Michael Heap
About Michael Heap
Michael Heap is the Senior Director of Developer Experience at Kong Inc., a position he has held since 2023. He has extensive experience in developer relations and experience management, having previously worked at Nexmo (now Vonage) and authored the book 'Building GitHub Actions'.
Work at Kong
Michael Heap currently serves as the Senior Director of Developer Experience at Kong Inc., a position he has held since 2023. In addition to this role, he is also the Interim Product Manager for Kubernetes at Kong, also starting in 2023. Prior to his current roles, he worked as the Director of Developer Experience at Kong from 2021 to 2023. His experience at Kong reflects a strong focus on enhancing developer engagement and experience within the company's ecosystem.
Previous Experience at Nexmo (Vonage)
Before joining Kong, Michael Heap held several positions at Nexmo, now known as Vonage. He served as the Director of Developer Experience from 2020 to 2021, and prior to that, he was the Senior Developer Relations Manager from 2019 to 2020. His career at Nexmo began as a Developer Advocate from 2017 to 2018, followed by a role as Developer Relations Manager from 2018 to 2019. His tenure at Nexmo contributed to his expertise in developer relations and experience management.
Education and Expertise
Michael Heap studied Computing at the University of Leeds, where he earned a BSc in Computing from 2007 to 2009. He furthered his education at Leeds Beckett University, obtaining another BSc in Computing from 2009 to 2011. His academic background has equipped him with a solid foundation in computing principles, which he has applied throughout his career in various technical and managerial roles.
Achievements and Contributions
Michael Heap is recognized for his contributions to the open-source community, having been acknowledged through the GitHub Stars programme. He authored the book 'Building GitHub Actions', which reflects his expertise in software development practices. Additionally, he has been an active conference speaker since 2009, delivering over 70 presentations, showcasing his commitment to sharing knowledge and engaging with the developer community.
Background in Software Development
Michael Heap began his career in software development, working as a Software Engineer at DataSift from 2012 to 2016. He also held the position of Lead Developer at Max Software Ltd from 2010 to 2012 and served as Infrastructure Team Lead at digi.me from 2016 to 2017. His diverse roles in software development have provided him with extensive technical skills and insights into the software lifecycle.