Leeds-based digital change specialist welcomes new head of engineering

Axiologik – the advanced digital delivery firm headquartered in Leeds – is bolstering its technical team with the appointment of David Sugden as the company's new head of engineering. With an impressive career spanning over two and a half decades, David brings a wealth of experience and expertise in software development, architecture, and end-to-end delivery.

David's journey in the technology industry began with a junior developer role at AXA after graduating from university. He subsequently joined Equifax in the late 1990s, where his passion for technology and interest in other areas started to flourish. In his 26-year tenure at Equifax, David made significant strides, moving from developer roles on mainframe applications to exploring various positions, including senior developer and architecture roles across the company.

Throughout his career, David's focus evolved from what applications are to how they are built, particularly in the realm of full end-to-end delivery. His proficiency expanded to encompass requirements capturing, project management, development, testing, customer support, and overall service delivery. During this time, he led engineering initiatives across the UK team, promoting best practices in a guild format and building ancillary systems to define and uphold excellence.

David's interests eventually gravitated towards the production space, where he thrived in supporting applications, managing customers, and overseeing 24/7 services. Notably, five years ago, he established the Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) function at Equifax's UK branch, crafting and nurturing the department from the ground up. Before departing, David also embraced a global role and led internal developer tooling efforts from the company's Atlanta office.

On returning to the UK, David joined Axiologik, wanting to seek fresh challenges that would allow him to maximise his potential. In his new role as head of engineering at Axiologik, David will be collaborating with practice leads and other heads of departments to define the scope and direction of the engineering space. While the team starts with one member — David himself — he is eager to expand and build a team that aligns with Axiologik's future objectives.

Commenting on Axiologik’s mission, David said: “My interest in enhancing development experience and productivity seamlessly aligns with Axiologik's mission. The firm focuses on delivering effective and efficient solutions to businesses, ensuring they can roll out new features swiftly while maintaining cost-effectiveness. This area is currently a hot topic in the tech industry and I hope my expertise will be a valuable asset in achieving Axiologik's goals.”

Ben Davison, Axiologik’s director, concluded: “We welcome David to our team and look forward to the positive impact he will make in driving the engineering practice forward. We are excited about the innovative ideas and valuable insights that David will bring to the table, solidifying Axiologik's position as a leading force in the digital delivery realm.”