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Group IT Consultant, Adare Printing Group (Contract) - 1997-2000
Adare Printing
Group are a leading supplier of business communication services to financial and
other business organizations, providing data handling services (especially for
marketing data) print management, direct mail marketing and facilities
management, with interfaces to the clients’ internal systems.
Originally
retained to lead a team carrying out a complete systems-based Business Process
Re-engineering exercise after a recent takeover, and to project manage replacement
of the existing
financial and accounts systems (subsequently carried out two further due
diligence exercises for successful takeovers by the Group). Team consisted of
consultants from Ernst & Young and O’Connor and used the Ernst & Young Focused
Business Improvement methodology backed up by the CASEwise family of business
modelling tools designed to integrate business process and simulation with data
analysis.
Role was then
extended to cover a programme of business change projects for the other companies in the
Group, promoting the uses and benefits of IT across the Group, using business
modelling techniques to derive current business models and then carry out the
change to future models dictated by industry change and changes in the structure
of the Group. Carried out analysis, project management and consultancy on a
variety of process improvement and business restructuring programmes for the
Group, including project managing and installation of new financial and accounts
systems for several subsidiaries and a one year programme to web-enable the
Group’s subsidiaries including structural and business process change to
accommodate the new business model. This programme required the creation and
management of an “e-business group” comprising MDs, FDs and “e-business
champions” in all subsidiaries.
Worked on
changing the business models within the Group and at subsidiary level using
IT/IS and, latterly, Internet technology as the lever. This involved a
project to devise an
Internet, Intranet and Extranet strategy to secure the Group’s supply chain and
provide advanced on-line ordering, with provision of an Internet e-commerce
front end covering 17 companies and with necessary dovetailing into back-end
systems. For this I made use of the e-business group: I did not have executive
authority over these subsidiaries but worked by persuasion and the demonstration
of the benefits that would accrue to the subsidiaries from process change.
Devised and
implemented strategies and models for Customer Information System and Customer
Relationship Management solutions for financial institutions served by the
Group. Managed the implementation of ERP/MIS, warehousing and logistics strategy and selected
systems to run on Intel, Unix and AS/400 platforms using SQL Server databases.
Some involvement with Oracle 8i database. Dovetailed e-business front ends into
back office systems.
During this
time I worked with the Group’s Finance Director and the Financial Controllers of
the individual companies on the financial feasibility of the various projects.
The
projects I managed included:
Group Head Office
Group-wide Projects
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Year 2000 preparation programme for 17 companies in the Group, providing consultancy to, and
leading, a team made up from IT and line management from all companies;
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Development of IT and
communications strategies for companies in group;
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Consultancy on office
moves and refurbishment, from structured cabling to updated software base;
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ISDN provisioning
across Group and franchisees;
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AdareNet – group-wide Intranet;
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Business continuity and contingency planning (general production and
administration as well as IT);
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Software Standardisation eg, introduction of Sun Accounts;
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Software Certification Programme;
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Group Call Centre set up;
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Software protection;
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Business Development, particularly looking for opportunities for IT
to generate business opportunities among financial institutions;
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Outsourcing Training/Training Management Across the Group;
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Third Party PC Support;
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Staff PC Purchase Schemes;
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Software Purchasing Bulletin Boards and Price Benchmarking;
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Database of Group IT/IS Suppliers;
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Electroscrap;
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Database of Group Internal IT/IS Skills and Experience;
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Global Telephone Number Changes;
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Videoconferencing;
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Anti-Virus Protection;
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Administer IT/IS Group;
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Publish IT/IS Information;
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Administer e-business Group;
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Publish e-business Information;
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Group IT/IS Summary of Contacts, Hardware and Software;
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e-business Strategy - Supply Chain;
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Y2K Aftermath;
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IT/IS Total Cost of Ownership Reduction;
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IT/IS Procedures and Administration.
Southam FM
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IT/IS due diligence and business modeling prior to take over from
Abbey National;
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Complete replacement of Abbey National internal systems at Southam
with third party systems of similar capability, on take over;
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Worked with Abbey National’s business managers and IT staff to
sychronise the new Southam systems with Abbey’s legacy systems eg, for
ordering and invoicing;
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e-business website, for branch access;
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Rebuilt LAN and WAN;
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Replacement of ERP/MIS System to service increased volumes from Abbey
National and National Westminster;
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Specialist warehousing/logistics system to satisfy Abbey
National/National Westminster’s requirements.
Printronic
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Due diligence and business modeling prior to take over;
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Improved services for receipt and processing of banks’ marketing data
and of delivering the output;
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Upgrading existing systems and system synchronization to enable
Printronic to integrate with other companies in the Group;
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Worked on a programme of replacing the original mainframe-based
legacy systems with new standard hardware, software and communications
systems;
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New e-trading web site.
Carwin
Darley
Great Northern Envelope Company
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G.NET - e-business trading site and e-commerce engine, targeted at
(and working with the customer-facing teams of) major corporate financial
clients eg, Bradford & Bingley, and including analysis work with the
marketing and purchasing departments of GNEC’s major financial customers.
Integrated G.NET with Imprint back office system.
Halcyon Business Solutions
Kalamazoo Security Print
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KalNet – e-business trading site and e-commerce engine;
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New ERP/MIS System, with e-commerce interface;
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Implemented new pre-press origination studio
(Mac/NT);
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Provision
of digital telephone systems for two other companies in the group system
with Computer Telephony Integration, Automatic Call Distribution and
Automated Call Centre (TAPI).
Kall Kwik Printing (UK)
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Internet Strategy for 2000 across 185 franchise centres;
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Web-based centralised order management system;
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Set up and trialing of Extranet trading for a major financial
institution account customer;
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Franchisee template web sites.
Label Converters
Lexicon Marketing Services
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Digitial Certificates and Issues;
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Crisis Manual;
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Replacement MIS Systems;
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Replacement financials and accounts system;
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Development of Extranet solution for data handling and on-line
trading with a major financial institution;
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Network Topology Changes.
Pillings Printing
Platignum
Prontaprint
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Provision of
digital telephone systems for two other companies in the group system with
Computer Telephony Integration, Automatic Call
Distribution and Automated Call Centre (TAPI);
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Set up and trialling of Extranet trading for a major account customers;
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Planned office relocation and set up of new corporate Head Quarters.
William Caple
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Abbeygate IT Solutions