IT Project Director
Elite Project Management Consulting
مجموع سنوات الخبرة :51 years, 4 أشهر
Responsible for planning, organizing, and executing technology projects within the funds industry. This includes defining project scope, objectives, timelines, and resource allocation. Identifying opportunities for process improvement, optimizing project methodologies, and implementing best practices to enhance project delivery efficiency and effectiveness. Working closely with stakeholders, including fund managers, investment analysts, compliance officers, and IT teams, to accurately gather and document project requirements. Liaising with external vendors, software providers, and technology partners to procure necessary solutions, negotiate contracts, and manage vendor relationships throughout the project lifecycle. Identifying potential risks and issues related to technology projects and implementing risk mitigation strategies to ensure successful project delivery. I created and managed project budgets, tracked expenses, and completed projects within allocated financial resources. To ensure project goals and progress alignment, I facilitated effective communication among project stakeholders, including business users, IT teams, senior management, and external partners. Managing changes to project scope, requirements, and timelines effectively while minimizing disruption to ongoing operations. Ensure deliverables meet quality standards and regulatory requirements, conduct testing, and coordinate user acceptance testing (UAT) activities. Ensuring that technology projects adhere to regulatory guidelines and compliance standards applicable to the funds industry, such as GDPR, MiFID II, and AIFMD.
Ensure successful delivery of cutting-edge digital transformation projects to enhance operational efficiency. Oversee digital transformation projects across various domains, such as HR, CRM, PMS (Practice Management system) Core-banking Systems, Procurement, Credit Risk, ERP, and Reporting. Translate intricate business requirements into innovative technical solutions challenges and refines existing systems. Utilise process improvement methodologies and frameworks to simplify complex problems and streamline processes. Manage expenses and budgeting, contributing to the firms optimisation of costs and benefits. Play pivotal role in mentoring and motivating team, whilst fostering culture of productivity and engagement.
• Led business systems and processes department and managed companys extensive business portfolio of 60 projects.
• Directed skilled team of eight project managers, seven business analysts, and co-ordinated with 15 external resources including DB Architect and developers and managed budget of 5.8M€.
• Employed in-depth knowledge spans IT operations best practices, encompassing ITIL fundamentals, change management, and expertise in network and security protocols.
• Cultivated collaborative and high-performing team that consistently achieves outstanding results.
• Collaborated with the executive board to formulate impactful business strategies.
Ensure successful delivery of cutting-edge digital transformation projects to enhance operational efficiency. Oversee digital transformation projects across various domains, such as HR, CRM, PMS (Practice Management system), Procurement, DMS, project management platform, budget construction tool and Reporting(Power BI). Translate intricate business requirements into innovative technical solutions challenges and refine existing systems: Utilise process improvement methodologies and frameworks to simplify complex problems and streamline processes. Manage expenses and budgeting, contributing to the firms optimisation of costs and benefits. Play a pivotal role in mentoring and motivating the team while fostering a productivity and engagement culture. Led the business systems and processes department and managed its extensive IT/business portfolio of + more than 60 projects. Directed a skilled team of 20, coordinated with 15 external resources, including system, network, and secops engineers, and managed a budget of 5.8M€. Developed and executed strategic IT Operations and Applications Management plans aligned with the companys goals and objectives. Led, mentored, and guided the IT Operations and Applications Management teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence. Oversaw the design, implementation, and maintenance of IT infrastructure, systems, and networks to ensure optimum performance, reliability, and security. Managed the entire lifecycle of enterprise applications, from selection and implementation to optimisation and decommissioning, ensuring alignment with business needs and industry best practices. Managed relationships with external suppliers, service providers and partners, ensuring contract compliance, service levels and performance standards. Led and prioritised Business and IT projects and initiatives, working with cross functional teams to deliver solutions on time and on budget. Partnered with business stakeholders to understand their needs, identify process improvement opportunities and translate these into effective IT solutions. Ensured compliance with regulatory requirements such as GDPR, industry standards and internal policies relating to IT Operations and Applications Management. Identified, assessed, and mitigated IT risks, including cyber security threats, data breaches and system vulnerabilities, through proactive measures and controls. Led continuous improvement initiatives within IT Operations and Applications Management, utilising emerging technologies and best practices. Maintained comprehensive project documentation, including project plans, status reports, and risk and issue logs, and regularly updated stakeholders and executive board members.
Executed successful delivery of diverse client projects, whilst supervising team of six Business Analysts and 2 Project Managers in the IT advisory team, ensuring seamless project outcomes. Produced comprehensive reports for submission to CSSF and BCL by meticulously checking, correcting, and validating data. Migrated Back-office from Olympic (ERI Bancaire) to Avaloq, conducting thorough regulatory reporting analysis, mapping, testing, and ensuring seamless implementation. Generated all necessary reports for submission to National Bank of Luxembourg (BCL) and National Bank of Belgium (NBB) by ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Implemented Wolters Kluwer regulatory reporting tools, including Credit Risk Report Generator and DataFoundation, across locations in Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, and Spain.
• Resolved incidents through Jira and QC (Quality Center) for effective issue tracking.
UniCredit International Bank (Luxembourg) S.A. PSD2 (Payment Service Directive 2) (100K€) 2017 - 2019
Carried out a comprehensive review of end-to-end PSD2 access to account flow for Italys largest retail banking group in Luxembourg for seamless integration of third- party Fintech services and ensuring compliance with the Revised Payment Service Directive (PSD2). Implemented data mapping, testing, and execution procedures for third-party providers, along with enhancing efficiency and reliability of financial transactions, whilst adhering to PSD2 and RTS compliance standards. I led the development of Sandbox, provided a controlled environment for testing and experimentation, facilitated the smoother transition to PSD2 compliance, and contributed to the overall success of the project. Assured data protection compliance in accordance with GDPR guidelines by safeguarding sensitive information and reinforcing the banks commitment to regulatory requirements. Led to successful achievement of full compliance and financial gain of 150K€.
Project Management Executive
Professional Experience
Havilland Bank, UniCredit Bank, PayPal, Post Telecom & BGL BNP Group (Luxembourg). PSD2 Implementation (100K€) 2017 - 2019
Collaborated with several prominent retail banking groups in Luxembourg, overseeing payment accounts accessible through online channels. Contributed to the development of robust systems and processes by leveraging exceptions permitted by strong customer authentication regulations for transactions deemed low-risk. Assisted in clarification of liability regimes and bolstered consumer protection measures to promote a transparent financial environment. Devised Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) via integration of new security requirements across payment systems. Played a key role in the reduction and management of fraud by preserving positive customer experience throughout the process. Achieved full compliance with the revised Payment Service Directive (PSD2) and generated 100K€. Facilitated expansion of banks payment services to Third Party Payment Services Providers (TPPs).
Led assistance efforts for the migration of 108 applications from legacy systems to new infrastructure. Produced comprehensive reports for the head of the IT work stream in a global programme. Drove timely and within-budget delivery of projects into production, as well as persuaded and secured commitments from stakeholders through adequate support was in place before the Go-Live phase. Communicated progress issues and risks, along with delivering impactful presentations to the project watch committee. Coordinated internal/external teams as well as providers to streamline the migration process and enhance collaboration. Managed programme budget by implementing forecasting strategies to optimise financial resources.
KPMG, Luxembourg. IT Senior Manager - BNP Paribas Fortis Brussels (Belgium) BPO Service Offering Project (1/4M€) 2017 - 2019
Generated revenue of a few M€ by cooperating with a prominent European retail banking group in Belgium to create a BPO service offering. During the ASIS phase, performed a comprehensive review of front-to-back services, encompassing trade capture, trade execution, clearing and settlement, custody, compliance and reporting, and tax processing. Analysed gaps and outlined target operating model for back-office activities by improving products and services. Performed IT impact assessment on Inputs, Run & Outputs, API & WS.
IFRS 9 Project (1, 5M€) 2016 - 2017
I led the implementation of IFRS 9 regulations and the selection of the system by serving as project delivery manager. Devised Impairment Tool aimed at calculating the banks ECL expected credit losses. I collaborated with the accounting and finance departments to define a business model for a budget allocation of 1.5M€. I managed project risks and issues by minimising the impact on overall progress. Communicated project expectations to stakeholders by incorporating feedback to optimise overall progress and established project time scales and deadlines to ensure efficient project management and timely delivery of outcomes. Conducted in-depth analyses of credit risk management to identify first-time adoption impacts on the banks P&L. Generated project reports by engaging in project steering committees to drive collaboration and decision-making. Completed project through clear comprehension of objectives, milestones, and deliverables by all teams involved. Monitored critical project framework to deliver intended scope within specified timelines and budget constraints.
Senior Corporate IT Project Manager (2M€) 2013 - 2016
Conducted live demonstrations to showcase the final product to the 28 CEOs of BNP ARVAL, resulting in increased awareness and potential adoption. Forged relationships with contractors and suppliers, ensuring effective collaboration and timely project delivery. Negotiated contracts and SLAs to establish favourable terms, fostering strong partnerships and mitigating potential risks. Managed budgets to optimise resource allocation and financial efficiency within the organisation. Headed a team of 14 members by overseeing the delivery of multiple IT projects for Arval BNP Paribas & Rothschild. Initiated projects, managed development processes, conducted thorough testing, and ensured timely delivery. Achieved set objectives for DEV teams within allocated budgets whilst maintaining the desired level of quality.
BNP Arval - Arval Driver Portal Solution
Orchestrated delivery of ARVALS pivotal corporate projects for 2015, including ADS Arval Driver Solution (1.5M€) for G4 countries (UK, Italy, France & Spain) and Salary Exchange (0.5M€) in the UK, whilst concurrently managing both projects. Formulated a comprehensive project plan to monitor progress by updating project status and escalating issues with actionable plans to the sponsor. Maintained product backlog and ensured adherence to established priorities. Facilitated change management processes to adapt to evolving project requirements. Functioned as product owner by determining work during sprints via timely delivery within planned scope and budget. Ensured precise formulation and understanding of the companys requirements by facilitating a cohesive project approach. Initiated project scope by fostering a clear understanding of objectives, milestones, and deliverables across all teams. Led a team of 14 developers spanning three countries by attaining all milestones within established timeframes. Produced concise project reports for steering committees, establishing budgets, and aligning project timelines. Spearheaded implementation of Agile-SCRUM methodology to enhance project efficiency.
Headed trade capture project valued at 0.5M€ as part of the banks strategic plan for the successful implementation of a secure web app. Empowered clients without access to legacy systems to place orders, access client portfolios, monitor positions, track orders, view executions, and receive real-time market data. Defined comprehensive functional requirements, scope, roles, responsibilities, budgets, timescales, and resources by ensuring clarity and alignment within the project team. Supervised a team of eight individuals via collaboration across all levels to assess, plan, and execute strategic solutions. Oversaw User Acceptance Testing (UAT) as well as deployment into Pre-Prod and prod environments. Evaluated workload, crafted release plans, and monitored quality to optimise project efficiency. Collected business requirements from various EDRAM entities to inform project development.
Asset & Wealth Management platform - Abu Dhabi Systems Securities (2M€) 2011 - 2013
Project Management Executive
Professional Experience
Led a team of eight members to ensure the successful delivery of diverse client projects as an IT project manager. Spearheaded design, construction, and implementation of a new Generation Asset & Wealth Management platform (2M€) from Front to Back as a pivotal team member. Automated investment and assets management system to enhance operational efficiency for a prominent Brokerage company in UAE. Facilitated weekly meetings through Via WebEx & Visio Conference with business stakeholders in Abu Dhabi, transforming business objectives into achievable requirements. Crafted BRDs (Business Requirements Documents) that effectively implemented necessary system changes and submitted them for validation, ensuring successful delivery. Formulated FSDs (Functional Specifications Documents) on Wealth and Asset Management, KYC upon validation of BRDs, guiding development process. Coordinated technical resources, fostering collaboration between Developers and Business Units in UAE. Orchestrated and monitored all application developments by overseeing the transition into UAT, Pre-Prod, and Production phases. Produced comprehensive test scenarios for different test phases, covering asset management platforms and KYC processes. Utilised JIRA to systematically track and report system defects and bug fixes, streamlining the issue resolution process. Analysed business processes and workflows, identifying opportunities for optimisation and efficiency improvements. Developed UML Use case diagrams, scenarios, activities, and workflow diagrams to enhance system understanding. Generated SQL queries (Heidi SQL, MYSQL) to extract and manipulate relevant data for analysis and reporting. Led daily stand-up meetings with developers, addressing technical issues and ensuring adherence to deadlines. Defined new/amended business processes to support seamless business change, fostering adaptability. Managed requirements backlog and prioritised tasks in collaboration with business stakeholders.
Directed collaborative efforts with business as a project manager by overseeing CRM and Billing for Gold and corporate accounts. Analysed business needs, proposed effective solutions to invoicing issues, and ensured seamless management of projects from initial request to estimation, approval, requirements, build, and successful implementation. Drafted business requirements documents whilst assessing and estimating DEV costs to enhance project clarity and cost-effectiveness. Evaluated business processes and crafted UML Use case diagrams, workflow diagrams, and sequence diagrams using Enterprise Architect, resulting in improved process visualisation and understanding. Enhanced invoicing system for Gold & Corporate accounts to streamline operations and increase efficiency.
completion of deadlines. Coordinated and planned all releases to pre-production and production via a seamless and well-organised deployment process. Utilised JIRA to track and report system defects and implement bug fixes to improve system reliability and performance. Formulating SQL queries (Heidi SQL, MYSQL) to conduct thorough analysis and support decision-making processes. Oversaw evolution backlog and collaborated with business stakeholders for effective prioritisation.
Additional Experience
1995- 2011
Project Manager, Harrods, London, UK
Sales Assistant (part-time), Retail Industry, London, UK
Honours Degree