Detailed Consulting CV

Ian McKendrick Curriculum Vitae

Profile:

A visionary senior IT executive with 32 years IT management experience, a people manager, highly focused on key business drivers, with a proven track record of defining, providing and supporting successful strategic business solutions, specialising in Social Media Marketing Strategies, Information Management strategies, SharePoint delivery, and the creation of award winning PowerPoint Presentations.

Key skills:

  • A recognised industry speaker with a unique insight into Social Media, Microsoft, and ERP technologies
  • Broadcaster, Founder and co-presenter of The Business Hub, a popular weekly business radio show
  • Broad practical knowledge of WordPress plugins and their application to achieve optimal results
  • Design and implementation of RSS and Social Bookmarking strategies including iTunes, FeedBurner, Technorati and AudioBoo integration to promote Social Profiles, Blogs and websites to gain new followers and fans
  • Assist businesses in the creation and establishment of Social Media policies and strategies that increases profile awareness, reputation and sales
  • Social Media SEO strategies enabling clients to consistently be found on page 1 of the top search engines
  • Social Networking strategies and training covering Blogging, Podcasting and Videocasting
  • Creation and hosting of ScreenCast videos of software and product to train and raise awareness
  • Highly experienced in information management and delivery utilising SharePoint systems
  • Combined IT audit and IT optimisation knowhow ensuring the business does more with less
  • Strategic alignment of IT infrastructure, practices, policies procedures and standards that makes certain that all departments and systems support the business in the timely delivery of corporate objectives
  • Creates and delivers highly complex IT strategies that meet and exceed corporate objectives
  • Experienced with implementing secure IT systems that meet multiple regulatory and legislative requirements including The Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002
  • Broad knowledge and experience of implementing CobiT, ITIL, BS7799/ISO17799 and PAS56
  • Proven project management skills utilising Prince 2 methodologies
  • Well versed in the management of the total project lifecycle, risk management, and contingency planning
  • In-depth knowledge Social Media and Social Networking, applications, strategies and policy creation
  • Creation, implementation and security hardening of WordPress sites and blogs
  • In-depth knowledge of key business processes and exploiting information systems for competitive gain
  • Delivery of return on investment by understanding and focusing on key business drivers
  • Able to work as part of the business management team, articulating IT into the business environment
  • Proven people management skills in the recruitment, development and retention of IT resources
  • Selection and management of appropriate third-party outsourcing partners as a means of leveraging advanced technological solutions while containing departmental costs
  • A strong background in managing and meeting user expectations
  • Member of the Microsoft IT Advisory Council

Recent Consulting Projects:

November 2005 to 2012: – CambiNet Limited:

Position: Founder, Managing Director, Principal IT Consultant

Corporate profile and role overview: CambiNet is a leading technology consulting company performing technology audits for organisations wishing to ensure their IT systems are optimised and capable of driving the company towards their corporate goals and objectives. This is especially useful for organisations wishing for increased returns on their IT investments, and wanting to achieve more with less. On completion of audits CambiNet assist their clients by implementing any improvements required to existing IT systems, training of staff, provision of training presentations, videos, supporting training materials for internal use, and the delivery of any new IT systems if required.

Achievements at DC Thompson:

Social Media security awareness training and advice for creation of best practice policies: Trained key individuals within DC Thompson on the business risks involved with employees using Social Media both as part of their work, and in their personal lives. The training course raised awareness of many issues that had arisen around social media in similar organisations and examined the consequences, and from that made recommendations for best practices to protect their business, their customers, staff members and their families.

Achievements at Marks and Spencer:

SharePoint audit, management status report, and project implementation plan: Created a comprehensive report of the current “as-is” SharePoint implementation which assessed the overall status of SharePoint within the organisation including the scale of the implementation, the  current usage, and status of all SharePoint sites and processes contained therein, identified all risks and opportunities. The purpose of this report was to aid the decision making process for creating a prioritised, phased migration plan for all sites. The report included decision making criteria to help determine the migration priority, and inclusion into relevant phases and was be based on quick-wins, site usage, and business criticality. The investigation was conducted with great sensitivity, to ensure that all stakeholders expectations were carefully managed throughout the process.

Details of the of work included:

  • A SharePoint infrastructure map that included physical layout of infrastructure, server locations,  OS etc. and a “heat-map” overlay showing access, usage, and popularity of  sites.
  • A list of recommendations, listing  benefits, advantages, and disadvantages of migrating to either SharePoint 2007 or 2010, highlighting what would be possible if departments were to fully utilise all available features, such as automated work-flow, embedded forms and dynamic lists.
  • A phased migration plan proposal, which was prioritised to achieve quick wins. It was delivered in two formats; a high level summary list (5/6  slides); and a detailed phased plan to aid Senior Management decision making.
  • Created a “DIY Migration Kit” that included training materials, walk-through’s of  the process, examples and templates (themes), various PowerPoint presentations and videos were included for the team to up-sell the DIY-migration plan internally. The kit also contained a breakdown of implementation stages which allowed for site testing prior to release to a production  environment.
  • Sourced and created demonstration video’s of “Show Case” SharePoint sites for internal use which demonstrated what was possible. These highlighted the use of key SharePoint features such as automation of specific processes that would reduce paperwork, time, cost, complexity, improved service delivery and customer experience.
  • Created a SharePoint Site “Risk Register” which included security risks that were identified during the investigation and also detailed many new opportunities.
  • Created a SharePoint Governance Pack which included Security and Governance best practice examples, various Security and Governance check-lists, Security and Governance planning templates, SharePoint DPA guidelines and check-lists, Security and Governance training materials and SharePoint Information Security Policy best practice guidelines.

The project concluded with the delivery of 61 documents:

  • SharePoint Comparison Pack – 6 docs – Version cross-comparison charts and supporting documentation
  • SharePoint Governance Pack – 11 docs – Training materials, check-lists, governance and security policy examples and supporting documentation
  • SharePoint Infrastructure Pack – 10 docs  – Network drawings, infrastructure maps, comprehensive site and portal lists
  • SharePoint Migration Pack – 27 docs – Analysis tools, Migration tools, Training materials and supporting documentation
  • SharePoint Presentation Pack – 7 docs – Case Study demonstration videos, PowerPoint presentations for Executives, SharePoint User Group, SharePoint Governance and Security Teams and  SharePoint Technical Support Teams

Achievements at Speaking Up:

Improved corporate communications utilising SharePoint, reducing time and costs.
After determining the business requirements with the Senior Management Team we helped Speaking Up (SU) to determine the desired outcomes for their Information Management Review project. I assisted their managers to establish the vision, goals and objectives, and determined the metrics to be used for prioritisation. Planned the migration from outdated SharePoint 2003 test site to an upgraded production SharePoint 2007 site, and the assisted with the structure, development and implementation of a new SharePoint intranet. We split the SharePoint project into two phases and catalogued the necessary reporting metrics for project and progress management. Phase 2 of the SharePoint 2007 implementation included moving spreadsheet based HR management and PIR review systems into a new SharePoint 2007 HR portal, building a repository and the necessary management systems for corporate documentation, policies, procedures and processes. The HR portal included searchable “Rogues Gallery” of all employees detailing work experience, hobbies and interests. Employee emergency contact information was linked to these records, but kept in a private area as part of SU’s disaster recovery plan. I also advised and assisted with setting up and establishing a risk management methodology and created a SharePoint Risk Management Portal. This clearly laid out how risks were managed across all departments within the business, and took into account risk identification, documentation, classification, ownership and reporting, through mitigation and closure. The portal also included SharePoint dashboards to give high level, glance-able reports of the current state of risk exposure, with drill down to details. I also helped SU to determine their entire risk management strategy and the associated processes for the ongoing review and action plan management for risk mitigation. Assisted with audit and identification of information assets needed to be included for all later phases of their Information Management Systems Review project which was managed entirely through SharePoint.

Achievements at Royal Society of Chemistry:

Assisted project department to better support business needs. I ran brainstorming and “Blue Sky” sessions with senior management teams within the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) to determine the information requirements needed to support the fast track delivery of the corporate objectives. This culminated in the implementation of SharePoint 2007, Project Server 2007 and rewriting and upgrading their outdated Intranet system. I assisted with the auditing and documentation of the existing SharePoint 2003 system, migration planning and implementation. Implementation was staggered across departments until everything was migrated the SharePoint 2003 servers were finally backed up and fully decommissioned. I assisted with the planning and delivery of the training which was necessary for transitioning the employees onto the new SharePoint and Project Management systems. We developed online and classroom based training courses and PowerPoint presentations in order to up-skill staff members to move them to across to the newly automated SharePoint based tracking system which integrated with Project Server 2007. Manual communication systems were replaced by utilising the inbuilt communications, issue tracking, notification and reporting systems with SharePoint and Project Server 2007, which utilised the required elements of Prince II being used within the RSC. The result of this work was that the RSC severely reduced the number of project management personnel, held less meetings, reduced the number of personnel required to run projects, and consequentially most of this is now managed on-line through SharePoint and Microsoft Outlook.

Achievements at St Andrew’s Healthcare:

Assisted IT department to better support business needs. After carrying out an extensive IT optimisation audit I helped St Andrew’s Healthcare (SHC) run brainstorming and “Blue Sky” sessions with members of their senior management and healthcare teams. Collating the data which I collected during these process allowed us to construct an implementation matrix which was used to prioritise the implementation of business information management solutions that were needed to assist with all departments reaching their corporate objectives. This culminated in the implementation of a brand new Intranet based on SharePoint 2007 and Project Server 2007. I assisted with training and up-skilling staff members to move them to an automated tracking system for project management, the result of which meant that the SHC rigorously reduced the number of meetings and personnel required for managing projects, and as a consequence all projects are now managed on-line through SharePoint and Project Server.

July 2004 to November 2005: – Cambridge Display Technology (CDT):

Position: Head of IT

Corporate profile and role overview: CDT is the leading developer of technologies based on polymer light emitting diodes used in the global display and lighting markets. From its laboratories in Cambridge, the company research new materials and processes, creates patents, and generates its revenue through licensing. CDT is the first spin off company from Cambridge University to float on the US stock exchange, and must comply with the Sarbanes Oxley Act. The role involved the delivery and management of robust IT systems that supported the strategic growth of the business across many locations, ensuring that all relevant regulatory and legislative requirements were met. IT responsibility extended across three sites in the UK, a sales team based in Taiwan, Japan and China and also part owned subsidiary in the US. It had been inferred that the position would evolve into an IT Directors role.

Achievements at CDT:

  • Reorganised the IT department and the IT infrastructure to support the needs of the business. Like most start up companies, CDT’s IT department, and the network that it supported, had evolved as the business had grown, when cash had become available. There had been little strategic alignment of IT to meet the needs of the business. The infrastructure had become a mix of disparate operating systems with different software versions installed on a range of outdated and mostly unsupportable servers and desktops. Due to their complexity, the IT systems had been failing regularly, with the network falling over on many occasions, sometimes being down for several days at a time, and the team had become very demoralised. Working closely with them, we analysed the situation, then worked together to implement a solution.
  • Restructured the IT department. I created a responsibility matrix which matched the skill sets of all IT staff to the functions being supported and run by them. From this I conducted a skill gap analysis to determine which training was required to meet business needs, and matched each employee’s career aspirations. Job descriptions were rewritten to reflect the new division of responsibilities and the new organisational structure was signed off by the CEO. I used a risk assessment process to prioritise which functions to outsource and then set up the relevant support and maintenance contracts with third party providers. Throughout the year the IT department steadily progressed from having a reactionary, geo-centric mode of operations, to becoming a process centric organisation, focussed on meeting the needs of the business
  • Updated and consolidated the IT Infrastructure. I conducted internal audits to identify all IT assets and then set a baseline requirement for all supported IT equipment. Using this information, I worked with third parties to create a fully costed replacement plan to acquire new servers, desktop machines, software licensing and end user training. This was presented at a Strategic Executive meeting where we gained financial support. The plan was implemented across all three UK sites and to users in the field, delivering a single sign on domain with Windows 2003 on 40 servers, Windows XP and Office 2003 to 200 desktops, and this was completed in less than four months.
  • Relocated the head office and its systems from Cambridge to Cambourne. Planning for this was nearing completion when joining CDT, but because of an administrative oversight, the Internet link was not going to be installed until four weeks after the relocation date. Due to some out of the box thinking by one member of the IT team a deal struck with the ISP, we relocated everyone as planned, and phased in the new line at a later date without any interruption of service. We also installed a new phone system, more robust backup systems and introduced MessageLab’s mail scanning services in order to drop a self managed system that was taking an hour a day to administer.
  • Implemented Sarbanes Oxley compliance controls into IT. CDT floated on NASDAQ in October 2004 and as the registered offices were located in Delaware US, CDT had to comply with the full rigors of the Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002 (SOX) as a US domicile filer. Using CobiT as the control framework, we implemented ITIL and BS7799 working practices in order to meet SOX, and other auditing requirements. When designing the layout of the policies and procedures we ensured these were embedded within an IT Quality Management framework to meet ISO 9000/9001 operational standards. We worked closely with Microsoft to utilise the SharePoint fast-track SOX accelerator pack which was in beta at that time. All this was hosted and managed through SharePoint 2003. While defining the key controls we included Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) to capture evidence that standards of performance were being met and that they were in line with business requirements. This evidence was extremely useful, not only as an indication that operations were functioning as intended and meeting the needs of the business, but also in reducing the time and costs of future SOX audits. Due to our close working relationship with Microsoft and my intimate knowledge of using SharePoint to reduce the administrative overhead of regulatory compliance I was invited to give a presentation alongside Alistair Baker, CEO of Microsoft UK, on using SharePoint to achieve regulatory compliance at the Anglia IT Managers forum in September 2005
  • Introduced a Corporate Risk Register. Part of the CobiT framework we introduced related to the appropriate management of risk. We held several brainstorm meetings to uncover all of the IT risks that CDT was exposed to. Using SharePoint we designed and created a corporate risk register where all IT risks were managed, complete with mitigation and contingency plans. The assessment process that we created was based on PAS 56, the emerging standard for business continuity management from the BSI. For each risk, triggers were aligned to CDT’s business strategy, and then set to fire the appropriate plans into action should any risk manifest itself. By assessing the probability and impact of each individual risk we were able to calculate CDT’s exposure and were able to manage these in line with CDT’s aggressive risk appetite. In light my experience in this area, I was invited to make a presentation on risk management at the Net Focus conference in October 2005.
  • Introduced Health and Safety information centre on SharePoint. CDT has laboratories at two of its UK sites and key health and safety information for chemicals was being managed with Excel. Standard Operating Procedures were stored on local network drives, and as these systems grew in use, the management of this information became a high administration task for the scientists. We worked with the team involved to replicate their management processes, but improved them considerably by creating a tailored SharePoint portal, which increased efficiency, and gave more control, functionality, and reliability.
  • Relocated Scientist group to Cambridge and formed subsidiary company with links to Japan. In August 2005 the R&D element of CDT went into partnership with Sumitomo, and a new company was formed to conduct this joint venture. Within six weeks, we had relocated all R&D staff to laboratories in Cambridge and installed a new network to accommodate the centralisation of their data. To speed up the scientist’s research process and minimise licensing costs, we redesigned a core SQL database to manage and improve the data flow between sites. While this was in development, we implemented a Citrix solution so that productivity was not compromised. This solution also enabled scientists to access proprietary databases installed at other sites, as well as enable remote access to field staff that had moved to Sumitomo in Japan.
  • BS7799 ISO17799 Security awareness training. All IT staff have completed a security awareness training course and the team now recognise when an attack has taken place, and are drilled in how to respond to the situation, escalate the event to the appropriate authorities and know how to preserve the forensic trail.

November 1994 to July 2004 – Acambis Research Limited:

Position: Director of IT Global Operations

Corporate profile and role overview: Acambis is the world leader in manufacturing and supplying smallpox vaccines to the US government and other leading nations. My role was to manage and deliver an extremely robust information management architecture that had to accommodate links to multiple networks outside of Acambis’ control for collaborations and other external operations. Acambis’ networks had to meet multiple, stringent international regulation requirements and were configured accordingly. Acambis was considered a ‘Key Point’, and due to the nature of its work was a target for terrorists and animal rights extremists, both physical and information security had been of paramount importance and was considered with every implementation.

Achievements at Acambis:

  • Successfully implemented one of the first UK deployments of Microsoft’s SharePoint 2003 which was recognised by Microsoft as being the most advanced in Europe. The aim was to reduce unproductive administrative work and costs caused by the duplication of documents across the enterprise. The solution doubled the throughput of many departments and was the topic of a Microsoft case study (copy enclosed-Appendix-1)
  • Implemented Global ERP system to integrate and automate all worldwide operations. This addressed critical manufacturing issues ranging from meeting FDA requirements for validation, quality control and CFR 21 Part 11 compliance. The solution integrated several disparate platforms into a single SharePoint reporting system. Significant benefits included integration of finance operations, automated purchasing, improved inventory accuracy and materials management, reduction of paperwork and increased reporting capabilities, the tool for which was the topic of a Microsoft case study (copy enclosed-Appendix-2)
  • Implemented fully automated global anti-virus system. This ensured AV protection to all platforms within Acambis, including every network connected device, all mail and web servers. The system also effectively filtered all spam, porn, and potential malicious mail, quarantining them until they could be verified and released if appropriate. There was not one single instance of a virus on the network for over 5 years due to the measures introduced
  • Designed and implemented a global information management infrastructure. This enabled Acambis to become the first company in the world to make an electronic submission to the FDA’s vaccine division. This total integration strategy also gave each employee ‘single click’ access to every networked device, all documents and information in the organisation, regardless of location
  • Implemented BPM systems conforming to Sarbanes Oxley requirements
  • Implemented security standards and effective security management practices. This was to BS7799 in accordance with UK, European and US laws and regulations. I was invited to become a member of the Net Focus Working Group which advises UK government, European Parliament and industry on all aspects of security policy development, strategy and standards. I now sit on the Net Focus working group as the specialist on the risks and opportunities for emerging technologies and social networking.
  • Implemented intercontinental Virtual Private Network (VPN). During the early transatlantic integration projects, Acambis was one of the first to be granted a 3DES VPN license outside the US for its Virtual Private Networks. As this was an early test of these new levels of encryption, I worked closely with the CIA and the American Embassy to put this solution in place. This implementation was the subject of a case study (copy enclosed-Appendix-3)
  • Significantly reduced drug development lea times. Commissioned and implemented an application that integrated Silicon Graphics crystallography software with on-line databases reducing drug candidate searches from 12 months to three days. An article heralding this breakthrough in slashing drug development lead times was published in The Times (copy enclosed-Appendix-4)
  • Significantly reduced drug candidate hit detection lead times. Commissioned and implemented an application that analysed results from plate reading software, reducing drug candidate hit detection from four weeks to 10 minutes
  • Public speaking awards. Invited speaker at various conferences throughout the UK on the success the company’s IT strategies and the benefits gained. Voted ‘Best Speaker’ at Channel Focus 2003, European Channel Focus 2009, UK Channel Focus 2009, and Net Focus 2009 and Net Focus “Most Valued Speaker” 2007

March 1993 to October 1994 – Labspace Sintacell:

Position: IT Manager

Corporate profile and role overview: Labspace is the UK leading manufacturer and installer of laboratory furniture and equipment. Established in the late 1800’s, the company was running old and disconnected legacy systems, many of them paper-based. My role was to bring these systems together and automate them. As many of their customers were food and drug companies there was much secrecy surrounding installations which had to be taken into account when designing their systems.

Achievements at Labspace Sintacell:

  • Designed databases integrated with existing data sources giving the management team improved breakdown and analysis of sales, work in progress and quotations. This led to quicker and more accurate quotations which secured considerably more business and profits for the company
  • Designed and implemented computerised production capacity planning and job routing system that incorporated BS5750, which improved shop floor productivity, increased product quality and reduced manufacturing lead times
  • Wrote and implemented asset register management package that handled depreciation and reported more accurate figures for finance, saving many weeks of manual work each year
  • Reduced three databases into one by writing a new customer and prospects database that linked directly to the sales ledger. It included a mailing facility that linked with Microsoft Word and reduced duplication of effort by the sales and accounts departments while improving quotation productivity

November 1987 to March 1993 – Knurr UK:

Position: IT Manager

Corporate profile and role overview: Knurr is a worldwide player in the 19″ enclosure and technical furniture market. Their products were primarily for control rooms, typically for air traffic control, public utilities from power-stations, police control rooms, to dealer rooms in the finance sector and they also designed and supplied communications facilities for the telecoms and satellite broadcast industry. Established in the late 1930’s, the company was running old and disconnected legacy systems, many of them paper-based. My role was to bring these systems and processes together for all divisions in 33 countries throughout the world, and automate as many of these processes as possible.

Achievements at Knurr:

  • First three years of IT career were spent working in each department in the company to learn every aspect of business functionality. Received professional training and experienced at first hand the following duties: designer, drawing office manager, machine operator, quality control, paint plant manager, stock picker, stores manager, driver, transport manager, fitter, purchasing manager, purchase ledger clerk, sales ledger clerk, nominal ledger clerk, salesman, tele-sales, communications manager, exhibition organiser, secretary and even receptionist
  • Implemented ERP system to automate all of Knurr’s operations. During implementation, worked closely with head office to re-organise the management structure in the UK. During implementation we attained ISO9000 certification. As a result of my efforts, there was an immediate decrease of production overheads by 20% and a cut in product lead times from six weeks to three to five working days. As a result, sales rapidly increased from £750,000 p.a. to £4.5m in the first year and £10m in the second year after implementation. The turnover growth was accompanied by a corresponding growth in profitability, thus achieving a significant return on investment for the UK. Over the following three years we rolled out this solution to all other corporate branches who then experienced similar benefits.
  • Managed the transfer of data from legacy paper-based systems to this ERP system for all sales, purchase and nominal ledger entries, all fields in the customer and supplier master files, all open customer and supplier orders and over 250,000 stock entries for each implementation
  • Installed a UK-based central communications node between UK and German head offices using X.25 and 64k leased lines with multiplexers to integrate voice and data. This greatly assisted the integration of the companies networks bringing together systems from 33 countries and achieved a huge financial saving for the business and was one of the first installations of its type in Europe

Appendices:

Industry training courses attended:
Planning, Implementing and Managing Microsoft SharePoint 2003/2007
Planning, Implementing Microsoft Project Server 2007 Microsoft SharePoint 2003/2007
Administration Microsoft SharePoint 2003/2007
Web Part Programming
Financial Accounting for Non Accountants
Advanced Hacking Awareness, techniques, tools and methodologies
Computer Forensics and Information Gathering
Constructing the Perfect Security Policy
Network Associates PGP
Hacking for beginners
Hardening Your Security – firewalls, web servers and infrastructure
Microsoft SQL Server Administration
Life on Line – Use and abuse of E-mail and the internet
Microsoft Project 2000/2007 refresher
Introduction to Prince 2
Core Management Program
SNMPc Implementation and Administration
Microsoft MOM implementation and Administration
Vigilante Administration
Employment Law Training
Cultural training workshop
WebSense Implementation and Administration
3G Technology Awareness
Facilitation for IT Management
Advanced Presentation Skills
European Pharmaceutical Exchange
Advanced Microsoft Project and Prince 2
ERBI Staff security in a biotechnology company.

Appendix 1:

Microsoft SharePoint case study

Appendix 2:

Microsoft FRx reporting case study

Appendix 3:

VPN case study

Appendix 4:

The Times article

To book Ian call 07979 593 970 or CLICK HERE>

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