There is no shortage of conversations around AI and data.

But beyond the announcements, demos and buzzwords, what are technology teams actually building?

What's making it into production?

Where are teams still struggling?

What capabilities are becoming harder to build internally?

And where are companies choosing to build, buy or partner?

We're bringing together a **small group of London-based founders, CTOs, technology leaders, data leaders and AI practitioners** for an open, practical conversation around these questions.

### This is deliberately different from a typical webinar.

There will be:
**No long presentations.**
**No product pitches.**
**No scripted panel.**
Instead, we'll have a moderated peer conversation where participants can share what they're seeing, what they're building, what is working and where they're facing challenges.

## Why is attendance by approval?

We're intentionally keeping the group relatively small.
The goal is not to maximise registrations. It's to create a room with **relevant people, diverse perspectives and meaningful opportunities to connect.**

Applications will be reviewed based on professional background, relevance to the discussion and the overall mix of participants.
**Submitting an application does not guarantee attendance.**

Once your application has been reviewed:

* **Approved participants** will receive the private meeting link and joining instructions.
* **Waitlisted applicants** may be contacted if additional places become available.
* If we are unable to accommodate an application for this particular roundtable, we may suggest future community events where appropriate.

## What we'll explore

The discussion will be shaped by the participants, but some themes we'll explore include:

* What are companies actually putting into production with AI?
* Where is AI creating measurable business value?
* What are the biggest challenges in modern data engineering?
* How are teams approaching modern data platforms?
* Build vs. buy vs. partner — how are technology leaders making the decision?
* How are companies scaling engineering, data and AI capabilities?
* Which skills are becoming hardest to hire or build internally?
* What should technology leaders be thinking about over the next 12–18 months?

## Who should apply?

The roundtable is particularly relevant for:

* Founders & Co-founders
* CEOs / Managing Directors
* CTOs / CIOs
* VP / Heads of Engineering
* VP / Heads of Data
* Data Engineering leaders
* AI / ML leaders
* Technology architects
* Senior Engineering, Data & AI practitioners
* Technology consultants and advisors

We welcome people from different industries because cross-industry perspectives often make the discussion more useful.

## Format

**Virtual roundtable**
**60 minutes**
The format is intentionally conversational rather than presentation-led.

### Agenda

**4:00 PM — Welcome & introductions**
Quick introduction to the format and participants.
**4:05 PM — Opening conversation**
A few observations around where Data, AI and Engineering are heading in 2026.
**4:15 PM — Peer discussion**
Open conversation around challenges, approaches, lessons and opportunities.
**4:45 PM — Connections & open discussion**
Time to continue conversations and connect with other participants.
**5:00 PM — Close**

## What you can expect

Come with:
**A problem you're solving.**
**Something you've learned.**
**A question you're thinking about.**
Leave with:
**New perspectives.**
**Useful connections.**
**Conversations worth continuing.**

## Hosts

### Arpit Zala

Founder and technology entrepreneur, working across product engineering, technology ecosystems and business relationships.

### Nitesh Lohar

Managing Director and technology entrepreneur, working across data, AI and engineering capabilities and partnerships.
Together, we're bringing people from the technology ecosystem into one room for a conversation that is intentionally practical and relationship-led.

## Event Details

📅 **Wednesday, 16 September 2026**
🕓 **4:00–5:00 PM London Time**
💻 **Virtual**
🎙️ **Hosted by Arpit Zala & Nitesh Lohar**

**RSVP Link:** [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXgTTLn6nZVBhngQzbjSdS2ZYXshrzX7r2yyKTsDsnyLIkUg/viewform?usp=dialog](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXgTTLn6nZVBhngQzbjSdS2ZYXshrzX7r2yyKTsDsnyLIkUg/viewform?usp=dialog)

### Important

**Attendance is by application and approval only.**
If approved, you will receive the private meeting link and joining details via **email and WhatsApp** using the contact details provided in your application.
We look forward to having the right people in the room.

London Data & AI Leaders

Arpit Zala

London Data & AI Leaders Roundtable — What’s Actually Working in 2026?

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