Today, we celebrate someone who’s bridging generations and platforms—showing that mainframe evolution starts with real-world experience.
Toine Michielse
Leader, Client Services Consulting, Broadcom Inc.
Madrid, Spain
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View the entire 2025 Influential Mainframers group here.
Toine Michielse believes the future of the mainframe depends on building bridges – between platforms, between generations, and between past and present ways of working.
A four-time IBM Champion and long-time advocate for modernization, Toine has reimagined what it means to be a Db2 for z/OS administrator in the era of DevOps and hybrid cloud. His message resounds: to move forward, we don’t need to discard the platform’s strengths; we need to augment them with open tools, automation, and collaboration.
Through international conference keynotes and workshops—including IDUG, SHARE, and multiple regional user groups—Toine has helped hundreds of database professionals rethink their workflows. His sessions focus on pragmatic solutions: integrating APIs, automating routine admin tasks, and bringing distributed best practices into mainframe teams without losing what makes the platform so resilient.
One of his most popular sessions, “Who’s Afraid of DDF?” directly tackled the performance myths surrounding distributed data facilities (DDFs) and highlighted how to make them work for real-world workloads. His talks have spanned cost optimization, cross-platform analytics, and using APIs to boost DBA productivity.
“Toine doesn’t just explain what’s possible,” one colleague noted. “He makes it feel achievable—and exciting.”
A former manager of capacity and performance at SwissRe, Toine brings decades of experience across mainframe and Linux environments. His current role at Broadcom places him on the front lines of customer consulting, where he advises enterprises on evolving without disruption.
He’s also a generous mentor. Within Broadcom and beyond, he guides early-career Db2 professionals on how to stay curious, stay current, and grow their influence. Whether through one-on-one coaching or open Q&A sessions, Toine is known for offering support with clarity and candor.
And when he speaks, people listen because of the credibility of having walked the walk.
For Toine, modernization is the ultimate mission.
He works every day to help others move forward with confidence.
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.
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