$240 / month
2 calls per month (30min/call)
Unlimited Q&A via chat
Expect responses in 24 hours or less
Hands-on support
I am an Independent Principal AI Architect based in the Netherlands, with 15+ years of experience across software engineering, cloud architecture, and AI. I currently lead architecture and R&D at PostNL's AI Centre of Excellence, where I authored the enterprise AI Reference Architecture adopted as the organisational standard for all AI initiatives. Before that, I was an Advisory AI Engineer at IBM, working across the NCEE market on WatsonX deployments and security product R&D for IBM QRadar EDR. I hold an MSc in Artificial Intelligence with Distinction from the University of Bath.
Moreover, I run TaoQ AI (taoq.ai), an independent AI security and EU AI Act governance practice. I maintain Ziran (github.com/taoq-ai/ziran) an open-source AI agent red-teaming framework. I contribute to NVIDIA Garak and Hugging Face Transformers.
WHAT I MENTOR ON
I work best with mentees who want to move into one of the following specialist tracks:
• AI architecture for production systems: designing and mantaining enterprise AI stacks across Generative AI, Agentic AI, MLOps, and edge deployment. What breaks in production and why.
• AI agent security and red-teaming: prompt injection, tool chain attacks, multi-phase trust exploitation, testing methodology. Hands-on with Ziran, Garak, and Promptfoo.
• EU AI Act compliance for engineers: classification under Article 6, conformity assessment, Annex IV technical file preparation. Regulation read as engineering, not as a compliance checkbox.
• Career transitions into AI specialist tracks: how engineers, security professionals, and governance people actually move into senior AI roles. Realistic timelines, portfolio building, positioning.
5 out of 5 stars
Leone is an amazing mentor. Had great time with him coaching me on my next steps to shift my career to management. He shared his experience, motivations, helped me to createa list of skills i should work on. Over all, I'm happy with the results. Did not managed to shift my career into management, but that is something i will keep working on. I have a clearer perspective on what to do from now onwards.
Standard Plan • 1 month
5 out of 5 stars
I was feeling a bit stuck in my career and a bit unsure of my next steps so I started to look for mentorship. My experience with Leone has been exactly what I expected when searching for mentorship: someone able to understand where I was and show me a realistic path to where I want to be. Further, someone with industry experience who could share tips and advice for my career. I would highlight Leone’s ability to: - Being an incredible listener. Leone has an unique ability to listen your questions and concerns and separate the noise from the what really matters. He is able to recognize your strengths, the path you taken so far, and how to leverage your skills and pass experiences when looking forward. - The field of data science has grown a lot and the amount of resources online is overwhelming. Leone created a personalized study plan for me, which was really helpful to reduce the anxiety to learn everything and focus on the core to develop a good foundation. - Technically very sharp, offering valuable feedback on the exercises I did. Also, always had good resources to share when I had extra questions. I enjoyed that he always shared resources with a comment such as “this is more technical if you are curious”, or “here is a more academic perspective”. This was helpful to set the expectations. - All and all, very available and quick replies via message and an easy person to talk too. I can sense he enjoys mentoring and helping people which makes the whole experience better. Thanks a lot!
Standard Plan • 1 month
5 out of 5 stars
I am very satisfied with my mentor. He built a clear program for me to improve my technical and professional skills in the field of AI. He is always available for questions, easy to talk to, and provides a very professional and comprehensive plan with practical exercises. Throughout the journey, he supports me and helps me understand what steps I need to take and how to overcome challenges. He is a pleasant person to communicate with, and I feel comfortable asking even the smallest questions. I highly recommend him as a mentor to anyone.
Standard Plan • 2 months
The regulation is live. Enforcement starts in months. And most engineering teams still have no practical roadmap for compliance.
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Recently, I’m spending months deep in enterprise AI architecture. Not vendor demos or proof-of-concepts, actual production systems at a…
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Mentees who work with a mentor for 3+ months reach their goals 2x faster than those going it alone. Long-term mentorship means fewer false starts, more focused sessions, and support that builds week after week.
97% satisfaction across all mentors
Personalized feedback and growth plans
Trusted by thousands of mentees
Leone Lage Perdigão
Principal AI Architect | AI Security Specialist | Red Teaming | EU AI Act | 15+ years at TaoQ AI
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Book a free intro call with Leone
Connect with Leone in a quick call (usually under 30 minutes)
One-off sessions with Leone
One-off sessions are a great option if you're looking for specific advice on a certain topic.
An introductory call is a simple way to get to know a mentor before committing to ongoing mentorship. This session gives you the chance to …
Specialist-track positioning: what to build, what to read, what the realistic 12-month trajectory looks like. For engineers pivoting into AI security, governance, or architecture.
One concrete problem: architecture review, AI Act classification, red-team methodology walkthrough. You leave with notes and next steps.
