ABOUT ME
Arne Vermaak
Principal AI Architect & Engineering Leader
My Story
I am a Principal AI Architect and Engineering Leader with over 12 years of experience bridging the gap between high-level business strategy and complex technical execution. My career has evolved from hands-on full-stack engineering to designing enterprise platform architectures, event-driven AI agent runtimes, and executing multi-decade legacy system modernisations.
I specialise in platform innovation and systems transformation. Whether architecting stateful agent execution fabrics, building LLM-assisted analysis pipelines, or replacing 50-year legacy systems with scalable, cloud-native stacks, I turn chaotic operational bottlenecks into automated, high-throughput engines.
I don't just write code, I build engineering cultures, mentor high-performing squads, interface directly with executive leadership, and make architectural decisions that mitigate risk while unlocking real commercial scale. My focus is driving technical strategy and engineering operations to deliver high-impact, resilient software platforms.
Skills & Expertise
System Architecture
Designing enterprise platform architectures, event-driven AI agent runtimes, and stateful execution fabrics
AI & Automation
Building LLM-assisted analysis pipelines and event-driven AI agent orchestration platforms
Legacy Modernisation
Replacing 50-year legacy systems with scalable, cloud-native stacks
Engineering Leadership
Mentoring high-performing squads, interfacing with executive leadership, and driving technical strategy
Experience
Staff Software Engineer / Engineering Leader (EM)
Jan 2026 - PresentScrums.com
Authored the core architectural specification and engineered the primary AI Agent Orchestration platform — an event-driven runtime with stateful execution loops, context retrieval engines, OPA policy gates, and isolated container sandboxes. Designed zero-trust execution pathways and non-bypassable tool gateways. Stepped into full Engineering Manager accountabilities, leading squads and interfacing directly with C-suite leadership.
Senior Software Engineer (Lead) / Acting EM
Jul 2024 - Jan 2026Scrums.com
Lead Architect for the modernisation of a mission-critical agricultural ERP system, replacing 50+ years of legacy COBOL and PHP with a modern Laravel/Vue.js stack. Deployed custom code-analysis AI agents to decode undocumented legacy dependencies, ensuring zero data loss during schema refactoring.
Senior Frontend Engineer & System Specialist
Sep 2022 - Jul 2024Front Runner Vehicle Outfitters
Led the architectural overhaul of the internal management dashboard. Pioneered AI-powered features including chatbots and content generation tools. Delivered full-stack solutions in C#, Node.js, and Vue.js with Azure cloud services.
Chief Technology Officer
Apr 2021 - Sep 2022Mind Your Media
Defined and executed the company's technical vision. Architected a serverless environment (AWS/DigitalOcean) and developed proprietary internal tools that streamlined production of native apps and websites, significantly boosting team output.
Technology Lead
Apr 2019 - Apr 2021Wassp Business Communications and Advertising
Spearheaded a full digital transformation initiative, introducing CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and serverless architectures. Automated key business processes and delivered robust custom CRM integrations.
Founder
2014 - Presentavxart & Nuede Agency
Founded avxart with the idea of creating really awesome things — from code to graphics and music. Co-founded Nuede Agency in 2023.
Earlier Roles
2008 - 2019Web Developer at Wassp (2018-2019), Freelance Consultant specialising in CNC/CAD solutions (2015-2018), CAD Drafter & Media Development at Unicornice (2008-2014), Web Developer at Ubisoft Blue Byte GmbH (2010-2011), and Freelance Creative at S2 Games (2008-2010).