YLD made a significant impact across London, Lisbon, and New York City in Q1 2025, engaging with our clients and communities across engineering and product design.
Through five high-impact events, we facilitated meaningful discussions on topics across the latest developments in JavaScript, the evolving role of Product in Design Systems, and challenging tech leaders to rethink how they prioritise high-impact GenAI initiatives.
These events provided valuable insights into the emerging trends and challenges shaping the future of technology. This article highlights the key events and the strategic takeaways that are driving YLD’s leadership in innovation, collaboration, and tech-driven leadership.
YLD Innovate
YLD Innovate is an exclusive community for senior leaders in tech across engineering, data, and product design, committed to shaping the future of innovation-led growth. Since 2016, we’ve built a trusted network across industries, creating space for open, engaging conversations.
As businesses shift from experimentation to impact with GenAI, leaders are asking the right questions: What delivers true value? What’s worth prioritising? In collaboration with NewDay, we hosted a candid and engaging discussion with CTOs and CPOs to explore how to identify, prioritise, and scale GenAI initiatives that drive measurable business value.
Key takeaways:
- YLD’s Head of Engineering, Sérgio Ramos, led a high-impact session alongside CTO and AI Advisor, Sam Lowe and Pinecone’s Solutions Engineering Manager, Perry Krug, exploring some of the most pressing topics in AI and innovation strategy:
- The evolution of search in AI
- Build vs. buy decisions to unlock productivity at scale
- The rise of AI Agents and the role of Evals
- Fine-tuning models for domain-specific performance
- Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) for enterprise use cases
- AI governance frameworks and risk management
- Mitigating bias in Large Language Models (LLMs)
- The session sparked a dynamic discussion including a lively and friendly debate among C-suite attendees on where AI value lies today and where it’s headed next.
- We also strengthened strategic relationships between new and long-standing members of the YLD Innovate tech leadership community.
Chief Product Officer Summit (New York)
With nearly 50% of YLD’s client base in North America, exhibiting at the exclusive, invite-only event designed for C-suite product leaders was an obvious choice. Product-Led Alliance’s Chief Product Officer (CPO) Summit was a strategic step toward deepening our engagement with forward-thinking product leaders in the region.
The two-day conference brought together close to 500 senior product professionals. Day one focused on the evolving priorities of CPOs and tech executives, while day two hosted the Product-Led and Product Operations Summits, offering rich perspectives from hands-on Product Managers. Discussions spanned everything from aligning product vision with company strategy to operationalising growth in a competitive digital landscape.
Key takeaways:
- We established meaningful connections with senior product leaders, gaining sharper insight into the innovations, tools, and pain points shaping their roadmaps.
- There were numerous workshops and talks across the two days, exploring topics such as AI integration, customer-centric innovation, measuring value delivery, and building adaptive strategies for uncertain economic conditions.
CTO Craft Conference (London)
YLD has been a long-time partner of CTO Craft and we continue to invest in peer-led learning, strategic connections, and leadership development.
CTO Craft is a key community for us as senior technology leaders are given the opportunity and platform for candid conversations, discuss shared tech challenges, and explore emerging trends. Through our ongoing partnership across CTO Craft conferences and events, we love staying connected to the shifting priorities and innovations shaping technical leadership today.
Key takeaways:
- Our Head of Engineering, Sérgio Ramos joined the panel discussion “AI Ethics and Practical Applications: Moving Beyond the Hype.”
- The panel examined how organisations can implement AI responsibly, balancing innovation with governance. Discussions included real-world use cases in customer service, operational efficiency, and product development while also confronting the ethical considerations and potential risks.
- The conversation also covered the importance of embedding accountability and transparency into AI strategies to mitigate legal, reputational, and societal impacts to set a strong foundation for sustainable, long-term business success.
International Women’s Day in partnership with NewDay
This year for International Women’s Day, YLD partnered with NewDay to deliver a series of high-impact activities designed to empower employees, build cross-functional confidence, and foster a more inclusive workplace culture. We celebrated the contributions of women through a curated programme of talks, mentorship sessions, and collaborative discussions as well as equipping employees with practical tools and insights to overcome daily challenges and thrive in their roles.
Key takeaways:
- YLD’s Senior Client Partner, Rebecca Greville, and Head of Growth, Lauren Paramithiotti, led a dynamic session on Communication and Confidence.
- Drawing from Erin Meyer’s book, “The Culture Map” and her own career experience, Lauren highlighted how effective communication requires cultural awareness and adaptability. She stressed that communication isn’t universal, therefore people interpret messages through diverse lenses shaped by culture, upbringing, and experience. She also explained that being sensitive to context is key to ensuring your message is understood and impactful.
- Rebecca focused on confidence as a skill shaped by our self-perception and life experiences. She provided actionable strategies and facilitation techniques for building confidence in business settings, especially when communicating under pressure. From assertive language to the subtle influence of gender and cultural norms, her session unpacked how we can communicate more clearly, authentically, and with authority.
- YLD’s Engineering Manager, Marta Fernandes, and Client Partner, Georgiana Nicolae, facilitated NewDay’s speed-mentoring sessions, offering strategic guidance on a range of workplace challenges. Each participant came with a unique blocker ranging from confidence gaps to communication hurdles, and through open dialogue and thoughtful questioning, Marta and Georgiana helped with practical, actionable solutions. The session created a dynamic space for insight-sharing, leaving participants feeling heard, empowered, and better equipped to move forward.
ReactJS Girls at Monzo
Founded by YLD in 2016, ReactJS Girls is a women-in-tech community dedicated to providing a supportive space for women in engineering to share knowledge, establish connections, and find mentorship opportunities.
Key takeaways:
Over 50 attendees joined us for a series of insightful talks, including:
- “From UX Researcher to React Developer: Lessons Learned” by Em Giblett of Dunelm. Em discussed how her UX research background has shaped her approach to development, focusing on communication (clear documentation, user stories, and empathetic collaboration), problem-solving (prioritising user needs, iterative development, and effective testing), and design (building user-centred, accessible interfaces).
- “Behind the Curtain: How Next.js Works” by Nathalia Rus of Custodian. Nathalia explored the latest version of Next.js (2024), providing a deep dive into the inner workings of the framework. She answered key questions such as: ‘How does Next.js stitch server and client components together?’, ‘How does the App Router enable automatic code-splitting?’, and ‘What improvements have been made to dynamic route handling?’
- “What’s in a Button” by Débora Ornellas. Débora explored the design and functionality of one of the most common front-end components: the button. She shared insights into building buttons for a React Design System, covering topics like styling, prop naming, accessibility considerations, and the essential do’s and don’ts.
Driving impactful conversations and future growth
As we reflect on YLD’s Q1 events, it is clear that our engagement with senior leaders across technology, product, and business sectors continues to nurture valuable discussions and strategic insights across various tech communities and platforms. These events have provided a platform to reflect on emerging trends, challenge conventional thinking, and explore new ways of driving business growth.
By bringing together thought leaders and practitioners, we reinforce our role as a catalyst for innovation, helping executives navigate the complexities of today’s fast-evolving digital landscape.
Looking ahead, we remain committed to facilitating these dialogues that enable leaders to stay ahead of technological shifts and focus on what matters.
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Also, if you ever want to chat about new ideas or explore ways we could collaborate down the line, please reach out.
