Career Profile
I have 25+ years of experience from hands-on software engineering roles,
most of them with system design, management, and leadership
responsibilities. I have managed diverse, dispersed teams of anywhere from
5 to 85 members, and have always focused on creating the conditions to
maximise collaboration between all team-members.
I have worked within a number of agile frameworks, and am an experienced
agile coach frequently invited to spend time with development teams to
help them improve their ways of working together.
From 2016 to 2022 I ran and supported JPMorgan’s 200+ Communities of
Practice, and in 2022 I completed my Certificate in Social Learning
Leadership. I developed and have been teaching the ‘Advanced Software
Engineering Practices’ course for 4th year Computing Science at the
University of Glasgow since 2015.
Experience
Professor in Practice
University of Glasgow
2021-Present
3-year posting supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering, I am a
Visiting Professor of Collaborative Software Engineering. The role
involves developing and teaching two courses for MSci and
final-year BSc (Hons) students.
Senior Director
GitHub
2022-2023
As Senior Director of Developer Platforms and Programs for Education at
GitHub, my team and I wored with students and educators worldwide to help
onboard more learners to the world of collaborative software development.
Vice President
J.P. Morgan Chase
2010-2022
As Social Learning Lead for JPMorgan’s 50K+ employees in Global
Technology, I am responsible for the creation and continued growth
of our 200+ active and vibrant Communities of Practice. This has been
my main role since 2018.
Prior to 2018, I had various roles mixing hands-on software engineering
with day-to-day running of development teams of varying sizes (from 5
to 85), system architecture, and product ownership.
Associate
J.P. Morgan Chase
2007-2010
I was the Build Manager for a geographically dispersed team of
software developers delivering core functions in the JPMorgan Global
Derivatives world.
Product Development Manager
Vamosa, Ltd.
2005-2010
I was the head of software engineering department combined with
hands-on software design and implementation duties. Vamosa has since
been acquired by T-Systems.
Senior Developer
Various start-ups
2001-2005
Mostly Java back-end development for a range of interactive media
experiences ranging from simple advertising to complex gaming
experiences and web- based chat-support systems.
Software Engineer
IBM
1995-2001
Software development on bespoke systems for running the EMEA Tech
Support Centre, and the Greenock assembly plant. Also worked on
features and plug-ins for Tivoli products.
Volunteering
Education Advisory Board Member
The DataLab
2022-present
The Data Lab Education Advisory Board
is responsible for advising on education activity including our educational
partnerships, continuous personal development and skills development
programming.
Industry Advisory Board Member
University of Glasgow, School of Computing Science
2016-Present
The Industry Advisory Board
consults with industry representatives on issues of skills, research
and strategy. The Board meets three times a year and includes
representation from global technology companies, financial service
organisations, public sector, and innovative SMEs.
Affiliate Lecturer
University of Glasgow, School of Computing Science
2015-2021
I developed and have been teaching the ‘Advanced Software
Engineering Practices’ course for 4th year Computing Science at the
University of Glasgow since 2015.
Student Mentor
Career Ready
2016-2018
Careeer Ready
is a national social mobility charity at the heart of a network of
educators and employers who all believe that every young person
deserves the opportunity to kickstart a rewarding future.
Through a 2-year mentoring engagement, I helped empower a young person
by connecting them with the world of work, providing workplace
experiences, career insights, and a network of support.