In the Clouds @ The Shard: The Data Journey: Governance, Management & Accessibility in the Age of AI ☁️
Clover returned to The Shard on 10 July for the second event in our In the Clouds @ The Shard series, an evening of focused dialogue exploring how data leaders are navigating the evolving landscape of governance, management, and accessibility in the age of AI. Set high above London’s skyline, the event brought together senior technologists, architects, and solution providers for an honest conversation about building AI-ready platforms with confidence, clarity, and control.
The evening opened with a simple challenge: with AI moving faster than ever, how prepared are your data foundations to support it? The conversations that followed made clear that while ambition is high, most organisations still face significant hurdles from fragmented tooling to unclear ownership and increasing regulatory demands.
Matt Frank from Telana opened the evening with a call to treat data governance not as a compliance checkbox but as a strategic enabler. Their talk focused on the principles that underpin effective governance: clear accountability, transparent lineage, robust security, and practical compliance frameworks. While tooling like Microsoft Purview was acknowledged as an important enabler, the real emphasis was on people, process, and cultural alignment. Their session reminded the room that true data governance is lived, not layered on.
Sarunas Chomentauskas from Exacaster followed with a sharp and engaging look at how AI is transforming business intelligence fast. Drawing on real-world examples, they introduced the concept of “Vibe Data”: a new mode of interacting with data where large language models do everything from writing SQL to generating pipelines. They described how agentic BI, prompt-driven dashboards, and self-healing pipelines are no longer theoretical and why traditional legacy systems are falling rapidly behind. Their key message: AI is already changing how data is built, used, and maintained. Those who embrace it with the right infrastructure and context will be 10x faster and 10x busier.
Andy Cutler from Synapx closed the speaker sessions with a hands-on exploration of Microsoft Fabric and Copilot in the real world. Their talk highlighted how Synapx is using these tools to break through integration barriers, automate workflows, and unlock real-time decision-making. From email-triggered data routing to Fabric Data Activator’s streaming insights, the session demonstrated how intelligent automation is reshaping accessibility particularly for teams working with limited APIs, legacy systems, or siloed data. What once took hours can now happen in milliseconds.
As the formal agenda came to a close, conversations continued over drinks and skyline views. It was in these relaxed moments away from slides and spotlights that many of the most candid exchanges took place. Leaders shared challenges, compared lessons, and reflected on the complex path from data chaos to clarity.
In the Clouds @ The Shard reflects what Clover exists to provide: a platform for practitioner-led dialogue, focused on real experience and real outcomes. We’re grateful to all who joined us and look forward to continuing the conversation in our digital community, in our specialist working groups, and at the next In the Clouds gathering later this year.
