Andrew Mcnamara

Director Applied ML, Shopify

Andrew McNamara is the Director of Applied ML at Shopify, where he leads Sidekick, an AI assistant that helps merchants run their businesses more effectively. With over 15 years of experience in conversational AI, Andrew began licensing NLP technology to Samsung and LG in 2011 at startup Maluuba, which was later acquired by Microsoft. After working at Microsoft Research, he played a key role in launching Bing Chat (now Copilot), helping pioneer conversational search. At Shopify, Andrew focuses on building AI systems that empower merchants to grow and manage their businesses with greater ease and efficiency.