Andrew Eells
Founder at Backbone
Based in Canada · 25+ years experience
Summary
I am a senior software and platform engineer with 25 years of consultancy and software engineering delivery at scale in both enterprise (Amazon, banking etc) and startup contexts (1 successful exit).
About
I help businesses make better technology decisions, bring clarity to complex technical challenges and build software platforms that are secure, scalable and operationally mature.
I'm an engineer at heart, with 25 years' experience spanning software engineering, architecture, platform engineering and leadership. I've built and led teams, founded a technology business, worked with startups and consulted for some of the world's largest organisations, including Amazon, Lloyds and Barclays.
I particularly enjoy taking ambiguity and turning it into something tangible: establishing what needs to be built, challenging assumptions, finding the simplest solution and defining the path to delivery. I'm equally comfortable setting technical strategy, making architectural decisions or auditing an existing team/system. You will usually find me hands-on with the engineering team however.
My approach is pragmatic craftsmanship. I care about the details because they compound into the bigger picture, but I'm conscious of time, cost and diminishing returns. I favour simplicity over unnecessary complexity, automation over manual processes, and sound engineering fundamentals over fashionable technology.
I build systems designed not just to work, but to operate reliably in production: secure, observable, automated and capable of scaling as the business grows. Predominantly working with AWS and modern Java-based architectures, I bring particular depth in cloud platforms, distributed systems, DevOps and engineering practices.
I'm not particularly interested in engineering for engineering's sake. Technology should enable the business, and not become an impediment to it.
Skills
Software Architecture, Cloud & Infrastructure, Platform Modernisation, Cybersecurity, Engineering Leadership, DevOps
Regions covered
Industry experience
Not-for-profit, Government, Fintech, Professional Services, Manufacturing, Retail, SaaS, Education, Healthcare
At a glance
Andrew brings hands-on experience across Software Architecture, Cloud & Infrastructure, Platform Modernisation, Cybersecurity, Engineering Leadership, DevOps. Available for engagements across Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, Africa, Middle East. Industry experience includes Not-for-profit, Government, Fintech, Professional Services, Manufacturing and 4 more.
How fractional CTO engagements with Andrew work
Andrew works on a fractional basis — typically one to three days a week for an agreed engagement length — so you get senior technical leadership without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. Engagements commonly include technical due diligence, board reporting, engineering team leadership, technology strategy, architecture reviews, hiring support, and stepping in as interim CTO during a transition.