Technology Executive

Manuel Bogner CTO & Strategic Technology Advisor

I help organizations build resilient software systems by combining architecture discipline, leadership clarity, and governance that scales.

View ImpactStrategic Approach
Manuel Bogner portrait
Philosophy

Modern architecture is about orchestrating complexity into elegant, scalable simplicity.

Where Technology Meets Business Impact

With a career spanning from the early web era to contemporary cloud-native architectures, I bring a unique perspective to IT leadership. I believe that a CTO must be as comfortable in a boardroom discussing ROI as they are in a pull request review discussing microservices design patterns.

17xRevenue Growth
3xHead Count
3ISO Certifications
25+Years in Tech
Certified Professional for Software Architecture (CPSA) · iSAQBCertified Project Manager (CPM) · pmaCertified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) · Scrum AllianceCertified Scrum Master (CSM) · Scrum AllianceOpen Water Instructor · SSIOpen Water Scuba Instructor · PADI

Strategic Pillars

Enterprise Architecture

Designing complex systems that are robust, scalable, and resilient. Focusing on decoupled microservices and event-driven architectures.

  • Cloud-Native Design
  • Legacy Modernization
  • API-First Strategy

Engineering Leadership at Scale

Fostering high-performance cultures through mentorship, empowerment, and a commitment to technical excellence.

  • Agile Transformation
  • Mentorship & Growth
  • Tech-Stakeholder Sync

Digital Transformation & Modernization

Migrating legacy systems to modern stacks while strategically adopting AI and emerging technologies to keep the business ahead.

  • Legacy Modernization
  • AI Integration
  • Platform Migration

Engagement Models

The Professional Journey

2017 - Present

Chief Technology Officer

CTO at OpenResearch since 2017. Transformed a small tech team into a certified, multi-country engineering organization, delivering capital-efficient growth and enterprise-grade compliance.

Current Focus

Built and led distributed engineering organizations of 30+ engineers across 3 countries, delivering enterprise platforms used by millions.

  • Scaled revenue 17x (from <€200K to €3.5M) while growing headcount only 3x (12 to 36)
  • Achieved ISO 27001, 9001, and 14001 certifications; built an ISO-compliant BCMS for NIS2 readiness
  • Led cross-border engineering organization across 3 countries with full P&L accountability
Major Role

Architecting for all citizens in the Austrian public sector.

  • Systems serving all Austrian citizens through the national social insurance infrastructure
  • Organized and governed a portfolio of ~600 projects within the enterprise architecture team
  • Defined technology standards for mission-critical systems in a highly regulated environment
2012

Enterprise & Lead Architecture

Lead Software Architect and Enterprise Architect at ITSV (Austrian Social Insurance), defining technology standards for the national social insurance system, leading complex architecture projects in highly regulated environments.

2005

Engineering & Leadership

Started at Geizhals.at (Austria's largest price comparison platform), rising to Lead System Administration from 2009, later expanding into Project Management and Java Development. Self-employed software developer from 2008 to 2012 alongside. Parallel academic roles at TU Wien and R&D at SIEMENS.

Foundation

Running high-traffic infrastructure and leading teams at one of the DACH region's top tech platforms.

  • Geizhals.at served 1.5-2 million unique visitors per day as Austria's largest price comparison platform
  • Led system administration with a lean team of 2-3 engineers, later expanding into PM and development
  • Ran a freelance software development business (2008-2012) in parallel, building client projects independently
  • Parallel R&D at Siemens and academic work at TU Wien broadening technical depth
Milestone

Self-taught from the start, building websites and learning systems programming before it was a career.

1996

Genesis

The journey began with the first lines of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript during the dawn of the internet, followed by Turbo Pascal, then C and C++.

Key Projects

Railway & Safety

Rail Digitalization

  • ChallengePaper-based workflows creating safety risks in highly regulated railway operations
  • ActionBuilt safety-critical digital tools aligned with international security standards
  • ImpactIn daily operational use across the Austrian Railway system
Safety-CriticalRailwaySecurity Standards
AI & Automotive

TRAVIS

  • ChallengeNo proactive visibility into global security threats affecting vehicle fleets
  • ActionDesigned AI-assisted monitoring tool analyzing global news for automotive security incidents
  • ImpactClients proactively respond to threats before incidents escalate
Artificial IntelligenceAutomotiveThreat Detection
IoT & Real-Time

Remote Car Diagnostics

  • ChallengeFleet operators lacked real-time visibility into vehicle health
  • ActionBuilt a scalable streaming platform for real-time sensor data collection and analysis
  • ImpactTens of thousands of vehicles monitored with real-time diagnostics at scale
StreamingIoTReal-Time Analytics
Public Sector

Insurance Reports

  • ChallengeLegally mandated insurance summaries requiring massive healthcare data processing
  • ActionDeveloped high-volume reporting at national scale under strict compliance rules
  • ImpactBillions of healthcare records processed for every insured Austrian citizen
Big DataHealthcareCompliance
Infrastructure

Cloud Hosting Platform

  • ChallengeServer provisioning took weeks of manual work and specialized knowledge
  • ActionPioneered cloud-like infrastructure automation from bare-metal to VM orchestration
  • ImpactSelf-service portal reducing deployment time from weeks to minutes
CloudAutomationInfrastructure
Shared Mobility

Scooter Sharing Platform

  • ChallengeGrowing urban mobility demand required scalable fleet management
  • ActionEngineered platform with real-time vehicle tracking and fleet management backend
  • Impact300+ vehicles managed in active operation
MobilityPlatformScalability
Legacy Modernization

Care Allowance

  • ChallengeNational care allowance ran on a legacy COBOL system unable to adapt to new regulations
  • ActionReengineered with modern technologies while preserving data integrity
  • ImpactModernized processing for national insurance with faster regulatory adaptation
Legacy MigrationCOBOLPublic Sector
Enterprise Security

Web Service Security

  • ChallengeCentralized authentication creating a single point of failure across hundreds of apps
  • ActionArchitected decentralized WSS infrastructure using Username Token Profile
  • Impact600+ applications secured, single point of failure eliminated
WSSAuthenticationEnterprise
Get in Touch

Let's build the future of tech.

Whether you're looking for technical leadership, architectural advisory, or strategic digital transformation, I'm open to discussing how my experience can drive your organization's success.

Email Addressmessage-abject-03@icloud.com
Professional Networks

Schedule a Strategy Call

Looking for more than just an advisor? Let's connect on LinkedIn to discuss high-level technology strategy and how we can achieve your business milestones together.

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