Lesley Ward is the co-founder of Novanix AI, an advisory firm specializing in AI strategy, governance, and deployment for energy and industrial operations companies. Before starting Novanix, Lesley spent years as a Sr. AI Engineer at a global energy major, building and deploying predictive maintenance systems inside refineries and developing AI solutions for upstream operations in the Gulf of Mexico. She's worked inside the facilities, systems are built for and brings firsthand understanding of what it takes for AI to survive contact with safety-critical, regulated environments. Novanix helps companies across energy, industrial operations, and construction move AI from pilot to production with governance built in from day one.