Software Engineering & Technical Architecture

Senior Java Engineer and Software Architect with 20+ years of experience designing and delivering high-reliability systems in gaming, gambling, and SaaS.

Specialist in Java, Spring Boot, AWS, and microservice architectures, with a track record of leading projects from inception through to launch and beyond.

I’ve founded and led engineering teams, worked with large international organisations, and mentored developers at all levels.

Even when holding senior titles, I’ve remained hands-on with coding and technical delivery, ensuring that systems are both robust and scalable.

Strategic Product &

Technology Leader,

Senior Software Engineer, Entrepreneur & Investor

20+ years of experience building SaaS platforms, leading cross-functional teams, and turning complexity into scalable systems.

I combine product strategy, technical depth, and operational structure to help teams grow, systems scale, and businesses evolve.

Core Skills

Java (expert, 20+ yrs)

Spring Boot

GraphQL

Microservices

AWS (ECS, RDS, SQS, SNS)

Docker

Databases: Postgres, Oracle, MongoDB

Frontend: React, React Native, Next.js

Specialisms

Real-time data processing

Message driven architecture

Gambling/Gaming platforms

Gamification

Social networking

Regulatory compliance

Experience

Dizplai

Director Of Gaming

14 months - May 2024 - July 2025

Overview

A fan engagement company that purchased PickGuru in 2024. This was a relatively short engagement following the acquisition, where my role focused on merging platforms, unifying development teams, and accelerating delivery for high-profile clients.

Highlights

  • Led technical design for a B2B engagement platform in sports/media.

  • Consolidation project to integrate Dizplai and PickGuru platforms.

  • Actively coded Java/Spring Boot APIs, optimising reliability and scalability.

  • Introduced AI for Daily Mail, reducing delivery time by four months.

SKILLS

JAVA

SPRING BOOT

REACT

NEXT.JS

TYPESCRIPT

MONGODB

AWS

(ECS, SNS, SQS, RDS)

Shiggle

Lead Software Engineer / Architect (Founder role)

6 years - June 2015 - April 2021

Overview

A peer-to-peer social betting platform combining social networking and gambling ("Facebook for betting"). I founded and led this platform from inception through to launch, overseeing all aspects of product direction, architecture, and delivery while remaining hands-on throughout.

Highlights

  • Defined roadmap and led end-to-end delivery of a social betting platform.

  • Designed and implemented scalable architecture with Java/Spring Boot.

  • Integrated multiple sports/news feeds into a robust backend.

  • Built two-sided marketplace with chat and engagement features.

SKILLS

JAVA

SPRING BOOT

REACT

REACT NATIVE

POSTGRES

GAN (acquired by SEGA SAMMY)

Java Contractor

4 months - January 2021 - April 2021

Overview

A leading B2B supplier of Internet Gambling SaaS Solutions. This was a short-term engagement where I was brought in to deliver critical, time-sensitive projects within a highly convoluted legacy system.

Highlights

  • Implemented W-2G mandatory returns form for US gamblers, ensuring compliance with US regulatory requirements.

  • Extended configuration capabilities across multiple SaaS platforms to support diverse operator needs and reduce time-to-market for new features.

  • Improved performance and maintainability within a challenging legacy codebase.

SKILLS

JAVA

ORACLE

Pythia Sports

Lead Backend Engineer

6 months - January 2020 - June 2020

Overview

A sophisticated betting syndicate with proprietary data models that were highly secretive and presented operational challenges. Delivered a risk management platform that incorporated these models, handling multiple complex sports data feeds with a consolidation mechanism to ensure accurate and reliable outputs.

Highlights

  • Led architecture, design & implementation of the platform, balancing performance with operational constraints.

  • Integrated multiple complex sports data feeds with a custom solution

  • Ensured high availability and accuracy under demanding real-time conditions.

  • Worked closely with stakeholders to overcome challenges around the secretive data models and system reliability.

SKILLS

JAVA

SPRING BOOT

REACT

MYSQL

WEBSOCKETS

Older Experience

Introu

Contract

4 months - January 2019 - April 2019

Introu was a two-sided workplace marketplace where businesses could earn points, use third-party B2B services, and also sell their own services to the community.

SKILLS

JAVA

SPRING BOOT

REACT

POSTGRES

Zulko

Project Lead (CTO role for regulatory compliance)

18 months - April 2017 - October 2018

A peer-to-peer gambling app where people played simple games like coin toss and rock-paper-scissors for real money.

SKILLS

JAVA

SPRING BOOT

POSTGRES

REACT

BODOG

Team Lead

12 months - November 2015 - November 2016

A major American betting operator where I led my own team of expert engineers to integrate their new sportsbook solution. This also involved training their internal teams in London and Malaga.

SKILLS

JAVA

JAVASCRIPT

ORACLE

LVS (acquired by FDJ)

Head of Java Development

10 years - March 2005 - November 2015

I worked at LVS for 10 years, progressing from Java Developer through to Head of Java Development.

During this time I led multiple projects across multiple clients and was responsible for delivering complex sportsbook platforms.

I was so instrumental that I was named a key person of interest when the company was acquired by FDJ.

SKILLS

JAVA

ORACLE