Manager IT
Wah Brands
Total years of experience :10 years, 8 Months
July 2013 - current
Wah Brands (Culinary Group), Karachi, PAKISTAN
Position: Project Manager IT (www.wah-brands.com)
Wah Brands is a fast food retails group of companies. Wah Brands offering include specialized fast food outlet network across Pakistan. I worked full time to quickly setup a corporation wide IT governance policy and network in various cities (Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad) . Applying my Project Management, Corporate communication and Resource Management skills I built strong relationships with key service vendors and senior stakeholders. In a matrix management environment the position required of me to streamline communication strategies for information flow at all levels within the organization while maintaining confidentiality. Five team leads responsible for respective enterprise modules and support staff reported to myself. I was also responsible to develop non-dynamic Business Intelligence (BI) reports to produce useful decision making information from huge data collected from Wah Brands ERP application.
• Plan, Analyze and Implement Networking ACL's and RBAC.
• Prepare proposal on Delivery of service, IT Strategy & Remote Services to the teams located across Pakistan.
• My responsibilities involve the day to day running of the company ERP Project, communication network and user experience while providing management level support.
• Optimize policies for data loss utilizing data loss prevention engines (DLP), centralized information with managed delivery option and controlled data delivery to various end-points.
• Working in the challenging IT environment across various outlets of Chachajee, Snack Attack and China Grill across Pakistan within contained budgets.
• Implementing Policies and Governance around Infrastructure.
• Procurement of IT hardware and systems for new development and new outlet deployments.
• Under my supervision I successfully deployed, implemented and made operational the following ERP modules for Wah Brands; Material Management, Production Planning and HR/Attendance/ Payroll module.
April 2011 - October 2012 Softech Informatics, Sydney NSW, AUSTRALIA
Position: Junior Project Manager (www. softechinfo.com.au)
Softech Informatics is a well-known Australian owned company offering Software Development and Network Support Services to the clients all over Sydney. Softech Informatics specializes in offering Cisco and Microsoft Network Solutions to all its clients. I worked full time in the role initially starting as Project Support Executive but quickly taking more responsibilities of project management. While being assertive I took a proactive step to manage the MS Project Plan with the permission of the Project Manager for one of our business stakeholder. Applying my customer service skills I built strong relationships with key vendors and project stakeholders. I was also involved to streamline communication strategies for continuous service and cost containment improvements within the organization. I would also occasionally develop reports to highlight redundancies in workflow order for an individual project.
My Duties include:
• Prepare correspondence for data inflow and out for enterprise environment.
• While being assertive I took a proactive step to manage the MS Project Plan with the permission of the Project Manager for one of our business stakeholder
• Analyse user experience for consumer application developed by Softechinfo.
• Supervise installation, deployment and training of enterprise application.
• Prepare communication documentation at all levels ensuring highest level of privacy and confidentiality.
• Managing support teams for proprietary enterprise application.
• Supervise testing of selected consumer management products on personal cloud deployment over Australian NBN Network.
• Good knowledge of Help desk tool (Unicenter Service Desk) and addressing independently to 2nd level support.
• Occasionally facilitating TAM and 3rd level support team as well as other business stakeholders.
• Escalate the issues to the team lead/service delivery manager/other related groups whenever needed.
• Assist in providing user support for all CSG supported applications.
• Microsoft Exchange 2003/2007 server configuration and administration.
• Managing Active Directory, creation of computer on a domain, user’s account on Active Directory and Group policy configuration.
• Development and enforcement of IT/System Security, Backup & Disaster Recovery Policies.
• I would also occasionally develop reports to highlight redundancies in workflow order for an individual project
Responsibilities/Achievements include:
• Manage Store invoices, PO, Shifts, deliveries, café, perishable goods, sales targets, revenue, promotions and day to day store activities.
• Meet respective store, fuel and expense KPI’s for every month.
• Increased sales by 15% for the year 2010 to 2011.
• Provide continued excellence in customer service.
• Perform retail duties and train staff upholding Real food real fast concept.
• Prepare quality coffee drinks, cold beverages, baking various pasteries and bakery products.
• Introduce various sales and marketing promotions offered to give customer value for money while increasing awareness of the company’s core values.
May 2008 - July 2008 Internetrix, Wollongong NSW, AUSTRALIA
Position: Junior Business Development Executive (www.internetrix.net)
Internetrix is an Australian owned company which provides a tailored digital service to clients. The business has extensive understanding that there are strategies to plan, requirements to document and thorough processes to follow in order to reach goals in the online market that is today. Internetrix core business encompasses Website Projects, Online Performance and Digital Consulting. During my semester break from university I worked full time with the organization. From my past experience in Malaysia I managed to successfully identify and analyze best service market for Internetrix products Affinity CRM application and Gravity Workflow management application.
My Duties include:
• Provide a complete solution and recommendation for a prospective market entry strategy in the Asia Pacific region.
• Applying Enterprise Cloud as a base for productive sales, project growth rate for products Web application architecture in Malaysia.
• Produce a viable promotion and advertising plan for the two target products.
• Identify suitable application localization process for the target service market.
• Document business development progress on a weekly basis to senior executives.
• Presented complete idea and plan applying project management design tools learned from business operations development course as part of the university program.
October 2005 - Sep 2006 Channel Tek Broadcast Solution, Karachi, PAKISTAN
Position: System Administrator (www.channeltek.com)
Channel Tek is Pakistan's leading organization in the field of Broadcast Solutions, Test & Measurements, Multimedia, Instrumentation and Professional Systems Design, Integration, After -Sale Service and Technical Support. While providing service to Telecommunications, Media, and Education industries it inspires for more expansion. I helped develop a strategy with the CEO Mr. Syed Mubashir Imam and a few other senior managers on how to expand the Channel Tek brand on the internet for the target market.
My Duties include:
• Lead web coordination unit & update team for intranet & e-commerce company websites (www.channeltek.com & www.channelbazaar.com).
• Analyse and use problem solving skills to improve consumer experience of proprietary CRM system.
• Initiated a large variety of activities as: Coordinated marketing strategies for various Broadcast Hardware & Software solution offered.
• Managing online CRM systems for channelbazar.com portal.
• Supervised and trained online customer/technical support personnel’s.
• Developed procedures for efficient online sales, warranty and customer complaints; ensuring minimal delay for trouble tickets.
April 2005 - August 2006 High Commission for Pakistan Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA
Position: Project Manager
The diplomatic mission of Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The High Commission primarily represents Foreign Affairs, Trade, Customs, Defense and provides Consular services for the Government of Pakistan. Reporting directly to then Deputy High Commissioner (DHM) Honorable M Jamshaid Iftikhar I was tasked to study, collect and deploy a digital presence for the High Commission. I planned, organized, managed and successfully implemented the whole project.
My Duties include:
• Manage domain registration and hosting systems.
• Research and study Mission objective together with requirements from all stakeholders of various Ministries.
• Design & development of high commission’s website (www.pahickl.com); and a customized Ministerial Department Content Management System.
• Prepare necessary contracts and terms of service agreements between various Ministers and stakeholders.
• Ensure documentation of complete backup and disaster recovery policies and procedures.
• Complete deployment, installation, bug and DOS attack testing of the system.
• Supervise system training to staff, helpdesk, SEO, site maintenance and train basic technical support personnel.
June 2002 - July 2005 Backbone Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd, MALAYSIA
Position: Web Administrator (www.backbone-technologies.com)
Backbone Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd is a premier provider of e-solutions; the one-stop provider for all technology infrastructure and security requirements. Its core businesses involves a wide spectrum of services scalable for both SMEs and MNCs. I achieved invaluable experience with the organization which employed Malaysia’s IT industry’s most talented entrepreneurs. I lead teams and projects for Application Development,
Dedicated Server, Server Co-Location Services and Networking infrastructure. I managed hosting spanning across 10 high performance servers operated by Windows Server 2003, Windows NT and LINUX located both in Malaysia and Singapore.
My Duties include:
• Manage customer & technical support departments.
• Led team of 7 development and technical staff
• Perform feasibility and functional requirements for custom server solution.
• Management, maintenance and security update of Hosting, DNS, FTP, MAIL & WEB servers (WINDOWS 2000 server & LINUX FEDORA distribution).
• Supervise domain registrations & manage hosting using Hosting Controller, Hosting Accelerator, Ensim Pro & PLESK.
• Play partial team supervision role to develop and maintain online web application suites with a variety of server based technologies (dot.NET, Pearl, php etc…). Manage Virtual Private Server (VPS) configuration for subscribed customers.
• Other achievements include suggesting developing information data page hits for various resellers to track various online traffic concentration for better understanding.
Nov 2009 - June 2011: Master of Management, University of Wollongong AUSTRALIA. Courses: Project Management, International Financial Management, Managing People in Organization, Quality in Management, Economic Analysis of Business Environment, Contemporary issues in Management, International Business Strategy, Corporate governance and Information System for Managers. Academic Projects: Can be made available upon request.
Feb 2003 - Aug 2005: Bachelor of Science in Computing (Hon.), Staffordshire University UK.Courses: Strategic Information Planning, Database Management Systems, Design of C orporate computer networks, Object Technology, Business process Re-engineering and Information Systems, Human computer interaction, Programming for the internet, Professional issues, Honors 1 year research project (AWC AS). Academic Projects: Honors Project: Automated web content and adaptation system. Honors: Project Management and C ommunication Honors: Research and Investigation Honors: Analysis and Design Honors: Implementation and Testing
Jun 2001 - Oct 2002: Higher Diploma in Computer Systems, APIIT, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
Dec 1999 - Mar 2001: Diploma in Computing & IT, APIIT, Karachi Pakistan. SYED M. SAMI