Alexandre Saad

Software Engineer · Open Source Contributor · Founder of BikeCalc
London, UK · Email · GitHub · LinkedIn

Summary

Software engineer specialising in Swift and Apple platforms, with a professional background in graphic design. My work spans iOS applications, backend services, data persistence, reusable libraries, and developer tooling, alongside interface design and product development. At Global Relay, I build iOS features and contribute to the shared design system; previously, I worked on application architecture and modernisation at Artlogic. As the founder of BikeCalc, I own the product’s design and development across iOS, web, and server-side Swift, and maintain the open-source Swift Measures and Swift Numerics Extended packages on GitHub.

Technical Skills

• iOS: Swift · SwiftUI · Swift Concurrency · TCA · Swift Charts · StoreKit · Widgets · App Intents
• Backend: Server-Side Swift · Vapor · Fluent · REST APIs · OpenAPI
• Data: GRDB · Realm · PostgreSQL · SQL
• Web: TypeScript · Leaf · Tailwind CSS
• Testing: Swift Testing · XCTest · Snapshot Testing · TDD
• Tooling: Xcode · Swift Package Manager · Swift Plugins · Swift Macros · DocC · Scripting · CI/CD · Git · Docker · Heroku
• Design: UI/UX · Design Systems · Typography · Iconography · SF Symbols · Adobe Illustrator · InDesign · Photoshop

Engineering Experience

Software Engineer · Global Relay · London, UK · Jun 2025 – Present

Global Relay is the leading provider of cloud archiving, information governance, surveillance, and messaging solutions to the global finance sector and other highly regulated industries. Global Relay helps organizations connect data, collaborate effectively, and discover insight - all powered by AI. Global Relay has 20,000+ customers in 90 countries, including 22 of the top 25 global banks.

• Developing a new iOS mail client and advanced archive search experience as part of a wider iOS engineering team, using Swift, SwiftUI, and The Composable Architecture (TCA) within a highly modularised codebase.
• Designed and implemented the mail client’s local persistence layer using GRDB, supporting drafts, outbox items, attachments and other locally persisted data.
• Collaborating on a local-first architecture that synchronises application data between remote services and on-device storage.
• Building and iterating on complex SwiftUI interfaces using Liquid Glass.
• Contributing to LunarKit, Global Relay’s shared iOS design system, and serving on its Dev Committee, reviewing contributions from engineers and collaborating closely with designers.
• Working within a security-sensitive and highly regulated environment where data protection, reliability, and stability are core engineering requirements, including secure on-device storage and encryption of sensitive application data.

Founder & Software Engineer · BikeCalc · London, UK · Apr 2022 – Present

• Independently owning product design and development across BikeCalc’s iOS application, website, backend, API, and supporting Swift libraries; the website attracted over 300,000 unique visitors in 2024.
• Acquired a competing cycling website and integrated it with the original iOS product to create BikeCalc.
• Built the SwiftUI application, including interactive drivetrain animations and data visualisations using Swift Charts, vectors, and trigonometry.
• Developing a Vapor backend with PostgreSQL and Fluent, relational data models, database transactions, and a documented REST API.
• Built a reusable Swift SDK with asynchronous HTTP requests, typed response decoding, error handling, and an injectable networking session.
• Developed the website using server-side Swift, Vapor, and Leaf, with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS.
• Consolidating BikeCalc’s apps, services, and shared Swift packages into a monorepo, with a focus on dependency injection, automated testing, and documentation.

Software Engineer · Artlogic · London, UK · Aug 2022 – Dec 2024

• Developed and maintained Artlogic’s production iOS and iPadOS application.
• Designed and implemented the application’s local persistence layer using Realm, including abstractions and controllers for accessing stored data.
• Built the client-side API layer for communicating with remote services, including request and response models.
• Built a background download system for large media and document files using Swift Concurrency, and optimised media delivery to reduce transfer costs, download times, and storage.
• Modernised legacy asynchronous code from Grand Central Dispatch to Swift Concurrency, improving reliability and reducing crashes and incidents.
• Modularised the application using MVVM, dependency injection, and reusable, independently testable modules.
• Migrated parts of the application from UIKit to SwiftUI and implemented CI/CD workflows to improve development and release processes.
• Authored RFCs for significant technical changes and collaborated closely with product and design throughout implementation.

Open Source & Projects

• Open Source Developer · github.com/alexandrehsaad · Jun 2021 – Present
  • Swift Numerics Extended: Maintaining a Swift package providing composable numeric protocols, standard numeric type extensions, and experimental numeric types.
  • Swift Measures: Maintaining a Swift package for strongly typed measurements, unit conversion, and dimensional composition, with extensible APIs for defining domain-specific units.
• Indie Developer · DeQuatre Calculator · Jul 2019 – Dec 2020
  • Designed and developed a measurement calculator while independently learning Swift and SwiftUI, exploring iPhone, iPad, and Mac interfaces through Mac Catalyst. Parts of its underlying code later evolved into Swift Measures and Swift Numerics Extended.

Design & Management Experience

• Centre Manager · KallKwik Kensington · London, UK · Oct 2017 – Sep 2018
  • Managed day-to-day operations of a print and design centre, coordinating staff, suppliers, production schedules, and quality control.
  • Managed client relationships and coordinated delivery of design and print work.
• Graphic Designer / Assistant Manager · Yellow Print · London, UK · Oct 2016 – Sep 2017
• Graphic Designer · Hot off the Press · London, UK · May 2015 – Oct 2016
• Graphic Design Internships · UKIFF, Padawan Group, Orchid Partners Limited, True Nature Foundation · London, UK · Various placements, Jan 2014 – Jan 2015
• Graphic Design Projects · SomewhereTo · London, UK · Apr 2012 – Oct 2013

Education

• iOS Development · Apple Developer Academy · Naples, Italy · Sep 2021 – Jun 2022
  • Completed a challenge-based programme combining software development, app design, and entrepreneurship.
• Graphic Design · University of the Arts London · London, UK · Sep 2012 – Jun 2013
• Student · Pimlico Academy · London, UK · Sep 2010 – Jul 2012
• Student · Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle de Londres · London, UK · Sep 1998 – Jun 2010

Awards & Certifications

• WWDC22 Swift Student Challenge Winner · Apple · May 2022
  • Won with Derailleur, a bicycle drivetrain calculator that later evolved into BikeCalc.
• Adobe Illustrator Certified Associate · Adobe · Jun 2018
• Adobe InDesign Certified Associate · Adobe · May 2018
• Adobe Photoshop Certified Associate · Adobe · Apr 2018
• Awarded the Certificate of Merit for Achievement in Art · Pimlico Academy · Jul 2011

Languages

• English: Native proficiency
• French: Native proficiency

Interests

Cycling, marathon running, kitesurfing, paragliding, scuba diving, and skiing. I enjoy exploring outdoors, developing technical skills, and taking photographs along the way.