23+
Years shipping software, infrastructure, and financial products
Technology leadership for modern finance
I build the systems serious financial businesses rely on when the stakes are real.
I've spent 23 years building and running the technology behind financial businesses — brokerages on MetaTrader, investment platforms, debt management systems, and comparison engines. I work across investment operations, introducer relationships, and product delivery.
Brokerage operationsMetaTrader oversightInvestment platforms
Current roles
SIMON SKINNER
IT Director · IT Director
afx.comIT Director
igi Fund ManagersIT Director
2
Current leadership roles
24/5
Platform uptime — shaped by live-market operations and regulated delivery
About
Built for environments where uptime, compliance, and delivery cadence are non-negotiable.
I've spent 23 years building and running the technology behind financial businesses — brokerages on MetaTrader, investment platforms, debt management systems, and comparison engines. The work is operational: keeping live trading infrastructure stable, integrating liquidity providers, managing regulated environments where downtime has a direct financial cost. I sit at the intersection of technical delivery and commercial reality, and I've learned that the best technology decisions are the ones the business can actually execute.
Brokerage operationsRunning trading infrastructure, LP integrations, and execution quality.
MetaTrader oversightPlatform management, server administration, and 24/5 monitoring.
Investment platformsFund operations, client onboarding, and regulatory compliance.
Introducer relationsManaging referral networks and commercial partnerships.
Software deliveryEnd-to-end product development from architecture to deployment.
Operational rescueStepping into failing projects and stabilising delivery.
Debt technologyDMP and IVA case management platforms built for compliance.
Comparison enginesLead generation and comparison systems across financial verticals.
Currently IT Director at three financial businesses simultaneously — afx.com, igi Fund Managers, and DebtPanel.
Run MetaTrader infrastructure for a live brokerage, including LP integrations and 24/5 monitoring.
Built and scaled a Philippines operation from 20 to 300 staff across CRM, call-centre, and VoIP systems.
Deliver across the full stack when needed — PHP, TypeScript, Go — but optimise for business outcomes, not code volume.
Fluent in reading technical environments quickly and finding where the real bottlenecks are.
EnglishNative
FrenchBeginner
GermanBeginner
HungarianBeginner
Experience
Two decades across delivery, infrastructure, digital products, and financial operations.
The common pattern is operational responsibility: keeping teams aligned, platforms reliable, and technology useful to the people who depend on it.
IT Director
afx.com
IT Director overseeing technology infrastructure for a live brokerage, with primary responsibility for MetaTrader platform management, liquidity provider integrations, and trading operations uptime.
- Manage MetaTrader infrastructure with 24/5 operational requirements.
- Liaise with liquidity providers to optimise execution quality.
- Align IT delivery with commercial targets and growth priorities.
MetaTrader 4/5Liquidity ProvidersLinuxMonitoringVoIP
IT Director
igi Fund Managers
Responsible for IT strategy and infrastructure at an investment management firm, ensuring systems support client onboarding, fund operations, and regulatory compliance.
- Maintain IT systems for fund operations and client reporting.
- Ensure infrastructure meets FCA security and compliance expectations.
- Support growth through practical technology decisions.
IT StrategyInfrastructureFCA ComplianceFund Operations
IT Director
DebtPanel Ltd
Lead the technology behind a debt management platform that handles DMP and IVA cases end-to-end, from initial assessment through to creditor distribution and compliance reporting.
- Built software managing the full lifecycle of debt management and IVA cases.
- Ensure platform security meets debt management regulatory standards.
- Streamline case handling and reduce manual processing overhead.
DMP/IVA SystemsFull-StackPHPTypeScriptPostgreSQL
Operations Manager
Refundable
Operations Manager for a membership product combining consumer offers with a life-assurance-backed cash benefit. Responsible for technology, operations, and fulfilment.
- Managed operational infrastructure for thousands of active members.
- Oversaw technology across sign-up, billing, claims, and refunds.
- Balanced product innovation with insurance-backed regulatory requirements.
OperationsBilling SystemsInsurance TechCRM
IT Director
Beyond Comparison Group
Founded and ran a comparison and lead-generation business operating across multiple verticals, including insurance, energy, and financial services.
- Built comparison engines and lead-generation systems from scratch.
- Managed relationships with affiliate networks and data providers.
- Scaled across multiple product verticals with a lean technical team.
Lead GenerationComparison EnginesAffiliate NetworksWeb Development
Owner
CDW Bureau
Founded a digital agency delivering web development, design, and IT consultancy services to a range of clients.
- Built a client base across financial services and retail.
- Delivered full-stack web development and infrastructure projects.
- Managed the business from acquisition through to delivery and support.
Web DevelopmentDesignClient DeliveryAgency Operations
Ways I can help
Selected services, introductions, and ongoing conversations.
Some engagements are strategic, some are practical, and some sit somewhere in between.
investmentigi Fund Managers
Self-Service Investment Fund
igi Fund Managers offers a self-service investment solution targeting consistent returns, with a strategy designed to navigate market volatility. Their platform provides straightforward access to managed investment products with a focus on stability and transparent performance.
investmentafx.com
GBP Diversified Trading Fund
afx.com's GBP Diversified Fund combines capital preservation with growth allocation — 40% into a reserve account targeting monthly returns, 60% spread across risk-graded investments. Designed for UK investors seeking a balanced approach to wealth management.
serviceTech3k
Full-Stack IT Consultancy
Tech3k delivers web, mobile, and infrastructure projects with a focus on practical outcomes. From architecture through to deployment, they handle the full delivery lifecycle — particularly useful for businesses that need reliable technical execution without building an in-house team.
serviceSocialAI
AI-Powered Content Platform
SocialAI automates content creation across blogs, social media, audio, and video using AI. The platform maintains brand consistency while reducing the time and cost of producing marketing content — built for businesses that need volume without sacrificing quality.
Capabilities
Technical depth with an operator's instinct for priority.
I've spent enough time inside fast-moving businesses to know that good technology decisions are rarely just technical.
Hands-on leadership
Direction at board level, with enough technical depth to stay credible inside the detail.
Calm under pressure
Useful where downtime is expensive, stakeholders are varied, and noise is the enemy.
Commercial fluency
Built for teams that need product, operations, relationships, and delivery to move together.
MetaTraderBrokerage InfrastructureInvestment PlatformsFinancial ServicesIT StrategyTeam LeadershipTypeScriptGoPHPNode.jsAngularReactNext.jsPostgreSQLDockerMicroservicesREST APIsCloud InfrastructureAgile DeliveryGitSystem IntegrationVoIP / PBXCRM PlatformsDebt Management Systems
Testimonials
What collaborators tend to notice after the work is underway.
When the Euro had its most volatile week in history, Simon's infrastructure held. That kind of reliability under pressure is rare — and it's why we trust him with our core trading systems.
Simon doesn't just deliver technology — he understands the commercial constraints we're working within. He'll find a solution that works for the business, not just the engineering team.
He took our debt management platform from a collection of manual processes to a system that handles cases end-to-end. The operational impact was immediate.
Briefings
