Personal History Profile
Curriculum Vitae
I. Personal Information
II. Professional Summary
Senior Technical Architect | Cloud Solutions Expert | Platform Engineering Leader
20+ Years of Professional Experience
Broad-based system solutions consultant with over 19 years of experience in database design, software development environments, business intelligence, AI Engineering, and research and development.
Solid grasp of architectural design patterns and consistently apply the best practices of software engineering in all projects.
Hand-on experience building Agentic AI solutions using frameworks such as CrewAI, LangChain, and LangSmith in recent projects for the Medical and Technology industries.
Demonstrated strong leadership qualities through various projects, leading teams to success—not just in delivering projects, but also in helping team members grow their skills.
Enjoy conceptualizing solutions to client problems and advising on the adoption of new technologies to give them a competitive edge.
Teaching and mentoring are passions, whether it's guiding students or helping software developers at work.
Always eager to learn about new and emerging technologies.
III. Key Competencies
Cloud Architecture & Infrastructure
- •Designed multi-account AWS environments with VPCs, load balancers, and NAT gateways
- •Implemented infrastructure-as-code using Terraform and CloudFormation
- •Configured dual-stack IPv6 networks, including NAT64 gateways and DNS updates
- •Developed scalable and fault-tolerant cloud solutions for enterprise applications
Security & Compliance
- •Architected AWS firewall solutions with advanced security group configurations
- •Implemented compliance frameworks aligned with AWS Well-Architected principles
- •Designed defense-in-depth strategies, including WAF and automated threat detection
- •Managed secure access controls and encryption for sensitive data
Data Platform Engineering
- •Built data pipelines for Snowflake integration with legacy systems
- •Developed RESTful APIs for data synchronization and lifecycle management
- •Optimized ETL workflows for real-time data processing using Kafka and EventBridge
- •Implemented secure data handling practices, including encryption and access controls
Platform Engineering & DevOps
- •Automated CI/CD pipelines with GitHub Actions and infrastructure-as-code
- •Modernized legacy systems with event-driven architectures and microservices
- •Implemented blue-green deployments and rollback strategies for production systems
- •Integrated testing frameworks for continuous quality assurance
IV. Employment History
Listed in reverse chronological order
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Nova Res Medical AI Platform
Leading the development of Nova Res, a platform that helps clinicians and researchers by providing explainable, citation-backed insights using AI and real-time data.
Main Duties & Accomplishments:
- •Built a FastAPI backend integrating Azure OpenAI, LangChain, and Neo4j knowledge graphs
- •Developed medical data services for PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov with real-time updates
- •Created an Angular frontend with interactive AI-driven features like citations and knowledge exploration
- •Designed a modular architecture for rapid iteration and HIPAA compliance readiness
- •Delivered a demo-ready MVP showcasing advanced AI capabilities for clinical use
Technologies: FastAPI, Python, Azure OpenAI, LangChain, Neo4j, PubMed API, Angular
Platform Architect & Lead Developer
Smart Minions - AI Multi-Agent Orchestration Platform
Designed and built a platform that automates Jira story workflows using AI agents, with human-in-the-loop approvals.
Main Duties & Accomplishments:
- •Integrated Jira for story ingestion and automated feature delivery
- •Created workflows for requirements analysis, code generation, and testing with human checkpoints
- •Built a universal LLM abstraction layer for seamless cloud provider switching
- •Developed a FastAPI backend and Angular frontend for workflow management
- •Delivered a production-ready platform for end-to-end Jira story automation
Technologies: Python, CrewAI, FastAPI, Angular, Azure OpenAI, AWS Bedrock, Docker
Lead Developer & Technical Architect
BMW IT Hub – ServiceNow and Palantir Foundry Integration Platform
Delivered complete enterprise integration platform connecting Palantir Foundry with service management systems, replacing legacy infrastructure with modern, automated synchronization capabilities.
Main Duties & Accomplishments:
- •Built React-based mapping UI with role-based access control (RBAC)
- •Implemented comprehensive CI/CD pipeline with automated end-to-end testing
- •Architected multi-environment deployment strategy (dev, staging, production)
Key Results:
- ✓99.9% uptime serving enterprise users with scalable architecture supporting 10x future load
Technologies: React, CI/CD, ServiceNow, Palantir Foundry, RBAC
Cloud Security Architect
BMW IT Hub – AWS Firewall & Security Architecture
Architected comprehensive AWS firewall solution establishing robust security posture across BMW's cloud infrastructure with multi-layer network protection and automated threat detection.
Main Duties & Accomplishments:
- •Implemented deep packet inspection, DDoS protection, and application-layer security policies
- •Deployed automated policy enforcement with real-time threat monitoring
- •Established compliance monitoring and security event correlation
Key Results:
- ✓90% reduction in security incidents
- ✓Enhanced compliance
- ✓Automated threat response
Technologies: AWS, Firewall, Security Groups, WAF, DDoS Protection
Chief Network Architect
BMW IT Hub – Enterprise IPv6 Dual-Stack Network Modernization
Led BMW's enterprise-wide IPv6 adoption strategy across multiple programs, implementing comprehensive dual-stack infrastructure preparing for 2026 IPv4 address restrictions.
Main Duties & Accomplishments:
- •Configured IPv6 for Application/Network Load Balancers, NAT64 gateways, and PrivateLink endpoints
- •Analyzed 5 AWS accounts identifying 478+ reclaimable IPv4 addresses
- •Implemented dual-stack DNS, security groups, and WAF for both protocols
Key Results:
- ✓Zero-downtime migration
- ✓15% latency reduction
- ✓$10K+ annual cost savings
- ✓20+ year network readiness
Technologies: AWS, IPv6, NAT64, Load Balancers, DNS, Security Groups, WAF
Data Platform Architect
BMW IT Hub – Snowflake Data Sync - Palantir Foundry Integration
Transformed proof-of-concept into enterprise-grade data integration infrastructure establishing comprehensive sync capabilities between legacy systems and modern cloud data warehouse.
Main Duties & Accomplishments:
- •Built RESTful APIs with EventBridge-based automated sync scheduling
- •Implemented advanced timestamp conversion and Parquet format optimization
- •Established enterprise-grade security with Secrets Manager and Private Link isolation
Key Results:
- ✓Processing efficiency improvement
- ✓100% automated sync
- ✓Unlimited scalability
Technologies: Snowflake, AWS, EventBridge, Parquet, REST API, Secrets Manager, PrivateLink
Architect
BMW IT Hub – AWS Infrastructure Cost Optimization
Led comprehensive cost reduction initiative optimizing AWS Glue resources, pipeline efficiency, and infrastructure right-sizing across development and production environments.
Main Duties & Accomplishments:
- •Migrated pipelines to dedicated AWS account with optimized resource allocation
- •Implemented format conversion automation and data processing workflow optimization
- •Enhanced resource tagging, cost allocation, and governance through Infrastructure-as-Code
Key Results:
- ✓Significant annual cost savings through resource optimization and improved change management
Technologies: AWS, AWS Glue, Terraform, Cost Optimization
V. Education
| Degree/Qualification | Institution | Years |
|---|---|---|
| National Diploma IT Software Development | Durban University of Technology | 2003 – 2005 |
VI. Professional Certifications
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- ★AWS Certified Security – Specialty
- ★AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
- ★AWS Certified Developer – Associate
- ★AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
Oracle Cloud
- ★Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) AI Engineering
VII. Language Skills
| Language | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Native | Native | Native |
| French | Intermediate | Basic | Conversational |
VIII. Technical Skills & Proficiencies
AWS (EC2, Lambda, API Gateway, CloudFormation, EventBridge, CloudWatch, VPC, Load Balancers), Azure (OpenAI services), Terraform, IPv6 Architecture, DNS, Network Security
CrewAI Multi-Agent Systems, Azure OpenAI, AWS Bedrock, OpenAI, LangChain, Pinecone, LLM Abstraction Layers, Autonomous Code Generation
AWS Firewall, Security Groups, IAM, Secrets Manager, KMS, WebEAM, AWS Well-Architected Framework, OWASP
SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, Snowflake
Snowflake, AWS Glue, Apache Kafka, DynamoDB, S3, REST/GraphQL APIs, Parquet, ETL Pipelines, FastAPI, Neo4j, PubMed & ClinicalTrials APIs, FHIR-aligned processing
C#/.NET, TypeScript, Python, JavaScript, Java, PHP/Laravel, Angular/React/Vue, PrimeNG, Entity Framework
GitHub Actions, Jira Cloud, CI/CD Pipelines, Infrastructure-as-Code, Shell Scripting, Automated Testing (Pytest, Jest, Selenium)
SSAS, Power BI, Data Mining, R Scripting, Time Series Forecasting
IX. Leadership & Quantifiable Impact
Business Outcomes
- →Cost Savings: $50K+ annual infrastructure cost reductions
- →Automation ROI: 80% reduction in manual effort (500+ hours saved annually)
- →Security Enhancement: 90% reduction in security incidents
- →System Reliability: 99.9% uptime for enterprise platforms
- →Storage Optimization: 30% reduction in data storage costs
Technical Delivery Excellence
- ✓95% on-time delivery rate across 35+ enterprise initiatives
- ✓Effective knowledge transfer and skill development
- ✓Established best practices, standards, and successful change management
- ✓Designed modular AI, knowledge graph, and data ingestion architecture enabling HIPAA-compliant scaling for AI Medical decision support system
I certify that the statements made by me in this Personal History form are true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Maurice Van Der Merwe
Applicant
11 June 2026
Date