Consultant at Microsoft

London, England, United Kingdom

Ti Consulting UK

Digital Transformation Consultant/Senior Programme Manager

Microsoft

Consultant at Microsoft/Technical Programme Manager

Restored stability to the UK IT function within the London office. Reduced OPEX and CAPEX expenditure and assisted the business to deliver a transformation programme and rebrand, transitioning 13 companies with 850 users, to 3 Pillars supported by 4 core central teams.

Engagement

- P&L management, provided transparency and strategically aligned budgetary expenditure
- Reduced project and operational costs, improving efficiencies and TCO/ROI
- Organisational restructure, ensuring solid foundations to maintain operational effectiveness
- Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR), protecting against data loss
- Working knowledge and delivery experience of business systems including CRM and ERP
- Tailored iterative and agile approaches, implementing project and operational governance
- Performed business analysis and collaborated with key business stakeholders at all levels
- Managed risk and mitigated against project and operational cyber security threats
- Implemented standards and ensured certification for ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus

ENGINE UK

IT Director

Planned and delivered discovery phase of office refurbishment programme, to transform and update a floor above the old banking hall within the prestigious 14 Cornhill building in London. Delivered the necessary project assets to enable and support hand-off for next phase.

Engagement

- Identified stakeholders and worked with PMO to create the governance framework
- Assessed project approach, aligning stakeholder expectations to delivery capabilities
- Gathered legal, fit-out, environmental, facilities, technology, and adjacency requirements
- Collaborated with internal technical and non-technical teams, and managed external partners
- Performed vital analysis of existing technology and infrastructure related elements
- Produced documentation to support programme handover for next phase of delivery

Pension Insurance Corporation

Technical Programme Manager

Planned and delivered discovery phase of transformative technology programme consisting of O365, VOIP, edit suite file storage, GDPR, cloud back-up and DR, networking, Wi-Fi, internet connectivity, security, monitoring & alerting, and ongoing support & maintenance of the preferred solutions.

Engagement

- Identified internal and external stakeholders and tailored a governance framework
- Assessed delivery approach, realigning stakeholder expectation against capabilities
- Created an RFP with measurable success criteria to ensure a methodical structured delivery
- Created a priority delivery pipeline, to deliver highest value first within the available budget
- Engaged with each individual vendor to interrogate their RFP response and future readiness
- Negotiated and considerably reduced programme elements and operational support costs
- Obtained sign-off from senior management and handed-off to implementation team

Barcroft Studios sold to Future plc for £23.5 million
<a href="https://www.channel4.com/press/news/barcroft-studios-announces-acquisition-future-plc">https://www.channel4.com/press/news/barcroft-studios-announces-acquisition-future-plc</a>

Barcroft Studios

Technology Consultant

Engaged by the FCA to assess the viability of an AWS cloud programme, which incorporated testing, resource capabilities, risks, a target operation model, platform architecture, security, service acceptance, and platform capability readiness, in preparation for an on-premises application migration. Tasked with recruiting AWS engineers, project teams, and the on-boarding of external consultants and partners.

Engagement

-  Security team lead and instrumental in assessing and implementing AWS platform security
-  Performed analysis to identify programme capabilities and realign stakeholder expectations
-  Identified stakeholders and worked with PMO to realign governance framework to ensure delivery
-  Created tracking and reporting tool for capturing metrics to manage resourcing and control costs
-  Produced JDs and conducted interviews for BAs, DevOps engineers, testers, PMs and SecOps
-  Collaborated with AWS to validate a security and compliance policy set and operational controls
-  Created programme documentation, handover schedule and made recommendations to partners

Financial Conduct Authority

Technical Project Manager

Designed and delivered Azure Data Warehouse. Full life cycle tailored PMBOK approach, capturing project rationale, benefits, TOC/ROI, success criteria, and measurable continuous improvement within the operational environment.

Engagement

- Utilised agile principles, iterative methodologies and frameworks
- Built, coached and mentored multifunctional matrix and project orientated teams
- Achieved on-premise and cloud infrastructure architectural design and integration
- Performed workflow analysis, identified business reports, and ways of working
- Performed business analysis and collaborated with key business stakeholders
- Identified and mitigated against security threats and operational risk
- Produced supporting documentation for ways of working within operations
- Implemented MS PowerBI for a blended IT and business reporting approach

Awin Global

Programme Manager and Data Team Lead

Technology consultant and acting IT Director, restored stability to Gorkana’s IT service function and operational support teams. A member of the senior management team, level with the CTO, reported directly into the CIO. Primarily focused on resolution of severe service outages, delayed programme delivery, and reducing escalating operational support costs.

Engagement

-  Successfully restored stability to Gorkana’s IT operations and project delivery
-  Provided direction and leadership to support teams, stakeholders, and IT services
-  Assessed viability of IT technology programmes, implementing the required governance
-  Appointed Senior technology lead and was instrumental during CISION acquisition
-  Regularly liaised with executive management and stakeholders on an international stage
-  Improved communication and provided technology transparency throughout the business
-  Established realistic stakeholder expectations on key global programmes
-  Re-aligned the technology roadmap with key business strategic goals
-  Identified and reported operations and service risks, implemented remedial action

Gorkana

Technology Consultant/Acting IT Director

Technology programme for rollout across the Hollis network of 14 offices in the U.K. and U.S.

Provided operations expertise, coached IT personnel, and implemented programme and operations governance.

Performed VOIP feasibility study. Conducted ITT for multi-function device upgrades and document output management solution. Performed business analysis for laptop and software upgrades. Conducted POC for surveyor mobile transcription software.

Hollis

Programme Manager

Reported directly to CEO as Head of IT. Transformed and successfully changed the perception of the IT department within the organisation. Built and managed an effective IT operations team. Created a technical roadmap aligned to strategic business goals. Delivered an extensive portfolio of works to support intended growth. Streamlined support operations and implemented governance.

Designed and implemented technology needed in 4 additional greenfield global offices in London, New York, and Singapore, including a 22,000 sq. ft. office, what was the old ‘Jim Henson Creature Shop’ in Camden.

Technology programmes included M&E, facilities, infrastructure, LAN/WAN/MPLS/Wi-Fi networks, core/edge switches, firewalls, monitoring, VOIP, mobile fleet, office fit-out, AV, facilities, comms rooms, EUC, MFDs, storage, cloud backup, O365, ERP, CCTV, business continuity & DR, and applications and data migrations.

Delivered a scalable storage solution, Google apps POC, and rolled-out Office 365 throughout the business. Project managed various application rollouts and cloud service migrations. Implemented helpdesk, KPIs, and monitoring solution for critical systems.

Jones Knowles Ritchie

Head of Information Technology

Delivered an extensive technology programme, relocating Channel 5's entire broadcast and technical arm to a greenfield 10,000 sq. ft. site in Docklands from various locations in London and Manchester. Responsible for outgoing CTO’s portfolio and work activities.

Architected solutions and programme managed business, data, application, and technology audits, M&E, utilities, Infrastructure, LAN/WAN/MPLS networks, core switches, firewalls, VOIP, mobile fleet, office fit-out, AV, facilities, comms rooms, EUC, MFDs, hosting, storage, email, Avid edit suites, business continuity & DR, and applications and data migrations.

Worked with various partners and 3rd parties to realise goals and objectives. Negotiated contract renewals and technology purchases, which yielded significant savings on hardware and on-going maintenance costs, overall reducing operational costs.

The relocation was a resounding success! Channel 5 was originally purchased by Northern and Shell for £103.5 million back in July 2010 and was later sold to Viacom for £450 million in 2014.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_5_(UK)">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_5_(UK)</a>

Channel 5

Programme Manager/Head of Information Technology

Reported directly to Managing Director as Head of IT for Portland enterprises. Transformed a neglected and ageing technology infrastructure and application environment, into an efficient and cost-effective IT operation.

Introduced governance and defined IT strategic direction aligned to the business model. Responsible for large budgets, performed financial analysis, and cost forecasting. Built and empowered BAU and development teams, and managed 3rd party vendors and technology partners. Designed and implemented business continuity plan for broadcast content, considerably reducing operational risk and potential revenue loss. Negotiated significant savings which yielded over 40% off digital storage costs.

Delivered an extensive portfolio of technology programmes including the migration of on-premises web and digital content over to hosting partner, again negotiating significant cost savings.

Northern and Shell

Reported to IT Director in London as Head of IT. Defined IT strategic direction and alignment to business and group roadmaps. Managed large budgets and the delivery of extensive technology projects including Mac upgrades, Adobe suite roll-out, Monotype font audit, colour management, CMR and financial system, content management, and print production.

Managed 3rd party vendor and partner relationships. Instrumental on international projects throughout the 36-office global network. Regularly meeting with peers from other Omnicom agencies on an international stage.

Implemented IT governance and compliance control framework in line with Sarbanes Oxley, undertaking quarterly process reviews. Designed and implemented business continuity and DR plan to safeguard multimillion-pound design assets against revenue loss. Introduced middleware that allowed for the replacement of end of line Apple storage for more cost-effective windows-based solution.

Interbrand

Headhunted for the role of IT manager at Interbrand after implementing the first windows based financial system, storage servers, and Active Directory domain at the TFG group (Saatchi & Saatchi).

Reported directly to IT Director in London. Managed the operations team, 3rd party vendors and partner relationships. Defined the IT budget and performed IT procurement. Responsible for team progression planning, appraisals, and objectives. Maintained documentation and rolled-out various application and hardware upgrades.

Raised awareness and visibility for the IT function within Interbrand. Gaining respect and trust of my peers by regularly meeting with senior stakeholders and end users regarding IT related issues, providing solutions and reducing operational downtime.

IT Manager

A multiple skilled role consisting of providing hardware and application support on Mac and PC, for 26 companies with over 250 users based in central London. The requirements were diverse and spanned multiple technologies and applications within a fast-paced advertising environment.

The companies included internal financial and HR, film, and radio production, building visualisation, advertising, print production, and design agencies. Responsible for the support of applications which included AutoCAD, Adobe suite, MS office, bespoke colour and print production software, and financial systems. Procured and configured the first windows-based servers installing Active Directory and domain controllers within the TFG group of companies.

Saatchi & Saatchi

IT Systems Engineer

Creative Media Apprenticeship within the in-house creative agency at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in Sandwich, Kent. This consisted of spending time in each area of the business including photographic, video production, print room, exhibitions, reprographic, desktop publishing, and graphic design.

Throughout the apprenticeship various skills and disciplines were learnt across each department. These included traditional paste up and illustration, transporting and erecting exhibitions, reprographic technologies and printing techniques, even appearing in Pfizer video productions for the medical profession, playing multiple parts within each film!

Eventually the 2 years of training received on windows-based DTP solutions, and the then newly emerging Apple Mac Power PCs, led to a permanent position within the Creative Services design studio. Daily activities included the production of Pfizer internal literature, packaging design, exhibition work, and medical literature.

Stuart Colledge

Stuart Colledge