Technology and operations, in practice

Background

My career has been spent working at the intersection of technology and business operations. I have been COO of BMD Publishing, a specialist publishing business, where my responsibilities included digital product development, technology infrastructure, commercial operations, team management and business development.

Alongside that, I have been deeply involved in building and operating two technology products: DARE, a digital anxiety support platform with a mobile app, subscription programmes and live events; and Eventstream, a local event and destination platform that has been deployed across multiple cities in Ireland and the UK, including Kilkenny, Edinburgh, Manchester, York, Cardiff and Brighton.

The Kilkenny App — the local events and visitor information platform I run — has grown to more than 10,000 installs, processes more than 13,000 events per year and reaches approximately 40,000 monthly event views, with a newsletter audience of around 1,100 subscribers.

Technical experience

I am a hands-on developer. I build and maintain production software, and I write and review code regularly. My primary languages and technologies are Python, Django, PostgreSQL, Dart and Flutter. I have experience deploying and managing applications on AWS and DigitalOcean, using Docker, Nginx and Gunicorn, and working with Firebase across authentication, database, cloud functions and messaging.

I manage the full mobile app lifecycle — including development, Firebase integration, subscription and in-app purchase systems, App Store Connect and Google Play Console management, testing and release management. I have experience with REST APIs, webhooks, third-party integrations and cloud storage systems.

This technical depth is important because it means I can assess proposals and delivery from developers and agencies, contribute directly where needed, and understand the implications of technical decisions for business and operational outcomes.

Commercial and operational experience

I understand how digital products are connected to commercial outcomes. I have worked on subscription strategy, customer journey design, conversion optimisation, analytics, marketing automation, customer communications, pricing and retention. I have been involved in business development, tender preparation and partnership development.

At the operational level, I have managed teams, coordinated developers and external suppliers, managed budgets and infrastructure costs, and been responsible for the day-to-day reliability of digital products in production.

How I work with clients

I work best with organisations that want more than a developer who simply writes code to specification. My value is in helping to define what should be built, how it should work, what the commercial implications are and how it can be operated effectively.

I am direct, practical and honest. If a proposed approach has problems, I will say so. If a project needs to be scoped differently to succeed, I will explain why. I aim to make technical and operational decisions comprehensible to non-technical stakeholders, and to ensure that what is built serves the business objectives it is supposed to serve.

I am based in Kilkenny and work with clients across Ireland, the UK and internationally. I am comfortable working remotely and visiting clients in person where that is useful.