Ashley Vien
Calgary
Summary
Platform Engineer with extensive experience in cloud and platform engineering for over 15 years. Skilled in leading cross-functional teams, fostering technical innovation, and coaching engineers. Proficient in various cloud platforms and DevOps tools, dedicated to continuous improvement and technical excellence.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
13
13
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Director of Platform Engineering
Slalom Build
7 2021 - 6 2024
- Established and expanded the Platform Engineering in Vancouver delivered customized engineering solutions for clients and ensuring scalable and robust systems deployment
- Led architectural decisions and development efforts for key client projects such as log processing systems and video ingestion platforms, demonstrating Slalom's engineering excellence and consulting expertise
- Provided strategic technical leadership and mentorship during high-impact client engagements such as the system migration for a major healthcare provider during the COVID-19 pandemic, showcasing Slalom's dedication to client success in challenging times
- Improved cross-functional team collaboration and project alignment, bridging engineering functions with consulting objectives, streamlining operations, and enhancing client deliverables
- Developed strong relationships with client stakeholders and internal multiple markets (Western Canada & California) to sell and deliver capability-specific opportunities, and contributed to ongoing business operations, including staffing, budgeting, and relationship management.
Principal
01.2020 - 07.2021
DevOps Manager
Mogo
11.2018 - 01.2020
- Transitioned the DevOps team from IT to Engineering within the first three months, including hiring two new team members and overhauling the incident management approach
- Led the build and delivery of a new CI/CD pipeline based on BuildKite and supported the wider development organization with the rollout of new observability tooling
- Collaborated with the engineering leadership team to improve the overall delivery process and the technical architecture of the microservice application along with mobile client applications.
Lead Infrastructure Developer
Guestfolio
11.2015 - 11.2018
- Designed and implemented migration to Amazon Web Services using modern tools including Docker, Ansible, and Terraform to support 100% year-on-year growth and enabling the business to manage peak traffic periods seamlessly
- Increased team velocity by introducing and supporting new tools such as GitLab EE and development methodologies including continuous integration
- This enabled the team to run tests 400% faster and reduced cycle time
- Developed operational processes using DevOps principles, significantly reducing the number of production outages and decreasing the level of risk around deployments
- Collaborated with the management team to deliver IT services required for their teams
- Supported the professional development of junior team members, fostering growth and skill advancement.
Event Manager and Co-Founder
Geeks of London
07.2010 - 07.2018
Senior Developer and Technical Architect
O2 UK
06.2011 - 06.2015
- Led the development and delivery of multiple services, several of which became successful commercial products
- Built automation tooling to support consistent testing and deployment, enabling faster iterations on over thirty new projects annually
- Collaborated with other lead developers to create best practices and provided training to the rest of the organization
- Advanced digital literacy at Telefonica by facilitating more than 15 digital workshops and coding challenges.
Web Developer
NBC Universal
01.2010 - 01.2011
- Supported the delivery of 30 online properties in eight languages in under nine months
- Led the integration of designs from an external agency into the CMS platform
- Built a configuration-based deployment workflow to expedite the initial development of new online properties.
Web Developer
GoSpoken
02.2009 - 07.2009
- Working on a contract at a startup providing ebooks and audiobooks to mobile devices
- Responsibilities included: - Maintaining the existing Codeigniter based platform - Creation of systems for the ingestion of various types of audio content
- - Linux Server Administration and Infrastructure design
- Skills used: LAMP Development (PHP4/5), Codeigniter, xHTML / CSS, Version Control, Mobile Web Development, Mobile /Web Payments, and Linux Systems Administration.
Web Co-Ordinator
First Conferences LTD
09.2007 - 02.2009
- Working for a medium-sized B2B conference company
- Planning and developing a wide range of news and magazine sites for various industry sectors
- Also undertaking other projects within the IT department
- Responsibilities included: - Developing and Managing Social Networks for various industries
- - Planning for future networks and other technologies
- Skills used: LAMP Development (PHP4/5), Codeigniter, xHTML / CSS, Drupal 5 & 6, Linux & Windows System Administration, ZPL Programming.
Sales Advisor
AT Computers
01.2007 - 09.2007
- Working in an Apple Premium Reseller
- Responsibilities included: - Advising customers on a range of Apple products including custom solutions
- - Providing technical assistance and arranging repairs for iPods and Mac Computers
- Skills used: Customer Service, 1 to 1 Sales, and Apple Hardware Diagnostics and Repair.
Sales Assistant
Gamestation
03.2004 - 12.2006
- Working as a team member in a video games outlet
- I returned to the store for the 2006 Christmas Period
- Responsibilities included: - Merchandising the store
- - Dealing with customer inquiries including sales and returns.
Student Assistant
University of South Florida
10.2005 - 06.2006
- Working for the University of South Florida Resident Services managing the resident computer labs
- Responsibilities included: - Involved in running of on-campus residents computer rooms
- - Assisting residents with technical problems related to university systems.
Education
BA Hons - International Business
University of South Florida
01.2005 - 04.2006
BA Hons - International Business
University of South Wales
01.2003 - 04.2007
Advanced Certificate - Education Information Communications Technology
Barry College
01.2001 - 04.2003
GCSE's; GNVQ - English; Maths, Science, Business Studies, RE, Welsh; Leisure and Tourism
St Richard Gwyn High School
01.1996 - 04.2001
Skills
Platform Architecture
Cross-functional Team Leadership
Cloud Applications
Mechanical engineering knowledge
Microwave engineering
Powertrain Engineering
Architecture and design
3D visualization
AutoCAD proficiency
Verbal and written communication
Timeline
Principal
01.2020 - 07.2021
DevOps Manager
Mogo
11.2018 - 01.2020
Lead Infrastructure Developer
Guestfolio
11.2015 - 11.2018
Senior Developer and Technical Architect
O2 UK
06.2011 - 06.2015
Event Manager and Co-Founder
Geeks of London
07.2010 - 07.2018
Web Developer
NBC Universal
01.2010 - 01.2011
Web Developer
GoSpoken
02.2009 - 07.2009
Web Co-Ordinator
First Conferences LTD
09.2007 - 02.2009
Sales Advisor
AT Computers
01.2007 - 09.2007
Student Assistant
University of South Florida
10.2005 - 06.2006
BA Hons - International Business
University of South Florida
01.2005 - 04.2006
Sales Assistant
Gamestation
03.2004 - 12.2006
BA Hons - International Business
University of South Wales
01.2003 - 04.2007
Advanced Certificate - Education Information Communications Technology
Barry College
01.2001 - 04.2003
GCSE's; GNVQ - English; Maths, Science, Business Studies, RE, Welsh; Leisure and Tourism
St Richard Gwyn High School
01.1996 - 04.2001
Director of Platform Engineering
Slalom Build
7 2021 - 6 2024