About Charles
Technology executive with 20 years of experience building, scaling, and fixing engineering organizations.
What I do best: stepping into complex situations — post-acquisition chaos, underperforming teams, technical debt crises — and getting things back on track. I've restructured engineering organizations after M&A, led turnarounds for struggling product teams, and shipped platforms serving thousands of users.
My background: I've been a co-founder (VOD platform), a freelance CTO, and currently SVP Technology at a digital health company where I integrated three acquired tech entities and lead a cross-functional team (Product, Engineering, QA/RA) with a multi-million euro budget. I stay hands-on: I still own architecture decisions, review database designs, and can dive into the code when needed.
How I can help you:
→ Turnaround: Your engineering team is struggling, delivery is late, morale is low. I diagnose, restructure, and get things moving again.
→ Technical audit: Code quality, architecture, team organization, technical debt — I give you a clear picture and actionable recommendations.
→ M&A due diligence: You're acquiring a tech company and need to assess what you're buying. I evaluate the tech, the team, and the risks.
→ Interim CTO: You need senior technical leadership now, not in 6 months. I step in, stabilize, and set you up for the next phase.
→ Pre-fundraising: You're preparing a raise and need your tech story straight. I help you structure and present your technical assets.
Industries: Digital Health, MedTech, Media/VOD, SaaS B2B — but I adapt quickly to any tech environment.
Based in France, working remotely with on-site availability as needed.
French
Native or bilingual
English
Fluent
German
Basic
Remote only
Primarily works remotely
Experience
- Alira HealthSenior Vice President of TechnologyPHARMACEUTICALS INDUSTRYDecember 2021 - Today (4 years and 6 months)Paris, FranceLeading Technology (Product, Engineering, QA/RA) for Alira Health's digital therapeutics division, managing a cross-functional team and multi-million euro operational budget.Joined through the acquisition of bepatient and took on increasing responsibility as the company consolidated three acquired software companies into a unified engineering organization.Key achievements:Led the post-acquisition integration of three technology entities (bepatient, Patchai, Selfcare Catalyst), restructuring the combined teams from 50+ to a focused organization aligned with business priorities.Secured a landmark 5-year contract with Institut Gustave Roussy for their Interception program — a pioneering personalized cancer prevention initiative targeting 20,000 patients by 2027.Driving the development of SpherePX, our patient journey management platform (ePRO), through Medical Device Class IIa certification.Remain hands-on technically: leading architecture decisions, database design reviews, performance monitoring, and directly challenging engineering choices — still a Django expert who can dive into the code.Building and retaining a high-performing team through organizational turbulence, balancing delivery excellence with cost optimization in a challenging market.Leading a fully distributed team across multiple locations, with processes optimized for async collaboration and remote-first culture — building on 13 years of personal remote work experience.—Tech: Django, Python, PostgreSQL, REST APIs, AWS, React Native, Next.js, Docker, KubernetesDomain: Digital Health, ePRO, Medical Device, SaaS B2BScope: Engineering Leadership, Product Strategy, M&A Integration, Team Restructuring, Budget Management, Regulatory (GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 13485)
- BePATIENTProduct & Engineering DirectorSOFTWARE PUBLISHINGFebruary 2021 - November 2021 (9 months)Recruited as a consultant to restructure R&D operations for this ePRO platform company, then hired as Product & Engineering Director to lead the technical team through a critical growth phase.Key achievements:Restored a strained partnership with Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), getting delivery back on track through improved agile processes and team organization.Led the company to Medical Device Class IIa certification for the pharmaceutical partnership project.Initiated the platform architecture redesign that became the foundation for SpherePX post-acquisition.This turnaround directly contributed to Alira Health's decision to acquire bepatient.—Tech: Django, Python, PostgreSQLDomain: Digital Health, ePRO, Pharmaceutical, Medical DeviceScope: R&D Management, Agile Transformation, Turnaround, Stakeholder Management, Certification Class IIa
- Self-EmployedFreelance CTO & Technical AdvisorSOFTWARE PUBLISHINGMay 2018 - January 2021 (2 years and 8 months)Biarritz, FranceIndependent consulting for startups and scale-ups, providing technical leadership, architecture audits, and hands-on development.Developed a complete video marketing platform (web, mobile, backend) for a B2B2C startup over 2 years.Conducted technical audits and advisory missions for early-stage startups, helping founders make strategic technology decisions.Short-term engagements including debugging and architecture review for PwC.—Tech: Python, Django, React Native, Node.js, PostgreSQLDomain: SaaS, B2B2C, Video/MarketingScope: Technical Consulting, Architecture Audit, Full-Stack Development, Startup Advisory
Reviews
Recommendations
Be the first to recommend Charles
Help this freelancer shine by sharing your experience working together.
These freelancer profiles also match your criteria
Agatha Frydrych
Backend Java Software Engineer
4.7
(3)
2
Baptiste Duhen
Fullstack developer
4.6
(4)
5
Amed Hamou
Senior Lead Developer
4
(2)
7
Audrey Champion
Web developer
4.3
(3)
4
Education
- Diplôme d'ingénieur en informatiqueISIMA2004Double-compétence hardware/software