From 6502 to Agentic AI: My Journey Through Technology and Leadership

In this talk, I share the story of my journey through four decades of rapid technological change—from programming my first personal computer to leading large engineering teams in the era of modern, agentic AI. I reflect on how early curiosity about how computers work evolved into a career spanning software development, financial technologies, and executive leadership.

Along the way, I discuss what it was like to navigate major industry disruptions, including the dot-com boom and bust and the 2008 financial crisis, and how these experiences shaped my approach to building resilient, high-performing engineering organizations. I highlight the skills, mindset, and values that enabled me to grow from an engineer into a successful technology executive.

I close with thoughts on today’s fast-moving AI landscape—what is hype, what is real, and what the next generation of engineers should be preparing for as AI becomes increasingly central to every industry.

Speaker bio:

John Nestor is a senior software and technology executive with more than 30 years of experience building high-performance engineering teams and delivering world-class software products. He has led technology organizations across multiple FinTech domains, including personal banking, commercial lending, risk analytics and wealth management.

Most recently, John led the Engineering organization at Borealis AI / RBC Borealis, where he and his teams designed and deployed high-impact AI and machine learning solutions across several RBC lines of business. Prior to RBC, he served as Chief Technology Officer at Ascend Fundraising Solutions, a small, high-growth technology company focused on delivering market-leading products to charities and non-profits across North America. Earlier in his career, John held senior engineering and technology leadership roles at Zag Bank, D+H, Numerix, Fidelity Information Services and Algorithmics.

John has a BASc in Engineering Science (Computer Engineering option), as well as MASc and PhD degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering, all from the University of Toronto.

Outside of work, John enjoys long-distance running, fitness and video games, and loves spending time with his wife and three children.