Technical direction
The company needs senior technical leadership
Set technical vision, connect the engineering roadmap to business priorities, and add experienced leadership without making a full-time executive hire.
CTO · Engineering leadership & technology strategy
Clear technical direction for teams ready to scale.
I'm Mikael Danielian, a CTO and engineering executive. I lead technology strategy, architecture, and delivery for high-scale transactional platforms—and build the engineering organizations that sustain them.
15+ years in engineeringFrom full-stack developer to CTO
Mikael Danielian
Chief Technology Officer
Experience across the system
From the codebase to the organization around it.
My experience spans hands-on architecture, technical strategy, organizational design, and engineering leadership across fintech, trading, payments, real-time transactional platforms, digital entertainment, and e-commerce—from early-stage startups to established companies.
15+ years in software engineering. Six years and four titles on the same platform, from Engineering Manager to Chief Technology Officer.
Advisory & fractional work
Selected engagements, shaped around the problem.
I take on a limited number of engagements where the situation calls for senior technical judgment. Choose the one closest to yours.
See all consulting servicesTeam and delivery
The team is growing, but delivery is not keeping pace
Strengthen engineering operations, team structure, hiring, and delivery practices as the organization becomes more complex.
Architecture and risk
Architecture decisions carry too much uncertainty
Review the system, surface trade-offs, and make high-stakes technical decisions with a view of scalability, complexity, and delivery risk.
A focused starting point
Engineering Health Snapshot
When the symptoms span several areas, an initial snapshot can help frame the real problem before choosing a larger engagement. We can scope a focused review around your current priorities and the questions leadership needs answered.
Discuss a health snapshot✓
Technical direction
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Architecture
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Delivery practices
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Team health
A simple way forward
Start with clarity. Add only the help the situation needs.
- 1
Bring the real problem
Share what is changing, where technology or delivery feels constrained, and which decision you need to make.
- 2
Choose the right level of help
We identify whether an initial snapshot, a focused consulting project, or ongoing fractional leadership fits the situation.
- 3
Turn direction into action
I work at the level the problem needs, from technical strategy and architecture to team systems and implementation guidance.
Practical thinking
Useful before we ever speak.
Engineering Leadership
Engineering Process Audit: How to Assess Your Team's Health
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Architecture · April 23, 2026
Technical Debt: A CTO's Guide to Measurement, Prioritization & Reduction
Every engineering organization has technical debt. The ones that thrive are the ones that know exactly how much they carry, where it lives, and which slice is actively costing them money.
Engineering Leadership · March 06, 2026
How to Scale Your Engineering Team from 10 to 100
Most engineering leaders hit a wall somewhere between 10 and 30 people. Here's what actually works — from team topology to management promotion to staying technical without burning out.
Let's find the right next step
Tell me what you're working on.
A leadership conversation, an advisory engagement, or a technical decision you're weighing — share the situation, the decision in front of you, and what a good outcome would look like.
Get in touch