Zhamak

Zhamak Dehghani is a software engineer and technology leader best known for pioneering the data mesh concept, a decentralized approach to data architecture that emphasizes domain-oriented ownership, data as a product, self-serve data platforms, and federated governance. She introduced the idea in a 2019 article on martinfowler.com, outlining core principles and patterns for implementing data mesh in large organizations. Since then, data mesh has influenced industry practice and sparked ongoing discussion about scalable data architectures.

Dehghani has held technology leadership roles at ThoughtWorks, where her work focused on distributed data architectures, platform thinking, and data governance. She has spoken at numerous conferences and contributed to industry publications on data architecture, data product thinking, and data strategy. Her work emphasizes transforming data management from monolithic pipelines into domain-owned, product-driven data services that are discoverable and reusable.

The data mesh concept has generated both adoption and critique. Proponents argue that it enables scalable, domain-driven data collaboration and faster data-to-insight cycles, while critics caution about governance complexity and the need for organizational change. Dehghani continues to advocate for data mesh as part of a broader shift toward data-centric platform engineering and data-driven decision making.