Mazen Haffar, Business Development Director; Head of PMO

Mazen Haffar

Business Development Director; Head of PMO

iTECH

Location
United Arab Emirates - Sharjah
Education
Diploma, Leadership
Experience
22 years, 5 months

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Work Experience

Total years of experience :22 years, 5 months

Business Development Director; Head of PMO at iTECH
  • Syria
  • My current job since October 2006

iTECH is a leading IT solutions provider with around 1oo IT professionals and is considered one of the biggest players in the IT sector in Syria.
Key Achievements (Project Management):
- Established the Project Management Office (PMO) with tailored methodology that fits iTECH business model.
- Integrated strategic and project management to build a portfolio management into the company.
- Successfully moved the organization to Matrix project management structure.
- Developed and delivered training programs for project managers.
- Major Projects managed under the PMO:
- SPU University ICT Infrastructure: $ 1.4 Million.
- Yasmine Rotana Hotel ICT Infrastructure: $1.5 Million.
- Lattakia International Containers Terminal ICT: $1.2 Million.
- International Bank for Trade and Finance Data Center: $ 0.8 Million.
- AlBaraka Bank Data Center & Core Network- Syria: $ 0.5 Million.

Key Achievements (Business Development):
- Built the business unit from scratch; functions included: Sales & Marketing.
- Penetrated the extremely competitive private banking sector, acquiring around 40% of the sector within 3 years. YTY sales growth of over 50%.
- Drafted the company’s business marketing strategy including targeted market sectors, solutions range offered, and positioning in the market.
- Built the performance evaluation and incentive schemes for sales staff.
- Direct procurement team work in identifying appropriate sellers and build the appropriate network of suppliers for various requirements.

Senior Consultant at Venture LLC
  • Syria - Damascus
  • My current job since September 2006

Venture Consulting & Business Development

Venture C&BD is a full service consulting firm with emphasis on assisting small to medium businesses (SMEs). Venture C&BD services include but not limited to: Project Feasibility study, Business Plan Development and Implementation, Strategic Business Planning, Marketing Plans, Management Structuring, Human Resources Planning, Financial Analysis, Strategic Accounting, Project Management, Projections and Forecasts, Accounting & System Development, Business Overhaul /Reconstruction, and Business Coaching Services.
2008-2009 - Summary of Projects
• ICT Incubator Consultancy and Training Program: provide consultancy and coaching to entrepreneurs incubated under the ICT incubator. Coaching covered: strategic planning, marketing & sales, operations management.
• Frozen Potato Factory-Feasibility Study (Project Budget $4 Million)
• Wellness & Spa Center - Feasibility Study (Project Budget $2 Million)
• Educational & Training Center - Concept Definition and Feasibility Study (Project Budget $2.5 Million)

Lecturer at Higher Institute Of Business Administration
  • Syria - Damascus
  • October 2010 to December 2012

Project Management Lecturer in the MBA-ICT program.
Ranked as one of the top lecturers by students.

Senior Systems Consultant - Assistant Project Manager at Atos Origin
  • Saudi Arabia - Riyadh
  • January 2005 to September 2005

Atos Origin is a leading solution integrator with more than 40, 000 employees worldwide and over EUR 5 billion in annual revenues. I was assigned to the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Interior portal project for which Atos Origin was responsible for build and operations for 3 years.
Responsibilities Include:
Assist in managing infrastructure sub-project executing, monitoring and controlling activities and measure variances against baselines
Assist in Managing key stakeholders on the infrastructure and security side.
Help define the client's requirement for the systems area.
Technical architecture planning and design for the infrastructure required for MOI portal project.
Evaluate vendors' offers and give recommendations to MOI accordingly to assure that proposed solutions meet requirements.
Prepare plan, design, build, and test documents for all parts of the portal infrastructure (servers, clusters, SAN, backup..).
Coordinate with Atos Network/Security team to assure that the portal systems are properly secured.
Coordinate with Atos Development team to assure that the portal infrastructure meets their operational requirements in terms of servers, storage, and backup capacity and functionality.
Obtain accurate input from MOI on their functional requirements for the systems part of the infrastructure.
Coordinate with Atos QA team in testing and load stressing practices for the infrastructure components.

System Supervisor at SYRIATEL Damascus- Syria
  • Syria - Damascus
  • May 2002 to December 2004

Achievements Include:
Domain Migration from Win 2K to Windows 2003 (50 servers).
Domain Migration from Win NT 4.0 to Win 2K native mode.
Migrating corporate mail system form Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2003 (1800 users).
Windows 2003 PKI deployment.
Domain Security plan and policies design & implementation.
Collaborating to achieve central authentication environment through LDAP directories.

Production Engineer at SYRIATEL Damascus-Syria
  • Syria - Damascus
  • September 2001 to May 2002

Responsibilities include:
Coordination with the BSS & Transmission teams for the installation of Antenna, Feeders, BTSs, microwave link.
Collaborate with technical radio department to set standards and special specifications for cell towers structure and maintenance procedures.
Coordinate completion time schedule for constructing process of a new cellular network sites in the southern area of Syria
Monitor and supervise contractors during construction activities of new sites and approve final acceptance.

Sales Engineer at NAHAS ENTERPRISES Damascus-Syria
  • Syria - Damascus
  • December 2000 to September 2001

Prepare Financial & technical offers for tenders related to the Iraqi market.
Contact suppliers to get quotation for RFQs published by the Iraqi govt.
Meet end users to define requirements and contact suppliers accordingly.

Education

Diploma, Leadership
  • at University of Oxford - Said Business School
  • January 2010

Oxford Leadership Development Programme

Master's degree, Management, Organizations and Information Systems
  • at University of Manchester - Manchester Business School
  • January 2006
Bachelor's degree, Structural Engineering
  • at Damascus University
  • January 2000

Specialties & Skills

Microsoft Technologies
Project Management
Management Consulting
Business Development
Change Management
Business Strategy
Management Consulting
Business Planning
Business Management
Project Planning
New Business Development
Sales Management
Strategy Development
Software Project Management
Project Management
Consulting
Management
Business Development
Coaching
Information Systems
Strategy

Languages

Arabic
Expert

Memberships

Project Management Institute
  • Member
  • June 2008
Syrian Computer Society
  • Active Member
  • January 2001
Syrian Engineering Syndicate
  • Member
  • January 2001
Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI).
  • CSE
  • November 2012

Training and Certifications

Certified Sales Executive (CSE) (Certificate)
Date Attended:
June 2012
Valid Until:
September 2012
Certified Management Consultant (CMC®) (Certificate)
Date Attended:
January 2010
Valid Until:
February 2010
Project Management Professional (PMP) (Certificate)
Date Attended:
August 2007
Valid Until:
October 2007
PRINCE2 (Certificate)
Date Attended:
January 2012
Valid Until:
March 2012