Skip to content

Russell Thompson

My Mission

As Chief Engineer & Automation Lead at a Fortune 500 company, I'm at the forefront of delivering transformative IT services to large-scale enterprise clients. My core passion is to dramatically enhance productivity and efficiency through innovative technological solutions.

I believe in a future where intelligent automation and AI are not just tools, but integral partners in achieving unprecedented levels of operational excellence and human potential. My drive is to architect and implement these solutions, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and forward-thinking.

Core Competencies

AI & Automation Strategy

Designing and deploying AI-driven automation to streamline complex workflows and boost operational output across enterprise environments.

DevSecOps & SRE

Integrating security and reliability into the entire development lifecycle for robust, resilient systems serving critical government clients.

Platform Engineering

Building internal developer platforms that automate tedious tasks, reduce cognitive load, and accelerate application delivery.

Agile & Disciplined Agile

Championing agile methodologies to foster adaptive, collaborative, and high-performing teams at enterprise scale.

ITSM & Service Delivery

Optimising IT service management processes for excellence in delivery and user satisfaction across large-scale engagements.

Innovation Leadership

Driving adoption of emerging technologies and fostering a culture of continuous improvement within organisations.

Technologies & Tools

AI & Automation
LLMs / GPT
Python
Ansible
Power Automate
ServiceNow
DevSecOps & Platform
Docker
Kubernetes
Terraform
CI/CD
Git
Cloud & Infrastructure
Azure
AWS
Linux
Networking
Monitoring

Experience Snapshot

Chief Engineer & Automation Lead

Fortune 500 Technology Company (Serving Federal Government Clients)

Spearheading strategic automation initiatives and providing engineering leadership to enhance IT service delivery for critical national clients. Driving adoption of AI and modern engineering practices to achieve significant productivity and efficiency gains.

Previous Roles (Summary)

Various Engineering & Leadership Positions

A progressive career marked by increasing responsibility in IT infrastructure, cybersecurity specialist roles, systems engineering, and technical leadership, consistently focused on leveraging technology for business improvement and operational excellence.

Key Projects & Achievements

AI-Powered Anomaly Detection

Lead Architect | Federal Government Client

Designed and implemented a machine learning pipeline for proactive anomaly detection in network traffic, integrating with existing SIEM tooling. Reduced critical incident response times by 30% and cut false-positive alerts, freeing up analyst capacity.

Python ML Ops SIEM Cybersecurity

Enterprise Automation Framework

Automation Lead | Fortune 500 Company

Architected a reusable automation framework using Ansible, Python, and ServiceNow integrations to standardise infrastructure provisioning and ITSM workflows. Delivered a 25% efficiency gain across multiple operations teams.

Ansible ServiceNow Python CI/CD

Internal Developer Platform

Platform Lead | Enterprise Scale

Built an internal developer platform to reduce cognitive load on engineering teams, providing self-service infrastructure provisioning, automated compliance checks, and standardised deployment pipelines.

Kubernetes Terraform Docker GitOps

AI Integration for DevOps

Technical Lead | Cross-functional Initiative

Led the integration of LLM-based tools into the DevOps lifecycle, enabling AI-assisted code review, automated documentation generation, and intelligent incident triage across engineering teams.

LLMs DevOps Automation CI/CD

The AI Frontier & Beyond

We are at the cusp of a new technological epoch, powered by Artificial Intelligence. My vision is to be a key architect in this transformation, leading the charge within organisations to harness AI for practical, high-impact use cases. It's about more than just technology; it's about reshaping how we work, solve problems, and create value.

Beyond my corporate role, I am keenly exploring the entrepreneurial landscape, particularly how to make the most of the AI wave, much like the pioneers of the dot-com era. My goal is to build ventures that not only innovate and also create a lasting legacy.

"The future belongs to those who can see the potential of today's innovations and have the courage to build tomorrow's realities."

Writing & Insights

Exploring the intersection of AI, automation, and platform engineering on the AIAfterHours blog.

Let's Innovate Together

I'm always open to discussing new ideas, transformative projects, or opportunities to collaborate on groundbreaking solutions. If you're passionate about AI, automation, and shaping the future of technology, let's connect.

Seeking to leverage expertise in AI and automation for strategic partnerships and entrepreneurial ventures.