Software developers and engineering leaders said it better than I can.

"Marian was part of helping scale up our technical teams from 35 to 100 people during his time with Mews. One of his key successes was around creating visibility on engineering output and ensuring we were able to more effectively reach our goals."

"Marian helped me to stabilize and mature our engineering in Apify after a period of growth. In mentoring, we focused on many areas across product-engineering cooperation, career framework, team alignment, and agility. But mainly, he changed how I view my role and the role of the engineering department in the organization."

"I started working with Marian three months ago buried in the day-to-day of running engineering. Some of it was mechanics. How to build a quarterly roadmap that survives contact with the board. How to actually get budget approved instead of just asking for it. The real shift was longer-term. Not what's on fire this week, but what makes me valuable as a CTO regardless of where I work. That's a different kind of mentoring than fixing the immediate problem. Three months in, I'm calmer about the situation at hand and a lot clearer on what I actually bring to the table. That's rare from a mentor especially in such a short timeframe. Marian made me a leader worth following. And I'm eternally grateful for that!"

"Marian has been incredibly helpful in my professional development. In my conversations with him, he helped me transition from an operational role to a more strategic one. He not only showed me how to grow a team, but also emphasized the importance of understanding the "why" behind it. In each session, he provided me with practical tips and recommendations for tools and other valuable resources."

"Marian's wealth of experience was incredibly valuable to me. Marian has taught me to look beyond daily tasks and set long-term goals. This shift in perspective has greatly enhanced my planning and strategic thinking. Thanks to Marian, I was able to share my insights as a speaker at the Engineering Leaders meetup, an enriching experience in my career path."

"Marian was my mentor for 3 months and I've learned a lot from him — communication with my own team and stakeholders, managing improvement plans, hiring, and overall team stabilisation. Marian has experience from multiple scale-up companies, growing from 30 to 100+ people. What I appreciated a lot is directness and honesty in mentoring, challenging my own beliefs of what is possible and at the same time being very human oriented."

"I have been working with Marian for more than eight months. He helped me and my team with roadmap transparency. He taught us how to measure the right things with value, build the roadmap, and create the discovery, delivery, and adoption circle. And most importantly, have the satisfaction of creating real value. By learning from him, you can easily save your organization from many dead ends."

"I've spent about six months with Marian, and I was always looking forward to our sessions. They were extremely dense and, in the best possible way, often left me with a "good headache." The topics we discussed always sparked new ideas and deeply resonated with me. We covered a wide range of topics — from organizational structure and planning to agile processes and much more, both theoretical concepts and specific challenges we face at Whalebone. However, the most valuable outcome was the shift in my mindset — from being a Tech Leader/Architect to becoming an Engineering Leader. In other words, I transitioned from focusing on developing a product to building a system of product delivery and understanding my primary role within it. This is something I will always carry with me, no matter what my future role may be."

"I had the opportunity to work with Marian as my mentor for six months, and I truly value the experience. I appreciate his direct and personal approach. He was always able to quickly get to the heart of the matter while approaching topics with respect and understanding. One of the most eye-opening areas for me was the relationship between tech and product. Thanks to Marian, I now have a clearer understanding of what to expect from product, how to utilize the most from engineering capacity, and why a clear product strategy is so important. What I value most is that Marian doesn't just offer theoretical insights, he translates them into actionable and meaningful steps. At the same time, he always explains the "why" behind any topic, which I find crucial."

"I met Marian through his IT leadership courses, and they had a big impact on my career. Thanks to the content of his courses, I realized how important it is to choose a clear direction — whether to stay on the technical path or grow more in the management area. The courses helped me understand how to deliver real value to a company and how to evaluate key metrics that define successful teams. Marian's way of speaking is natural, clear, and human, which makes it easy to understand even complex ideas. What I appreciate most about Marian is that in just a few hours, he helped me shift my mindset and showed me where I can create the most value — both for myself and for the company."

"Marian has been mentoring me for a year and a half. What I appreciate the most is that no matter what topic I bring up, Marian always has practical and actionable advice. We've covered layoffs and hiring, performance reviews, communication with CxO levels, scaling and consistency. In my new role, after just four months, I had to let go of a significant number of people who were also my friends. Marian provided invaluable guidance on how to approach this difficult task. I was able to part ways with everyone on good terms."

"I started working with Marian just before our start-up, Manta, was acquired by IBM. Marian helped me during the 8-month integration period to navigate a completely new environment and focus on what's most important. We covered operational topics — how to communicate the integration timeline, how to ensure smooth transitions, how to have a clear roadmap. But we also discussed change management, decision-making, presenting successes, and communicating in critical situations."

"There is no other mentor like Marian. Each session, each talk we had was inspiring and full of practical recommendations. He helped me to switch thinking from what I want to do as an engineer to what actually helps the product and the team. I started applying his recommendations and not only did it start to bring value to the product, it feels so good."

"Marian mentored me over the past months as I was figuring out my next career step. He helped me with my vector, shape my story, and sharpen my elevator pitch. He thinks clearly about what kind of environment I actually want to work in. His feedback was always direct and specific, never generic, and every session gave me something I could apply right away. What I appreciated most is that Marian cares about long-term growth, the people you surround yourself with, and the circles you get into, and he actively opens his network to help you get there. I'd recommend him to any engineer navigating a career transition and moving toward leadership."

"Marian is an experienced and polished software architect with excellent communication and interpersonal skills. I had the fortunate opportunity of creating an engaging and productive working relationship with him soon after joining the company as CTO. The intersection of his technical background and his well-rounded nature allowed us to drive a higher level of strategic thinking across the engineering organization."

"Marian is a true professional with vast experience. I was pleased to work, learn, and discuss essential development matters such as SDLC, OKRs, and team management tactics with Marian at our 15+ sessions. I admire how Marian is organized and his passion for deep diving into different areas of expertise. I recommend Marian with complete trust."

"Marian's expert participation in the recent audit of our Core Banking in-house solution was invaluable. His work primarily focused on evaluating the scalability and performance of the system under peak usage scenarios and projected user growth. His analytical skills and understanding of system architecture enabled him to effectively assess the system's ability to handle the stringent demands of our monthly bank closure procedures combined with peak user access. His recommendations extended beyond technical solutions, offering strategic advice on improving the overall robustness of the system."

"Marian excels at taking the theoretical knowledge you can read about in books and putting it into practice in your field. I wanted to accelerate change within a few months, and he has done just that. We are a prime example of how internal development teams can bring new products and services to a traditional organisation and truly digitise the old-fashioned business with rapid software product discovery, delivery and adoption."

"Marian provides a wide variety of services, from high-level leadership and C-level mentoring to best practices for engineering teams. We spent a couple of months together during our mentoring sessions, which led to my personal growth, increased efficiency among our teams, improved transparency, and overall satisfaction within the team. I totally recommend any kind of cooperation with Marian."

"When I first took a leadership position and became a tech lead, I was very fortunate to come across Marian. Every session was driven by my current needs, but I appreciated that Marian had well-thought-out and structured curriculum notes and examples. His resources appeared to be pretty much bottomless — OKRs, planning, prioritization, 1-on-1s, perf reviews, navigating tech lead responsibilities. He struck me not only as a great mentor, but a person I'd happily collaborate with in pretty much any context."

"I worked with Marian for a little over 6 months, and right from our first call I realised this was going to be a fruitful and insightful coaching opportunity. Our sessions were always collaborative and bidirectional, informal yet professional. Marian has a wealth of knowledge in leadership and software development management and he was always able to jump into any kind of topic or question I had, offering practical and proven solutions."

"I had the pleasure of being mentored by Marian. He provided me with guidance and valuable tips during my transition into a manager position. As a skilled mentor, Marian was able to guide me through various topics and offer particularly practical advice. I highly appreciate the time he dedicated to me, and it undoubtedly had a significant impact on my professional growth."

"Marian helped me a lot in my beginnings as a manager. He designed a company-wide program for beginning managers at Mews which in my view makes Mews one of the best companies for managers where to start. He helped me to avoid many initial mistakes and gave a lot of useful advice for the future. Marian is a true leader with a human approach worth following."

"Over a six-month period, Marian served as my mentor and coach, during which time he greatly enhanced my ability to concentrate. Our focus shifted from day-to-day tasks to strategic thinking. I've improved how I manage my schedule and communicate with various stakeholders, both within and outside my organisation. I particularly value Marian's knack for highlighting the important issues and identifying the minor problems that distract me."

"When you start as the first agile coach in a company with more than 100 developers, your challenge to find your way is real. Luckily I had Marian as my manager at that time. He gave me all the support I needed and wanted to set me up for success. By giving me the space, time, insights, and most importantly the trust in what I can bring, he really gave me all the energy I needed."

"Marian's mentoring was the best investment I made at the beginning of my entrepreneur journey. I had enthusiasm, passion, determination, and a plan. But I also had doubts, fear of failure, and FOMO as hell. I reached out to Marian after reading his article where he mapped out his journey from IT management to his own business — with no turning back. I saw myself in it. Marian helped me decide to fully commit to my own business despite all the fears and doubts. He gradually fine-tuned my niche with me down to the smallest details, validated my landing page, mapped out the market and competition, and helped establish my unique value. With Marian, it's always a ride. He squeezes the maximum out of you, pushes you, and forces you to grow constantly. Every piece of advice is battle-tested and proven effective, reflecting Marian's rich hands-on experience."

"Had an exceptional session on Engineering Leadership! Despite already being in a leadership role and experience in running a business and managing a diverse team of different personalities and complex projects, Marian brought a completely fresh perspective to leadership — cutting through the usual buzzwords with a no-nonsense, no-BS approach. That's exactly how we can become a more results-oriented organisation. What stood out most was his insight on assertiveness, especially how many leaders face unique challenges in this area. His practical frameworks and dialogue-driven approach to handling difficult scenarios were truly eye-opening — strategies that can help you move forward with confidence and clarity. His tips were incredibly valuable, and the key takeaways are ones I'll definitely be sharing with my team, mentees, and across my organisation."

"I had the privilege of being mentored by Marian over the past six months, and his guidance has been both inspiring and transformative. Marian stands out for his structured approach to sharing experience, helping you connect the dots and move forward with confidence. His unique ability to zoom in and out across organizational layers — and link them seamlessly — makes him an invaluable source of insight. Every session was tailored to my needs, always practical, always thought-provoking. If you want clear, actionable, and personalized guidance on your professional journey, I highly recommend Marian."

"Thank you, Marian, for the workshop on leadership topics. In most of the areas we covered I already had a solid foundation, but in every single one there were always a few tips on how to take what I'm doing up another level."

"The insights Marian shares in the "Level 2: Elite Engineering Team Leadership" training could have taken me years to acquire without a good mentor. Marian is relentlessly performance-oriented — both for the team and for the manager responsible for turning that team into a high-performing team. He emphasizes focus, metrics, and speaking in RoI and business impact. Thanks to his software-engineering background and senior-leadership experience, Marian effortlessly translates from developer language into the language of managers and directors. A skill any successful Engineering Leader needs."

"Over the past six months, I have been working with Marián Kamenišťák in a mentoring setting to clarify my professional direction and future focus. Together, we concentrated on moving from an operational role toward that of a technology leader who sets direction, works with strategy, and has a clear impact on value and costs. We focused in particular on stepping back from detail, maintaining perspective, and making decisions even when not all information is available. We also discussed efficiency and cost management — how to approach investments, technical debt, and how to balance operations, innovation, and long-term development. Marián is a very approachable and experienced mentor who creates an open and safe environment for discussion. He helps structure thoughts, identify what truly matters, and guide conversations in a way that leads to real progress."

"I had the pleasure of collaborating with Marian during our mentoring sessions, and I was continually impressed by his exceptional expertise in engineering, leadership, and product management. His deep knowledge and experience in these areas provided invaluable insights that significantly contributed to my professional growth. Marian's approach to feedback is both refreshing and effective. He delivers objective and straightforward evaluations, free from any embellishments. Beyond his technical and managerial skills, Marian is an inspiring individual. His passion for excellence and commitment to fostering talent are truly motivating."

"Last year, I was mentored by Marian Kamenistak who helped me on my journey in a new role as the director of platform engineering in Ataccama. During the discussions, we dove into multiple aspects of platform engineering — how to prioritize aspects on the roadmap when "everything is a priority" and handle that with PMs, how to handle change management during SaaS transformation in a big company, and how to structure platform teams and define their responsibilities. Regularly, I came to our meeting with a set of my most burning issues at the moment. Our discussions helped me to sort out my thoughts and define my next actions. Marian's background in platform engineering helped me validate my thoughts and expand my horizons in several areas of my position."

"I had chance to spend with Marian four full days when he was coaching me and my colleagues for managerial skills. I have to say that the format of Marian's training fits me and I enjoyed every single minute of it. Main plus of the sessions was focus on real life scenarios and "no bullshit" type of communication."