Douglas Lindsay, VP of Engineering at Two, ensures that the gears of our software machinery are not only well-oiled but also finely tuned to deliver excellence. As a seasoned technologist, Douglas brings a unique perspective to his position, finding excitement in the dance between people and technology.
In this interview, we'll drive into the driving force behind our software engineering team at Two and get to know what motivates Douglas!
What do you do at Two?
“I’m the Vice President of Engineering at Two, responsible for running the machine that builds our software. My responsibilities extend beyond writing code: I ensure coordination among our software engineers and business stakeholders, making sure we’re building the right software at the right time and that we’re building it well.”
What excites you about your job?
“Despite being a technologist, the most exciting aspect of my role is interacting with people. About 80% of my job involves understanding individuals, finding out what makes them tick, optimising interpersonal conflicts, motivating them and aligning everyone towards a common vision.“
Can you tell us a little bit about the latest project you worked on?
“My recent project involved creating a set of features for supporting Sole Traders.
Sole Trader support is really important to our customers so they can reach as many buyers as possible and to be able to offer them net terms regardless of their company type. In most cases we are reliant on a buyer being registered with a national body; yet in the UK, Sole Traders aren’t registered anywhere. So I took on this project with a number of the other engineers, where we built our own registry to assess and support Sole Traders offering an instant automated decision on acceptance and credit limit.“
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How do you inspire and drive innovation within your team?
“Shared vision is key. When everyone has the same goal, innovation naturally follows. We’ve introduced initiatives such as “Hackathons” where we create an environment to come up with great ideas, and push those great ideas through.
Additionally, structuring teams properly, ensuring people are working with employees they resonate with, fostering collaboration and ensuring everyone's voice is heard is important.
Clear communication about the organisation, where it’s going and what our current company focus is, also contributes significantly to innovation.”
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Can you provide an example of a successful cross-functional collaboration that contributed to Two’s growth?
“I collaborated closely with our Head of Data Science, Marina, where we redefined our approach to credit and fraud risk. By bringing together Engineers, Data Scientists and Machine Learning experts to work together as one cross-functional team, along with a strong technical lead and a product manager, we accelerated progress.
This collaboration allowed teams to understand each other's challenges, enabling the Data Science team to move forward quickly, supported by co-located engineering expertise. Our engineers also gained a much better understanding of the challenges that their data science colleagues face, helping each solve problems, working cohesively, leading to significant growth.”
Are there any books, podcasts, or other resources that have had a major impact on your approach to business or leadership?
“I have to give a shout out here to CCL (a fantastic logistics business based here in Scotland), where I worked as their CTO. When i was there, I learned so much about business and developed a taste for books about business and leadership. Since then I’ve read several more books. I would really recommend Jim Collins “Good to Great”, any of Patrick Lencioni’s books but certainly “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”, and Gino Wickman’s “Traction”. Specifically in terms of running a technology organisation, I’d also recommend “Accelerate” by Nicole Forsgren et al, Tom DeMarco / Tim Lister’s “Peopleware,” and “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek.”
Say you could give any new Two starter one piece of advice to really get to grips with what we do and why we do it, what would that be?
“Bring all your ideas to the table. Expect to be heard and never feel that any idea is too daft!”
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