Background

Eugene is a digital health company focused on empowering consumers through access to personalised genetic information and healthcare services. By 2024, Eugene had reached a pivotal point in its growth journey. With strong traction in the consumer market, they were beginning to scale into new areas, marking a shift from startup operations into a more structured and complex growth environment.

With growth on the horizon, Eugene’s leadership team recognised that scaling their impact would require strengthening technical leadership, maturing their platforms operational posture, and proactively addressing SOC2 compliance in order to meet the expectations of enterprise partners.

The Challenge

As Eugene planned its next phase in 2025, the executive team was clear about what was required:

• Evolving from a direct-to-consumer model to a hybrid approach incorporating strategic B2B partnerships
• Managing a smooth leadership transition, including the onboarding of a new Head of Engineering with minimal disruption to day-to-day operations.
• Aligning infrastructure and delivery processes with long-term growth and compliance goals
• Laying the groundwork for upcoming milestones such as SOC 2, in anticipation of enterprise partnerships

   

• Ensuring internal teams had the right capabilities and support to maintain delivery momentum throughout the transition

The Solution

To help execute this vision, Eugene engaged Emanda through a multi-disciplinary advisory model, bringing in external leadership expertise to support the business through this transition.

Services included vCTO-level support, platform and delivery review, technical hiring support, and early-stage compliance remediation.

Discovery & Assessment Phase

The engagement began with a strategic technology assessment to ensure all decisions were grounded in a shared understanding of the current state and future requirements.

This included:

• Collaborative sessions with outgoing and incoming engineering leaders, cross-functional team members, and executive stakeholders
• An review of core infrastructure, architecture, product development workflows, and roadmap alignment
• A light-touch evaluation of development pipelines and security posture, framed in anticipation of SOC 2 requirements

This resulted in the delivery of a “Tech Snapshot”, a strategic document that gave:

• Visibility into platform strengths and opportunities
• Insight into risks and transition considerations
• A prioritised roadmap for remediation and optimisation
• Input into future hiring and structural decisions

Talent Advisory & Role Definition

Eugene’s leadership didn’t just want to hire a replacement, they wanted to elevate the role. Working together, we redefined the Head of Engineering position to align with their strategic:

We:

• Mapped business priorities to engineering leadership traits
• Developed a profile that balanced technical depth, growth mindset, and cross-functional leadership
• Provided guidance to leadership on running an efficient and effective process

Onboarding & Transition Support

With a successful candidate secured, Eugene entered a critical two-week handover window. To ensure momentum wasn’t lost, Emanda provided hands-on support during the transition:

• Capturing institutional knowledge and handover items
• Supporting onboarding deliverables and technical decision-making
• Advisory to the new Head of Engineering to align them with the current state.

Post-Hire Support & Compliance Prep

The engagement extended beyond the handover period, with Emanda continuing to serve as a key advisor:

• Delivering a scoped backlog of technical improvements tied to SOC 2 readiness
• Providing ongoing guidance to the new Head of Engineering in alignment with business growth goals.

Strategic Leadership Hire

Eugene secured a Head of Engineering with the skills, mindset, and leadership capability to drive their next chapter of growth.

Clarity & Confidence

Leadership gained a clear understanding of their technical foundation and how to evolve it to meet future requirements.

Proactive Compliance Pathway

Eugene began early-stage work ahead of SOC 2, setting a strong precedent for security and enterprise readiness.

Continuity Without Disruption

The transition between engineering leaders occurred seamlessly, with minimal impact on delivery velocity or team cohesion.

Actionable Roadmap

With a prioritised plan in hand, Eugene could act quickly on critical improvements and scale its platform and team in sync with business goals.

Conclusion

Eugene’s collaboration with Emanda was about more than plugging a leadership gap, it was a proactive, strategic move to prepare for growth. At a critical inflection point, the team chose to invest in capability, clarity, and continuity.

The outcome: a revitalised technology team, a clear path to compliance, and the confidence to pursue new partnerships with speed and credibility.

Today, Eugene stands well-positioned to scale its impact, with a strong technical foundation, thoughtful leadership, and a trusted partner in Emanda.