Derek Laney
I’m the founder of Helikona, an advisory practice for an AI-shaped future of work. Before that I spent more than 25 years in enterprise technology across Asia Pacific — building, advising, and most recently as a technology evangelist at Slack and Salesforce.
What I do now is narrow on purpose: sit with leaders who are working through something important, help them separate what AI genuinely does from what the demos promise, and build the evidence that settles the argument. I write and speak about the same thing.
140+
organisations advised
12
countries
10
years at the frontier of AI
27
years building prototypes
The path here
In my words
"Most organisations aren't struggling because technology is too hard. They're struggling because no one has translated it into language and evidence that makes the organisation feel informed and empowered. The technology is available. The strategy is knowable. The gap is clarity — and that's exactly where I work."
Now
The practice
An advisory practice for an AI-shaped future of work. I diagnose what is real inside an organisation, co-create strategy with the people who have to run it, and build prototypes that show what holds up before anything gets scaled.
What we do →On stage
I speak about AI and the future of work — keynotes, closed-door executive briefings, panels. Calm, concrete, and free of hype. There is a talk outline and a promotion kit for organisers.
Speaking page →An open door
A free, no-strings chat about AI — where you are at, what you are curious about, what is bouncing around your mind. Fifteen, thirty, or sixty minutes. You pick. Mostly it is an excuse to nerd out.
Book a chat →Writing
How Helikona designed a safer path from a leader's "what if?" to a working change, using temporary environments, protected data, and evidence-based promotion.
How Helikona built a consulting practice where the client, their AI agent, and our delivery pipeline all speak the same language, so a change request can travel from idea to released software without a single status meeting.
If you’re weighing a decision about AI and want an honest second opinion, email hello@helikona.com or message me on Slack — Slack is where I’m quickest to reply.