Speaker

Stu Johnstone

Stu Johnstone

Data Consultant @ Mantel

Melbourne, Australia

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Stu Johnstone, data architect and founder of two successful startups. With 25+ years' experience, Stu leads tech teams across Mantel Group working with AWS, Azure and Databricks.

Area of Expertise

  • Information & Communications Technology
  • Physical & Life Sciences

Topics

  • Data Platform
  • Data Analytics
  • Data Engineering
  • Big Data
  • Data Science & AI
  • Azure Data Platform
  • Databricks
  • Data Sciene
  • Analytics and Big Data
  • Data Warehousing
  • Data Science
  • Data Science (AI/ML)

How to Prepare to Be Replaced by AI

AI advances are transforming tech faster than ever — organisations are already letting thousands of people go, and as tech professionals, we’re increasingly relying on AI for vibe and low-code solutions.

Over my career, I’ve moved from software engineering to infrastructure to data. Along the way, I’ve picked up 35+ certifications (including an AWS Golden Jacket) and founded two startups — some more successful than others!

The constant has been change, and today that includes adapting to AI-driven tools and automation. The key to staying relevant is to keep learning.
In this talk, I’ll share what I’ve learned over the last 25 years:
• How to get started in tech and stand out
• Why you’ll need to reinvent yourself
• My strategy for staying on top

Building the Ultimate Databricks Environment

In today’s data-driven world, leveraging powerful analytics platforms like Databricks is crucial for gaining actionable insights and driving business success. However, to maximize the potential of Databricks, it’s essential to build a robust and efficient environment that ensures high performance, scalability, security, and cost-effectiveness.
In this talk, we will delve into the key principles and best practices for designing and implementing an optimal Databricks environment. You’ll learn how to set up a highly available and scalable architecture, configure network and security settings, and optimize performance and costs.

Lessons from SimCity: Practical Lessons in Software Architecture

Architecture is often seen as a step up from development - but in reality, it’s a different discipline altogether. Too much advice focuses on tools and tech, while the real challenge lies in communication, clarity, and making trade-offs in messy, real-world systems.

In this talk, I’ll share stories and lessons from my own journey into architecture:
* Why architecture is less about perfect blueprints and more about planning a living, evolving city.
* Three habits that make architects more effective.
* The biggest diagramming mistakes

Whether you’re a dev looking to take the next step or a practicing architect wanting a fresh perspective, this session offers practical tips and frameworks — with a few funny stories — to help you do architecture better.

Stu Johnstone

Data Consultant @ Mantel

Melbourne, Australia

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