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Kai Niemi

@kainiemi

Staff Solutions Engineer at Cockroach Labs, improving distributed SQL performance and shaping multi-region database capabilities.

Sweden

Message

At Cockroach Labs, I work with engineering and product teams on distributed database architecture, performance, and enterprise adoption. I investigate distributed SQL performance issues and develop Java/Spring Boot reference implementations for distributed transactions and failure handling.

At Kindred Group, I modernized the financial ledger as a pilot for a multi-active architecture and established engineering standards across teams and microservices. I also co-authored the SIGMOD 2020 paper on CockroachDB.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Staff Solutions Engineer, EMEA

Current

Cockroach Labs

Aug 2019 - Present (7 years 2 months)

Investigated and resolved distributed SQL performance issues through query optimization, execution plan analysis, schema design, and geographic data placement. Developed Java/Spring Boot reference implementations for distributed transactions and failure handling, and led technical evaluations for enterprise opportunities exceeding $1M in total contract value.

Distributed Databases Query Optimization Execution Plan Analysis Schema Design Geographic Data Placement Java Spring Boot Distributed Transactions Failure Handling Multi Region Change Data Capture Technical Evaluation

Enterprise Architect

Kindred Group

Oct 2011 - Aug 2019 (7 years 10 months)

Modernized the financial ledger as the pilot for the platform's multi-active architecture, validating transactional consistency and failover for millions of player accounts. Established architectural direction for transforming a global transactional platform from single-site deployment to active operation across multiple data centers, and defined engineering standards across 10+ teams and 200+ mic

Multi Active Architecture Transaction Consistency Failover Distributed Systems Architecture Engineering standards Reference Patterns Databases Messaging APIs Infrastructure Scalability Resilience Regulatory Compliance

Senior Software Developer / Architect

Paxport

Jan 2009 - Sep 2011 (2 years 8 months)

Designed and developed Java services for a high-volume travel platform using service-oriented and event-driven architecture. Established REST API standards for external integrations and improved delivery through build and deployment automation.

Java Service Oriented Architecture Event Driven Architecture REST APIs Build Automation Deployment Automation

Tech Lead / Application Architect

Bwin Games

Oct 2007 - Jan 2009 (1 year 3 months)

Led the technical evolution of a high-volume financial accounting platform handling real-money transactions for millions of players. Decoupled core accounting from application-specific functionality through reusable APIs and clear service boundaries, and designed high-performance Java/JVM components supporting concurrent real-money transactions with strong consistency guarantees.