My journey and how this newsletter can help you
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Hey, I'm Stephane 👋
I’m a Senior Engineering Manager in London with 10+ years of experience leading high-performing teams, driving technical excellence, and scaling engineering orgs.
But I didn’t follow the usual path.
I Dropped Out. Moved Countries. Made It Anyway.
Here’s what happened:
2016: Dropped out of university in Greece. Moved to London with no degree, no network, just a dream to work in tech. Landed my first software engineering job within a month.
2019: Became an Engineering Manager at a leading cybersecurity company. Built products that protected millions from cyber threats.
2022: Leveled up to Senior Engineering Manager/Head of Engineering at a fast-growing startup. Managed 20+ engineers across 4 global teams and maintained 25 open-source libraries.
2024 & Beyond:
Leading the development of a top-secret 🤫 (and very cool) GenAI tool at Zopa Bank (Fintech unicorn 🦄).
Started this newsletter.
Coaching engineers to break into leadership—faster and with less guesswork.
Why Most Engineers Get Stuck in Their Careers
❌ They don’t know how to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers.
❌ They feel stuck, unsure how to step into leadership roles.
❌ They lack the right frameworks and guidance to speed up their growth.
I know the feeling, I’ve been there. But I also know how to break through.
Now, I help engineers like you avoid common mistakes and fast-track your path to leadership with clear strategies that actually work.
What You’ll Get From This Newsletter
Whether you’re:
An engineer aspiring to become an Engineering Manager.
A first-time Engineering Manager.
A founder looking to build high-performing, scalable engineering teams.
Anyone eager to dive deeper into engineering leadership topics.
This newsletter is for you.
Free Subscribers Get:
✉️ 1 high-value post every week (like this one: “Measuring developer productivity”)
🎓 Access to the Engineering Manager Masterclass
Paid Subscribers Get:
🔒 50+ templates and playbooks (worth $79)
🔒 A weekly "What would you do?" scenario & breakdown from real challenges EMs face
🔒 Full access to the complete archive
Work With Me Directly
Want tailored guidance to hit your next career milestone? I offer:
🎯 1:1 Coaching: Nail your interviews, optimize your CV & LinkedIn, and get noticed by top companies.
🚀 Leadership Accelerator (12 Weeks): The fastest way to transition into a leadership role or supercharge your current one.
👥 Mock Interviews: Practice system design or behavioral interviews and walk into the real thing with confidence.
🎁 BONUS for New Subscribers
Sign up this week and get my free guide:
“15 AI Tools to 10x Your Productivity as an Engineering Manager”
I guarantee you’ll discover at least one tool you didn’t know about.
Let’s Connect
📧 Got questions or topic ideas? Email me anytime: stephane@em-tools.io
🔗 Let’s connect on LinkedIn
🐾 When I’m not working, I’m hanging with my girlfriend and dog, reading, or exploring London’s best nature spots.
Useful Links:
👨💻 Learn by Building Redis, Git & Kafka with CodeCrafters (40% off)
🎯 Book a System Design or Leadership Mock Interview with me