Engineering Culture in the Age of Intelligent Maps and Real‑Time Systems

As digital products evolve from static experiences into continuously updating, intelligent systems, engineering culture must evolve with them. Few domains make this shift more visible—or more complex—than mapping and mobility. At TomTom, Manuela Locarno Ajayi leads about 1,000 engineers across core product teams responsible for building the world’s “smartest, most useful map,” one that updates dynamically, fuses real-time data pipelines, and powers the next generation of autonomous and software‑defined vehicles. In this talk, Manuela shares leadership lessons from building intelligent mapping systems that never sleep—systems that must continuously ingest global data, maintain lane‑level accuracy, and perform reliably in high-stakes environments like navigation and automation. Drawing from her IAA keynote on how maps are transforming into dynamic, intelligent systems, she explores what it takes to build and sustain an engineering culture capable of owning real-time, data‑rich, safety‑critical technologies. Combining insights from her 25+ years at Microsoft, the World Economic Forum, Amazon, and TomTom, she outlines how leaders can empower teams working on complex, always‑on platforms: fostering autonomy, creating tight feedback loops, enabling developer-first tooling, and balancing innovation with operational rigor. From reducing integration timelines from months to weeks through better processes and platform design, to supporting developers with unified mapping data and powerful SDKs, Manuela demonstrates how engineering culture becomes a strategic advantage in next‑generation mobility.