Technology Leader · Agentic AI · Software Engineering
Daniel Vaughan
I help organisations understand and navigate the future of work, specifically how Agentic AI is transforming software engineering.
About me
With 25 years of experience across enterprise, startup and academic settings, I now focus on the most significant technological shift of my career: the transition to AI-native architectures. I am a technology leader and software architect specialising in generative AI, building scalable systems where human engineers and autonomous agents work together.
I thrive on building the culture and environments this new era of engineering demands. My approach is entrepreneurial and customer-focused, with a strong bias for action. Whether advising leaders on AI adoption or working hands-on with Agentic workflows, my goal is to turn AI hype into tangible, proven results.
Current role
Programme Director, HCLTech AI Labs
I lead and mentor the EMEA AI Architecture team, directing the strategy, design and implementation of Agentic AI solutions.
A major focus is pioneering Agentic Software Engineering. We are changing how software is built using '2.5-person pods', a shared architect, two engineers and a team of coding agents. The model accelerates delivery of PoCs, MVPs and pilots without sacrificing governance.
My technical specialism is the Google Cloud ecosystem. I build with the Agent Development Kit (ADK), Vertex AI and Gemini models, and collaborate with OpenAI, Red Hat and other ecosystem partners.
Previous experience
Before HCLTech AI Labs, I was director of software engineering at Mastercard in London, leading cloud strategy and architecture for real-time payment products. Before that, I held roles at HCL Cloud Native Labs, progressing from cloud native solutions expert to head of solutions architecture.
Earlier in my career, I spent eight years at the European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge, starting as a software engineer and moving into engineering leadership. My focus was software quality and developer productivity.
Books & recognition
A practical guide to building cloud-native applications on Google Cloud, covering Kubernetes, Cloud Run and the full GCP ecosystem.
I am also a Google Developer Expert, a Green Software Champion and a member of the Green Software Foundation.
Community
I am passionate about community and skills development. I founded the Genome Campus Software Community and EMBL-EBI Technical Seminars Programme. I currently organise the Software Crafters Cambridge Meetup group.
I live in Saffron Walden with my wife Michelle and son Alex.