Andi Smith
Technical Leader • Product Focused
About
I build engineering organisations and the products they ship.
Right now I'm at Fanalysis, where I joined as employee #1 and built the engineering function from zero to 20. We run agentic development in production, and took the platform through the 2026 World Cup without a major incident. Before that I scaled LifeWorks engineering from 40 to 110 through two acquisitions, and founded the engineering function at Bloom. Earlier I was Director of Web Development at AKQA.
I write about technical leadership and AI-native engineering on my blog and at The CTO Toolbox - a collection of useful resources for CTOs and technical leaders.
I go by Andy, but you'll find me online as andismith. Andy Smith was taken, repeatedly.
Go to: References • Side Projects • Speaking • Writing • Hobbies
References
Andi has that rare blend of great leadership attributes, engineering acumen, and a great product management mindset. Because of this he was able to work effectively with our business stakeholders, product leadership, all while building first-class software under the business constraints we all encounter in the software industry.
What sets Andi apart is his unwavering commitment to cultivating a positive, open and high-performing culture. He leads with integrity, ensuring that his team members feel valued, heard and respected. This approach not only fosters trust and collaboration but also drives exceptional performance.
Andi possesses a remarkable talent for understanding the unique strengths and aspirations of each team member. He creates an environment of trust, collaboration, and innovation, where everyone feels valued and supported. He's a very empathetic person and always has the door open to listen to anybody
Side Projects
Here are some details on a number of side projects that I have worked on in my spare time - including LEGO site "The Collector" and indie gaming company "Natomic Studios"
Speaking
TECH.insight, London
Compére / event organiser
Compére and speaker organiser for the regular TECH.insight London meetups. Each themed event showcased 3 speakers from companies such as Google, The Guardian and BBC.
Optimising your workflow for performance
Insights in to tools that can optimise your workflow and a peek in to how HTTP/2 changes the game.
jQuery UK, Oxford
The Quest for the Perfect Workflow
A deeper look in to how Grunt can take away many of the manual tasks required for optimising a website.
Writing
Cover article
Cover article for NET Magazine covering 20 more tips for mastering the browser developer tools.
Cover article
Seven page cover article for NET magazine showing 25 ways to get more from the browser developer tools.
