This week, we spotlight Misbah Uddin, Director of Engineering at H&M Group. As a Data and AI leader, Misbah is responsible for establishing the foundations that enable teams to safely and efficiently deliver data, analytics, ML, and GenAI at scale.
His typical day involves shifting between platform strategy and delivery-defining the vision and roadmap, collaborating with product and engineering teams to minimize roadblocks, and establishing “golden paths” that make the optimal building approach the simplest one. A crucial aspect of his role is managing the trade-off between speed and essential guardrails-such as security, compliance, and cost-to empower teams to operate independently and with confidence.
Hyperight.com: What’s the best way to describe your job to someone outside tech?
Misbah Uddin: I build the highways and rules of the road for data and AI. Instead of every team building their own tooling from scratch, we provide shared services and clear routes-so people can get where they’re going faster and more safely.
In simple terms: I help teams use data and AI as a dependable utility, not a one-off project.
Hyperight.com: What originally sparked your interest in AI/data, and what keeps you inspired today? 
Misbah Uddin: My interest started in research, where I learned to treat problems as systems: measure what’s happening, form a hypothesis, test it, and improve iteratively.
What keeps me inspired today is seeing GenAI move from demos to real workflows. The Nordics are especially motivating because of the mix of pragmatism and ambition-leaders here are proving you can experiment quickly, and still take responsibility, trust, and long-term impact seriously.
Hyperight.com: What is one challenge you’re trying to solve, and why does it matter?
Misbah Uddin: The challenge I’m focused on is scaling GenAI in a governed, cost-aware way-so it’s not just exciting pilots, but repeatable delivery across many teams and markets.
It matters because AI value only compounds when it’s trustworthy and reusable. Without strong foundations-evaluation, governance, and good developer experience-you end up with “shadow AI,” duplicated effort, rising costs, and avoidable risk.
Hyperight.com: A tool you can’t live without (tech or not)?
Misbah Uddin: In Digital Life: github.
In Real Life: whiteboard.
Hyperight.com: What trend in data or AI do you think will shape the Nordic region the most?
Misbah Uddin: Industrialized, responsible GenAI-moving from pilots to governed platforms that deliver measurable outcomes. I think the Nordics can lead on “trusted AI” because the region already values transparency, strong institutions, and practical collaboration between industry and society.
Alongside that: sustainable compute and cost discipline. As AI usage grows, the winners will be the teams that can deliver value while keeping costs and environmental impact in check.
Hyperight.com: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to others entering the data and AI field?
Misbah Uddin: Optimize for outcomes, not models. Learn to ship end-to-end: start with a real user problem, define success metrics, build something small, measure, and iterate.
Also: build your fundamentals. Strong data quality, experimentation habits, and product engineering will outlast any single model or tool.
