Data Mesh Belgium Meetup #5 - free event co-located with Data Mesh Live, Antwerp

Join us for the free 5th Data Mesh Belgium Meetup on June 4, 2025!

This time we will host the event in Antwerp, co-located with Data Mesh Live in the Queen Elisabeth hall conference center, Antwerp, Belgium. In partnership with Data Mesh Live and Aardling and ACA Group, this free event promises an in-depth exploration of the latest advancements in Data Mesh, featuring cutting-edge insights from members of the international data mesh community. Arif Wider will explore what the impact is on your data mesh approach for inter-organizational data product sharing. Jacek Majchrzak will focus on why a good strategy comes first, and should set the right foundations for decentralized data ownership.

Tip: combine it with attending the Data Mesh Live conference in the same week!

LOCATION: A Room with a ZOO - Koningin Astridplein 20-26, Antwerp

SCHEDULE

• 18h 00 - 18h 40: Food & Drinks
• 18h 40 - 18h 45: Welcome by Tom De Wolf
• 18h 45 - 19h 30: Arif Wider - "Beyond Data Mesh: Inter-Organizational Data Product Sharing"
• 19h 30 - 19h 45: Break & Drinks
• 19h 45 - 20h 30: Jacek Majchrzak - "The Shift to Data Mesh: Why Strategy Comes First"
• 20h 30 - 21h 00: Networking & Drinks

TALK ABSTRACTS
► "Beyond Data Mesh: Inter-Organizational Data Product Sharing" by Arif Wider

Data mesh is a socio-technical approach to enterprise data management that emphasizes domain-driven decentralization within an organization to allow it to scale up its data-driven decision making. Data mesh was designed primarily to solve problems of scale and quality within large companies. The core concept to achieve this, is that of a data product: a self-contained, composable, and value-driven unit of analytics data. The creation and composition of such data products is aided by a company-wide data product platform.

However, data mesh lacks concepts for cross-organizational sharing of data products and its federated governance concept is mostly focused on interoperability within one organization. We therefore propose an extension of data mesh that specifically addresses governance issues arising from cross-organizational data sharing, such as enforcing usage rights, data protection, and cross-platform interoperability. A key question is “What are the common capabilities and standards that data platforms have to provide so that data products created on one organization’s platform can interoperate with data products created on another organization’s platform?”

► "The Shift to Data Mesh: Why Strategy Comes First" by Jacek Majchrzak

Many organizations rush into Data Mesh without fully understanding its impact on business objectives. But Data Mesh is not a standalone solution—it’s part of a broader Data Strategy that must be aligned with business goals. This session will explore why strategy should come before paradigms and technology and how organizations can set the right foundations before adopting decentralized data ownership. We’ll discuss common pitfalls, the importance of clear communication, and how to align Data Strategy with business needs, governance, data and IT landscape. Attendees will leave with a structured approach to moving towards Data Mesh the right way—by focusing on strategy first.

SPEAKER BIOS
► Arif Wider - Software Engineering Professor & Technology Consultant
Arif Wider is a professor of software engineering in Berlin, Germany, and a principal technology consultant with Thoughtworks, where he served as Head of Data & AI before moving back to academia. As a vital part of his research, teaching, and consulting, he is passionate about distilling and distributing great ideas and concepts that emerge in the software engineering community. He therefore frequently speaks and writes about technology but enjoys nothing more than bringing together people with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise.

► Jacek Majchrzak - Lead Architect at 7N & Facilitator. Co-author of "Data Mesh in Action"
Jacek Majchrzak is a lead architect who implements the data mesh in the area of drug discovery. Co-author of the book “Data Mesh in action”. His areas of expertise are domain-driven design, solution architecture, technology strategy, architecture and data governance. Jacek is a workshop facilitator with experience in moderating many techniques like, Domain Storytelling, Event Storming, Business Capability Mapping and other.