Technology Leader · Agentic AI · Forward Deployed Engineering
Daniel Vaughan
I help organisations turn AI investment into production systems that work correctly from the start. Not just faster delivery, but higher quality at the same cost.
About me
Twenty-five years across enterprise, startup and academic settings. My focus now is entirely on one shift: the point where AI stops being an experiment and becomes core to the organisation. I specialise in agentic AI, building production systems where human engineers and autonomous agents work together.
I build the culture and environments this new era of engineering demands. Entrepreneurial, customer-focused, with a strong bias for action. Whether advising leaders on AI adoption, standing up forward deployed engineering practices from scratch, or working hands-on with agentic workflows, the goal is the same: turn AI investment into proven results.
Current role
Head of Forward Deployed Engineering, HCLTech AI Labs
I lead HCLTech's global Forward Deployed Engineering practice in AI Labs. Engineers embedded with customers, deploying production AI inside complex enterprise environments, legacy systems, cautious security teams and real users who need to trust the output. Not consultants writing recommendations.
The practice runs multiple regional pods across the US, EMEA and APAC, each managing concurrent customer deployments. The model is lean: shared architect, two engineers and a team of coding agents. I built the practice from the ground up, from operating model and hiring through to engagement frameworks and quality standards.
Each engagement compounds into the next through field intelligence, reusable patterns and shared standards. End-to-end ownership of agentic AI delivery, from architecture through production to customer handover. Deep technical work across Google, OpenAI and Anthropic.
Most AI projects stall between prototype and production. We exist to close that gap.
Previous experience
Before HCLTech AI Labs, I was director of software engineering at Mastercard in London, leading cloud strategy and architecture for real-time payment products. Before that, I held roles at HCL Cloud Native Labs, progressing from cloud native solutions expert to head of solutions architecture.
Earlier in my career, I spent eight years at the European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge, starting as a software engineer and moving into engineering leadership. My focus was software quality and developer productivity.
Books & recognition
A practical guide to building cloud native applications on Google Cloud, covering Kubernetes, Cloud Run and the full GCP ecosystem.
I am also a Google Developer Expert, a Green Software Champion and a member of the Green Software Foundation.
Community
Community and skills development run through my career. I founded the Genome Campus Software Community and EMBL-EBI Technical Seminars Programme. I currently organise the Software Crafters Cambridge Meetup group.
I live in Saffron Walden with my wife Michelle and son Alex.