Inference Engine
Helping your engineering org level up and accelerate delivery — providing the 10-mile vantage at organisational level, and hands-on in the code when it counts.
Robert Fanner
Founder · Engineering Leader · LinkedIn
Helping your engineering org level up and accelerate delivery — providing the 10-mile vantage at organisational level, and hands-on in the code when it counts.
Robert Fanner
Founder · Engineering Leader · LinkedIn
Senior leadership on demand — scaling teams, implementing best practices and steering company-wide strategy. My experience spans technology, project management, processes, people, and everything in between.
AI adoption may seem daunting, but it's simple to get off the ground. I can help with practical adoption frameworks, advice on governance, and hands-on training — from tooling to real-world problem-solving.
A clear-eyed sense-check on what your engineering team is doing well, and where they can improve — across SDLC, DevOps, AppSec, architecture and delivery practices. I also lead buy-side technical due diligence alongside my founding Sollertian partners.
Helping start-ups and scaling companies mature their engineering and delivery practices as headcount and complexity grow — hands-on support to close gaps and build lasting capability.
Not just strategy — when an organisation lacks the internal experience to execute, I step in and roll up my sleeves: implementing SAST/DAST/SCA and secure SDLC tooling, building CI/CD pipelines, shipping features under real deadlines, or rearchitecting legacy systems that have outgrown their foundations. I have a bias for action and a track record of delivering results fast.
Robert is an engineering leader with 25+ years of experience delivering world-class, award-winning software products across VFX, AI/ML and Computer Vision, underpinned by deep technical expertise in high-performance computing, DevOps and systems engineering. His work spans an extensive range of engagements with renowned international hardware and software companies — leading graphics teams on next-gen AR/VR rendering, delivering automotive 3D infotainment systems and evaluating pre-release CPUs and GPUs. Progressing from senior C++/Python engineer to executive leadership, he has advised CEOs and CTOs on long-term technical strategy, led engineering workstreams through private equity transitions and served on global industry bodies including ASWF and the VFX Reference Platform. He holds an M.Sc. in Engineering (Cum Laude) from the University of Stellenbosch.
Robert helps organisations cut through technical complexity and builds the clarity executives need to make confident decisions — whether navigating M&A, scaling teams or driving AI adoption. Where needed, that means rolling up his sleeves and taking direct ownership of delivery.
Alongside Dr. Liesbeth Botha and Dr. David Weber, Robert is also a founding partner of Sollertian — a specialist advisory practice currently taking shape, with a formal launch to follow — providing technology due diligence, internal engineering reviews and remediation support to investors and leadership teams.