Rui joined The Virtual Forge in April 2024. He's a physicist engineer but, since the beginning of his career, he has always worked as a software developer focused on Microsoft technologies.Being a part of the Virtual Forge offers the opportunity to continue working on international projects and learning new businesses and cultures.Outside of work he likes playing chess, cinema and exploring new places either in Portugal or abroad.

Paula is a digital marketing specialist with over 4 years of experience in various areas of the field, including social media management, branding, website design, and email marketing. Originally from Brazil, she grew up in the United States where she got her degree in Marketing at the University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business. Paula blends her multicultural background with her passion for digital innovation, enabling her to navigate diverse markets and help brands connect with their audiences effectively. With a passion for storytelling through creative content, she excels in developing engaging digital experiences that resonate locally and globally. Outside of work, Paula enjoys spending her time hiking in nature trails, clay sculpting, dancing, and at the beach.

Luís joined us as a .NET Developer  in September 2019 and he is currently Head of Engineering. With over seven years of experience, he mainly worked as a .Net Developer and a .Net Tech Lead. Previously, he has worked on projects in the civilian protection and financial sectors. Outside of the office, Luís enjoys travelling, taking photographs, practising aerial silks, hanging with friends and playing board games.

João Pinto is a senior software developer with more than a decade of experience developing systems for different businesses such as telecommunications, news, financial and logistics. Good communication skills and an excelent team spirit alongside with his broad experience with .Net technologies are his main key points. Outside of work he likes spending time with his family and is an avid consumer of the written word and likes playing boardgames.

Born and raised in the Alentejo, she moved to Setúbal to take the nursing course but eventually moved to the Information Systems Management course. She started out working as Software Tester, but in the last year and a half, she has had development tasks in objective-c and MORE. Nature, Animals and Music lover. In the free time plays PS4, enjoys reading, watching series and movies, goes to concerts and does trekkings by Arrábida and Sintra. Her current role is Software Tester and is responsible for designing and performing Test Cases.

Currently a DevOps team member, António has more than 10 years of experience in web technologies. In 2006, he got his Master degree in Computer Science at Instituto Superior Técnico, in Lisbon, specializing on embedded systems. He started as a consultant working at Vodafone and then moved on to the academic world to expand his sysadmin and development skills. In 2012, he became the lead developer of the largest classifieds site in Portugal, managing the development and sysadmin teams. António is a fan of 16 bit consoles and enjoys playing with music software.

Ivo is a software engineer with over 10 years of experience of developing web based systems in .NET technologies. He started at a very early stage of his career managing software development teams. He has a particular interest in constantly improving his set of soft skills. Helping his team mates to work better is Ivo’s main motivation. To accomplish that, his 4 years as an Object Oriented Programming teacher in Lisbon’s Engineering Institute (ISEL) have been a great help. He also worked 5 years in the travel sector as a web development manager and another 5 years in a Portuguese software house, first as a developer and then as CTO. On his free time, Ivo dedicates himself to his passion for music. He is a guitarist, singer and a proud owner of his guitar collection.

Henrique is currently working as a back-end developer, with over 4 years work experience, mostly on full stack development. He codes mainly with C# and JavaScript and has worked on projects from administrative software, websites and public contest platforms. Outside of work, he enjoys playing video games, music and going to the cinema.

Throughout his professional career Eduardo has been working on the development of software in .NET with SQL Server databases. He has over 10 years’ experience in developing Information Systems in .NET (Web and Windows Forms) and team leader functions in different kinds of projects. He also has knowledge of the Microsoft BI tools and in Process Management Systems (IBM BPM). He loves to spend his spare time with his daughter and also enjoys riding his bicycles (mountain bike and road bike), this is his therapy.

Adriano is a Software Developer with over 3 years of experience, mostly developing with .NET and SQL Databases. Technology is always evolving, so he really likes a good challenge and to keep on learning. When he’s not working, he enjoys being 'active', going to the gym, practicing crossfit, going out dancing and most of all, exploring the world.

Bernardo is a marketeer with more than three years of experience in different sectors. From the auto sector to the tourism sector, he has learned and developed his craft with every challenge he faced, with a good dose of creativity and humor. A tech-savvy person by nature, he joined VF in June 2022 to be a Strategic Partnership Consultant, grouping his Adobe Creative Cloud expertise with his good communication skills. Outside work, he spends his time reading, playing video games, watching Sporting Clube de Portugal games and traveling around the world trying to discover new favorite dishes.

José has been in IT for 25 years, spending 14 of those as Software Developer and the last 11 as a Software Tester. Coding in RPG and Java for an ERP, he has worked on many projects and in many different areas. As a Tester, he has gained considerable experience in designing and executing functional, regression, integration and system tests, in different areas such as Telecommunications, Banking, Aviation, Social Security and Queue Management, as well as some experience in test automation. José joined The Virtual Forge in 2014 as a Test Engineer. Outside of the office, he enjoys music, movies, books, cars, travelling and gaming.

Tiago is The Virtual Forge's Director of People & Culture. He joined in September 2018 and holds a master's degree in Human Resources Management and Organizational Analysis. Passionate about recruitment, engagement, talent attraction and retention and international human resources management, he is responsible to handle everything that relates to People Management at The Virtual Forge throughout all locations, in a short way, 360º International Human Resources Management. A passionate advocate of Employer Branding, he enjoys developing new processes and policies that improve the employee experience and therefore, their engagement and also to keep the candidates satisfied making sure their candidate experience is in line with what The Virtual Forge is. Tiago was one of the nominees for the Young HR Talent Award in 2019, in Portugal. Outside of work, he enjoys travelling, surfing, radical sports, animals, music, live concerts and baking (Tiago makes the best brownies in our Lisbon office).

The story of any product development is the story of data, of understanding what you want to achieve, and what you need to know to achieve it. Building those pipelines, grappling with that data and answering those questions is why Matt loves what he does, and has done for over 30 years.

He has worked with companies as diverse as the BBC, NHS, Jaguar Land Rover and Adobe, as well as small product teams, and they all have two things in common - the need for insight from data, and the need to build, often faster and faster.

Garrett was born in the north of Canada in Labrador city in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. He graduated from the memorial university of Newfoundland with the intention to be a lawyer. A years backpacking trip to Europe led to a 20 year diversion into business development in the creative Apple market and software markets that resulted in Garrett running his first business in 1997. Since 1997 Garrett has run several high profile IT businesses with an increased focus on creativity and innovation. Garrett is the Co-CEO and Commercial Director of The Virtual Forge, a Director for our sister company, Dreamtek, and he also holds several non-executive partnerships.

John has over 20 years’ experience in service management, operations, and project management. He has led high-performing teams, implemented strategic technical improvements, and successfully delivered complex projects.  

More recently, he has driven service enhancements and operational efficiency, implementing Jira as a work and service management solution across multiple department workstreams. He has also held senior roles in IT service and project management, improving processes and optimising business performance. His expertise includes service transformation, process improvement, and stakeholder management.  

Outside of work, John has coached his son's football team for eight years and enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.

Katrina joined the VF team in March 2025 providing Business Development Support with a background in change management and digital marketing, Katrina provides support to our Co-CEO, Global Head of Client Relationships and the wider sales team.

During her spare time, Katrina loves to travel, enjoys fine dining and will never say no to a bit of disco!

Alex is a Senior Javascript Developer based in Bath, joining The Virtual Forge in 2024 to take on all things front-end. Alex has a background in software development in the South West, working across the full stack, but has a particular passion for React and Typescript. In his free time you'll find Alex with a deck of Magic: the Gathering cards in his hand, a slice of pizza in his mouth, and a battered notebook in his pocket.

Robbie, is a data engineer based in Nuneaton, UK that Joined VF in July 2024. Recognised for his technical expertise, organisational skills, and keen attention to detail, with extensive experience in the utilities and energy industry. His proven track record includes designing and delivering innovative data solutions, and he is eager to further expand his skills in data engineering.

Outside of work, he is passionate about continuous learning and music, particularly live recording and performance. He also enjoys graphic design, skateboarding, and basketball.

Jane is a part-time Finance Assistant for The Virtual Forge having joined in Oct 2023. She has always been involved in finance and logistics roles during her career alongside running the finance for her family business for over 20 years. She loves a challenge, keeping busy and meeting new people. Most weekends during the racing season are spent helping out with the family race car at various circuits around the UK, being pit crew and in charge of tyre pressures and fuel. When Jane has some free time she loves walking, gardening and keeping fit with Zumba.

Andrew is the Head of JavaScript Engineering and is based in Somerset, he joined VF in June 2022. Andrew's passion is front end development and for all things shiny and new in the world of JavaScript. Andrew has over 18 years of experience in application development in both the public and private sector. Outside of work Andrew likes to spend time with his family, visiting the gym or binge watching the latest offerings from Netflix.

Alex is a JavaScript Tech Lead who is currently based in Bristol, he joined The Virtual Forge in September 2020 and has over 10 years experience within front end development and other technical roles within the financial sector and motor industry. Alex’s greatest strengths are his resourcefulness and ability to break things! (then usually fix them afterwards). Outside of work you will find Alex spending time listening to live music with his friends, at the gym, or taking scenic photography.

Sarah is a highly seasoned DevOps Engineer with over 15 years’ experience in tech under her belt. She has specialised in building and maintaining cloud and physical infrastructure for commercial, telecoms, military and government clients. Prior to joining VF, Sarah spent several years in the media industry working on some of the world’s leading tech and gaming websites. With a passion for learning new things, Sarah is currently working on DevSecOps and automating vulnerability assessments. In her spare time she likes to hang out with her German Shepherd, enjoys cooking new cuisines, and her acute sense of humour appreciates a well-placed pun.

Nicola is our Head of Global Client Relationships for VF based in the UK. She is an experienced IT professional with experience working in Banking, Commercial & Education sectors. She is passionate about Digital Transformation always looking for ways to improve business systems and efficiencies. Her career has seen her work as an IT Trade Floor support manager for an Investment Bank, Technical sales support to designing & implementing cloud services using Google & Azure platforms in Education. She sees the fun side in everything, and will always greet you with a smile. Skiing is her favourite holiday with the family. She loves to travel & will spend time looking for new destinations to experience, new cultures, tastes and adventures. She has 2 teenage boys & spends most weekends watching them either play football or referee.

Sudipta joined The Virtual Forge in May 2019. She is VF's Global Finance Manager. She has completed AAT level 3 and is currently pursuing AAT Level 4. She also does volunteer bookkeeping for a charity based in Wokingham. In this role, she will be involved in all financial matters of VF and will be reporting to our COO and co-CEO. Outside of work, you can find her doing gardening, going for walks and spending time with her two teenage boys.

With over 20 years' helpdesk experience and 10 years' of cloud services, Michael has worked with customers ranging from small production houses up to global corporate institutions. Regardless of client size however, his approach to customers is the same across the board; listen to the client, help them meet their goals and delight them with an empathetic and friendly manner. Michael is happiest went digging into challenging issues and finding the best result for his customer. When not tackling the helpdesk, he enjoys karate, going to the gym or playing the guitar (badly).

Mike has a strong background in Ops and has now moved over into the world of DevOps, starting as a Junior DevOps Engineer at The Virtual Forge. He is passionate about anything technology-related and enjoys deep diving into any challenge thrown at him. When not learning about new technologies you will find Mike playing video games and binge-watching TV shows.

Zohaib is a JavaScript Developer who is based in Northampton, having joined The Virtual Forge in June 2022 and has over 10 years of development experience within front end and other technical roles in industry. He is a good learner and player, with the ability to play well both in a team and on his own. Outside of work he loves to spend time with family, meet and greet friends, play cricket or workout at gym.

Sunny is from Northeast India (Assam), and is currently serving as Software Manager with more than 8 years experience, focused on various aspects of technology and innovation. In this role he leads the company’s B2B marketing efforts, overseeing a team and managing the successful delivery of projects in the Middle East region. He is currently working closely with Sitecore & Episerver, enterprise level experience management platforms including cloud solutions from AWS and Azure. He started his career as software developer but as much as he loves development, he also enjoys working with clients to understand the business objectives and shaping their digital presence. His most exciting job recently was the digital transformation of Dubai South. Sunny can always be found cooking, biking or travelling with friends and playing video games.

Sayali has always been a great problem solver. She joined The Virtual Forge as a .NET Developer in the beginning of July 2021. Sayali has a good experience in Microsoft Azure with .Net technologies like C#.Net ,ASP.NET, MVC & Web API and also an analytical capability and ability to innovate. She is able to work well in both a team and individual environment. On her current role her core responsibilities involve analysing existing code, altering code, fixing bugs, brainstorming ideas, or integrating new systems. Something that she loves about programming is the opportunity to work with people from a wide range of disciplines. She is eager to meet other software engineers in the area, so feel free to connect! Apart from work she loves to travel to new places and explore things.

Jason is a Data Scientist with several years experience tackling various business problems such as route optimization, shipping volume optimization, customer profiling, pricing optimization and ROI analysis. Jason is passionate about learning different ways to apply mathematical solutions to business problems, particularly in cloud environment and will be applying his skills and experience in this area at VF. When not messing with numbers, Jason spends time with his young family, playing video games and learning to play the piano.

Natasha joined The Virtual Forge in February 2019 and has worked within the Software Development and Automotive Industry for the past 16 years. During this time her roles have included Customer Services across client accounts, Service Delivery, Team Manager and Product Owner. Her approach is listening, understanding, replicating and finding a solution! Outside of work you would find Natasha riding and competing her horse in a variety of disciplines which leaves little time for anything else!

Amy has 10 years’ experience of working within the learning and development sector of the automotive industry. During this time she successfully lead the implementation of a global LMS, including managing a team of administration staff. Amy has made the move into managing multiple projects in software technology since joining the Virtual Forge in June 2018. Outside of work Amy loves to play netball, but most of all spend time with family and friends.

Pete has had a wide variety of experience in client facing, technical roles using a number of different systems over the course of his 10 year (and counting!) career. His focus is to always meet the needs of the client in an efficient and professional manner, while still maintaining great client relations throughout the journey. Outside of the 9-5, Pete enjoys running, exploring the UK and tinkering with things that weren't meant to be taken apart - 7ish times out of 10 those things get put back together again!

Chris joined VF in February 2023 and he has been a web developer since when IE6 was the most popular web browser. Libraries come and go but the focus on user experience doesn't change. He enjoys building flashy and exciting interfaces. When not at the computer, he is chasing after his children or playing guitar if he ever gets time for it.

Chris is a Product Manager for VF based in the UK. He is passionate about collaborating with customers, users, designers and developers to develop beautiful solutions that deliver a first class user experience. He has 18 years experience in delivering bespoke desktop, web and mobile solutions to both the public and private sector. Outside of work Chris enjoys playing and watching football, spending time with his family and escaping to the coast as often as possible.

Andrew is a Data Engineer with over 14 years database experience, having begun his IT career working in secondary schools. The majority of his experience has been within the Financial Sector on Wealth Platforms, developing and supporting complex data systems and migrations. Andrew joined the Virtual Forge in May 2021 and is looking forward to expanding his knowledge and technical skills in other data and data engineering techniques. When Andrew isn't spending time with his young family and their many dogs, he likes to get out in the sun for a ride on his motorbike, however Sunday evenings are reserved for sitting and watching his beloved Chicago Bears.

Gaynor joined the VF team in November 2017. She has over 20 years experience as an Executive Assistant, covering a variety of different industries. Gaynor provides support to our Co-CEO. She is a keen scuba diver, when her twin daughters allow her to get away!

Nearly 20 years experience working with data gives Jamie a meticulous eye for detail. He’s worked in data development and reporting in Telecoms and Fashion industries and has been involved in multiple data migration and data warehousing projects, where he has honed his testing skills using several different softwares. Using his experience as both a developer and a user, Jamie’s testing gives a full account from both these perspectives. Jamie spends his spare time with his young family and enjoys woodland walks, running and multi sport activities (including open water swimming and on and off road cycling) and cooking (truth be told, it’s the eating he prefers).

Christian is the resident Swede at The Virtual Forge, and is also the Chief AI Officer | Chief Compliance Officer. He has spent a little more than a decade dabbling with a range of web technologies, and slightly more recently clouds (not the fluffy kind). As a certified AWS tinkerer, he is responsible for provisioning and maintaining all systems and services operated by The Virtual Forge, particularly those running in AWS and Azure. Along with his trusty DevOps team, Christian wields his Allen key to leverage the legendary power of the cloud in support of the development teams. In his 'down' time, Christian has of late developed an unhealthy interest in Training For Warriors and obstacle races.

Pete is a member of the UX Design team and specialises in front-end web development. Since joining The Virtual Forge, Pete has worked on builds for Quadrant Design, Republik Agency and Anantara Residences Dubai. Outside of the office Pete enjoys live music anywhere, golf, cooking and attempting to play the guitar.

Dimitris (Dim) is from Thessaloniki in Greece, he is currently living in Bristol and is a senior designer at the Virtual Forge. He has been working for both agencies and as a freelance web and graphic designer on a global scale, designing websites, apps, web and print media for a wide spectrum of clients on both national and international market levels (e.g. tourism, retail, entertainment). When he is not brainstorming wacky ideas, he is binging on all the latest films and tv shows, discovering places around the world, worshipping “suede” and posting photos of every little thing that catches his eye on Instagram.

Anita has over twenty five years experience in IT, Network and Telecommunications Industries. Over this time she has acquired and developed skills in business analysis and project management on a number of significant hardware and software projects. With extensive experience on various system consolidation projects which includes project initiation, requirements gathering, data migration and implementation. In February 2015 Anita joined The Virtual Forge team as Project Manager working on multiple projects in the automotive industry and has since progressed into leading the Project Management Office.

A sharp, driven finance professional with over 15 years of proven experience in finance and business operations. Enthusiastic in approaching organisation wide challenges from many angles and utilising financial expertise to deliver effective solutions. Collaborative and hands-on management style with strong leadership instincts and ability to excel independently. Specialised ability to design tools for greater efficiency and profitability. Experienced in procurement, and proficient in gaining government grants (R&D Strategy) and private funding streams through venture capital organisations and dealing with shares equity negotiations. Spare time activities include travel, music and spending time with the family.

Dave has been in IT for over 15 years, spending 10 of those as a Software Developer. Coding mainly in PHP, JavaScript and ActionScript he has worked on a variety of projects on differing scales and across different target markets. From building online local business search engine at Denton's Web, reporting system for an application showcased on Sky Country to dairy farming applications used by the top large animal veterinarian practices in the United Kingdom.

With nearly 20 years experience building and managing teams within the media and AV industries, James brings a wealth of knowledge and customer service skills to the Virtual Forge Helpdesk. Having worked extensively with many major worldwide events within startup companies all the way through to international corporates, James has developed a wide range of effective problem solving weaponry ensuring the VF customer journey is as rewarding and as smooth as possible.

Melanie has over twenty years customer service experience with her main project focus in pharmaceutical compliance management. She currently offers project support for a life sciences client in the US and helps support multiple programs and operations for the company. Her background prior to The Virtual Forge was in the medical field where she majored in healthcare and earned both of her degrees. Outside of work, she is a proud and busy mother of two, whose favorite interests include history, movies and steak and seafood dining.

For eleven years, Donna has been the face of accounting and human resources in the Doylestown office. Her responsibilities range from bookkeeping, invoicing, payroll, and benefits administration, to vendor contracts, recruiting, and office management. Reliable, meticulous, and practical, Donna is everyone’s go-to person in a wide variety of situations, and she thrives on the challenges and problem-solving opportunities that keep things interesting. She brings energy and attention to detail to everything she does, including keeping up with her two sons and her dogs.

After nearly a decade in the project management field, Jenn has significant experience in all aspects of project and staff management; from preliminary discovery through to ongoing operational support. Jenn’s skill set includes project & account management, warehousing & logistics, as well as customer support. Her current role overseeing a blend of IT as well as warehousing and logistics projects, feeds Jenn’s desire for a full schedule of diverse work. Jenn has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Penn State, which may or may not be an asset in her line of work. During her down time, Jenn enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, and fancies herself an amateur photographer.

Elizabeth leads the Enterprise Architecture and Analysis team and has a strong background in data oriented solutions, software engineering, computer science research, education, and software development. Her responsibilities focus on architecting and implementing appropriate solutions for our clients’ data needs and problems, from collection and quality through to secure data practices, effective analytics, and data science. She holds a PhD in Computer Science, has over a decade of technical experience, and specializes in architecting and implementing bespoke data solutions including databases and data warehouses, ETL and ELT processes, data integration, data quality, analytics and reporting, and data science. She also has a background in software architecture and full stack web development.

Jen, or as her close friends & coworkers like to call her “JP” has over 20 years’ experience in primarily healthcare, with a background in insurance, accounting and marketing. She is a Project Support Specialist currently supporting a life sciences client within the US. Outside of work, she enjoys being a mom to her son and 2 cats, reading, movies, and traveling to new places!

Keith has a very diverse work background, having held a variety of roles in telecommunications, retail operations, and project management. For the last 7 years he has been a QA Analyst involved in all stages of the software development lifecycle; including test documentation, data analysis and front/backend testing. Outside of work he enjoys mountain biking, motorcycling, camping, tennis, and music.

Holly has over twenty years of experience in handling customers. She is a leader who encourages team participation, encourages critical thinking skills and has a broad knowledge of subject matter. Holly has strong communication skills, is organized and multi-tasks and is skilled in conflict resolution. Holly is a dependable and enthusiastic leader who guides employees.

Vlad was born in the city of Odessa on the coast of Black Sea. He graduated from school in thermal physics and quickly migrated into the field of data processing and presentation. Vlad moved to US and has spent the last 25 years designing and implementing the data driven applications in all parts, from data structure to user interface, with a focus on data meaning and problem solving. His recent interests are focused on data analysis and meaningful presentation. In his free time he enjoys the study of psychology and military history.

Tom has a multidisciplinary skill set and serves as operations manager of the Doylestown, PA US facility. He has over 20 years’ experience with telecom, compute, and network systems design, integration, and systems administration in addition to infrastructure, data center, and facilities management. Amateur radio, electronics, O-gauge model railroading, and automotive repair are some of the hobbies he shares with his children.

Danielle’s been with the company since 2007. She enjoys working in a wider range of related areas including data analysis, creative problem-solving, requirements gathering, spec’ing, and any kind of writing/communication tasks that go along with these. Equally at home leading client summits and directing team strategy or doing independent research, Danielle is tenacious and thorough. She graduated summa cum laude with dual majors in Philosophy and English. A long-distance runner with delusions of grandeur, Danielle is celebrating the completion of this blurb and might continue to talk about herself in the third person for a while.

Anthony Allen has been in the IT industry for over 12 years. He has a Masters in Experimental Psychology from Villanova and brings strong research capabilities to the team. Anthony has a passion for reporting and dashboards and he specializes in data warehousing, ETL, reporting, analysis and data visualization via Tableau. He has worked on a number of projects for the automotive, pharmaceutical and benefits industries. When Anthony is not at his desk, he's playing video games with his children, cleaning up after cats or practising Kung Fu.

Egle joined The Virtual Forge North America office as a Junior Project Manager in August 2021 to work in the automotive team. During her career, she has worked in advertising, design, 3D printing and automotive industries and she is a certified Scrum Master. In her spare time, Egle enjoys travelling, exploring different cultures and cuisines and participating in different events around Philadelphia.

Over the past ten years, Tim has worked on nearly every aspect of the project lifecycle, from initial contact through ongoing operational support. He’s worked in Customer Service, Project Management, and Account Management, finally settling in to a data-centric role focused on analytics and integrations. Given his background in philosophy and logic, Tim’s passion for the role should come as no surprise. When Tim’s not planning data integration strategies, designing dashboard prototypes, or troubleshooting stored procedures, he can be found running the roads of his adopted hometown, Doylestown, PA, preparing for the next distance race on the agenda.

Over the last 14 years Matt has worked with global brands to develop their digital capabilities and more effectively leverage their data. He believes that businesses are at their best when actively managing their data as an organizational asset, and continuously driving a data-centric culture. Matt has a Business Administration degree from the University of Richmond, a professional background in IT Project Management, and a passion for data analysis and problem solving. As President of the North American arm of The Virtual Forge, Matt manages the daily operations of the business, sets strategic direction, and ensures that the VF team is equipped and empowered to deliver exceptional work for our clients.