What industry trends and tech developments did you find the most interesting while at this year’s show?

Big Data & AI World never disappoints when it comes to innovation and fresh thinking. What stood out most this year was how the conversation around AI is maturing. More organisations now understand that AI readiness is really about data readiness. To succeed, data leaders must rethink how they manage and prepare their data – including unstructured sources – while navigating regulatory demands and maintaining the right level of control. Fivetran helps enterprises meet this challenge by centralising data, automating governance, and delivering the trusted, timely insights needed to drive real AI outcomes.

What are some of the biggest challenges facing your industry in 2025?

One of the biggest challenges facing enterprises in 2025 is keeping pace with the growing demands of AI while modernising legacy data infrastructures. Many still struggle to centralise data across fragmented systems, resulting in poor data quality, slow access, and compliance risks. As AI workloads expand, organisations need modern architectures that support real-time pipelines, accommodate large and unstructured data volumes, and work across on-premises and cloud environments. Nearly half of C-suite leaders now view data integration as the top barrier to AI readiness – driving a shift toward long-term strategies focused on centralisation, modernisation, and flexibility.

What excites you most about your industry right now?

We’re excited by the level of innovation and collaboration happening across the industry, as organisations adopt best-of-breed solutions to unlock agility in the age of AI. Over the past year, Fivetran launched its Managed Data Lakes Service on Amazon S3, Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS), and Microsoft OneLake – helping enterprises simplify maintenance and deliver query-ready data that stays continuously in sync. We also introduced Hybrid Deployment for sensitive data use cases. It combines the simplicity of a fully managed service with the flexibility to host pipelines in any environment, ensuring data remains secure, compliant, and ready for AI development.

Why is it important to bring industry professionals together at events like Tech Show London?

Tech Show London stands out not just for its scale, but for the way it brings together leaders shaping the future of data and AI. As regular sponsors of Big Data & AI World, we see the event as a chance to showcase innovation, learn from peers, and collaborate across the ecosystem. This year, we hosted two speaking sessions: Senior Solution Architect Poonam Agate shared how to get data infrastructures AI-ready, while Tony Kelly, Head of Alliances EMEA, explored how enterprises can securely and effectively combine proprietary data with large language models to drive meaningful outcomes.

What’s the best piece of advice you would give to newcomers joining the industry?

The UK has a thriving data community that always welcomes fresh perspectives and diverse voices. It’s a great time to be part of the industry and to be able to contribute to the development of new tools and technologies that solve some of the biggest challenges for people today.