Architecture and engineering for data platforms
Cognizon is the independent consultancy of Zian van Wijk. I work with organisations on their data platforms, on how they own and govern the data that runs on them, and on the foundations that make AI answers on that data trustworthy.
Available for new engagements from November 2026
Focus
Data platforms
Technical direction for the teams that build and run a data platform, from standards and design to migration. At Alliander that meant direction and standards for 13 teams re-implementing around 650 reports and their data flows on Snowflake, Matillion and PowerBI, without meaningful interruption to business-critical reporting.
Ownership and governance
I design the ownership model together with the technology. Examples: a library of 720 KPI definitions at Alliander, each with one formally owning team, and data mesh introduced at NN Investment Partners, with clear boundaries between domains.
Trustworthy AI on your data
A methodology for answering business questions from data with AI, in which reliability is behavioural: the agent draws only on sources of known quality, states how reliable its answer is, and declines when it cannot answer with confidence. It is paired with Knowledge Curation, an approach for keeping the knowledge those answers draw on in good order.
Approach
I work embedded in the client's own teams, usually for a year or more at a time. I design the technology and the way people work with it at the same time, and stay close enough to the implementation to be accountable for whether the result works.
Coming from a coding background, I understand the world of the software developer. Alongside architecture I have led engineering organisations as CTO and Director of Engineering, and advised executive teams on technology strategy.
Recent engagements
- 2024 to 2026
Alliander · Solution Architect
Technical direction for the 13 Agile teams that deliver Alliander's steering information. Redesigned the KPI Library and built its core, and set direction and standards for the platform migration.
- 2024
Genfin · Software Architect
Technology strategy for a growing South African fintech: reviewed systems and processes with the executive team and advised on building a sustainable IT capability of their own.
- 2022 to 2023
Rabobank · Solution Architect
Represented the bank's technical interests in the re-implementation of its insurance administration platform, with around 50 integrations into the existing landscape identified.
- 2020 to 2022
NN Investment Partners · Technical Lead / Solution Architect
Led the data engineering team behind a 20TB data warehouse used by around 15 data science and investment teams. Introduced data mesh and delivered the first data products.
- 2019 to 2020
Tikkie / ABN Amro · Senior Business Analyst
Automated onboarding and KYC for business customers, as the bridge between the technical teams and the business and compliance teams.
About
I am an architect and technical leader. Since 2008 I have led development and data teams, and before Cognizon I was Director of Engineering at Payability and Software Architect at Amplify in New York.
I have worked in financial services, including banking, insurance and asset management, and in the energy sector.
- TOGAF 9 Certified
- English native, Dutch fluent
- Based near The Hague