Setting up an Architecture Practice from Scratch

We're meeting Thursday night - not Wednesday as usual - at Z Energy's offices, under the sails opposite TSB Arena

What does it take to move from architect to practice builder - shaping not just solutions, but the way architecture works across an enterprise?

When Matt Ashley joined Ampol as GM of Strategy & Architecture, he stepped into a newly merged IT organisation spanning countries, cultures, and very different delivery models - from traditional waterfall to highly agile teams. His task was to bring coherence to that complexity: establishing a unified architecture practice, introducing shared governance, and shaping a strategic technology roadmap for the enterprise. In this session, Matt will share the realities of turning that brief into action - and the lessons for architects looking to influence beyond individual solutions.

Matt (LinkedIn) leads Strategy & Architecture across the entire enterprise of the multinational Ampol Group - the parent of Z Energy - where he helps shape how architecture and strategic thinking come together in a growing and complex business. With deep experience in enterprise architecture and strategic planning, Matt is passionate about building practices that put structure and clarity around change and delivery. He’s interested in how organisations design, scale and sustain their architecture capabilities - and he’s great at making big ideas feel practical and actionable.

Everyone is welcome - if you are in an IT/Digital role or considering one, you do architecture and you should come along and meet us. This talk will be particularly useful for folks considering an Architect role or wanting to know what Architects do.

This talk will be both in person and remote via Teams. I'll post links to the Teams session closer to the time.