This month, Planet Mainframe celebrates influential mainframers nominated by the community. Today, we celebrate someone who blends technical expertise with human connection—modernizing Db2 one moment, mentoring students the next.
Andrew McCandless
Founder, War Games1983 Ltd.
England, United Kingdom
Connect with Andy on:
View the entire 2025 Influential Mainframers group here.
Andrew (Andy) McCandles is a natural connector. Whether he’s running a MainframerZ meetup, mentoring students at the University of Bedfordshire, or sharing job opportunities on LinkedIn, Andy focuses on bringing people together and moving the mainframe community forward.
A three-time IBM Champion and international consultant, Andy spent the last few years championing modernized approaches to Db2 administration, especially for z/OS environments. His expertise blends DevOps practices with real-world mainframe experience—spanning everything from operations and batch analysis to presales and service integration.
But Andy’s influence extends beyond the technical. As a core organizer and committee member of MainframerZ Meetup London, he’s helped grow event registrations by more than 350%. He also routinely authors the MainframerZ regular newsletter, which one nominator describes as “a well-structured, informative publication.”
Andy has led webinars, mentored presenters, created promotional videos, and even built icebreaker games like Catchphrase to warm up cold tech rooms. His cultural awareness training and experience working with global support teams give him a broad lens on how learning, support, and communication change across regions.
“He doesn’t just talk about making mainframes more approachable,” a colleague said. “He does the work to make it happen—through games, demos, talks, and a constant stream of open roles for those ready to jump in.”
He brings the same energy to consulting on modernization projects, running an online meetup, and guiding a student through career questions.
Andy is focused on building bridges, solving problems, and keeping the mainframe space evolving.
Influential Mainframer
Mainframe technology continues to evolve because of the dedicated professionals, educators, mentors, and innovators who drive it forward. We’re shining a spotlight on the individuals who are making waves—whether they’re advancing technology, mentoring new talent, sharing knowledge, championing modernization, or quietly keeping mission-critical systems running every day. These are the people shaping the future of mainframe. They come from all backgrounds and experience levels, but they all have one thing in common: they’re making a difference.
Check back daily as we reveal a new honoree. Read their stories, celebrate their impact, and be inspired.
Follow @Planet Mainframe and follow #pmfinfluentialmainframers to congratulate this year’s honorees, share your favorite stories, and spread the word.