Professional Summary
Hands-on supervisor and operations manager with experience across mining, defence, waste & recycling, and entertainment — including frontline team leadership, state department setup, and scope delivery within BHP's A$912M Prominent Hill expansion. Army veteran (2014–2018, reservist). Now building and running production AI agent systems on self-hosted infrastructure through HitCreate, an AI-first digital agency. I understand how businesses actually work because I've been on the tools, led the teams, and managed the clients — and I use that to deploy AI that fits real operations, not just theory.
AI & Automation Experience
HitCreate (FYI United Group Pty Ltd) — Gold Coast, QLD | ACN 665 393 546
Production AI Agent Systems (deployed and running):
- Architected and operate Min Min, a persistent AI agent running 24/7 — handles customer interactions, task execution, memory management, and autonomous decision-making via Telegram
- Deployed multi-model orchestration via LiteLLM proxy — routing across Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, Google Gemini, Grok, and DeepSeek with automatic failover and cost controls ($50/day cap)
- Built multi-agent architecture: autonomous nightly agents, subagent spawning, tool-calling verification with before_tool_call blocking hooks
- Engineered 4-layer guardrail system (code hooks, git hooks, deploy scripts, session monitoring) after identifying and resolving two real production security incidents
- Self-hosted full infrastructure stack: PostgreSQL, Auth, Storage, 13 Docker containers, 26 systemd services — hardened with service isolation, kernel protection, and encrypted 3-2-1 backups
- Created Infrastructure as Code (Ansible — 6 roles, Terraform) with disaster recovery runbook targeting <1hr RTO
- Built AI agent benchmarking framework — 23-task suite with 9-point structured scoring to measure and improve agent reliability
- Authored 60+ structured decision documents on AI agent architecture, security, observability, model routing, and product validation
Agency Consulting — AI Strategy & Automation for SMBs:
- Consulted with multiple small businesses and founders on marketing automation, workflow redesign, and AI implementation
- Built and deployed web applications for clients (Next.js, React, Astro) — brand sites to SaaS prototypes, delivered using AI-augmented workflows
- Deployed AI development platforms (Bolt.diy, Open-Lovable) on self-hosted infrastructure for rapid client prototyping
Hackathons & Community:
- Top 350 globally in the Lovable Shipped hackathon — competitive AI/software building competition with thousands of participants
Operations & Leadership Experience
Wastech Engineering — Brisbane, QLD
- Coordinated Brisbane Service Centre — managed a team of 15+ trades professionals, allocated work, purchasing, and day-to-day workshop operations
- Business development lead for South East Queensland — met with existing and prospective customers, grew the state service book
- Supported after-hours and critical equipment breakdowns across the state
- Operated in a hands-on technical and managerial role — equally comfortable on the tools or presenting to a client
Wastech Engineering — Brisbane, QLD
- Maintenance fitter in waste and recycling — periodic maintenance on plant and equipment, project works, commissioning, refurbishments
- Attended after-hours urgent breakdowns autonomously, working with hydraulic, pneumatic, and PLC systems
KAEFER Integrated Services Pty Ltd — QLD & SA (Contract, FIFO)
- Supervised teams during major shutdown and project campaigns for BHP, Santos, and Kestrel
- Contributed to BHP's A$912M Prominent Hill Wira Shaft expansion — underground ventilation upgrade (Zitron primary axial fans, 3,400kW installed capacity), coordinating across trades and liaising with BHP stakeholders
- Delivered shutdown scopes within tight operational windows, managing safety, quality, and schedule
- Interfaced directly with site management, project engineers, and BHP representatives at senior operational level
Engineering Applications Pty Ltd — Brisbane, QLD (FIFO/DIDO)
- Planned maintenance, shutdowns, shift relief, and after-hours breakdown repairs across multiple client sites
- Transitioned to ongoing casual project role while pursuing leadership and technology career path
Village Roadshow Theme Parks — Movie World, Gold Coast, QLD
- Maintain safety-critical ride systems (hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical) — daily readiness and guest safety compliance (AS 3533)
- Work across operations, marketing, and engineering in a high-standards, public-facing environment where downtime has immediate customer and reputational impact
Military Service
Australian Army — Full-time (2014–2018), Reservist (2018–2020)
- Team leader position as vehicle Crew Commander — responsible for health, safety, and supervision of team and allocated plant and equipment
- Maintained armoured vehicles to strict procedures: rolling stock, tracks, hydraulics, electronics, communications, and service records
- Conducted professional development including leadership, mental health, public relations, ethics, and emergency first aid training
- Operated in varied and arduous environments — shift work, remote localities, extended periods away from home
Education & Professional Development
| Diploma of Business — Operations & Management |
TAFE NSW |
Complete |
| Bachelor of Business |
Griffith University |
Partial |
| Certificate III in Engineering — Mechanical (Fitter & Turner) |
TAFE |
Complete |
Current Study: CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, and AI+ modules — building formal IT infrastructure and security credentials. Evaluating RPL pathways through accredited credit-based degree programs.
Technical Competencies
AI & Software
AI Platforms: OpenClaw, LiteLLM, Claude Code, Vercel AI SDK | Models: Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek | Infrastructure: Docker, systemd, Caddy, Supabase, PostgreSQL, Ansible, Terraform | Dev: Next.js, React, TypeScript, Node.js, Python, Bash | DevOps: CI/CD, automated QA, Kopia backups | Security: fail2ban, AIDE, auditd, service isolation, incident response
Operations & Engineering
Team Leadership: Frontline supervision (15+), state division setup, business development, client management | Process: Workflow design, maintenance planning, shutdown coordination, vendor management | Industries: Mining & resources, defence, industrial services, waste & recycling, entertainment, technology
Why I'm the Right CAO
I've managed teams, built a state service department, worked on a $912M mine expansion, and served in the Army — then taught myself to build and deploy AI agent systems in production. I'm not a theorist; I'm a hands-on operator who builds things that work.
Operations: Frontline supervisor across mining, defence, waste, and entertainment. I know how businesses run because I've been on the floor doing the work and leading the teams.
AI: I run production AI agents 24/7 on infrastructure I built and maintain. Multi-model orchestration, autonomous workflows, guardrails, benchmarking — deployed, not theoretical.
The fit: I can walk into an organisation, understand their operations from the ground up, and start deploying AI that actually fits — because I've done it for my own business and for clients.
References available on request