Stephane van der Aa

Stephane van der Aa

Software DesignerWeb Application DeveloperAI & Data ScienceStrategistAuthor

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Portrait of Stephane van der Aa
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Software designer and full-stack developer with 25 years in the industry, deliberately returned to hands-on building after senior roles in strategy and business unit leadership.

Trained in computer science (Hogeschool Gent, object-oriented design), followed by consultancy at Fujitsu and sixteen years at NGA Human Resources/Alight, progressing from Enterprise Content Management unit lead through software design on the euHReka HR platform to pre-sales and Strategy Director — a path that built rare fluency across technical, delivery, and commercial perspectives.

Since 2020, designing, building, and operating products end-to-end: most recently a self-hosted, multilingual platform on FastAPI, React, and PostgreSQL, with graph database and vector search under an AI analysis layer, real-time video and messaging, and passkey/DPoP-bound authentication.

Author of two books, on web application security and on AI-assisted development.

Seeking hands-on web application design and development roles where security and AI integration matter: senior judgement with current, working hands.

Profile

Computer scientist with a long-standing specialisation in object-oriented design and a passion for building well-structured, secure web applications. After sixteen years at Alight Solutions — where I moved from software design through business-unit leadership into pre-sales and strategy — I now design and develop my own web and mobile applications, have published two books on modern software practice, and am completing a third on neuro-rights.

Since May 2026 I am deepening my applied-AI skills through BeCode’s full-time AI & Data Science programme. My goal is to return to hands-on software and application design and development, with a particular focus on web applications and AI- and data-driven products.

Areas of focus

  • Object-oriented analysis, design and implementation.
  • End-to-end web and mobile application development, from concept and UX through delivery.
  • Application security and trustworthy software design.
  • AI-assisted development workflows, machine learning and the integration of language models into software products.
  • Neuro-rights, digital privacy and the legal frameworks governing cognitive liberty.

Current training

  • AI & Data Science May 2026 – Present
    BeCode · Brussels · hybrid
    • Seven-month intensive, full-time, on-site programme; target outcome: Data Analyst / Data Scientist.
    • Python, machine learning, data analysis, data engineering and applied AI projects.

Experience

  • Independent Software Designer & Developer 2020 – Present
    stepvda.net · Brussels
    • Design and build web and mobile applications end-to-end, taking responsibility for product concept, software design, implementation and operations.
    • Founded and built TI One Voice (one.witysk.org): a self-hosted human rights documentation platform with multilingual content, authoring, real-time communications, document-integrity timestamping and an AI-assisted analysis layer (FastAPI / React / PostgreSQL, graph and vector search, local LLM inference).
    • Current work-in-progress includes Meet, Chattify and Domains — independent web/app projects exploring messaging, identity and domain-centred workflows.
    • Author of three books on software practice and technology policy (see Publications).
  • Strategy Director 2016 – 2020
    Alight Solutions (formerly NGA Human Resources) · Brussels / International
    • Senior internal advisor on product and platform direction across the firm’s HR-technology portfolio.
    • Final stage of a sixteen-year career spanning four corporate ownerships, moving progressively from software design into commercial leadership and strategy.
  • Pre-Sales 2014 – 2016
    Alight Solutions (formerly NGA Human Resources) · Brussels / International
    • Translated client needs into solution proposals across the firm’s HR-technology and content-management offerings; worked closely with sales, delivery and product teams to win and shape new engagements.
  • Business Unit Manager · Enterprise Content Management
    Alight Solutions (formerly NGA Human Resources) · Brussels
    • Led the ECM business unit, with responsibility for the firm’s Knowledge Management and Document Management solutions — product direction, delivery teams and client outcomes.
  • Software Designer · euHReka
    Alight Solutions (formerly NGA Human Resources) · Brussels
    • Software design work on the firm’s flagship HR outsourcing platform, contributing to the architecture and component design of euHReka.
  • Senior Consultant 1999 – 2004
    Fujitsu Consulting / DMR Consulting · Brussels

Publications

Neuro-Rights: The Battle for the Last Private Place
Book · Forthcoming, 2026

A comprehensive guide for citizens, legislators and the global community on cognitive liberty, mental privacy and the emerging legal frameworks for protecting the mind. Expanded fourth edition, published as part of the TI One Voice initiative.

Coding with AI: A Field Report
Book

A practitioner’s perspective on developing software with the assistance of modern AI tools — workflows, prompting, review and quality.

amzn.eu/d/0a6rzXoJ
Building Secure Web Applications
Book

A focused treatment of the security concerns that arise when designing and operating modern web applications.

a.co/d/0gMWP6gO

Skills & capabilities

Software Design
Object-oriented analysis and design, component architecture, application security, methodology.
Web & App Development
Full-stack web application delivery (Python/FastAPI, React, PostgreSQL), mobile/web app design, AI-assisted development.
AI & Data
Python, machine learning, data analysis, vector and graph databases, local LLM inference, RAG pipelines.
Domain Experience
Enterprise content management, knowledge and document management, HR technology, real-time communications, digital privacy and neuro-rights.
Leadership
Business-unit management, pre-sales, strategy, working with international clients and delivery teams.

Working style

Jung / Myers-Briggs type: INTJ — The Scientist and Strategist (Introvert · Intuitive · Thinker · Judger). Analytical, independent and systems-oriented; drawn to long-horizon problems and structured, well-reasoned solutions. View the 2015 test report.

Education

  • Computer Science 1996 – 1999
    Hogeschool Gent (HOGENT) · Ghent, Belgium
    • Specialisation in object-oriented design and analysis; followed by two decades of continuous self-directed study in software, security and applied AI.

    Download diploma (PDF)

Languages

Dutch nativeFrench fluentEnglish fluentGerman working

Additional information

Nationalities
Belgian · Dutch
Driving licence
Category B
Jung personality test — full report (2015) Expand to read

The complete 2015 123Test report behind the INTJ result above: cognitive function preferences, scored dimensions and the analyst’s narrative.

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