conf · One-off
Northern DevOps & Platform Conf
A full-day DevOps and platform engineering conference in Leeds city centre
When
Tuesday 19 May
Time
08:00
Venue
CGI Leeds
City Centre
Price
£60
Yorkshire DevOps and Yorkshire Azure User Group (YAG) have been planning this one for four years. The Northern DevOps & Platform Conference lands on Tuesday 19 May 2026 at CGI's offices on Whitehall Quay, running 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM BST.
The programme covers team topologies, AI-augmented software delivery, platform engineering, database indexing, mandated pipelines and the organisational friction that surrounds all of it. Matthew Skelton, Founder and CEO/CTO of Conflux, opens with a keynote on Team Topologies as the infrastructure for agency with AI. Other sessions include Luke Smith of Optum UK on augmenting the SDLC with AI, Andy Blagnys of Axiologik on mandated pipelines and architecture, Brian Walker of HSBC on database index types, Vernon Richards of Phrase on pipeline limitations, and Andy Burgin on the journey from DevOps to platform engineering. A panel on the future of DevOps, platform and AI features Tom Black, Christina Howell and Jonny Brodie of Trustpilot, among others. Lightning talks come from David Sugden, Holly Jukes of Lloyds Banking Group and Adam King of Digital Endeavours.
Speakers are drawn from Skipton Building Society, CGI, HSBC, Trustpilot, Lloyds Banking Group, Optum UK and independent practitioners. That spread reflects what Yorkshire DevOps has always done: bring together practitioners from financial services, public sector and product companies who are actually doing the work, not just talking about it.
Food, drink and cake are provided on the day. Tickets are £60 for community attendees — described as 50% off the standard rate. Organisation-funded tickets are available separately to help keep community pricing accessible. Free tickets exist for those who need support to attend; contact ethan.sumner@communitystack.io. Sponsors include CGI as headline partner, Conflux, Overmind and Ada Meher as platinum sponsors, plus Digital Endeavours and the Financial Conduct Authority as event partners.
Why attend
The speaker list covers practitioners from HSBC, Trustpilot, Lloyds Banking Group, Skipton Building Society and Optum UK alongside independents and consultants. That is a rare concentration of people who have actually shipped platform infrastructure at scale in regulated industries.
The agenda spans AI integration into delivery pipelines, team structure, cloud security and database internals — enough range that engineers, architects and engineering managers will each find sessions worth the day out. Food and drink are included. The venue is central Leeds, five minutes from the station.
Agenda
- 09:00 — Doors open
- Opening keynote: Matthew Skelton (Conflux) — Team Topologies as the Infrastructure for Agency with AI
- Alexandra Helen Moore (CGI) — Enterprise DevOps
- Luke Smith (Optum UK / EMIS Health) — Augmenting the SDLC with AI
- Andy Blagnys (Axiologik) — Mandated Pipelines and the Architecture Glue We Pretend Exists
- Brian Walker (HSBC) — Types of Indexes in Databases
- Vernon Richards (Phrase) — Your Pipeline Wasn't Built For This
- Andy Burgin (Independent) — From DevOps to Platform Engineering: A Journey of Noise and Confusion
- Panel: Future of DevOps, Platform and AI — Tom Black (Skipton Building Society), Christina Howell (Independent), Jonny Brodie (Trustpilot), Darren Hull (Skipton Building Society)
- Lightning talks: David Sugden (Axiologik) — The Complexity Paradox; Holly Jukes (Lloyds Banking Group) — Stop Building. Start Deciding.; Adam King (Digital Endeavours) — From Alpha to Handover: Shipping Government Platform Infrastructure
- 18:00 — Close
Speakers
- Matthew Skelton — Founder & CEO/CTO, Conflux; author of Team Topologies
- Darren Hull — Senior Lead Architect, Skipton Building Society
- Alexandra Helen Moore — DevOps Strategic Advisor, CGI
- Luke Smith — Principal Solutions Architect, Optum UK (EMIS Health)
- Tom Black — Principal Engineer, Skipton Building Society
- Christina Howell — Fractional CTO & CAIO, Independent
- Jonny Brodie — Senior Platform / Cloud Security Engineer, Trustpilot
- Andy Blagnys — Senior Architect, Axiologik
- Brian Walker — Technical Specialist, HSBC
- Vernon Richards — Senior Engineering Manager, Phrase
- Andy Burgin — Principal Platform Engineer, Independent
- David Sugden — Axiologik (lightning talk)
- Holly Jukes — Lloyds Banking Group (lightning talk)
- Adam King — Digital Endeavours (lightning talk)
Organiser
Yorkshire DevOps
Yorkshire DevOps is a Leeds-based community group for engineers and architects working in DevOps, platform engineering and cloud. They run regular meetups across Yorkshire and co-host this conference with Yorkshire Azure User Group (YAG). The group exists to give practitioners a place to share what is actually working, without the vendor noise.
Venue
CGI Leeds, City Centre
CGI's Leeds office sits at 1 Whitehall Quay, LS1 4HR, directly on the River Aire and a short walk from Leeds station. CGI are the headline sponsor and event partner for this conference, providing the venue for the full day.
FAQs
- How much does a ticket cost?
- Community tickets are £60, described as 50% off the standard rate. Organisation-funded tickets are available at a higher price to subsidise community access. Free tickets are available for those who need support — email ethan.sumner@communitystack.io.
- Where is the venue?
- CGI Leeds, 1 Whitehall Quay, Leeds, LS1 4HR. That is in the city centre, close to Leeds railway station.
- Do I need to register in advance?
- Yes. Tickets must be purchased via the Meetup event page. Register before 30 April 2026 to receive a special edition conference T-shirt.
- Is food provided?
- Yes. Food, drink and cake are included in the ticket price on the day.
- Is this an in-person event?
- Yes, it is fully in-person at CGI's Leeds office. No hybrid or online option is mentioned in the event details.