Curiculum Vitae

Having lead both infrastructure and development teams over the last 12 years I have managed to gain a unusually broad experience across most of Microsoft’s stable in both regards. My ability to step back and see the complete IT, business and financial perspective has allowed me to influence and set strategic direction as well as deliver innovative solutions that advance the business at an Enterprise, as well as tactical scope. I enjoy the challenge of gathering requirements, designing elegant and cutting edge solutions, building teams and implementing the development of projects from both an enterprise and solutions level.

IT Professional

• Architecture and Design of Distributed Enterprise Systems (Parity)
• Certified Scrum Master
• Development MCP towards MCSD (June 2007)
  • Analyzing Requirements and defining MS.Net Solution Architectures
• MCSE Windows 2003 (Certified since 8th April 2008)
  • Updating Systems Administrator Skills from MS Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003
  • Exchange 2000 to 2003
• MCSE Windows 2000 (Certified since 19th July 2004)
  • Exchange, ISA, Designing AD Infrastructure
• MCP (Certified since 9th August 2001)
  • Windows 2000 Pro and Server
  • Networking Essentials (1999)
• Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS certification 1999)
  • MS Access Expert
• British Computer Society
  • Professional Member since Jan 2002

Management and Business Training

• Hemsley Fraser – Fast Track to successful People Management and Team Leadership
• The Crown Estate Management Training
• Time Management Course
• The Crown Estate Project Methodology Training (based on Prince II), ITIL

Other

• BEng Mechanical Engineering – Imperial College London University (1993)
  • Fluid Mechanics, Mathematics, CAD, Programming.
  • Associate of the City and Guild Institute (ACGI)

 

Development Manager and Solutions \ Technical Architect (2004 – present)
The Crown Estate (Regent Street, London, UK)

• I currently manage a small permanent team of developers and testers, that flexes with outsourced and contracted resources. I also have responsibility as Corporate Technical and Infrastructure Architect. As technical architect, I maintain and develop the corporate infrastructure strategy for delivering IT services for the business. Other responsibilities are to approve and ensure all new additional systems fully integrate and complement our existing design structure and strategy. I am in the process of introducing the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) to compliment our MSF Agile and ITIL based service provision.
• Architect and Technical Lead on corporate project for desktop migration to Windows XP and implementation of virtualised desktop application infrastructure using Softgrid, SMS and GPO.
• Depending on the size and scope of the project, responsibilities may include Project Management, BA, design and development. Some of my projects are listed below. For more detailed project information see Project Showcase
• Development Manager and Solutions Architect for Round 3 Wind Farms GIS Modeling and Management System forming part of the Marine Asset Resource System (MaRS). Responsible for design and development of a complex modeling tool based on ESRI ArcMap 9.2 and 9.3.1 to assist with the identification of suitable wind farm development sites.
• Develop and implemented the Corporate MSF Agile based Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Methodology. Also implemented the adoption of SCRUM development processes.
• Corporate GIS Solution based on ESRI ArcMap, SDE and WebADF software. A large and complex project with a budget of over £3 million. The project delivered a full suite of tools, practices and process for capturing and maintaining the spatial extents of all Crown Estates assets. It also allowed the full resolution of data from additional data sources.
• Introduced fully integrated development environment based on Visual Studio and Team Foundation Server 2005 and now 2008.
• Designed and developed Intranet and Extranet SharePoint Portal Solution.
• Developed bank transaction handling gateway and middleware called BB Data Handler. Developed Capital Project authorization and budgeting web based system that integrated the financial and property management systems.
• Infrastructure project to manage a zero down time office move to new building and WAN network supplier, including the design of the new multi VLAN network infrastructure.
• Implemented Assyst Service Support System following ITIL standards and principles.

Network Team Manager and Technical Architect (2002 – 2004)
The Crown Estate (Carlton House Terrace, London, UK)

• Responsible for the development and running of the corporate IT and infrastructure team of 4.
• Designed and implemented the Corporate Network Management Procedures, Processes and Guidelines Handbook (LAN Admin Handbook).
• Managed the migration of the corporate infrastructure from Windows 2000 to Windows 2003. Migrated Exchange from 2000 to 2003. Introduced and implemented SMS for Desktop and Asset Management and remote control.
• Implemented Intranet and Public web site using Distributed Livelink (Obtree) content management system.
• Developed Corporate Template solution and specific Word Personalisation Template System

Network Architect and Lead Developer (2000 – 2002)
The Crown Estate (Carlton House Terrace, London, UK)

• Responsible for a project to migrate the corporate network from Novell + MS Mail to full Active Directory Windows 2000 infrastructure including implementing MS Exchange 2000. Redesign of security and file storage strategy.
• Implemented Group Policy for desktop management and software deployment. Implemented enterprise anti-virus at both perimeter and desktop. Managed the network and desktop infrastructure Y2K compliance project.

Contract Developer (1999 – 2000)
The Crown Estate (Carlton House Terrace, London, UK)

• Originally hired on a 6 months contract I worked on a variety of 2-tier Access and VBA type projects, including designing and developing the corporate Contacts Management solution. This is still the main contacts management package in use after 8 years.

Managing Director (1996 – 1999)
Hands On Computers (Lusaka, Zambia)

• After university and working in the film industry, I chanced apon some oppurtunities in Zambia. While there I observed that I was amoungst a small elite of IT knowldgeable skill sin the country. Hands On Computers was a small company that I started with partners to provide 1st world IT support, hardware assembly and repairs (to component level), consultancy (infrastructure and development) and supplies to Zambia. We had a variety of local and international clients including USAID, Norwegian AID, NORSAD, Amanita Zambiana, Ministry of Health, Aeradio Zambia Ltd. After running the company for several years, I sold bulk of the shares of the Company and returned to the UK.

 

Development SKills

• Creating, mentoring and managing Development Teams using both MSF and SCRUM methodologies
• Creative, logical and lateral thinker
• Business, Functional, Non-functional and Technical Requirements gathering
• OOA&D - Documenting and Communicating Requirement, Specifications and Solution Designs.
• Designing multi-tier solutions
• Team Foundation Server 2005 (2+ years)
• UML 2.0 (2+ Years)
• VB and VBA (12+ Years),VB.Net (4+ Years)
• C# (2+ Years), ASP (6+ Years), ASP.Net (3+ Years)
• HTML, XHTML (7+ Years), XML (2+ Years)
• MS SQL 2000 and 2005 (4+ Years), MySQL (3+ Years), Oracle (some experience)
• Java and Java Script (3+ Years), PHP (3+ Years)
• IIS (8+ Years), Apache (3+ Years)
• Crystal Reports 10 Enterprise (4 Years)
• Access 2.0, 95, 2000, 2003, 2007 VBA (11+ Years)
• Android (New), Flash (some experience), Silverlight and XAML (New)

Networking and Infrastructure

• Windows 2000 and 2003 Server and Networking (7+ Years)
• MS Exchange Server 2000 and 2003 (7+ Years)
• MS Visual Studio 2005 (2+ Years)
• MS SQL Server 2000 and 2005 (5+ Years)
• MS Softgrid, MS Hyper-V, VMWare and Virtual Server, VMM
• Operations Manager SMS
• Content Technologies Mimesweeper and Mailsweeper and Surfcontrol
• Active Directory Design and Implementation, AD Group Policy (GPO) Design and Implementation
• SharePoint Portal Server 2003 (3+ Years)
• ISA Server 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006
• Barracuda Email Security Devices, Firepass
• Norton Enterprise Anti-Virus, Sophos Anti-Virus
• Wisdom Document and Records Management
• Observer

General Software and Other skills

• MS Windows 3.11 to Vista (14+ Years)
• MS Visual Studio 2003, 2005 (3 Years), 2008 (New)
• Eclipse (1 year)
• MS Office 2.0 to 2007 (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook) (+12 Years)
• MS Visio for Solutions Architects (1+ Years)
• Team Foundation Server (3+ Years)
• Dreamweaver (4+ Years)
• Expressions Web and Web 2, Blend 2(New), Design 2(New) and Media (New)
• Assyst (4+ Years)
• ESRI ArcMap 9.2 (1+ Years Development Skills), ESRI SDE 9.2 (1+ Years Development Skills)
• ESRI Web ADF 9.2 (1+ Years Development Skills)
• Datix Legal Case (Implementation)
• Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop, Nikon Capture, JAlbum

 

• Squash, Cycling, Climbing, Sailing (RYA Day Skipper), Swimming , Paragliding, Bungee Jumping
• Travel (Rode a 1976 Yamaha XT500 overland from London to Cape Town, going through 13 countries, over 13,000 miles in 8 months)
• Keen Photographer, Guitar (pretty bad though) and Piano (Just Started learning)Reading when I don’t have to read technical texts, Music
• Dining and Cooking
• General Technology Junkie!