Datta Vellal

Talks and workshops

Since 2010 I have taught more than 150 sessions to over 5,000 people, at every company I have worked for and at more than 25 colleges. I teach what I practice: writing software that lasts, measuring delivery honestly, and using AI responsibly in regulated engineering.

150+

talks, workshops and training sessions since 2010

At IBM, Exeter, Amazon and Philips, and at more than 25 colleges.

5,000+

people in those sessions

Counting only sessions with a recorded headcount; most internal sessions record feedback responses only.

Across my career

Every talk, workshop and judging role I have a record of. Pick a company to go year by year.

  1. Philips North America

    2021 to now

    67 sessions

    GitHub and Copilot courses, the 2025 Philips University program with 492 learners, and 27 AI sessions in 2026.

    29 with participant feedback

  2. Philips India

    2018 to 2021

    56 sessions

    Clean code, unit testing and duplication workshops, seven bar-raiser training cohorts, and a 500-person conference panel.

    30 with participant feedback

  3. Amazon India

    2016 to 2018

    11 sessions

    Scrum and product ownership workshops rated up to 4.6 out of 5, alongside talks for students.

    Feedback not kept

  4. Exeter India

    2013 to 2015

    21 sessions

    Design patterns training for engineers at work, and 15 seminars and workshops at colleges.

    Feedback not kept

  5. IBM India

    2007 to 2013

    17 sessions

    A national conference paper, an IBM technical webinar, Hackday briefings, and my first college seminars.

    Feedback not kept

Most recent

  1. September 2026AI Session for LATAM Operations TeamSession, Philips internal community (Elevate)
  2. September 2026Mastering Office 365 CoPilot for efficiency and gains (AI for non-techies: Make Office 365 CoPilot work for you!)Session, Philips University8.4 out of 10
  3. September 202662304 Standard, why is it essential to you, and how to leverage AI to become compliant?Session, Philips University8 out of 10
  4. September 2026AI-augmented software engineering: technical debt reductionSession, Philips image-guided therapy engineering8 out of 10
  5. September 2026AI-augmented software engineering: prompt and context engineeringSession, Philips image-guided therapy engineering8.2 out of 10
  6. August 2026Prompt engineering, part 3Session, Philips North America analytics community10 out of 10

Teaching AI now

1,000+

engineers, managers and analysts in AI sessions in 2026

From January to September 2026: 12 Philips University courses, 13 sessions requested by teams across the company, and 2 at Innovation Impact Week.

8.7 / 10

average participant rating

Across 22 scored sessions in 2026.

33

training sessions in the 2025 Philips University skill-building program I led

492 learners, 8.9 out of 10 average rating. I taught 23 of them myself.

“These sessions are attended by 100-150 analysts across various organizations, and Datta's sessions have been the top recommended material this year.”

Business Intelligence Lead, North America AnalyticsPhilips, 2026

Topics

AI in regulated engineering
Using AI for requirements, traceability and testing under IEC 62304, with people making the final call.
Engineering flow
DORA metrics and continuous value delivery as a management tool, not a scoreboard.
Craftsmanship and quality
Quality gates at the developer desk, technical debt you can see, and design that lasts.
Careers and learning
Interviewing, handling uncertainty, and building a learning habit. Mostly for students.

Organizing an event?

Write to dsvellal@gmail.com with the audience, format and date. A short bio and headshot are available on request.