DGX Monthly – February

Hi everyone,

 

Chad Barendse here, co-founder of DGX, and welcome to the February newsletter.

 

We are just over two months into the year and things are moving quickly. This week we locked in our first keynote speakers for the August summit, and early ticket sales suggest this will be the biggest Data & AI Governance event we have run. I am genuinely excited about what we are building.

 

But that is not what I have been thinking about most this month.

 

Over the past few weeks, I have been experimenting with AI coding agents like Claude Code. And I mean really using them, not just playing around. I have built several working applications that are now in production. Actual tools solving real problems.
This has shifted something for me.

 

For years, we have talked about democratising data. Making it accessible, understandable, usable. We built governance programs to enable that.
Now we are watching something bigger unfold. The democratisation of development itself.

 

Teams do not need to wait months for IT to build a solution. They do not need to submit tickets and hope their problem is prioritised. They can build it themselves. The product team that needs a dashboard. The compliance team wants automated reporting. The operations team has a unique workflow challenge.

 

From a governance perspective, Iam encouraging my team to think about how we use these tools better, especially around data quality rules and validation logic. But the bigger question is about organisational capability.

 

What happens when everyone can build?

 

I would encourage you to let your team experiment. See what they can create. You might be surprised at what becomes possible when you remove the traditional development bottleneck.

 

Thanks for reading.

Meme of the Month

Credit: Chad Barendse

AI & Data Governance Summit 2026

Twelve months ago, we weren’t sure if anyone would show up.

Last August, more than 160 data and AI governance leaders filled a room in Sydney and confirmed what many of us suspected. There is real demand for a space dedicated to governing data and AI properly.

Now the ADG Summit is coming back — this time to Rydges Melbourne on 20 August 2026.

What made Sydney different was the mix in the room. Data leaders, AI practitioners, and risk and privacy professionals are all part of the same conversation. The kinds of discussions that usually stay inside a separate team

That’s what ADG Summit 2026 is being built around:

→ Real stories from practitioners who have solved real challenges
→ Frameworks you can take back and use immediately
→ A room full of people who understand the pressure and trade-offs

ADG Summit 2026 is a one-day, in-person event for people responsible for governing data and AI inside real organisations.

If you work in data, AI, risk, privacy or governance, this day is built for you.

Speaker Announcement

We’re pleased to confirm the first speakers joining us in Melbourne:

Clare Kitching — Founder, Cambiq
Phillip Ward — Privacy Engineering Lead, Canva

Both are deeply embedded in the work of governing data and AI inside complex organisations. They’re not speaking from theory. They’re speaking from experience.

And that’s intentional.

ADG Summit is built around practitioners who are actively solving these challenges in Australian organisations. Every session is grounded in real implementation, real constraints, and real lessons learned.

More speakers will be announced soon.

Early Bird Pricing Ends 31 March

Early Bird Tickets are available now, but only until 31 March.

If you’ve been thinking about coming, now’s the time to lock it in.

Once they’re gone, standard pricing applies

👉 Secure your ticket

We look forward to seeing you in Melbourne!

Stay up-to-date with the latest from DGX!
Related articles