Rob Thiessen

Rob ThiessenRob ThiessenRob Thiessen

Rob Thiessen

Rob ThiessenRob ThiessenRob Thiessen

Scaling commerce through engineering strategy, execution, and leadership.

Scaling commerce through engineering strategy, execution, and leadership.Scaling commerce through engineering strategy, execution, and leadership.Scaling commerce through engineering strategy, execution, and leadership.

Scaling commerce through engineering strategy, execution, and leadership.

Scaling commerce through engineering strategy, execution, and leadership.Scaling commerce through engineering strategy, execution, and leadership.Scaling commerce through engineering strategy, execution, and leadership.

ENGINEERING LEADER SCALING COMMERCE PLATFORMS, AI STRATEGY, AND HIGH-PERFORMING TEAMS FOR GLOBAL CONSUMER BRANDS.

With 20+ years of experience leading technology organizations across retail and hyper-growth DTC, I focus on scaling commerce platforms, building high-performing teams, and applying AI to accelerate business impact. As a member of the AI Steering Committee and Board at SKIMS, I help guide technology strategy, innovation, and execution at scale. Known for modernizing commerce ecosystems, strengthening engineering culture, and delivering high-traffic, high-impact digital experiences.

What I Do

Engineering Leadership & Org Scale

Commerce Platform & Architecture Modernization

Commerce Platform & Architecture Modernization

I build and lead high-performing engineering organizations across frontend, backend, mobile, platform, QA, and AI-enabled delivery. My focus is on establishing strong technical leadership layers, clear ownership models, and operating rhythms that help teams move faster without compromising quality. As an AI Steering Committee board member, I advocate for using AI to accelerate engineering velocity, onboarding, decision-making, and execution — not to replace the judgment, creativity, or accountability of high-performing teams.

Commerce Platform & Architecture Modernization

Commerce Platform & Architecture Modernization

Commerce Platform & Architecture Modernization

I lead large-scale commerce transformations across headless architectures, Shopify/Hydrogen ecosystems, mobile applications, and enterprise integrations. My work emphasizes scalability, performance, extensibility, and long-term platform health. I also help define how AI can be responsibly embedded into commerce platforms to accelerate personalization, search, merchandising, support, and operational intelligence while keeping the customer experience and brand standards at the center.

High-Traffic Operations & Launch Readiness

High-Traffic Operations & Launch Readiness

High-Traffic Operations & Launch Readiness

I’ve led engineering through some of the most demanding moments in commerce, including major product drops, global campaigns, and celebrity-driven traffic surges. I prioritize performance engineering, observability, incident readiness, and release governance. My approach uses data-driven practices and AI-supported monitoring, QA, and launch preparation to accelerate response time, improve reliability, and reduce operational risk under peak demand.

Executive Partnership & Business Alignment

High-Traffic Operations & Launch Readiness

High-Traffic Operations & Launch Readiness

I partner closely with CEOs, CTOs, CPOs, creative leaders, operations teams, and cross-functional executives to align engineering strategy with business outcomes. As part of AI steering and governance, I help organizations evaluate where AI can create measurable leverage, improve execution, and unlock new capabilities without replacing the people, taste, and leadership judgment that drive great consumer brands. I translate complex technical decisions into clear business impact and help engineering organizations mature as they scale.

TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP SCALING CATEGORY-DEFINING COMMERCE BRANDS THROUGH ENGINEERING, AI, AND HIGH-PERFORMING TEAMS

SKIMS - VP of Engineering

At SKIMS, I helped scale the commerce platform behind the brand’s rise to a $5B global valuation, strengthening performance, reliability, and launch readiness for major product drops, global traffic spikes, and continued growth. My work helped create a flexible foundation that enabled faster execution, stronger customer experiences, and category-defining scale.

Partnered with Product, Strategy, and Design to lead the brand’s first Shopify storefront as part of a major rebuild and rebrand. On the agency side, I guided platform and architecture decisions for a top Shopify brand, delivering the scale, performance, and reliability needed for rapid growth, faster iteration, and long-term success.

At SPANX, I helped modernize the brand’s Shopify commerce systems on the agency side, supporting global scale, performance, and sustained growth. Partnering with cross-functional teams, I guided platform architecture, improved reliability, and enabled faster iteration across markets and product lines, creating a resilient, future-ready commerce foundation.

At Lanvin, I worked on the agency side to guide the brand’s move to Shopify while also delivering a new ERP implementation to support global commerce operations. In close partnership with brand stakeholders, I helped align digital storefronts with backend systems, enabling more accurate inventory, streamlined fulfillment, and improved operational control. This work established a cohesive commerce 

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For Oura, I helped drive the development of core internal capabilities from the ground up, working closely with senior leadership to refine the product and support business growth. I also played a key role in securing and onboarding Oura Ring as a large-scale client engagement, representing $3M in sales and establishing a foundation for long-term partnership.

At Sergio Rossi, I worked on the agency side to advance the brand’s digital commerce capabilities for a global luxury footwear audience. I partnered closely with brand stakeholders to enhance the online experience, modernize commerce workflows, and support performance and scalability without compromising the brand’s heritage or visual standards. The result was a more refined, resilient digital pla

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EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE

Vice President of Engineering | SKIMS

Aug 2023 - Current

Lead engineering across web, mobile, QA, and commerce platform teams for a high-growth global consumer brand, overseeing internal teams, vendors, and contractors across multiple time zones.

  • Lead cross-functional engineering teams across Web, Flutter mobile, QA, and Shopify commerce platforms 
  • Serve as a bridge between Technology, Product, Design, and Marketing to align roadmaps, technical decisions, launch priorities, risks, and escalations 
  • Modernized the commerce platform through Shopify Hydrogen 1 / 2, strengthening scalability, performance, and long-term platform flexibility 
  • Led the Flutter application release and improved mobile delivery execution 
  • Reduced agency dependency by building a dedicated internal engineering team with clearer ownership, stronger delivery accountability, and deeper platform knowledge 
  • Managed engineering staffing, vendor relationships, and software budgets across internal and external teams 
  • Strengthened incident management, launch readiness, and production support for high-traffic product drops and campaign moments 
  • Member of the AI Steering Committee / AI Governance Board, helping guide responsible AI adoption to accelerate engineering execution, operational insight, and team productivity without replacing human judgment or ownership

Director of Technology - Accenture (Retail & DTC Practice)

Nov 2021 - Aug 2023 

Senior technical leader supporting 30+ enterprise retail and DTC brands.

  • Led headless commerce transformations and platform modernization initiatives
  • Defined technical strategy for premium global brands across fashion, beauty, and consumer goods
  • Unified engineering teams post-acquisition and established consistent delivery standards
  • Served as senior escalation point for architecture decisions, launches, and platform stability

Director of Engineering - Noticed

 Apr 2019 – Nov 2021

Owned engineering execution and architecture for high-growth DTC brands.

  • Delivered full headless commerce rebuilds
  • Established engineering processes for QA, release management, and agile delivery
  • Improved performance, stability, and conversion across digital storefronts

Technical Director - Shopistry

 Aug 2019 – Apr 2021 

Founding engineering leader for a modular front-end commerce platform.

  • Co-architected a flexible, extensible frontend system for enterprise DTC brands
  • Helped secure and onboard major clients, including Oura Ring
  • Built early engineering culture, tooling, and operating practices 

Founder & Principle Engineer | Rob2

 2016 – 2019 

Independent application development consultancy.

  • Designed and built custom commerce systems, applications, and integrations
  • Worked directly with enterprise clients including 7-Eleven, Bombardier, and Scotiabank
  • Embedded with cross-functional teams to deliver tailored, high-impact solutions

Technical Director & Lead Engineer | Various Agencies

2007 – 2016
Led engineering delivery for BMW, MINI, Kia, and other enterprise clients. Managed teams, SDLC governance, integrations, and security.

CORE CAPABILITIES

Technology & Org Leadership

Digital Commerce Architecture

Digital Commerce Architecture

  •  Multi-year Technology Roadmapping
  •  Engineering Leadership (FE, BE, Mobile, Platform, SRE, QA)
  •  High-growth Org Scaling & Talent Development
  • Agile Delivery, PMO, Cross-functional Alignment 

Digital Commerce Architecture

Digital Commerce Architecture

Digital Commerce Architecture

  •   Shopify Plus, Hydrogen, Headless
  • Mobile App Systems (Flutter / Hybrid)
  • Site Performance, Caching, Traffic Scaling
  • API Architecture & Integration Strategy

Retail & Enterprise Systems

Digital Commerce Architecture

Retail & Enterprise Systems

  

  •  ERP, POS, OMS, CRM, WMS, Loyalty
  • Cloud Infrastructure (AWS, GCP)
  • Enterprise Security, Data Governance
  • Vendor, Platform & Contract Management

AI works best when it quietly strengthens teams and platforms - helping organizations scale with clarity, speed, and confidence.

Let’s Connect

If you’re building or scaling a high-growth retail or DTC brand and thinking about engineering leadership, platform modernization, or organizational maturity, I’m always open to a thoughtful, confidential conversation.

Get in touch!

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