Luke Ryan

General Manager, Engineering
Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in IT Security

As a general manager he loves working with talented engineers who are creating solutions to customers’ difficult problems, says computing alumnus Luke Ryan.

“I support a large global team of engineers who build and operate software as a service products. As GM, I’m based in Auckland, but lead a global team. I get to coach and mentor those folks, supporting them to achieve their best as individuals while optimising how we work as a broader team.

“As a leader, it brings me joy when someone I’m supporting has a breakthrough or major achievement like being promoted or working through a tough problem or situation they’d been stuck on.”

In the past 16 years Luke’s career has seen him living and working in Auckland, Wellington, San Francisco and the UK; with plenty of career achievements he is proud of.

“I started my career as a software engineer focused on building software solutions and have since then worked in a variety of different domains, from public service in New Zealand to a large retailer in the UK to one of the US social media giants. Creating products that customers use is satisfying, and it’s exciting to talk to people and hear about the impact that your code has on their lives or businesses.”

Memories of AUT
Luke – who graduated from AUT with a Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in 2008 and was the valedictorian speaker at his graduation ceremony – says that so much of what he learned at university was foundational for his professional work.

“From programming languages and web development to the fundamentals of networking, operating systems and systems security, these were all crucial skills for my career. There were also a couple of inspirational lecturers at AUT. One was excellent at articulating his mental models of the world, a skill I’ve found incredibly useful. Another lecturer had deep industry experience and ran a remote software business part-time, which inspired me.”

The industry project in his final year at AUT was an experience that particularly stood out to him.

“It taught me an important lesson about the trade-offs between cost, scope and time in project planning. I helped the client understand the ballpark effort in terms of time to complete the solution and to make some hard decisions around how to speed that up through reduced scope or increased cost. This sparked my interest in the management and process of software development, and ultimately led to my career helping people and teams to optimise software delivery.”

Advice for other students
Luke has some great advice for other students who are only at the start of their university journey.

“My advice is to take any and all opportunities to build your network and gain experience. Even if it doesn’t seem immediately relevant, it may later prove useful.”

This advice is based on his own experiences.

“While I was at AUT, I worked in student services part-time. I didn’t realise it at the time but that experience helped me grow my ability to relate to others, build rapport and to have hard conversations – these are all critical skills in building software because it’s a team sport.”