From Life Sciences to Data Engineering
Building cloud infrastructure that powers business decisions -- 12+ years of turning data into insight across insurance, rail, and manufacturing.
I started my career in life sciences, but it was data that captured my imagination. What began as curiosity about turning raw information into insights has grown into 12+ years of building data platforms across diverse industries -- charity, fine art manufacturing, rail infrastructure, and insurance.
What drives me: bringing order to chaos. Enabling better decisions. Building systems that scale. Today, I'm focused on cutting-edge cloud data platforms -- Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, and the modern data stack -- helping organizations transform how they use data.
Professional Philosophy
- • Listen before building
- • Design for humans and adoption
- • Build for tomorrow (scalability, maintainability)
- • Continuous learning mindset
Career Journey
2009-2018: BI Developer, HSBT (Charity sector)
Built foundational BI skills. Learned to maximize impact with limited resources.
2018: SQL BI Developer, Colart (Fine art manufacturing)
Modernized Cognos to Power BI. Global reporting across 14 countries.
2019-2023: Azure Data Engineer, VolkerRail (Infrastructure)
Built enterprise Power BI infrastructure. Led cloud migration initiatives.
2023-Present: Azure Data Engineer, D&G Insurance
Databricks platform migration. Microsoft Fabric governance at scale. Leading advanced optimization initiatives.
Technical Expertise
Core Platforms
- Microsoft Fabric (Data Factory, Data Engineering, Data Warehouse, Power BI)
- Azure (Synapse, Data Lake Gen2, Data Factory V2)
- Databricks (Auto Loader, Delta Live Tables, Unity Catalogue)
- Snowflake
Specializations
- Data Engineering & ETL/ELT pipelines
- Dimensional modeling (Kimball methodology)
- Power BI development & governance
- Cloud migration strategies
- Infrastructure as Code (Terraform - learning)
Beyond the Code
Based in Birmingham, UK. Multilingual: English, Urdu, Hindi. Continuous learner -- current focus: Terraform, advanced Databricks. Community engagement through writing, training, and knowledge sharing.
What I'm Working On Now
- • Mastering Databricks optimization patterns
- • Exploring Terraform for infrastructure automation
- • Writing comprehensive Microsoft Fabric migration guide
- • Training teams on modern data platforms