Ecommerce Director
& Full-Stack Engineer
20+ years building enterprise ecommerce, leading teams & architecting digital products that generate millions.
About Me
Technical Leader & Builder
Combining two decades of deep engineering with senior commercial leadership.
A highly experienced technical leader and full-stack developer with over 20 years of expertise in numerous coding languages, API architecture, AI-driven workflows and multi-platform system design. Proven track record delivering enterprise-scale ecommerce platforms, products portfolios, leading digital transformation programmes, and architecting complex applications.
Currently operating as Ecommerce Director, working closely with stakeholders, overseeing five departments and 30 staff, with end-to-end accountability for technical strategy, platform performance, system architecture, UX, data flows and integrations. Combines deep engineering ability with senior leadership, commercial understanding and the capacity to drive high-impact digital outcomes.
An analytical, solutions-driven problem solver with extensive experience in PHP application design, database optimisation, API ecosystems, AI automation, cloud hosting, and security-driven infrastructure. Adept at mentoring, modernising legacy systems, embedding AI workflows and delivering scalable products that support multi-million-pound operations.
Core Technologies
What I Do
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🏗️
Platform Architecture
Designing and building large-scale ecommerce systems from ground up, performance-first, API-centric, scalable.
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👥
Technical Leadership
Overseeing departments, mentoring engineers, driving strategy and managing stakeholder relations at board level.
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🤖
AI & Automation
Embedding AI-assisted workflows, LLM data pipelines and multi-agent automation into production systems.
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🔗
API & Integration Engineering
Building robust API ecosystems: payments, shipping, ERP, marketplace integrations and third-party platforms.
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📈
Revenue-Driven Development
Using data, UX and performance engineering to directly drive commercial outcomes and measurable growth.
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☁️
Infrastructure & Cloud
Linux server management, NGINX, SSL/TLS, CDN, caching layers and cloud hosting configuration for enterprise uptime.
Career History
Professional Experience
Over two decades delivering impactful digital projects across ecommerce, engineering and leadership.
Ecommerce Director
- Leads full UK and EU digital, technical and ecommerce architecture for one of Europe's largest cinematography and photography retailers
- Oversees 5 departments and 30 staff across the full ecommerce operation
- Led major PHP platform transformations: complete redesigns, API migrations, marketplace integrations
- Implemented AI-assisted development workflows, process automation, and data structuring for LLM-driven tooling
- Enhanced SEO frameworks, performance layers and content architecture delivering measurable organic growth
- Drove continuous revenue growth through system improvements, UX enhancements and platform optimisation
Founder & Technical Architect
- Designed, built and operating a global eSIM ecommerce platform serving customers in 180+ countries
- Architected and developed the entire system end-to-end: frontend, backend, infrastructure and deployment
- Built full customer management, automated top-ups, payments, product pipelines, SMS/email integrations and AI-assisted support tools
- Full responsibility for UX, frontend, backend, hosting, deployment, monitoring, SEO and analytics
Creator & Developer
- Personal project site showcasing AI tooling experiments, development utilities and web engineering ideas
- Actively exploring and applying cutting-edge AI workflows: prompt engineering, multi-agent orchestration, RAG pipelines and LLM-assisted code generation
- Uses AI-driven development daily, integrating tools such as Claude, GPT-4, GitHub Copilot and custom MCP servers into real production workflows
- Builds and iterates on AI-augmented applications, automating repetitive engineering tasks and accelerating product delivery cycles
- Deep knowledge of AI model capabilities, context-window management, structured output parsing and tool-use patterns
Software Development Manager
- Managed growing development team through challenging milestones and major platform evolutions
- Grew website sales from £6.6m (2010) to over £26m (2018), a 4× revenue increase over 8 years
- Full software re-designs including custom system integrations with payment, accounting and shipping APIs
- Managed strategic collaborations with DPD, DHL, Worldpay and Braintree
Senior PHP Designer / IT Support
- Full stack front and backend development, PHP, MySQL, Apache
- Graphic Design using Adobe Creative Suite across multiple client projects
- EPOS and Security Systems installation and support
Expertise
Skills & Technologies
A broad technical stack built over 20+ years of hands-on building, leading and shipping.
Languages & Scripting
Frameworks & Tools
Infrastructure & Cloud
Databases
Ecommerce & Integrations
AI & Automation
Leadership
Deep Expertise
AI Knowledge, Workflow & Development
AI is now central to how I work, not as an add-on, but embedded deeply into every stage of development, decision-making and delivery. I have extensive hands-on experience using large language models in real production environments, going well beyond simple code suggestions.
In day-to-day coding I use GitHub Copilot, Kilocode, Claude and OpenAI as active development partners, for architecture discussion, code review, debugging complex logic, writing and refactoring at speed, and exploring multiple implementation approaches simultaneously. I understand how to get the most from these tools: how to frame prompts precisely, manage context windows, generate structured outputs and critically evaluate AI-generated code rather than accept it blindly.
At a workflow and process level I have built and deployed multi-agent automation systems, RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) pipelines, LLM-structured data ingestion flows and AI-assisted customer support tooling in live products. I also run custom MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers, enabling AI agents to interact directly with databases, APIs and internal tools as part of automated pipelines.
My personal project site, Digital Wizards (digitalwizards.co.uk), is a space where I continue to experiment with new AI capabilities, testing emerging models, building utility tools and exploring what practical AI integration looks like at the application layer. This ongoing exploration keeps my knowledge of AI capabilities current and directly applicable to engineering challenges.
Tools & Technologies
Selected Work
Portfolio
A selection of platforms, tools and websites built and led over the years.
Digital Wizards
VisitPersonal project and AI experimentation site. A hub for web engineering ideas, AI tooling experiments, development utilities and explorations into multi-agent workflows, LLM integration and prompt engineering.
WebDB Pro
VisitAI-powered database workbench for developers and teams. Chat with MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MSSQL and SQLite in plain English. Features tabbed SQL editor with AI Fix & Format, Index Advisor, live data grid, schema explorer, dashboard builder and one-click backup. Available as web app and Windows desktop application.
Piderico
VisitDelivery, collection and table service platform built for Spanish restaurants and bars. Handles dine-in table ordering, click & collect and home delivery with real-time kitchen management, menu management and order tracking.
CVP, Ecommerce Platform
VisitEurope's largest cinematography retailer. Led platform from £6.6m to £26m revenue through full re-architecture, API integration and performance engineering.
SimplySIM
VisitGlobal eSIM ecommerce platform serving 180+ countries. Full-stack end-to-end build, customer management, automated billing, payments and AI support.
EdenLily
VisitElegant custom laser-engraved jewellery ecommerce platform with QR memory pages. Each piece is hand-crafted in the UK and engraved to order, with optional QR codes that link to living photo albums, biographies or keepsake pages.
Wattly
VisitEV charger sharing and rental platform enabling homeowners and businesses to list their private electric vehicle chargers for other drivers to book. Features interactive map search, session management, secure payments and earnings tracking.
Herd Security
VisitServer-side code protection and security tool for PHP applications, safeguarding intellectual property and licensing.
Rob Auto Repairs
VisitAutomotive repair and servicing website, service listings, booking system and customer reviews.
IRIS Magazine
Online broadcast and media industry magazine, editorial platform, content delivery and advertising integration.
Gekko Lighting
Manufacturer website for Gekko studio lighting, product catalogue, dealers, technical specifications.
Gearbox Rentals
Professional cinematography equipment rental platform, online booking, inventory management and checkout.
AM Kitchen Fitters
Quality kitchen installations website, lead generation, gallery showcase and enquiry management.
Gelify
Home-based nail salon website, service listings, before/after gallery and online booking integration.
JK Entertainment
Website for a mobile disco, DJ & video entertainment services business, booking enquiries and service showcase.
CineDesign
Web platform for a manufacturer and supplier of specialist cinematography equipment, product catalogue and trade enquiries.
Qualifications
Education & Certifications
Education
Computer Science / Internet Technology
HND
Interactive Media
HNC
Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Development
A-Levels
Multiple subjects
GCSEs
Including Mathematics (A) and Computing (A*)
Certifications
Certificate in Managing People in a Team
Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce
Qualified First Aider / Unit Event Lead
St John Ambulance
D-Link Network Security Course
D-Link
D-Link Wireless Course
D-Link