I've built software since 2010, and delivered 100+ projects that are live today.

Those projects span education, recruitment, workplace software and online retail. Some I built myself, some I led as CTO or technical lead, and many my team delivered for clients. The largest is Ilmversity, a school platform I co-founded in 2016 that now serves 400+ institutes.

My work grew from building applications into managing projects, leading teams and directing a technology department. That path still shapes how I lead: I understand the implementation, the pressure on the team and the decisions the business has to make.

Start a conversation See the work

16+ yearsbuilding and running software since 2010, from early development work to multi-tenant SaaS.
100+ projectsdelivered and live: SaaS platforms, marketplaces, online stores and systems built for clients.
400+ instituteson Ilmversity, the largest platform I have built with my team.
Hands-onI still read the code, and build myself when the work calls for it.

Now

Open to conversations about fractional CTO support and department leadership.
Taking on focused management and technical work, with scope agreed for each engagement.
Continuing to lead engineering at Ilmversity, alongside client work.

Latest note: What is a fractional CTO, and when does a company need one?

Career

I started developing software in 2010. My work grew through client projects, project and technology management, and leading teams, to directing a technology department as a chief technology officer.

2010
Started writing software
The hands-on foundation I still work from.
Since 2010
Client projects and delivery
Built applications for clients, then managed the projects and led the teams delivering them. More than 100 of those projects are live today.
2016 – now
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Ilmversity
Leads the technology team and directs planning, product engineering and delivery.
- 2019–2020Cloud migration and infrastructure. Led the move from Linode to AWS and the introduction of infrastructure as code, connecting the technical plan with delivery and operating needs.
- 2021–2023Technology team and operating practices. Led improvements to team ownership, delivery practices and platform operations, including monitoring and changes to reporting and notification services.

Selected projects

Six of the products I have built, led or delivered, across education, recruitment, workplace software and online retail.

How I work

I start by understanding what the business needs from technology and how the team works today. Then we agree the responsibilities, priorities and working practices needed to make progress.

What you can expect

Direct communication
Clear written decisions and priorities
Early visibility into risk
Practical solutions that fit the team and the budget
Respect for security, privacy, quality and operations
Honest advice when a simpler option is better

It works best when

You want the strategy connected to the implementation, not another layer of advice.
You value direct communication and visible trade-offs.
You need a senior partner who can work across product, people and systems.
You are prepared to prioritise quality and sustainable delivery.

Range

My technical background includes PHP and Laravel, React, TypeScript, Node.js, relational databases, AWS and the tooling used to build, release and operate software.

Technology strategy and direction
Set technology priorities around business needs, evaluate options and make investment and platform decisions clear.
Team and department leadership
Lead technology teams, define responsibilities, develop leaders and coordinate the department's work.
Project and technology management
Connect priorities, people, dependencies and resources so plans can move into delivery.
Engineering management
Support engineers through planning, feedback, hiring, mentoring and clear delivery ownership.
Architecture and technical decisions
Guide system design, integrations, data and modernisation in the context of the team and business.
Reliability and operations
Improve releases, monitoring, recovery and the organisation's ability to operate its systems.
Software development
Build and improve applications, APIs and integrations when direct implementation is part of the engagement.