Hi — I'm Arno. I lead engineering for the Digital Shop at Albert Heijn (AH Tech). I build high-performing teams, shape developer experience, and help product teams deliver ambitious digital experiences at scale.
I was part of the founding and organizing team behind AI4Devs, working alongside Jonathan Vila and a small group to curate the program, coordinate speakers, and design practical, hands‑on sessions for the inaugural Amsterdam edition (Sept 2025).
What I care about:
- People-first engineering leadership: coaching, hiring, and growing teams that ship reliable software.
- Developer productivity: better tools, workflows, and API design so engineers spend more time creating and less time fighting friction.
- JVM ecosystem & Cloud: Kotlin-first engineering, pragmatic use of Java, Spring Boot, and modern cloud platforms.
- Practical AI for developers: experimenting with agentic coding patterns and integrating helpful AI to augment engineer workflows.
I believe "10x developers" isn't about magic — it's about focus, joy, and the right environment. When people have clear goals, fewer distractions, and space to learn, they ship better and enjoy work more. As a manager I prioritise removing friction, protecting focused time, and creating psychological safety so teams can do their best work.
Kotlin
Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP)
Android
Java
Spring Boot
Cloud & Platform
- Proof of concept for Schiphol — mobile/cloud integration and prototyping (POC)
- Part of the team that built the first Android KLM app (2010–2013) — early mobile product experience
- Lead the Engineering team for the Digital Shop at Albert Heijn — shipping features, improving reliability, and scaling systems.
- Coach engineers and tech leads, run hiring cycles, and drive technical roadmaps.
- Prototype and evaluate AI tools that improve developer productivity and code quality.
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Cloud — slide deck: https://speakerdeck.com/arnokoehler/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-cloud
- VodafoneZiggo — Intro to Kubernetes for Frontend Engineers (101): a condensed, non‑intimidating 101 aimed at frontend engineers who needed an approachable intro to Kubernetes. This session was requested after my article on container orchestration for JVM teams (link below). LinkedIn post about the talk: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/arnokoehler_ik-mocht-weer-eens-professional-praatjesmaker-activity-7316363082774048768-C6P-/?originalSubdomain=nl
- Article on container orchestration & JVM teams: https://techhub.iodigital.com/articles/google-days/io-digitals-java-team-adventure-in-container-orchestration
- Be(come) the lead dev — speaker slides & notes: https://speakerdeck.com/arnokoehler/how-to-be-come-the-lead-dev-on-your-project
- Older: Rabobank Developer Day — contract testing with Spring (archived / older talk)
I like organising and co-organise recurring, hands-on meetups focused on developer craft, cloud, and practical AI. Recent and recurring activities include:
- Coven of Wisdom — Utrecht (multiple editions): real-life coding with AI, mastering event-driven architectures, migrating from Java to Kotlin, and going fast with Spring & JDK 21. https://www.meetup.com/coven-of-wisdom-utrecht/events/?type=past
- Coven of Wisdom — Amsterdam: community meetups and workshops. https://www.meetup.com/coven-of-wisdom-amsterdam/
- Leadership & community collaborations: organised a leadership meetup and ran co-operations with Amsterdam Java User Group and the Dutch Android community:
- Amsterdam Java User Group (co-op): https://www.meetup.com/nl-nl/amsterdam-java-user-group/events/303464105/?eventOrigin=group_events_list
- Dutch Android BBQ (GDG / Android community): https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-the-dutch-android-user-group-presents-dutch-android-bbq-io/
If you'd like to co-host a meetup or run a workshop together, drop me a line.
- Leadership conversations and mentorship
- Speaking at meetups and conferences
- Collaborations on developer tooling and AI-for-devs experiments
- Email: arno.koehler@ah.nl
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnokoehler/
- X: https://x.com/arnokoehler
When I'm not building teams or prototypes I like running and CrossFit.