Corporate Strategy and Integration Manager- GCC
aramex
Total years of experience :20 years, 11 Months
Heading corporate and IT strategy planning and implementation - reporting directly to the CEO:
Collaborate with senior management to devise effective short and long term plans
Responsible for the development, implementation, and supervision of corporate strategies, including regional, local, and departmental strategic plans (Business and IT).
Responsible for the management, supervision, and steering of strategic projects in alignment with the global PMO.
Responsible for the alignment of IT and Business goals and strategies.
Identify business and IT transformation opportunities and initiatives across the network.
Identify emerging trends and recommend new strategic initiatives to grow the organization.
Initiate and supervise process improvement activities with all business functions and implement accompanying key performance indicators required to ensure optimum efficiency, simplicity, and productivity.
Identify business gaps and propose and assist in the execution of corrective action plans, initiatives, and improvements.
Drive and enhance sales and operational performance across the region through detailed analysis and monitoring.
Perform research and development activities within the region.
Lead and support management in the application and implementation of new policies and procedures.
IT Governance Framework and related Projects
•Developing and updating the IT Strategy and ensuring all IT initiatives are in line with the IT and Corporate strategy
•Developing and Implementing an Internal IT governance framework that builds on the IT organizational structure and IT processes to ensure that the organization’s IT sustains and extends the corporate strategies and objectives. The IT governance framework implemented is based on international standards and best practices such as ITIL, Cobit, ISO, and BSI.
•Developing an Information Asset Management Methodology, documenting all IT assets, and ensuring proper control procedures are in place
•Developing and implementing a risk management framework as a means for identifying IT related risks within the organization and the action plans required to mitigate them
•Developing a comprehensive risk assessment framework that is conducted continuously to ensure risks are identified, mitigated and controlled
•Developing and implementing a comprehensive Disaster recovery plan containing detailed risk, threat, vulnerability, and impact analysis on all IT assets and systems, with recovery methods and disaster preventative procedures
•Developing an internal data classification framework for all organization data and information assets
•Assisting in the building and implementing a CMDB to host and maintain all network component configurations and settings
•Assisting in the implementation of a global service desk and developing the KPI’s and required metrics to report on and improve performance and response time
•Restructuring, reorganizing, and securing the resources within the active directory
•Database management activities, including restructuring and enhancing database information and modeling all databases available and their relationships(tables and other databases)
IT Best Practices/Standards Implementation
•Conducting continuous research on industry best practices and standards
•Implementation of specific best practices within the organization
•Ensuring all processes, policies and procedures are closely in line with IT Best practices
IT Process Management
•Analyzing and enhancing all IT processes and performing IT process re-engineering activities
•Automating manual IT processes
IT Documentation
•Formulating the corporate IT Strategy and ensuring it is continuously in line with the overall organization’s strategy
•Developing all internal IT and IS procedures and policies Assisting in the development of a corporate information security policy, security procedures, enhancing the controls in place, and ensuring adherence to standards/best practices
•Developing and implementing an SDLC and ensuring all software development initiatives go through the standard lifecycle phases and all phase deliverables are as per business objective/requirement
•Developing comprehensive change management, incident management, and problem management processes, procedures, and policies
•Developing a release management policy and all related documentation
•Writing all other IT related documentation
IT Project Management
•Managing and supervising all internal IT projects and related documentation
•Performing system and business analysis activities, in addition to collecting and developing business system requirements for current and future IT projects
IT and IS Audits
•Assigned as the key contact for facilitating all external and internal IT audit activities
•Managing the closure of all internal and external IT & IS audit issues and implementing recommendations and action plans.
Information Security
•Working with Information Security team to achieve PCI-DSS compliance
•Implementing and documenting PCI standards and requirements
•Documenting and developing information security policies, procedures, and processes
•Performing continuous reviews and checks on the IT and IS health within the network by reviewing abidance to processes, access control reviews, risk assessments etc…
Heading the Systems and Processes Assurance team:
Assurance Services:
• Provides services related to controls around the financial reporting process, including financial business process and IT management controls. Serving both audit and non-audit clients.
• Providing IT Environment and infrastructure assurance.
• Providing application Assurance.
• Providing project assurance services.
• Providing third party assurance and opinion services.
• Performing due diligence on systems and controls.
Client IT Reviews
• Financial and operation applications/business process controls reviews.
• Database security controls reviews.
• Conducting IT general controls reviews.
• Conducting Infrastructure security reviews.
• Conducting pre- and post-implementation systems reviews.
• Conducting data services (e.g., CAATs, data quality, etc…).
• Conducting computer security reviews.
Assessment and Compliance with regulatory bodies and requirements
• Sarbanes-Oxley readiness, process improvement and sustainability services and compliance with other regulatory requirements.
Other Assurance Services
• Conducting IT Risk Assessments
• Developing comprehensive Disaster Recovery Plans.
• Providing internal security assurance services
• Assisting the IT advisory team in IT consulting projects when required
Leading the “IT Governance and Strategy” function:
IT Governance Framework and related Projects
• Developing and Implementing an Internal IT governance framework that builds on the IT organizational structure and IT processes to ensure that the organization’s IT sustains and extends the corporate strategies and objectives. The IT governance framework implemented is based on international standards and best practices such as ITIL, Cobit, ISO, and BSI.
• Developing an Information Asset Management Methodology, documenting all IT assets, and ensuring proper control procedures are in place.
• Developing and implementing a risk management framework as a means for identifying IT related risks within the organization and the action plans required to mitigate them.
• Developing and implementing a comprehensive Disaster recovery plan containing detailed risk, threat, vulnerability, and impact analysis on all IT assets and systems, with recovery methods and disaster preventative procedures.
• Developing an internal data classification framework for all organization data and information assets.
• Assisting in the building and implementing a CMDB to host and maintain all network component configurations and settings.
• Assisting in the implementation of a global service desk and developing the KPI’s and required metrics to report on and improve performance and response time.
• Restructuring, reorganizing, and securing the resources within the active directory.
• Database management activities, including restructuring and enhancing database information and modeling all databases available and their relationships (tables and other databases)
• Ensuring all IT initiatives are in line with the IT and Corporate strategy.
IT Best Practices/Standards Implementation
• Conducting continuous research on industry best practices and standards
•Implementation of specific best practices within the organization
•Ensuring all processes, policies and procedures are closely in line with IT Best practices
IT Process Management
•Analyzing and enhancing all IT processes and performing IT process re-engineering activities.
•Automating manual IT processes
IT Documentation
•Formulating the corporate IT Strategy and ensuring it is continuously in line with the overall organization’s strategy
•Assisting in the development of a corporate information security policy, security procedures, enhancing the controls in place, and ensuring adherence to standards/best practices
•Developing and implementing an SDLC and ensuring all software development initiatives go through the standard lifecycle phases and all phase deliverables are as per business objective/requirement.
•Developing all internal IT and IS procedures and policies.
•Developing a release management policy and all related documentation.
•Writing all other IT related documentation
IT Project Management
•Managing and supervising all internal IT projects and related documentation
•Performing system and business analysis activities, in addition to collecting and developing business system requirements for current and future IT projects.
Business Intelligence
•Assisting in the building of BI platforms and engines for customers and internal business units
•Leading and implementing all projects requiring front end BI platforms (using Sharepoint 2007)
IT and IS Audits
•Assigned as the key contact for facilitating all external and internal IT audit activities.
•Managing the closure of all internal and external IT & IS audit issues and implementing recommendations and action plans.
Sharepoint Implementation, Administration, and Troubleshooting
•Implementing MOSS 2007
•Configuring and implementing Excel Services, SSO, and Workflow integrations on Sharepoint.
•Aramex Sharepoint Sites administration and Troubleshooting
•Process automation through sharepoint administration.
•Performing integration activities between MS Access/MS Excel and Sharepoint.
Leading the “IT Governance, Planning & Organization” function:
•Formulating the corporate IT Strategy and ensuring it is continuously in line with the overall organization’s strategy
•Developing and Implementing an Internal IT governance framework
•Developing all internal IT and IS procedures and policies.
•Analyzing and enhancing all IT processes.
•Developing and implementing a risk management framework
•Managing internal IT projects and related documentation
•Developing a release management policy and related documentation.
•Building a CMDB and developing all CI documentation.
•Developing and implementing an SDLC
•Assisting in the implementation of a global service desk and developing KPI’s and required metrics.
•Restructuring, reorganizing, and securing the resources within the active directory
•Performed all IT Software and Hardware reserach and presented product reports to IT Management.
•Developing the IT Enterprise Architecture
•Closing all IT &IS audit related issues externally and internally.
•Assisting in the development of a corporate information security policy/procedures, enhancing the controls in place, and ensuring adherence
•Writing all IT related documentation
Lead Information Technology and Information Security Auditor
•Performed independent and detailed information technology audits locally and on a network wide-branch level
•Performed Information security audits locally & on a network wide-branch level.
•Performed information systems and application audits locally and on a network wide-branch level.
•Assessed the internal IT /IS controls in place
•Developed detailed IT and IS audit reports per audited Aramex branch, presenting the findings &recommendations to all levels of management
•Ensured that appropriate &efficient action plans were in place to mitigate all risks identified
•Developed detailed audit work programs such as: applications audits, intranet audits, service desk audits, active directory audits, etc.
Heading the E-banking Unit within the Bank of Jordan:
•Quality assurance for the e-services offered to ensure that services are continuously functioning properly and readily available.
•Risk analysis for current and potential services in order to identify the risks accompanied with the services provided and the required controls to mitigate them.
•Identifying the procedures and controls that should be in place to protect e-banking and client information.
•Drafting up strategies for current and potential services
•Market and competitive studies to ensure that services are up to date and inline with the technology available in the market.
•Handling customer care requests and ensuring on time closure.
•Managing the Bank’s website (updates, improvements, and changes)
•Recommending solutions for technical and managerial problems
•Promoting and marketing the e-banking services
Managing all the company’s current and potential projects:
•Working with clients to define project requirements
•Developing the Information Architecture (Dreamweaver) of web sites, applications, editorial designs and marketing communications projects
•Performing project research tasks for each project acquired.
•Drawing up technical and creative proposals in response to bids and request for proposals.
•Technical writing
•Assist in preparation of SYNTAX's marketing materials, press releases and presentations
•Assist the Operations Director in some managerial tasks
•Perform quality assurance tasks
I researched and analyzed the role of IT for five banks in Jordan for a study that was being conducted for a company in the US. I collected all types of data via questionnaires, interviews, and annual reports. Finally, I wrote up a report analyzing and portraying the facts and figures.
I performed detailed analysis and in depth research on several issues involving the management of IT for several of the company’s clients. I contributed to the content of several reports and proposals for potential clients.
2002 – 2003 M.Sc in Information Technology Nottingham, UK Faculty of Information Technology/Computer Science Nottingham University Dissertation: My dissertation for the year was written in the title of “Designing Pleasurable Products: Interactive Television”. It required the study of different approaches to designing interactive and multimedia products, designing two interfaces using different approaches, and finally combining both approaches to produce a more productive and user-centric interface. Grade: Very good
1999 – 2003 B.Sc. in International Economics Nottingham, UK Faculty of Economics- Nottingham University Dissertation: My dissertation for this degree was written in the title of: “3G auctions: bidding behavior.” It required the study of the different strategies and bidding behaviors of the telecommunication companies bidding for the five mobile licenses on auction. The outcome of the study was the ability for me to theorize about the bidding behavior of each telecommunication company and applying it to the auction results. Grade: Honors
1999 American High School Certificate with 2 APs Amman, Jordan American Community School (ACS) top 10 in class Graduated with honors
