About
I'm Svend Madsen. I help data teams in Denmark adopt AI and Cursor through coaching, pair context and agent engineering, and short embedded stints, including usage policies for Cursor and other AI tools. I also accelerate regular software teams with Cursor and raise data-team maturity with Git and a steady way to ship.
Behind that work sits 20+ years of data platforms in regulated and finance environments — Azure, SQL Server, Microsoft Fabric — the trust layer, not the headline offer. I deliver working solutions, not slide decks.
Context engineering & Cursor
For the last two years I have invested heavily in how modern teams write software with AI: curating prompts, repository and product context, tool choice, and review loops in environments like Cursor. The goal is shorter lead times from idea to running code, and changes that remain understandable, testable, and portable when the model is no longer in the loop.
I apply the same standards I learned in regulated and data-heavy settings: small, reviewable steps; explicit assumptions; and honesty about where automation helps versus where human judgment is non-negotiable.
Data engineering & platforms
I work with Azure, SQL Server, and Microsoft Fabric — designing ETL/ELT flows, curated data layers, and operational patterns that scale with your organisation. I'm equally comfortable debugging a stubborn pipeline as I am sketching a target architecture for the next stage of growth.
Ellab
At Ellab I worked as Data Engineer on a financial data platform and financial BI with Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Factory, Microsoft SQL, Jira, and Cursor / AI-assisted workflows.
Independent freelance
From 2019 to March 2024 I worked as an independent freelance consultant on an insurance data warehouse supporting attorney-general bankruptcies of Alpha, Qudos, and Gefion Insurance. Stack: MSSQL, SSIS, Python, C#, Tableau, BitBucket.
PenSam
Data Engineer, March–June 2024.
Danmarks Nationalbank
Head of Application Development (September 2016–February 2017) — 13 FTE and 19 consultants across 5 Scrum/Kanban teams; product and MSSQL development. From August 2012 to August 2016 I was Product Manager and Team Lead for the Danish Central Bank RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement). That work included project management, Scrum/Kanban, risk management, compliance, and supplier management to keep a secure, stable system.
From August 2007 to August 2012 I was Microsoft SQL Developer, Scrum Master and Team Lead — a SQL Server developer on statistical software using Microsoft database technologies. I facilitated start-up of several Scrum teams, did Lean events in the department of statistics, and was also project manager for several projects.
Startup experience
I also spent part of my journey in the startup world with MobilCash — moving fast, wearing multiple hats, and learning how product constraints and technical debt interact when you're building from zero.
Education
I hold an MSc in Engineering from DTU (Technical University of Denmark), which underpins a structured approach to problem-solving and systems thinking.
Personal
Outside client work I enjoy 3D printing and tinkering with Arduino — personal side projects, not part of my commercial offering. Family time and staying curious about tools and methods keep me grounded and constantly learning.