I am a fractional CTO, technology executive, and advisor who helps companies scale technology and artificial intelligence in ways that create measurable business value. Over more than two decades, I have worked with founders, CEOs, boards, and investors to build products, lead engineering organizations, and guide technology strategy through periods of rapid growth and transformation.
Most recently, I served as Chief Technology Officer of CloudFactory, where I led global product, engineering, machine learning, and cybersecurity teams responsible for the company’s human-in-the-loop AI platform. Before that, I was CTO at Ocrolus in New York, where I helped scale AI-powered document automation for the financial services industry. Earlier in my career, I advised organizations on AI strategy at McKinsey & Company, helped grow live-streaming platform YouNow into a global business, and served as CTO of MXit, one of the world’s pioneering mobile messaging platforms.
My work has consistently focused on translating emerging technologies into practical business outcomes. I enjoy working at the intersection of technology, leadership, and strategy—helping organizations navigate AI adoption, build high-performing engineering teams, modernize platforms, strengthen cybersecurity, and scale with confidence.
I hold an MBA from the MIT Sloan Fellows program, where I focused on digital strategy and global leadership, and M.Sc.Eng. and B.Eng. degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Stellenbosch University, where my research focused on machine learning and speech recognition. I am a Senior Member of the IEEE and a Member of the Institute of Directors.
Outside of my professional work, I have always been drawn to exploration. I am a commercial pilot, yacht skipper, and former technical mountain rescue volunteer. In 2024, I became the first South African to complete a solo circumnavigation of the globe in a single-engine aircraft, flying westbound across 14 countries and nearly 20,000 nautical miles over 55 days. I am a member of The Explorers Club in New York and the Aéro-Club de France in Paris, and I continue to pursue aviation and exploration projects that challenge both technical skill and personal resilience.
Whether leading technology organizations or flying across oceans and polar regions, I have found that the same principles endure: thoughtful preparation, sound judgment, calm decision-making under uncertainty, and an enduring curiosity about what lies beyond the horizon.
Today, I divide my time between fractional CTO engagements, advising founders and investors, board work, writing, and preparing for future exploration projects.
This website is my home on the web – a place where I share ideas on technology, artificial intelligence, leadership, aviation, and exploration. I write not to keep pace with the news cycle, but to capture lessons that endure: from building technology organizations, leading through uncertainty, and exploring the world from perspectives that few have the opportunity to experience. I hope some of those lessons prove useful to others on their own journeys.
You can contact me at the address below.
