Tech leaders table: Modernising legacy systems with AI
October 22nd · KOL London
A private dinner for senior engineering leaders from regulated enterprises.
About this dinner
AI has changed the economics of modernising legacy systems: work that used to be quoted in years and tens of millions can now be proven in weeks. That doesn't make the harder questions go away. Who governs an AI agent rewriting production code. Which models you actually trust, and with what. What a credible migration path looks like when a full rewrite isn't the right call.
Themes for discussion
The business case: whether the spend can be capitalised, and what that does to the number you take to your board.
Governance: who signs off when an AI agent is the one rewriting production code, and what actually satisfies your compliance team.
Model trust: why a single agent without a harness and evals around it rarely survives contact with a real legacy estate.
Thin-slice vs. rewrite: whether migrating in verified slices is a credible alternative to a full replacement, or just a way to delay the decision.
Key-person risk: what happens to institutional knowledge when the people who actually understand the system leave, and whether AI-assisted documentation closes that gap or just papers over it.
The format
Twenty senior engineering leaders from regulated enterprises, one table, moderated by Clifton Cunningham, SVP of Alliances at Nearform and former CTO of MailOnline. Held under Chatham House Rule.
The evening
6:30pm: Arrival, Mezcaleria bar
7:00pm: Dinner, Chef's Table
10:00pm: Close
Hosted by Nearform. Spaces are limited, and invitations are strictly non-transferable.