About Me

As a contract software engineer, I've had the privilege to be involved in a wide range of exciting and varied projects using any number of different approaches and technologies. This experience has made me adaptable and confident in my work, happy and able to pick up new SPA frameworks as they emerge, and integrate seamlessly into different teams, working environments, and architectural contexts.

My experience includes years of development within React, Angular, Polymer, and Clojure ecosystems, integrating with Java, .NET, or Python or alongside more traditional PHP and e‑commerce with Episerver or AEM. I've worked with a wide variety of different clients and within different businesses, from customer‑facing big‑name household brands and enterprise‑level software development to much smaller greenfield projects.

As an accomplished principal engineer, I'm confident in management‑focused roles, adept at communicating with clients or stakeholders, and a level‑headed team mentor. In the ever‑evolving field of web development, I work hard to stay abreast of emerging technologies, and I'm always happy to share that knowledge with others.

My current preferred tech stack centres on Next.js (both App and Pages Router) with ReactJS, TypeScript and SCSS, typically supported by webpack and GraphQL. Earlier in my career I delivered large‑scale Gatsby builds, but my work now focuses on modern Next.js architecture and performance‑led replatforming. I've contributed to both the Next.js and Gatsby projects ‑ initially during Gatsby's peak adoption phase, and more recently through Next.js contributions that align with my focus on scalable, production‑grade platform engineering.

That focus on framework‑level engineering began earlier in my career through involvement in the open‑source development of the SproutCore framework, which was later adopted by Apple for their MobileMe web applications, and eventually evolving into Ember.js, a grounding that established my long‑standing focus on robust front‑end architecture.

Away from my laptop, I watch disaster films and occasionally read (and write) sci‑fi. I am a LEGO nerd who was thrilled when my six‑year‑old wanted to build spaceships with me, although I was less thrilled when those same spaceships found their way into the company of her burgeoning unicorn collection...

I was once part of a relatively successful band and toured alongside the sorts of indie and Britpop names you would probably recognise. I starred fleetingly in a popular music video. I am a published author and a retired public speaker.

I am a qualified rally driver and an everyday petrolhead, although you are more likely to find me driving my family around in a very sensible Volvo now. I enjoy the occasional meal out and have been known to try my hand at cooking, which sometimes results in us getting a takeaway after I've burnt the dinner.

Above all, I am privileged to be a husband and father to two young girls. Since the arrival of our first daughter nine years ago, and our second five years later, you will most likely find me rounding off the day exhausted, covered in stickers or glitter, and uncontrollably humming The Peppa Pig theme tune.