Event Date: Wednesday, 14 April 2026
Venue: PayPal Singapore
5 TEMASEK BOULEVARD
#09-01
SUNTEC TOWER FIVE
SINGAPORE (038985)
NO FOOD PROVIDED FOR THIS MEETUP
Venue Sponsor: PayPal Singapore
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Panel: Future Proofing Your Craft: A Guide for the Next Generation of Engineers

How do you leverage AI without losing the "engineering" in Software Engineering? Join our panel of engineers and managers as we break down the reality of working with modern AI platforms on large scale projects. From avoiding the "AI burnout" of constant context switching to mastering the art of the feedback loop and developing custom workflows, this session is designed to help junior developers build a sustainable, AI augmented career path.

Moderator:

1. Allan Neo - Sr Manager, Software Engineering(Moderator)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/i-am-neo

Panelists:

2. Reuben Chong - Software engineer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reubencww

3. Suneetha Nadella - Manager, Software Engineering
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneethanadella

4. Pavya Kavukalai - Staff Software Engineer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavya-kavukalai-aa2606105

5. Paul S.R - Sr Software Engineer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsr

About the Speakers:

About Allan

Allan Neo is a Senior Engineering Manager at PayPal Singapore with over 25 years of experience in software engineering and technology leadership. His career spans AI research, telecommunications, cloud platforms, data/cloud migration across NEC Laboratories Singapore, Gemalto (now Thales), Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), and BitTitan.
At NEC Laboratories Singapore, Allan worked on AI and facial recognition systems that saw real-world government deployment — including NEC's landmark project with the Hawaii Department of Transportation, where thermal screening and facial imaging technology was rolled out across all five of Hawaii's major airports during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today at PayPal, he leads engineering teams building scalable fintech solutions, having grown his organization from 2 to over 45 engineers. He is passionate about applying AI thoughtfully to solve real-world problems and developing the next generation of technology leaders.

About Reuben

Reuben is a Mid Level Software Engineer at PayPal with 3 years of experience spanning the fintech industry — from rewards systems to payment processing. Outside of work, he spends his time tinkering with the latest in AI, building AI orchestration systems and autonomous coding agents. With his experience bridging traditional software engineering and emerging AI tooling, he's well-positioned to share practical insights with fellow Junior Dev SG members on navigating the evolving tech landscape and choosing what to specialize in.

About Suneetha

Suneetha Nadella is an engineering leader based in Singapore with more than 17 years of experience in software engineering and technology leadership. She currently serves as an Engineering Manager at PayPal, where she leads engineering teams building scalable and reliable technology solutions. Over the course of her career, she has worked across fintech, security, and technology platforms at companies such as Xendit, Thales Group, Blackmagic Design, and SonicWall.
She is passionate about building high-performing engineering teams, mentoring the next generation of technologists, and shaping impactful technology solutions. Suneetha Nadella began her career in engineering after completing her studies at Indian Institute of Technology Madras and has since built a career spanning software development, system design, and engineering leadership.

About Pavya

Hi, I’m Pavya Kavukalai, a Staff Software Engineer at PayPal based in Singapore. I’m currently playing the architect role in the APEX team, where I design scalable solutions, optimize APIs, and drive end-to-end system architecture for critical compliance and business workflows.

With over a decade of experience at PayPal, I’ve led multiple high-impact initiatives across KYC, compliance services, and microservices architecture, while also mentoring teams and improving engineering efficiency. I’m particularly passionate about solving complex problems, building robust systems, and guiding engineers toward delivering high-quality, scalable solutions.

In addition, I’ve been actively exploring the use of AI in my day-to-day engineering work, especially in API design, implementation, and improving developer productivity. I’ve experimented with leveraging AI to enhance solutioning, optimize system workflows, and simplify complex logic structures—particularly in areas like rule-based systems and API response design. This hands-on exposure has helped me understand both the practical benefits and real-world limitations of applying AI in production-grade systems.

About Paul

Paul is a senior engineer with over 10 years of backend development experience and 5+ years specializing in machine learning and AI systems. He holds a Master's degree in Intelligent Systems from the National University of Singapore. His work spans the full spectrum of AI development, from building classical ML models to developing modern GenAI-powered agents. This combination gives him a practical perspective on the evolution and development of AI technologies. Currently, he leads development of proprietary AI tooling designed to streamline engineering workflows and improve operational efficiency.

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Schedule:
7:00 to 7:15 - Event Registration & Networking
7:15 to 7:20 - Introductory Remarks
7:30 to 8:00 - Panel
9:00 - Supper

About JuniorDev SG:
JuniorDev SG is a developer interest group that focuses on providing a place for junior developers to learn and network with each other.
At the same time, we seek to be a support system to help junior developers break into tech, navigate their careers as well growing them to one day become senior developers or tech leaders in the tech industry.