Summary
Lisa Van Gelder is a seasoned engineering leader with over a decade of experience shepherding teams from startup ambiguity to scaled operations, currently serving as VP of Engineering at Pleo in London. Her career spans senior technology roles across the US and UK, including VP/CTO positions at Avvir, Spring Health, and Meetup, where she balanced rapid product iteration with building long-term engineering practices. She excels at operating in the "messy middle" between chaos and scale—translating strategy into reliable delivery while preserving team agility. A humanities background (MA in English) informs her clear communication and people-first management style, helping technical teams collaborate across disciplines. Known for stepping into interim and transformation roles, she combines hands-on empathy with a track record of stabilizing and scaling engineering organisations.
11 years of coding experience
20 years of employment as a software developer
MA English, MA English at The University of Manchester