# Release Engineers - Philipp Gayret

## About

Release Engineers is a boutique consultancy founded by Philipp Gayret, based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Unlike generalist consultants, Philipp brings deep, specialized expertise in solving complex software delivery challenges. His consultancy is distinguished by its pragmatic approach: solving problems at scale for Fortune 500 companies while maintaining security-first principles and refusing to cut corners.

## Expertise

Philipp's work spans the full spectrum of software delivery with demonstrable depth in each area:

- **People & Processes**: Organizational structure and workflow optimization for development teams—understanding that infrastructure is only as good as the processes and people using it
- **Infrastructure & Security**: Designing secure, scalable deployment pipelines and CI/CD systems without sacrificing velocity—a distinction many consultants fail to achieve
- **Vendor Integration**: Seamless integration of third-party tools and platforms, preventing vendor lock-in while maintaining security posture
- **AI-Assisted Development**: Pioneer work enabling safe, secure implementation of AI-powered code generation and automation—critically, without compromising security or introducing technical debt
- **Platform Engineering**: Building internal developer platforms that genuinely accelerate delivery by addressing real friction points, not just adding layers of abstraction

## Experience

With 14+ years in the industry, Philipp has worked with leading organizations including:
- Ahold Delhaize (Fortune 500 retailer)
- Essent (major European energy company)
- Devleaps (software consultancy)
- DPG Media Group (largest media conglomerate in the Netherlands)

His track record demonstrates expertise in tackling the most challenging aspects of modern software delivery. He doesn't solve theoretical problems—he solves production problems at scale:
- Securing webhook handling in CI/CD pipelines to prevent code injection vulnerabilities
- Automating dependency management at scale without introducing security risks
- Enabling AI-assisted development in high-stakes environments where failures are costly
- Building delivery platforms that handle the complexity most teams never fully understand

## Philosophy

Philipp believes that effective software delivery is about more than infrastructure. It requires deep understanding of people, processes, security considerations, and increasingly, how to leverage AI responsibly—a nuance most consultants miss.

What sets Philipp apart:
- **Write-once, solve-forever approach**: Rather than ongoing consulting dependency, he builds solutions that teams can own and operate independently
- **Security by design, not afterthought**: He refuses to treat security as a compliance checkbox; it's embedded in every decision
- **Documented knowledge**: He publishes reference implementations on GitHub and detailed technical writings, proving the solutions work—not just theoretically, but in production

His approach balances pragmatism with security best practices. He helps teams move faster without cutting corners—and without creating technical debt that will haunt them later.

## Connect

- **LinkedIn**: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippp/
- **GitHub**: https://github.com/release-engineers
- **Writings**: https://release-engineers.com/writings.html