In this interview, Reza Abedi, Senior Solution Architect at Fortum, challenges the idea that data governance has to be a bottleneck. He explains how the principles of Developer Experience (DevEx) can transform governance from a series of manual “brakes” into the “aerodynamics” that allow data teams to move faster and stay compliant.
The tension between moving fast and staying secure is a central challenge in modern data management. As data platforms become more distributed, traditional governance models-often built on manual checkpoints-frequently struggle to keep pace with the speed of technical delivery.
Ahead of the Data Innovation Summit 2026, we spoke with Reza Abedi, Senior Solution Architect at Fortum, about why he views Developer Experience (DevEx) as the essential driver for scalable governance. By shifting from “visible control” to “invisible design,” Abedi argues that governance can function less like a brake and more like the aerodynamics that make high-speed innovation safer.
Hyperight: Could you walk us through your professional background and what specifically drives your interest in data governance today?
Reza Abedi: My journey has been a combination of business, data, and technology. I started with a background in economics and business, which gave me a strong understanding of how organizations operate and create value. Over time, I transitioned into the data field, focusing on areas like data engineering, analytics, and more recently data governance and privacy.
Through roles in BI and cloud data engineering, I’ve had the opportunity to see both sides: how data is built technically and how it is used from a business perspective. This naturally led me toward data governance, where the real challenge is not just managing data, but aligning people, processes, and technology.
What excites me most today is working at the intersection of strategy and implementation. Especially in areas like data governance and DevEx, where we are rethinking how organizations can move faster while staying compliant. It’s about designing systems that enable both speed and control, and that’s where I see the most impact.
Hyperight: Let’s start simple. What is Developer Experience (DevEx), and where does this concept come from?
Reza Abedi: DevEx originally comes from software engineering, where teams realized that productivity wasn’t just about tools or talent, but about how easy it is for developers to build, test, and deploy systems. It focuses on reducing friction. Things like clear workflows, good documentation, automation, fast feedback loops. But over time, something important became clear. When you improve developer experience, you don’t just improve speed. You improve quality, consistency, and reliability. That’s when DevEx stopped being just an engineering concern and started becoming a design principle.
Hyperight: Why is DevEx now becoming so relevant for data governance?
Reza Abedi: Because data governance has the exact same problem that software engineering had ten years ago. It’s often built outside the workflow. Policies are written in documents. Access is controlled through tickets. Compliance is validated after deployment. From a developer or data engineer perspective, this creates friction. And friction always leads to workarounds. DevEx brings governance back into the workflow. It aligns governance with how data systems are actually built and used.
Hyperight: Is the traditional, centralized model of data governance inherently flawed, or has it simply reached its limit?
Reza Abedi: It’s not that it doesn’t work. It just doesn’t scale. Traditional governance assumes control through centralization and review. That works when systems are slow and predictable. But today, data platforms are distributed, continuously evolving, and often owned by multiple teams. You can’t control that with manual processes. So the issue is not governance itself. It’s the model of governance.
Hyperight: You use the metaphor of “governance as a brake vs. aerodynamics.” Can you explain that?
Reza Abedi: Yes, because it captures the mindset shift. If governance is a brake, it slows things down to keep you safe. You move carefully, but you also move slowly. If governance is like aerodynamics in a Formula 1 car, it does the opposite. It stabilizes the system so you can move fast without losing control. Modern governance should not limit speed. It should enable safe speed.
Hyperight: How does that metaphor translate into actual system design?
Reza Abedi: It changes how governance is experienced. If governance increases cognitive load, requires manual steps, or depends on approvals, it will eventually be bypassed. But if governance is embedded into tools, workflows, and platforms, it becomes invisible. That’s the key shift. From visible control to invisible design.
Hyperight: How do you respond to the common argument that speed and compliance are a zero-sum game-that increasing velocity must inevitably come at the expense of control
Reza Abedi: That concern comes from the old model. In the old model, compliance is a checkpoint. So yes, more speed means more risk. In the new model, compliance is embedded. It’s part of the system. So instead of slowing down to check compliance, you design systems where non-compliant behavior is harder to execute in the first place. That actually increases both speed and control.
Hyperight: What risks do organizations face if they don’t move in this direction?
Reza Abedi: The biggest risk is not non-compliance. It’s losing control without realizing it. When governance is too slow or too rigid, teams start creating their own solutions. That leads to fragmentation, inconsistent data, and hidden risks. You end up with the illusion of control, but no real control.
Hyperight: Is this just a current trend, or are we looking at a structural shift?
Reza Abedi: It’s not a trend in the usual sense. Trends come and go because they are optional. This shift is driven by structural change. Data systems are becoming more complex, more distributed, and more real-time. Traditional governance cannot handle that complexity. So DevEx-driven governance is not something organizations adopt because it’s popular. They adopt it because the alternative stops working.
Hyperight: Where should organizations start if they want to move toward this model and what does success look like in that case?
Reza Abedi: Start by identifying friction. Where are developers waiting? Where is the approval manual? Where are policies interpreted differently by different teams? Those are signals that governance is external, not embedded. Then focus on one area and redesign it. Turn one manual process into an automated one. Turn one policy into code. You don’t need a big transformation to start seeing impact.
Success is when governance disappears from daily conversations. Not because it’s ignored, but because it’s built into the system. Developers don’t ask, “Is this compliant?” The system already ensures it. At that point, governance is no longer a blocker. It becomes part of how the organization operates.
Hyperight: Looking ahead, how will the fundamental role of data governance evolve as it becomes more integrated with engineering workflows?
Reza Abedi: The future is not more governance. It’s better-designed governance. Governance will move from policies to platforms. From approvals to automation. From central control to distributed responsibility. And DevEx will be the mechanism that makes that shift possible.
If you’re ready to stop choosing between velocity and compliance, catch Reza Abedi’s session, “Why DevEx is the New Face of Modern Data Governance,” on the [M3] Data Platform & Architecture Stage at Data Innovation Summit. Reza will break down how to move beyond the “gatekeeper” model and build an engineering capability that makes secure-by-default design a reality. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to turn governance into a competitive advantage through automation and policy-as-code.
