TheServerKid
I’m Meelan Lakhoo, full stack consultant, systems thinker, and engineer of ideas at scale. This is the story so far.
Timeline
~2000s - 2013
Curiosity as Instinct
I was the kid who could not leave computers alone. That obsession with how things work never went away. I didn’t just use software, I deconstructed it, rebuilt it, and imagined what could be better.
2014 - 2017
Engineering the Foundations
At the University of Witwatersrand, I pursued a BSc in Computer Science (Applied Computing) and followed it with Honours in Big Data Analytics. It was practical, intensive, and perfectly aligned with how I learn: through building. Every project and paper strengthened my conviction, this industry rewards the curious.
2016 - 2024
Building Through Consulting
I founded Katakwe while still at university, an independent vehicle for consulting engagements that ranged from startups to large enterprises. For nearly a decade, I embedded into client teams, solving problems across the stack. Each role sharpened my technical edge and expanded my architectural perspective.
ABSA Bank (Data Analyst) – Feb 2018 to Mar 2020
Designed purchasing intelligence systems using SAS, PySpark, Hive, and Oracle. Learned how enterprise data really moves.
VATGlobal (Senior DevOps Engineer) – Mar 2021 to Jun 2022
Architected secure AWS EKS environments with Cloudflare Access, Prometheus, and Grafana. Focused on observability and Zero Trust.
Superb APS (Full Stack Software Engineer) – Jul 2022 to Aug 2023
Migrated a production Snowflake setup to an AWS S3 data lake using Argo Workflows, Athena, and DBT. Managed the full pipeline.
Vat Compliance (Lead Front End Engineer) – Sep 2023 to Dec 2024
Led a frontend rewrite on Next.js + TurboRepo. Introduced modular design systems and improved developer onboarding.
Planet42 (Data Engineer) – Dec 2024 to Present
Built state machines for real-time vehicle telemetry and predictive insights. Bridged the gap between raw signal data and decision intelligence.
2025 - Present
From Execution to Vision
As a Data Engineer at Monocle Solutions, I’ve been focused on shaping clearer data models and dependable pipelines, ensuring systems align with real-world behavior. Alongside this, I’m experimenting with how strongly typed definitions and declarative data flows could streamline how we evolve data systems at scale.