Gavin Benda
Technologist · Strategist · Builder
Bridging the gap between business goals and technical reality.
25+ years of hands-on leadership solving complex problems. I engage as a consultant, advisor, or senior leader to bridge strategy, design, and engineering; from SME web projects to government platforms and enterprise SaaS.

About
A hands-on leader bridging strategy, design, and engineering with 25+ years of proven delivery.
I'm a technologist and business leader who translates complex challenges into reliable digital solutions.
I started coding at nine years old, and by fifteen had launched my first web design business, I've since spent over 25 years building digital platforms across government, higher education, and enterprise. I founded Netforge in 2007 which grew into Nucleus, where I served as Managing Director, leading cross-functional teams delivering high quality design, campaigns, strategy and mission-critical systems.
My approach combines business strategy with hands-on technical knowledge. Whether architecting infrastructure, mentoring developers, or engaging C-suite stakeholders, I bring technical depth and business logic. I've shipped highly scaled web platforms, led mobile releases to app stores, and championed secure, scalable architecture for high-stakes environments.
Equally comfortable problem solving complex systems or facilitating executive workshops, I excel at technology and business outcomes, delivering solutions that work.
Capabilities, Technologies & Platforms
Capabilities and tooling across strategy, delivery, and platform engineering
Leadership & Delivery
- Team leadership
- Stakeholder engagement
- Business development
- Client account management
- Strategic planning
- Scoping & estimation
- MVP development
- Roadmapping
- Risk & issue management
- Vendor management
- Workshop facilitation
- Mentoring & coaching
- Executive communication
Languages & Runtimes
- PHP
- JavaScript/TypeScript
- Ruby/Rails
- HTML5
- CSS/SASS
- SQL
- C++
- Shell scripting
- Embedded electronics
- .NET (intermediate)
Frontend, Mobile & Desktop
- VueJS
- React
- React Native/Expo
- Tailwind
- Bootstrap
- Electron
- iOS/Android (store releases)
Backend & APIs
- Laravel
- Node.js
- Livewire
- REST APIs
- GraphQL
- AI integration
- OpenAI
- REAXML
- JSON
- XML
Data & Search
- MySQL/MariaDB
- PostgreSQL
- SQLite
- Elasticsearch
- Redis
- Memcached
CMS & Marketing Platforms
- Drupal
- WordPress
- OctoberCMS
- HubSpot
- Zoho
- ActiveCampaign
- Mailchimp
- Campaign Monitor
- SEM
Content & Governance
- Information architecture
- Content modeling
- Editorial workflows
- Governance
- Internationalisation
Ops & Hosting
- AWS
- Cloudflare
- Nginx
- Apache
- WHM/cPanel
- Linux administration
- Git
- Composer
- CI/CD pipelines
- Agile workflow
- Version control discipline
- Jira
DNS & Deliverability
- DNS management
- DNSSEC
- SPF/DKIM/DMARC
- TLS/SSL certificates
- Amazon SES
- SendGrid
- Mailgun
Security & Compliance
- OAuth2
- SSO
- JWT
- OWASP (ASVS/Top 10)
- SACSF (SA Gov)
- Encryption standards
- Penetration testing
Analytics & SEO
- Google Analytics
- Hotjar
- Google Lighthouse
- Screaming Frog
Accessibility
- WCAG 2.1 AA +
- Semantic HTML
- Keyboard navigation
- WAVE
- Contrast & color
Let's connect.
Whether you need strategic guidance, technical leadership, or hands-on delivery - let's talk.