Product & Integration Architect I love to solve puzzles

Product Architect

Backbase Sep 2022 - Present · 3+ years

Currently leading the architectural vision for Grand Central, Backbase's enterprise integration platform that's changing how banks connect their ecosystems. I'm pioneering our MCP implementation strategy and building SyncHub from the ground up, creating the connective tissue that makes disparate banking systems work together. My days involve presenting complex technical architectures to C-level banking executives, guiding engineering teams through challenging integrations, and constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible in banking platform design. This is where everything I've learned over the past 17 years comes together.

Consultant / Owner

It's René Jul 2015 - Present · 10+ years

My independent consultancy, born from a desire for freedom. Freedom to choose customers who challenge me and projects that genuinely interest me. Over the years, I've worked full-time through this consultancy for multiple companies including several major Dutch banks, tackling the kinds of problems that keep architects up at night. It's currently in dormant mode, serving as my safety net while I focus on the exciting challenges at Backbase, but it represents a decade of autonomy and the ability to say "yes" only to work that matters.

Solution Architect

International Card Services (ICS) Sep 2020 - Aug 2022 · 2 years

Spent two years creating architectural blueprints and guiding implementation teams through the complexities of credit card processing at one of the Netherlands' largest card processors. The work involved intricate integrations with SaaS platforms, designing solutions that had to be both bulletproof and flexible. No small feat when you're dealing with financial transactions at scale. Every decision had to account for security, compliance, and the reality that in payments, there's no room for "almost working."

Enterprise IT Response Team

Shell May 2016 - Dec 2020 · 4+ years

Four years as part of Shell's elite technical response team. The people you call when production is burning and nobody knows why. On-call expert consulting for projects across the entire organization, providing critical guidance on complex production issues that crossed boundaries between teams, technologies, and continents. This is where I truly learned to solve problems that span multiple systems, decode cryptic symptoms into root causes, and stay calm when millions of dollars are waiting on your next decision. Baptism by fire, repeatedly.

Technical Team Lead & Solutions Architect

DigiB Apr 2019 - Mar 2020

Led technical teams through digital transformation projects, wearing both the architect and team lead hats. Designed solutions that had to bridge the gap between legacy systems and modern expectations while keeping everyone aligned and moving forward. It was about translating business ambitions into technical reality and making sure the team had a clear path through the complexity.

Solution Architect - Mobile Banking

ABN AMRO Bank Jun 2017 - Nov 2018 · 1.5 years

Returned to ABN AMRO in a more senior role. Designed mobile banking architecture and AWS cloud infrastructure. Built CI/CD pipelines for native mobile teams. Helped teams adopt public cloud and DevOps practices. Proof-of-concepts for next-generation banking apps serving millions of users. This is also where I learned the valuable lesson of having a rollback plan - locked 800K users out of their banking app once. Measure three times before you cut.

Mobile Software Engineer

DS TAGS (BagTag) Feb 2016 - Dec 2016 · 11 months

A brief but intense stint working on genuinely innovative technology. Electronic baggage tags that promised to revolutionize airline check-in. I architected, developed, and supported native mobile applications and SDKs for both Android and iOS, integrating everything with cloud services and the BagTag hardware. Cutting-edge stuff, combining mobile development with IoT and airline systems. Sometimes the most interesting projects are the shortest ones.

Solution Designer - Mobile Native

ABN AMRO Bank Jan 2014 - Jun 2016 · 2.5 years

First stint at ABN AMRO as member of the Mobile Native team designing and implementing native banking applications for iOS and Android. Deep technical work on mobile architecture patterns, security implementations, and user experience optimization. This is where I learned how to balance innovation with the strict requirements of financial services.

Experienced Mobile Software Engineer & Innovation Pioneer

CGI (formerly Logica) Mar 2011 - Aug 2015 · 4.5 years

Four and a half transformative years as a lead mobile developer and innovation specialist, jumping between wildly different clients and security domains. I was an early pioneer in Google Glass and wearables when most people thought they were science fiction, and built the first WADA Whereabouts app for the World Anti-Doping Agency. From banking to energy, defense to public sector, each with its own security clearance level and constraints. This is where I learned to context-switch like a chameleon, adapting to radically different environments and security requirements without missing a beat.

• Shell (Jan 2013 - Aug 2015 · 2.5 years): Became the Mobile Application Specialist they'd call when native apps needed reviewing for performance, bugs, or security vulnerabilities. Spent my days liaising with the security office and gradually became the go-to expert for complex mobile architecture decisions. If it ran on a phone and Shell cared about it, I probably poked at it.
• ING (Apr 2014 - Oct 2014 · 7 months): Deep work on banking security compliance as a Static Software Reviewer wielding Fortify Static Code Analyzer like a surgical instrument. Learned more about secure code patterns for financial applications in seven months than most people learn in years. Banks don't mess around with security, and neither did I.
• Facilicom (Jan 2012 - Mar 2012 · 3 months): Quick-turnaround iOS project for facility management solutions. Three months to prove I could deliver mobile applications under pressure and tight deadlines. Spoiler: I could.
• NATO C3 Agency (Sep 2011 - Jan 2012 · 5 months): Database Engineer working on Cyber Defence infrastructure with high security clearance. This was the deep end. Critical defense systems where mistakes aren't options and security constraints are absolute. Taught me what real stakes look like.
• Innovation Leadership: While everyone else was building standard mobile apps, I was experimenting with Google Glass, wearables, and pushing the boundaries of what mobile devices could do. Built proof-of-concepts that made people say "wait, you can do that?" This was 2011-2015, when most of this stuff was still considered crazy.

Three foundational years developing Point of Sales solutions, cashless payment systems, and embedded Linux controllers. This was multi-language development in the truest sense. C, C++, C#, Java, SQL - whatever the hardware demanded. My first real professional role, and it taught me how hardware and software actually interact at the lowest levels, where theory meets silicon and you can't handwave away timing issues or memory constraints. These fundamentals still influence how I think about systems today.

My graduate internship project on payment terminal development. Hardware validation, software development, and integration testing all rolled into one intense learning experience. Did well enough that they offered me my first professional role right after. Sometimes the best interview is six months of actually doing the work.

My first taste of Chess. A .NET development internship focused on application development and integration. Early exposure to what professional software engineering actually looked like beyond textbooks and classroom projects. Clearly made an impression, since they brought me back for my graduate internship.

Five and a half years of voluntary software engineering, developing web applications and backend systems purely for the love of building things. A passion project that ran parallel to my education and early career, giving me real-world development experience outside the constraints of formal employment. When you're coding for free, you're doing it because you actually care about the craft.

Where it all started. My first professional software engineering experience. Six months developing industrial instrumentation software in Delphi, learning what it meant to write code that actually mattered to a business. This is where I caught the bug and realized that solving real problems with software was what I wanted to do with my life.