Meet Mikael Mansour
Curiosity, Optimizely expertise and a passion for what’s next
From building websites as a teenager to becoming an Optimizely Most Valuable Professional, curiosity has always driven Mikael’s passion for technology. Now joining Epinova as Tech Lead, he brings deep technical expertise and an eagerness to explore what AI will make possible next.
It all started with curiosity
My interest in IT started when I was a teenager. My brother spent a lot of his spare time developing websites and I became curious about what he was doing. Before long, I started experimenting myself, building simple websites in HTML, PHP and JavaScript.
The more I learned, the more interested I became. I loved the fact that you could take an idea and turn it into something real through code. That curiosity has stayed with me. I've always wanted to understand how things work, but perhaps even more importantly, how all the different pieces fit together.
My first job as a developer was at a startup in 2009. Since then, I've had the opportunity to work in different environments and roles, most recently at a large consultancy where I learned a lot. But eventually, I felt ready for something new.
Looking beyond the code
I'm a full-stack developer at heart, although backend is probably where my greatest passion and strength lie. I simply enjoy building modern, stable digital solutions.
As Tech Lead, though, I also need to step back from the code and look at the bigger picture. For me, it's about looking ahead, understanding what we're trying to achieve and finding the best way forward together with the team and the customer.
It's not only about solving today's challenges. It's also about making good decisions now that create the right conditions for what's coming next. And right now, there's quite a lot coming next.
Being part of the Optimizely community
I'm also an Optimizely Most Valuable Professional, OMVP, which is something I'm very proud of.
The OMVP community brings together people who have deep expertise in Optimizely and actively contribute their knowledge and experience to the wider ecosystem. For me, it's about learning from others as much as sharing what I know.
I originally became more involved because I wanted more talented people to discover the Optimizely ecosystem. I also felt that many potential customers didn't really know how broad the Optimizely product portfolio had become.
Being part of the community gives me another perspective on the technology I work with every day and an opportunity to exchange ideas with other people who are equally passionate about it.
Optimizely welcomed Mikael into its Summer 2025 OMVP cohort. The OMVP programme recognises people who contribute expertise to the Optimizely community and act as mentors within the ecosystem.
From scary to exciting: AI changes the game
My relationship with AI went from scary to exciting quite quickly. At first, it was scary because it was unfamiliar. But once the unknown started turning into possibilities, my perspective changed.
AI is challenging many of the ways we've been used to thinking and working. At the same time, it's opening doors to things we could hardly imagine before. That's what makes it so interesting.
I really enjoy diving into new technology and figuring out what it can actually do. With AI developing as quickly as it is, I think we need to stay curious, move fast and dare to experiment.
