Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Alexandria University

Programme/Project Manager

Skills: People Management · IT Business Strategy · Programme Delivery · IT Project & Program Management · IT Business partners · IT Transformation

Incitec Pivot Limited

IT Director for Technology & Operations 

Partners with the business & IT unit leaders to deliver strategic business/IT projects. Responsible for an application portfolio (over 30 applications) and associated projects.  Managed a team to deliver projects, changes, and escalations.  Managed application software agreements, department financials, competing project constrains.  

Achievements/Tasks:

•	Lead/Facilitated creating the IT Application delivery strategy using stagey maps that transformed the department focus to “speed to market”, which lead to improving the departments' throughput.
•	I am leading a team of 10 IT resources managing a wide span across the application portfolio (from ERP to PLM software), managing all the IT operations, budgeting and escalations. 
•	I am leading a programme of work to move our On-Prem SharePoint to the corporate cloud-based SharePoint to align with our global architecture and reduce technical debt, which includes moving user sites – over 100 workflows – 15 Apps.
•	Improved users experience and productivity through improving application performance, transforming a high-volume escalation application to a low maintenance application. 
•	Enhanced the IT Architecture practices In Simplot Global through leading a cross-functional team from Australia & US and creating a framework for Solution Architects, that got approved by the head of architecture & strategy S.Director.

Simplot Australia Pty Ltd

IT Application Manager

Responsible for managing different projects in the ERP/Finance area. 

•	Delivered a Contribution forecasting project that improved the business to forecasting accuracy for trade spend and freight & distribution, I managed over 10 resources and external suppliers over 2 years and 3 go-lives. The project was nominated for the MD awards.  
•	Scoped an ERP programme of work for rolling out ERP for 5 manufacturing plants to replace a legacy ERP.
•	Managed project financials through establishing project budgets, forecasting Capex & Opex and monthly actuals.
•	Responsible for presenting to all steering committees and getting board approvals for the project I manage.
•	Mentored junior PM’s to improve the delivery of projects and built a coaching practice to support people in other departments.
•	Established benefits management framework for projects to improve business case analysis. 
•	Managed all different aspects of projects : Planning - resource management - Risks - RACI - Issues - financials - reporting

Senior Project Manager - ERP

Responsible for a major ERP transformation programme for a military organization designed to improve their supply chain readiness. That included projects in ERP implementation, IT infrastructure, setup & running PMO office, Change & communication management, setting a support model and improving the items cataloguing.    

•	Used agile project management to implement a system pilot in 4 W/H’s.
•	Discussed with G4 commander improvements to the supply chain strategy that can be implemented based on the new capabilities that the project will provide. 
•	Maintaining a client liaison role with the key business users (CIO, Head of G4) to ensure all of their requirements are being addressed.
•	Lead the PMO function for a modernization programme with an ERP implementation. 
•	Delivered/prepared the steering committee presentations and critical communications.
•	Reviewed & negotiated all subcontractor and supplier’s contracts. 
•	Developed process maps for the supply chain function for a military organization.
•	Joined in delivering a change management strategy.
•	Designed a support strategy to be executed during the support phase of the project (based on ITIL processes).
•	Reviewed all project documentation for pilot and provided QA.
•	Managed all the resource allocation, selection, scheduling and Risks & Issues.
•	Responsible for all the planning activates in the project, through building detailed plans and managing the scheduling for the entire project.
•	Meeting frequently with the project team members to discuss issues of team harmony, client satisfaction, technical problem resolution, project constraints, project staffing, etc.
•	Managed all the budgeting and financials of the program.

Mashreq Arabia

Programme manager

Worked in a major IT transformation for a leading company in Derby. I worked in the PMO for the infrastructure area and lead the delivery for a project in the application side. 

•	Delivered a Win7 refresh & active directory pilot project in Derby.
•	Maintained relationship with client IT leadership team as a single point of contact. 
•	Developed and maintained al the MS projects for the Infrastructure work stream.
•	Managed all the resourcing and scheduling for the Infrastructure project portfolio.
•	Led the Infrastructure work stream budgetary planning processes. 
•	Designed a governance process that improved monitoring individual progress to insure meeting of specific deadlines, and supported projects going through quality gates.
•	Deloitte Business Development 
•	Worked with the IT strategy team to consolidate IT strategy frameworks  - Attended IT strategy training  - Worked on developing best practice library for ITIL processes

Deloitte UK

Technical Consultant

Said Business School

MBA Student at University of Oxford

Responsible for the IT function, Were I managed both the projects and support functions. 

•	Partnered with the company board providing IT & management advice where I participated in monitoring strategy execution and provided information that led to effective decision-making.
•	Facilitated a workshop for IT country managers to develop IT strategy were we conducted SWOT & PESTEL analysis and developed a road map for the new It initiatives.
•	Created a process office where we analysed process for Tea factory using tools like SIPOC, 7 wastes analysis and voice of customer.
•	Conducted process improvement workshops where we defined improvements proposals. 
•	Reviewed IT KPI’s and improved them through linking them to team appraisals.
•	Managed all changes to BAU systems through running the change advisory board.
•	Reviewed all Issues and Risks for running projects and escalated key risks to the board.
•	Roles out agile project management to more projects in the portfolio.
•	Introduced scrum meeting to the business side for one project. 
•	Negotiated, agreed and monitored SLA’s with head of functions for all running projects. 
•	Conducted total cost of ownership for new purchases in the IT scope. 
•	Monitored local incident and resolution time KPIs and acted as the escalation point.
•	Managed the IT budget and getting board approval for new investments.

Unilever Mashreq

IT Manager

Responsible for the entire project portfolio for Unilever Mashreq both local and global rollouts in the application area. Managed to deliver project through the entire cycle and define new ways for working within the team.    

•	Managed different applications projects in different phases of the IT project funnel.
•	Analysed the IT team (using 5 why & fish bone) and initiated a strategy based on strategy maps & score cards. The turnover of employees was reduced by 50% within 1 year.
•	Introduced agile project management to team.
•	Managed to run two projects using agile (acted as scrum master), that lead to improve the time to customer by 25%. 
•	Managed all third party interactions with IT (contracts, scope definition, issue resolution). 
•	Rolled out IT portfolio management tool and managed the IT portfolio (Clarity).  
•	Recognized for innovative initiatives in personal development process.
•	Reduced the failed project rate by 25% by implementing a PMO with focus on value creation, by introducing standard process and new tools (value maps, standard templates)
•	Reported progress, risk, Issues to the IT manager using Mind Maps.
•	Rolled out ITIL process across Unilever Mashreq (change – problem – issue).
•	Identified IT needs, evaluated options, calculated cost & benefits and build business cases.
•	Managed 5 project managers to deliver projects through using couching/mentoring techniques.

IT Projects manager

Responsible for analysing new business requirements for some business functions and transforming them into IT projects and delivering these projects, through using Agile and standard SDLC. Managed key projects that had major business impacts. 
	
•	ERP Migration project (1M LE):
o	Led 20 people from 5 different functions to integrate 3 ERP’s that reduced cost by 50%.
o	Negotiated with senior management alternative solutions for operations with no systems available that led to the agreed optimal solution.
o	Managed all the functional analysis for changes required in the project scope.  
•	Finance shared service centre project (1M LE):
o	Implemented the financial shared service centre that stopped the migration of jobs offshore by designing an automated process that reduced the cost per transaction by 60% were I managed 3 different technology teams, 2 IT consulting firms and 10 business people.
o	Solved a conflict between management & supplier that lead to project success.
o	Reviewed contract with all stockholders and proposed amendments that saved money.
o	Designed AP/AR automated process by doing a work through for the current process.
•	Petty cash project:
o	Analysed current process and defined areas of improvement throw doing a 2 day rotation.
o	Reduced time per transaction by 60% and number of full time employees by 50%.
•	Common practice with smaller projects
o	Built Business cases for all projects 
o	Conducted interviews with business users and key stakeholders.
o	Determine business, functional and technical requirements for specified applications.
o	Create and maintain project schedules through MS Project.
o	Ran project reviews to analyse risks (impact – likelihood) and issues.
o	Review, analyse, and create detailed SDLC documentation.
o	Developed use cases, test scripts, UAT, SLA’s and other technical documents with IT.
o	Manage specific application activities including the tracking of bug reports and change requests and ensuring their timely resolution.

IT Project Manager/Business Analyst

Led the IT to be Sarbane & Oxley compliant through delivering a series of workshops that coordinated work between 4 IT teams to build the gap analysis and provide solution. We were the only company in the region that in sourced the process design and were called to support other countries to be compliant.

Sarbane & Oxley Project Co-ordinator

System Engineer, Head office- Alexandria directly reporting to IT Operation Manager

•	Designed and implemented the network for all the company, after pursuing IT management not to use consultants and change the technology. This led to savings of 25% of the project cost.
•	Convinced management to implement a remote access system that reduced response by 75%.
•	Managed the IT infrastructure support for 3 sites in different locations. 
•	Managed third party contracts for all infrastructure aspects.

Yasser Salem