David McMillan
I’m a forward deployed engineer for mid-sized UK and European firms, based in Lisbon. I go on site, learn how your work moves, and build the fix inside your own Microsoft 365.
- Based
- Lisbon, UK hours
- On site
- Anywhere in the UK and Europe
- Independent since
- September 2024
- Rev
- D · 14.10.2026
The work so far
- Since 2024
- BigBadBird. Independent since September 2024, working as a forward deployed engineer. I go into a firm, map which workflows cost it the most, and ship governed AI and automation to fix them: document generation, filing, approvals, chasing and reporting, and integrations with systems like Smartsheet. Current work includes operations automation for a UK fit-out contractor and a brand intelligence platform for a brand licensing agency. For regulated firms I run a separate practice, Governed AI Deployment.
- 2021 to 2024
- Kujira. I founded a decentralised finance protocol that grew from one product into a sovereign Layer 1 blockchain with 50,000+ active users. When Terra collapsed in May 2022, I led the rebuild: a new chain designed, built and launched to mainnet in six weeks with no outside funding, every holder migrated one to one.
- 2015 to 2016
- Flagd. Co-founded: contractors flag when they’re available, so recruiters call only when they’re looking. UKTN Startup of the Week, and Web Summit BETA in Dublin in 2015.
- 2013 to 2021
- Lab19 Digital, London. Founder and technical lead of a full-service web development agency: I pitched, scoped, priced and kept the clients, and hired and led teams while staying hands-on.
- 2008 to 2013
- Contract developer in London, including a lead role at Infosys directing an offshore team that built web and mobile platforms for Vodafone.
- 2005 to 2007
- Web Specialist Diploma, Durban Computer Tech. Self-taught since, by building and shipping.
How I work
- Alone
- You work with me from the first interview to the handover. The person asking about your work is the person writing the code.
- On site first
- The Diagnostic starts with three days on site with your teams.
- Two documents
- Your directors get a plain-English summary and your IT director gets a technical note with the exact access list, each written for the person who signs it off.
What I don’t take on
I don’t join another team as extra staff, take roles inside IR35, or take permanent roles.
Speaking
Blockworks Digital Asset Summit, London, March 2024.
Start with a call
The call takes 30 minutes. I ask how the work moves today, not which tools you use.
I’m based in Lisbon, Portugal, and work UK hours. I’ll be on site anywhere in the UK and Europe, with travel inside every fixed price.