2026 Talks

Naheil McAvinue

Director, Enterprise Analytics & Data Science | Gitlab

Breaking the Proof-of-Concept Cycle: Stop Prototyping and Get Into Production

Applied AI

Most organizations are experimenting with AI at work. Proof of concepts are thriving in small-scale silos, but how can you scale those wins across an enterprise? This talk discusses the symptoms that trap teams in the cycle of perpetual prototyping and provides a practical framework for breaking through common technical, organizational, and cultural barriers to scale. Learn how to plan for production from day one and turn your AI experiments into solutions that stick.

Director, Enterprise Analytics & Data Science

Naheil McAvinue

Gitlab

Naheil McAvinue is the Director of Enterprise Analytics & Data Science at GitLab, where she leads a team of analysts & data scientists responsible for delivering insights that drive strategy across the organization. With 15+ years of experience spanning analytics, data science, FP&A, and business intelligence, she has built and scaled high-performing analytics teams across industries including technology, sports & entertainment, consulting, and e-commerce. Outside of her work in tech, she serves as an evening lecturer at Boston University, bringing real-world practitioner experience into the classroom to teach MBA students hands-on analytics skills. Naheil lives in Boston with her husband and rescue hound mix, Guinness, and is slowly working on running a half marathon in all 50 US states.