LeadDev Meetup Edinburgh - August 2026

Description

LeadDev Edinburgh brings engineering leaders to Skyscanner on 18 August 2026 for talks on AI agents, engineering craft, SRE data and operational excellence. Taking place at [Skyscanner](https://www.skyscanner.net/) Headquarters in [Edinburgh](https://www.createwith.com/cities/edinburgh), this evening meetup combines three focused presentations with refreshments and time to meet fellow engineering professionals. The programme explores how AI is changing software development, how agent platforms should be architected, and how meaningful operational data can serve users and businesses. ## Talks and speakers - **“The Rise and Fall of our Craft” , Tim Leslie, AI Learning Lead for Engineering at Skyscanner.** Tim leads AI training for Skyscanner’s engineers and previously led teams of up to 40 engineers across several startups, including a unicorn. - **“Architecting agent platforms and harnesses” , Dr Alan Nichol, CTO and co-founder of Rasa.** Alan helped establish Rasa as widely recognised open-source infrastructure for conversational AI. His session will focus on the architecture behind agent platforms and harnesses. - **“More data more... vibes” , Ioannis Georgoulas, Director of SRE at Paddle.** An SLO evangelist and practitioner, Ioannis focuses on measuring what matters to users and the business. The subject matter will be particularly relevant to engineering managers, technical leaders, software engineers, SRE practitioners and anyone responsible for AI adoption or operational excellence. It also offers useful perspectives for aspiring leaders who want to understand how experienced practitioners approach organisational learning, agent infrastructure and reliability. ## Evening format Doors open at **18:00** for networking and refreshments, followed by the host’s welcome at 18:45. Tim Leslie speaks at 18:50, Alan Nichol at 19:15 and Ioannis Georgoulas at 20:00, with a break between the second and third sessions. The formal wrap-up begins at 20:20, followed by further networking; the published schedule lists a 20:45 close.… [Register for this event](https://www.meetup.com/leaddev-meetup-edinburgh/events/314697782)