Patrick Kua

Founder of the Tech Lead Academy

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Patrick Kua

Founder of the Tech Lead Academy

#leadership

#software architecture

Patrick Kua is a seasoned technology leader with more than 20 years of experience. He is a keynote speaker, author, former CTO and Chief Scientist at N26 and former Technical Principal Consultant at ThoughtWorks. He is particularly passionate about scaling the next generation of technical leaders and organisations. You will find him currently living in Berlin, working with companies and people all over the world to tackle scaling challenges – in all aspects technical, human and organisational.

He runs the popular newsletter for leaders in tech, Level Up, host of the Managing Managers podcast, provides online training at the Tech Lead Academy and can be found running some of his popular workshops like the Tech Lead Masterclass, Engineering Manager Essentials and Shortcut to Tech Leadership.

Topic focus: Leadership

Check out some of Patrick’s past talks:

GOTO Berlin 2018 - Interview with Patrick Kua about the Role of Tech Leads
GOTO Berlin 2018 - Talking with Tech Leads
GOTO Berlin 2017 - Building Evolutionary Architectures

A few of Patrick’s books:

Upcoming masterclasses featuring Patrick Kua

Technical Leadership Masterclass

The Technical Leadership Masterclass is an interactive workshop facilited by experienced technical leader Patrick Kua to help engineers grow into effective and confident technical leaders. Unlike general leadership programs, this course focuses specifically on the intersection of technical excellence and leadership impact, equipping participants with the mindset, frameworks, and practical tools to lead teams, guide technical direction, and deliver successful software outcomes. Through a blend of theory, discussion, and hands-on exercises, participants explore what truly defines effective technical leadership in modern tech organisations.

Tailored for engineers stepping into or refining their leadership roles, the course is ideal for Lead evelopers, Tech Leads, Engineering Managers, Staff Engineers, and Software Architects. It provides value both to those leading their first development team and to seasoned technical leaders seeking to deepen their practice. By connecting real-world experiences with structured learning, participants are encouraged to immediately apply insights to their own contexts and challenges.

Key topics include understanding the breadth and purpose of technical leadership roles, developing and communicating a technical vision, and managing cross-functional requirements. Participants will leave with practical frameworks, increased confidence, and a peer network of technical leaders committed to continuous learning and growth.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

Define the responsibilities and scope of technical leadership to clarify how the role adds value beyond coding and people management
Differentiate between technical and general leadership to understand the unique challenges of leading technical teams
Identify the difference between maker and multiplier mindset to ensure that a technical leader’s actions have a positive impact
Craft and communicate a Technical Vision to align teams around shared architectural direction and long-term goals
Identify and manage Cross-Functional Requirements (such as performance, security, and scalability) to ensure system quality and resilience

Target Audience

This workshop is designed for software engineers, technical leads, and engineering managers or senior individual contributors looking to take on technical leadership responsibilities.

Schedule

Topic

Introduction
Hopes & Concerns
Exploring Technical Leadership
Maker vs Multiplier
Leading People
Leading Tech

Tuesday Sep 29 @ 09:00 | Copenhagen, Denmark

Reserve your spot now

Communicate Like a CTO

In today’s fast-paced and cross-functional work environment, software engineers often need to explain complex technical concepts to colleagues and decisionmakers who don’t share the same technical background. The ability to translate technical work into business value is no longer a “nice to have” and now it’s a core skill.

This highly interactive workshop equips participants with practical tools, frameworks, and strategies to communicate clearly and persuasively with nontechnical stakeholders. Through a mix of short lessons, activities, and real-world examples, engineers will learn how to adapt their message for different audiences, structure information for clarity, and connect technical outcomes to business priorities such as time, money, and risk.

By the end of the day, participants will leave with a toolkit of reusable templates and techniques to improve collaboration, reduce misunderstandings, and influence decisions more effectively.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

Apply a repeatable 4-step communication framework to transform technical updates into business-friendly messages.
Adapt communication styles for different audiences, using persona-based thinking to tailor content and tone.
Translate technical work into business impact by framing it in terms of time saved, costs avoided, revenue gained, and risk mitigated.
Use the Pyramid Principle to deliver recommendations upfront to senior managers and support them with clear, concise reasoning.
Replace jargon with simple, relatable language that still preserves accuracy and credibility.

Target Audience

This workshop is designed for software engineers, technical leads, and engineering managers who regularly interact with less-technical stakeholders such as product managers, executives, marketing teams, or clients. It is especially valuable for those looking to strengthen their ability to convey complex technical concepts in clear, business-relevant terms, influence decision-making, and build stronger cross-functional relationships. Participants should have a basic understanding of their technical work, but no prior communication training is required.

Schedule

Topic

Introductions
Hopes and Concerns
Communication Fundamentals (How Communication Works & A
Communication Framework)
Understanding Your Audience
Business Language
Communicating to Executives with the Pyramid Principle
Simplifying Communication
Writing for Clarity
Hopes and Concern Recap
Wrap Up

Monday Sep 28 @ 09:00 | Copenhagen, Denmark

Reserve your spot now