Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
CAREER NOTE
Timeline
BusinessAnalyst
Abu Koroma

Abu Koroma

London, UK

Summary

A highly motivated, customer focused technology leader with 15+ years of experience in software engineering, architecture and product integration, including 9 years in leadership roles. Proven track record of achieving results through dedication and teamwork. Experienced in leading large engineering departments and delivering scalable software architecture for next-generation platforms.

Overview

15
15

+ Years of professional experience

Work History

Global Head of Software Engineering

Diginex
London
06.2021 - 05.2023

As Global Head of Software Engineering:

  • Championed architecture and engineering best practices, fostering collaboration, innovation, and coordination.
  • Led professional development of engineering leaders, enhancing skills and competencies.
  • Aligned software capabilities with business goals, driving strategic roadmaps.
  • Ensured scalable, secure systems, adhering to industry best practices and ISO27001 certification.
  • Managed vendor relationships and offshore teams for maximum efficiency.
  • Scaled engineering organisation from 20 to 85 members, ensuring team cohesion.
  • Devised plan for client-agnostic microservices with external APIs, enabling client licensing.
  • Implemented IaC framework with DevSecOps, improving resource provisioning speed and consistency by 30%.
  • Reduced development times by 50% through reusable Components and Services pattern.
  • Supported Series A funding round, raising $8M.
  • Utilised a diverse technology stack, including Typescript, Vue, Angular, Flutter, NestJs, Python, PHP Laravel, Apache Kafka, Redis, Grafana, Loki, Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, Goharbor, Postgres, MongoDB, Cypress, Jest, Pytest, SonarQube, Tezos Blockchain, Taquito and more.

Practice Lead (Director)

GroupM (WPP)
London
09.2020 - 05.2021

Intercompany transfer from Essence to GroupM Data & Technology, which evolved into WPP's Choreograph.


  • Practice Lead (Director) reporting directly to the CTO.
  • Aligned technology initiatives with C-level management.
  • Provided expertise in shaping advertising technology.
  • Managed teams located across various global locations, including London (UK), Lviv (Ukraine), New York (US), Karlsruhe (Germany), and Pune (India).
  • Directed technical activities, ensuring successful project execution and delivery.
  • Supported acquisitions and integration.

Practice Lead

Essence Global (GroupM / WPP Group)
London
08.2018 - 08.2020
  • Recruited by Essence, a WPP company within the GroupM network, to establish and lead a Development Practice focused on building cutting-edge applications for global brands' advertising campaigns.
  • Owned technology, architecture, and strategic vision.
  • Led cross-regional teams to deliver innovative solutions.
  • Collaborated with Design and UX teams to develop a comprehensive framework agnostic (React, Vue, Angular…) Design System for enhanced user experience.
  • Provided exceptional leadership and mentoring, driving goal alignment via OKR.
  • Achieved 80% test coverage with AQA driving continuous improvement.
  • Fostered a collaborative and inclusive work environment.
  • Stayed updated on industry trends, shaping the Practice's vision.

Solution Architecture Lead

Avoka Technologies (now Temenos)
London
10.2017 - 07.2018
  • Promoted to the role of Solution Architecture Lead in recognition of exceptional technical leadership and contributions to the company's flagship project - "HSBC Core Docs".
  • In December 2017, the project received the prestigious award for "Best Use of IT in Corporate Banking" at the 2017 Banking Technology Awards, highlighting the project's innovation and impact.
  • Further reinforcing the project's success, in April 2018, it was recognised as the sole award winner for the Celent Model Bank: Commercial Onboarding category, emphasising its excellence and industry-leading approach.
  • Expertise in digital customer acquisition solutions.

Lead Technical Consultant

Avoka Technologies (now Temenos)
London
11.2016 - 10.2017
  • Joined as Lead Technical Consultant on flagship project for a major bank.
  • Provided software architecture expertise, exceeding expectations.
  • Led project lifecycle from planning to production.
  • Managed stakeholders, ensured alignment and satisfaction.
  • Integrated solutions with third-party systems.
  • Stayed updated on latest technology advancements.

Head of Online

Ebury Partners
London
03.2015 - 10.2016
  • Promoted to Head of Online, reporting to CTO.
  • Led 'Online' multidisciplinary team, overseeing development of FX trading platform.
  • Ensured milestone delivery and high project standards.
  • Defined platform roadmap aligned with strategic goals.
  • Managed stakeholders, provided technology-driven insights.
  • Advised on technology strategy and explored innovations.

Development Lead

Ebury Partners
London
12.2014 - 03.2015
  • Led engineering teams, driving excellence in software development.
  • Collaborated with stakeholders.
  • Emphasised quality and user experience.
  • Implemented Agile practices.
  • Published a referenced blog post on accessibility, contributing to the accessibility community: https://medium.com/front-end-ui- dev/accessibility-fad2f0746158

Lead Applications Engineer

Medidata Solutions (Dassault Systemes)
London
10.2013 - 11.2014
  • Led and mentored global teams in developing SaaS applications for clinical trial management.
  • Collaborated with stakeholders to align solutions with business objectives.
  • Ensured seamless integration of design and functionality.
  • Utilised technologies like Ruby on Rails, Java, .NET, and Angular.

Education

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science

Goldsmiths, University of London
London, UK

Skills

  • Strategic planning and execution
  • Process improvement and change management
  • Demonstrated technical leadership, optimising software architecture for scalability and performance
  • Proficient in engineering best practices, cloud native computing, testing (TDD/BDD), DevSecOps, and automation
  • Experienced in Agile methodologies (Scrum/Kanban/XP) and technical pre-sales
  • Knowledgeable in W3C Standards and Accessibility (WAI-ARIA)
  • GCP AWS Azure

CAREER NOTE

Other positions include:

Senior Web Developer | Accessibility Lead - Signet - 2007 - 2013

Founder | Web Developer, Webcustoms - 2003 - 2007


Additional details of earlier career history available upon request.

Timeline

Global Head of Software Engineering

Diginex
06.2021 - 05.2023

Practice Lead (Director)

GroupM (WPP)
09.2020 - 05.2021

Practice Lead

Essence Global (GroupM / WPP Group)
08.2018 - 08.2020

Solution Architecture Lead

Avoka Technologies (now Temenos)
10.2017 - 07.2018

Lead Technical Consultant

Avoka Technologies (now Temenos)
11.2016 - 10.2017

Head of Online

Ebury Partners
03.2015 - 10.2016

Development Lead

Ebury Partners
12.2014 - 03.2015

Lead Applications Engineer

Medidata Solutions (Dassault Systemes)
10.2013 - 11.2014

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science

Goldsmiths, University of London
Abu Koroma