Head of Engineering - Platforms at eNett - Deeper Role Notes

This page provides expanded insights into my platform engineering leadership during the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19’s impact on the travel industry.

COVID-19 Impact and Response Strategy

The travel industry collapse in 2020 presented unique challenges for a B2B travel payments platform, requiring rapid adaptation while maintaining technical excellence.

Business Context and Challenges

• 90%+ reduction in global travel volume within weeks
• Customer financial stress and payment delays
• Team uncertainty about company stability and job security
• Need to maintain platform reliability despite revenue challenges

Leadership Response Strategy

Team Stability and Morale:

• Transparent communication about business challenges and response plans
• Focus on controllable technical improvements and professional development
• Maintained team structure and avoided layoffs in engineering
• Created purpose through platform resilience and improvement initiatives

Platform Engineering Transformation

Infrastructure as a Service Initiative

Led the transformation from manual infrastructure management to automated, service-oriented approach.

Technical Implementation:

• Migrated from manual server provisioning to infrastructure as code
• Implemented containerization and orchestration for improved deployment reliability
• Created self-service capabilities for development teams
• Established monitoring and alerting standards across all environments

Business Impact:

• Reduced deployment errors by 80% through automation
• Decreased time to provision new environments from days to hours
• Improved system reliability and reduced incident response time
• Created foundation for scalable growth when travel recovered

Data Engineering Capability Development

Transformed the data function from a reporting support team into a strategic organizational capability.

Team Restructuring:

• Rebuilt data engineering team with focus on strategic impact rather than tactical reporting
• Implemented modern data engineering practices and tooling
• Created self-service analytics capabilities for business stakeholders
• Established data governance and quality management processes

Technical Architecture:

• Designed and implemented modern data warehouse architecture
• Created real-time data pipelines for operational decision-making
• Implemented advanced analytics capabilities for business insight
• Established data security and privacy protection frameworks

Operational Excellence During Crisis

Maintaining Delivery Velocity

Despite external uncertainty, maintained consistent delivery of technical improvements and new capabilities.

Delivery Management:

• Established predictable sprint rhythms that provided team stability
• Focused on technical debt reduction and platform improvement
• Maintained quality standards and testing practices
• Created clear prioritization frameworks that balanced business needs with technical excellence

Performance and Reliability Improvements

Used the reduced transaction volume period as an opportunity to enhance platform capabilities.

Technical Improvements:

• Implemented comprehensive monitoring and observability
• Enhanced database performance and query optimization
• Improved security controls and access management
• Created disaster recovery and business continuity procedures

Strategic Technology Planning

Future-Proofing Platform Capabilities

Invested in platform improvements that would position eNett for travel industry recovery.

Strategic Initiatives:

• Enhanced API capabilities for new partnership opportunities
• Improved platform scalability for future growth
• Strengthened security and compliance frameworks
• Created flexible architecture for rapid feature development

Data-Driven Decision Making

Established data capabilities that enabled better business decision-making during uncertain times.

Analytics Capabilities:

• Created real-time dashboards for business performance monitoring
• Implemented predictive analytics for transaction volume forecasting
• Enhanced customer insight capabilities through data analysis
• Provided data-driven input for business strategy decisions

Team Development and Growth

Professional Development During Uncertainty

Continued to invest in team member growth and development despite business challenges.

Development Programs:

• Maintained training and certification budgets for team members
• Created internal knowledge sharing and learning programs
• Provided opportunities for team members to work on emerging technologies
• Established mentoring relationships for career development

Cross-Training and Resilience

Enhanced team capabilities and reduced single-person dependencies.

Knowledge Sharing:

• Implemented comprehensive documentation practices
• Created cross-training programs for critical systems
• Established code review and knowledge transfer processes
• Built shared understanding of business context and customer needs

Acquisition Preparation

Technical Due Diligence Support

Supported the acquisition process by providing comprehensive technical documentation and assessment.

Due Diligence Activities:

• Created detailed technical architecture documentation
• Provided platform performance and scalability assessments
• Documented technology stack and infrastructure requirements
• Prepared technical integration planning for potential acquirers

Transition Planning

Prepared for potential integration scenarios while maintaining operational focus.

Transition Preparation:

• Documented all critical operational procedures
• Created comprehensive system inventories and dependencies
• Established clear technical handover procedures
• Maintained team readiness for different acquisition scenarios

Key Achievements and Outcomes

Platform Resilience and Performance

• Maintained 99.9%+ platform uptime during industry crisis
• Improved system performance metrics despite reduced resources
• Enhanced platform security and compliance posture
• Created scalable foundation for future growth

Team Success and Development

• Maintained team morale and engagement during industry uncertainty
• Achieved all team retention goals despite external market conditions
• Advanced team technical capabilities through strategic projects
• Created clear career development paths within challenging business environment

Strategic Value Creation

• Transformed data engineering from cost center to strategic capability
• Improved platform operational efficiency and reduced costs
• Enhanced customer experience through reliability improvements
• Positioned platform for successful acquisition integration

Lessons Learned

Crisis Leadership

• Transparency and honest communication build trust during uncertainty
• Focusing on controllable improvements maintains team purpose and engagement
• Technical excellence can be a source of stability during business volatility
• Investment in team development pays dividends in loyalty and capability

Platform Engineering Strategy

• Infrastructure automation provides both efficiency and reliability benefits
• Data capabilities are strategic assets that enable better decision-making
• Technical debt reduction during low-volume periods prepares for future growth
• Cross-training and documentation reduce operational risk

Industry Resilience

• Technology platforms can provide competitive advantage during industry disruption
• Strong technical foundations enable rapid adaptation to changing business needs
• Data-driven insights become more valuable during uncertain times
• Team capabilities and culture are often more important than specific technologies

For more insights into platform engineering and crisis leadership, read my blog posts on technical leadership and organizational resilience.

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