Summary
Michelle Sandford is a Developer Engagement Lead at Microsoft ANZ with nine years in developer advocacy and a long history in global service delivery and customer success. She blends deep technical curiosity—MSc in AI and active Python/open-source interests—with a talent for storytelling as a frequent keynote and TEDx speaker who presents at ~50 events a year. At Microsoft she focuses on enabling developer communities across data science, DevOps, front- and back-end, startups and students, turning product awareness into measurable adoption. A seasoned board member and founder of TechOutsiders, she champions diversity and visibility for non‑traditional tech talent across Australia. Her background managing large global delivery teams at IBM and enterprise accounts gives her rare credibility bridging engineering, operations and customer outcomes. Based in Perth, she combines academic AI training with practical community-building and a playful “thinks outside the Xbox” approach to tech influence.
9 years of coding experience
24 years of employment as a software developer
MSC, Computing Science - Artificial Intelligence, Masters (Post-Graduate Degree), MSC, Computing Science - Artificial Intelligence, Masters (Post-Graduate Degree) at Newcastle University
English Literature, Government & Politics, Mathematics and General Studies, English Literature, Government & Politics, Mathematics and General Studies at Wirral Grammar School for Girls
BA Hons, Philosophy, BA Hons, Philosophy at University of Durham
French