The best engineering teams aren't just technically strong. They're built on trust, clear direction, and a culture that brings out the best in people. That's what I help you build.
Most attempts to improve an engineering team start in the wrong place. New processes get introduced. Frameworks get adopted. Tools get replaced. And yet the team keeps underdelivering, the culture stays flat, and the best people start to leave.
The real lever is almost always the people: how they're led, how they're developed, whether they trust the people above them, and whether they feel heard. Get that right, and the processes and frameworks take care of themselves.
That's easy to say. It's harder to do, especially when you're also trying to ship product, manage stakeholders, and scale a team fast. It requires building genuine trust with engineers, being direct in a way that lands well rather than creates friction, and taking people on a change journey rather than imposing change on them.
That's where I come in.
Many engineers plateau not because they lack technical skill, but because they haven't made the shift from contributing to multiplying. I coach engineers from individual contributors to head of engineering on making that shift stick.
Learn more about coachingEngineering teams at fast-growing companies tend to hit the same wall: delivery slows, culture strains, and the business loses visibility into what engineering is actually doing. I've led engineering through the 5-to-50 growth journeys, and bring the strategic and cultural leadership, and delivery practices to help your engineering function perform at the next level.
Learn more about Fractional CTOWhether you're preparing for a business sale, evaluating an acquisition, or trying to understand why your engineering team isn't performing as well as it should, I can give you an honest, evidence-based picture of where things stand and what to do about it.
Learn more about assessmentsI've spent over 20 years building software and leading engineering teams, including 8 years as the peak technology leader (CTO or Head of Engineering) across multiple high-growth Australian tech companies.
I've grown engineering departments from 5 people to 50. I've built engineering cultures from scratch. I've supported technology due diligence through to a successful capital raise and business sale. I've sat in board meetings, run hiring processes, built growth frameworks, introduced security programmes, and shipped a lot of software.
I don't consult from the sidelines. I've done the work, and I draw on that experience directly.
A few things I've been part of:
I write and speak about engineering leadership, culture, and delivery. Here's some of what I've put out recently.
The case for building culture deliberately rather than letting it happen by default.
Read on SubstackA close look at what makes software engineering teams perform at their best, and the patterns that get in the way. One of my most-read pieces.
Read on SubstackA reflection on the question I get asked most often, and what I've learnt about leadership across 20+ years of building engineering teams.
Read on SubstackIf you're an engineering leader looking to grow, a founder who needs senior technical leadership, or an investor wanting an honest view of a company's engineering, I'd be glad to have a conversation.