Hi, I'm Michiel.
Data leader, engineer and designer. I write to share what helped me grow, so you can grow too.
Why leichim.com?
It's my name, backwards. Read Michiel from right to left and you get leihcim. Keep the "ch" the right way round and you have leichim, my nickname and handle for years.
What I do
I'm Chief Data Officer at Sevi, a regulated fintech financing stock for Kenyan retailers. I own how data becomes product and credit decisions, and how those decisions stay explainable, fair and auditable.
- ML & credit risk. Products and pipelines, end to end.
- Governance. Explainability, bias monitoring and audit trails.
- Teams. Hiring, rhythm, retrospectives and mentoring.
I also founded CreativeSolvers and Make it WorkPress.
How I got here
- Industrial design
- UX
- Web development
- Product
- Software engineering
- Machine learning
- Credit risk
- Data leadership
It began with a master's in Strategic Product Design at TU Delft. From there I joined an internet agency, where I learned the craft of development by building real products for real clients. Once I had the craft, I started my own agency.
A few years of running projects end to end pulled me deeper into the technology itself: first full-stack engineering, then machine learning. That path led to Sevi, where I now lead data, ML and credit risk.
My strength is connecting data, engineering, design and people, the things that usually sit apart. From field research with farmers in West Bengal to NGO platforms and credit systems for Kenyan SMEs, one lesson stuck: the hardest part is rarely the technology.
What drives me
What I do matters less than who I am. I'm a child of God and live by His grace, and to me that brings fullness to life.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, bringing forth its fruit in its season.
I believe in profit measured in people and growth, in being a blessing, and in people as the real drivers of any organisation.
Beyond work
80+ courses in AI, ML, engineering and strategy so far. Drawn to financial inclusion across Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Learning Arabic and Turkish, singing, playing guitar and drums, and doing calisthenics.
My wife is a wonderful graphic designer. See her work.