Engineering Leadership 2025 | The reality of being an Engineering Manager

Roundtable discussions on the reality of being an Engineering Manager in 2025.

Welcome to Engineering Leadership 2025: A roundtable discussion on the reality of being an engineering manager!

In the ever-evolving tech landscape, the role of an Engineering Manager has never been more demanding. As we look ahead to 2025, how are the expectations and challenges of leadership changing? What does it really take to succeed in this role today, and what lessons have been learned from the inevitable "failures" along the way?

Tonight, we're bringing together some of the brightest minds in the industry to dive into these questions. Our expert panelists Vaclav Jares (ShipMonk), Michal Klacko (STRV), and Josef Starychfojtu (Mews), will share their personal experiences, insights, and real-world stories of leadership. They'll talk about how collaboration works in practice, what makes or breaks teams, and how they navigate the tricky waters of reprioritization and problem-solving.

Now, let's dive into what you can expect from the event:

Our panelists:

• Vaclav Jares, Senior VP of Product Management at ShipMonk
• Miso Klacko, Backend Director of Engineering at STRV

• Pepa Starychfojtu, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Mews

Event lineup:

Panel 1 | The Role of an Engineering Manager in 2025

In this session, we'll dive into the current reality of an Engineering Manager’s role. What is expected from leaders today, and how has the role evolved? Our panelists will share their thoughts on what they expect, what is expected from them, how collaboration with Product looks in practice, the common challenges faced, and the strategies they use for reprioritization.

Panel 2 | What Went Wrong: Lessons from Real-Life Engineering Management

In this segment, our panelists will open up about their own experiences: the mistakes they've made, the lessons learned, and how they overcame setbacks. They’ll discuss the challenges of being a leader, the "fuckups," and the key takeaways that helped shape their leadership journey.

Panel 3 | Q&A

After the discussions, we’ll open the floor to questions from the audience. Here’s your chance to ask the panelists anything - from specific management challenges to broader leadership insights.

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Doors open at 6 p.m. and we’ll be kicking the event off promptly at 6:30 p.m. Guests are welcome to hang around all the way until 10 p.m.

Refreshments on us!

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If you do not wish to be photographed, please inform an event organizer during check-in.