Hi, I'm Mark Ashton

I'm a Software Engineer and Engineering Manager with a career spanning Defence, Telecommunications, Finance, Cloud, Automotive, and Navigation. In recent years I've led engineering teams in Berlin.

I started as a hands-on engineer and still am one. Over the years I've written production code in C++, Java, Python, and more, including leading a tiger team handling critical production issues at Sony Ericsson before eventually moving into formal engineering management. These days I balance technical leadership with staying close to the code, and I'm actively deepening my expertise in AI engineering and agentic workflows.

Outside of work I'm a musician: guitar, drums, and piano, with material on YouTube and SoundCloud. I practice meditation and explore Zen and Stoic philosophy, which has probably shaped both the calm and the obsession with systems thinking. I also climb, cycle, scuba dive, and spend time in nature when Berlin lets me.

This site is a place to share my work, my tools, and occasionally my thinking.