IT, doing business, product, service, and organization re-engineering to scale. Came to DDD as a core practice through systems thinking. An advocate of the evolutional approach.Enterprise Architecture practitioner, Solution Architecture methodologist, and Systems... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 11:00am - 11:25am PDT
VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Main Stage

DeveloperWeek Leadership

Additional Topics Engineering Culture, Technical Decision Making, SCRUM, Developer Career Paths, IT/Ops Career Paths, Leadership Career Paths, Learning and Development, Team Collaboration, Cross-functional Collaboration, KPIs and Metrics
Session Type PRO Session
Tracks DeveloperWeek Leadership, Virtual, Technical Leadership / Management & Teams (Managing People) (DeveloperWeek Leadership), Strategy / Methodology & Tooling (DeveloperWeek Leadership)
In-Person/Virtual Virtual, Virtual Exclusive

11:30am PDT

[Virtual Exclusive] OPEN Session: FORTRAN’s AI Playbook: Leadership Lessons from History

Thursday June 5, 2025 11:30am - 11:55am PDT

VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Expo Stage

Anjuan Simmons, GitHub, Staff Engineering Manager

Technological revolutions have reshaped software engineering throughout history, and today's AI wave is no different. This talk draws parallels between the rise of Fortran in the mid-20th century and the current AI revolution. Using the story of Dorothy Vaughan—NASA mathematician, Fortran pioneer, and a trailblazer for women in STEM—as a guiding narrative, we’ll uncover leadership lessons for modern software engineering leaders.

Dorothy Vaughan’s ability to foresee technological shifts, adapt to change, and lead inclusive, future-ready teams offers a timeless blueprint for today’s AI-driven transformation. This talk will examine Vaughan's strategic foresight, proactive learning, and team empowerment, and connect them to actionable steps leaders can take to prepare their teams for AI’s impact. We'll also discuss the challenges and opportunities AI presents for workforce dynamics, upskilling, and ethical decision-making, helping attendees predict and shape what’s coming next in software engineering.

Speakers

Anjuan Simmons

Staff Engineering Manager, GitHub

Anjuan Simmons is a technologist with a successful track record of delivering technology solutions from the user interface to the database. He is an energetic and informative speaker who presents at conferences, seminars, schools, and community centers around the world on topics including... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 11:30am - 11:55am PDT
VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Expo Stage

DeveloperWeek Leadership

Additional Topics Technical Decision Making, AI Integration Strategy, Engineering Culture
Session Type OPEN Session
Tracks OPEN Session, Virtual, DeveloperWeek Leadership, AI DevSummit, Technical Leadership / Management & Teams (Managing People) (DeveloperWeek Leadership), AI Security / Ethics / Governance & Compliance (AI DevSummit)
In-Person/Virtual Virtual, Virtual Exclusive

11:30am PDT

[Virtual] OPEN Session: Beyond Code: How to Take the Next Career Step?

Thursday June 5, 2025 11:30am - 11:55am PDT

VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Main Stage

Alexander Arians, AXA, Chapter Lead

While we developers have learnt over the course of our careers how to tackle new technical challenges and frameworks, many of us struggle with our personal career development. Once we have reached senior status, there is a lack of clear requirements and expectations of us. Without the classic career ladder as in other professions, we are challenged to take our development into our own hands.

In this presentation, we will explore together the essential skills we need to advance our careers. The focus will be on practical approaches with concrete recommendations on how we can optimally position ourselves through a strategic approach, soft skills and our technical abilities.
We will also explore together how we can best utilise our leadership skills. I will share my experience as a developer and as a manager with you.

Let's find out together how we can advance our careers in a self-determined way!

learning objectives:
-Career development: strategies for professional development
-Advanced skills: Insights into communication, leadership and business acumen
-Networking: Building and utilising professional networks
-Mentoring: Benefits of mentoring and finding mentors
-Influence and impact: Scaling influence without authority and impact
-Continuous improvement: Lifelong learning for competitiveness

Speakers

Alexander Arians

Chapter Lead, AXA

With over a decade of experience in software development, I currently serve as Chapter Lead at AXA, leading a team of 25 software developers across four cross-functional teams. I oversee IT operations for the entire health insurance landscape, driving efficiency improvements through... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 11:30am - 11:55am PDT
VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Main Stage

DeveloperWeek Leadership

Additional Topics Cross-functional Collaboration, Remote and Distributed Team Management, Developer Career Paths, IT/Ops Career Paths, Leadership Career Paths, Learning and Development, Team Collaboration, Engineering Culture
Session Type OPEN Session
Tracks DeveloperWeek Leadership, OPEN Session, Career Development: Impact & Change (DeveloperWeek Leadership), Virtual
In-Person/Virtual Virtual

11:30am PDT

[Virtual] PRO Session: Leading Engineering Teams in the Age of AI

Thursday June 5, 2025 11:30am - 11:55am PDT

VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Main Stage

Rajni Sharma, Paylocity, Tech Leader

How leaders can rethink software development and engineering workflows with AI-driven automation.

Speakers

Rajni Sharma

Tech leader, Paylocity

Rajni is a seasoned tech leader with 20 years of experience building innovative products at companies ranging from startups to global tech giants like Apple,Amazon, eBay, Rubrik and Microsoft. A member of the Forbes Technology Council, she is a passionate advocate for diversity in... Read More →

Thursday June 5, 2025 11:30am - 11:55am PDT
VIRTUAL DeveloperWeek Leadership Main Stage

DeveloperWeek Leadership

Additional Topics AI-driven Automation, Engineering Culture
Session Type PRO Session
Tracks DeveloperWeek Leadership, Career Development: Impact & Change (DeveloperWeek Leadership), Technical Leadership / Management & Teams (Managing People) (DeveloperWeek Leadership), AI DevSummit, AI Leadership & Strategy (AI DevSummit), Virtual
In-Person/Virtual Virtual