Senior IT Executive
February, 2000 – October, 2005
NIIT Technologies/Data Executives Incorporated
Senior Management Consultant/Account Executive/Large Projects Manager
Provided a wide range of IT executive level support in the areas of strategic planning, leading complex projects, organizing and leading IT areas, implementing new products, selecting business software, and supporting merger/acquisition activity. The following describes engagements for specific customers.
Engagements for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans - played a combination of Corporate Project Manager, Account Executive and Management Consultant roles
1. Improved performance of a key regulatory project
The CIO asked me to improve the management of an $8M regulatory compliance project that suffered increasingly higher costs and slipped schedules. I led a cross-functional team that created a new detailed plan for the project. I also developed a specific governance process to insure the project proceeded smoothly with strong executive support and piloted this new approach which was then approved by the CIO and Senior Executive of the Regulatory Division. The process was then turned over to IT Senior Management.
2. Led company-wide product implementation for two products
Following a study to determine the issues regarding a failing product development project, I was asked to lead the project. This $20M project consisted of installing a new strategic product administration system and implementing two flagship insurance products that generate revenue of more than $15M per year. I reported directly to an executive management team consisting of the senior executives of operations, product, and IT. After developing a new plan, budget and schedule with resources from the entire organization, the two products were successfully delivered to the field sales force in January 2004, meeting the new schedule and budget.
3. Delivered company-wide Product Development Process
As part of a strategic realignment effort, a Thrivent senior manager and I led an effort to develop an ongoing company-wide product development process for new life insurance products. We reported on the progress and results of the effort to the President and the Senior Executive for Product Development. After the new process was approved, I assisted the Senior Product Executive and CIO in identifying and hiring the person to lead the ongoing process.
4. Consolidated 11 product administration systems
For this initial effort at Thrivent, I directed a study into the optimization of 11 major product administration systems in use at Thrivent. The conclusions of the study were to stop any new use of eight of the systems and move IT maintenance of those systems offshore. The projected savings were $3M annually and the internal rate of return was 47%.
Engagement for Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. (a subsidiary of Marsh, McLennan) - played a combination of Account Executive and Management Consultant roles
Directed the selection of the core application system complex
At this large professional liability broker, I led a strategic systems study to determine how to replace their underwriting, accounting and claims systems environment. I reported to an Executive Steering Committee consisting of the President of the Company and the Senior Executives of Underwriting, Accounting, Claims, and Systems. The study recommended implementing a systems package that would provide $6.3M savings. Following approval of the recommendation, I directed the effort to select the package and perform an in-house pilot of the solution before signing the licensing agreements .
Engagements for Aon Corporation - played a combination of Large Program Manager, Account Executive, Management Consultant, and interim IS Director roles
1. Lead the effort to centralize the core Policy Management System
At this large Commercial Property and Casualty Broker, I managed the IT application development organization responsible for Aon’s Policy Management and Premium Tracking System until we defined and implemented a superior organizational model. My primary responsibility was directing a $10 Million project to centralize the technical environment for the system while developing and implementing an organizational structure for the systems technical support. As a result, Aon saved $38M.
2. Produced study on Policy Management System globalization
Due to the success in the above effort, Aon’s worldwide CIO asked me to lead a study to determine how to best globalize the above Policy Management and Premium Tracking System. Upon completion, the study was turned over to the regional CIOs to implement.
Engagements for ING Financial Services - played a Management Consultant role
Supported merger and acquisition consolidations
During the year 2000, ING’s goal was to consolidate a number of acquisitions in the United States. I led the efforts to:
·Develop an organization model for the consolidated systems operation
·Identify an integrated Strategic Systems Plan for the combined company
·Create an implementation plan for the consolidation of two geographically dispersed Commission areas.
October 1999 – January 2000
Premier Systems Integrators
Management Consultant
The Northeast Regional Manager hired me to establish a Financial Services practice for the Northeast region. During my first two months, the company changed its direction regarding independent practice establishment. As a result, the regional manager who hired me and I left the company. In the four months at Premier, I led Outpost.com, a major electronic commerce retailer, through its Year 2000 testing effort. I also led a Data Cleansing effort in support of an ERP implementation for EMC Corp, a major system storage manufacturer.
October 1995 – September 1999
New England Financial (The New England Life Insurance Company)
Second Vice President Information System Development
Reporting to the CIO, I directed the systems development units responsible for life insurance product development, sales proposals, underwriting and policy issue, managing 42 systems developers in two locations with a budget of $9 Million. Working with the business leaders of product development, sales proposals, underwriting and policy issue, my area determined system strategies and budgets, delivered projects, maintained their systems and resolved IS problems and issues. While performing the preparation and testing for the Year 2000 Project, these IS units also:
· Implemented one new product on a new packaged Product Administration System. I led the $5M project and the rollout to the field sales force.
· Implemented a new Sales Proposal System. I managed the $2 Million budget for the project, the vendor relationship, the relationship with Marketing and Sales Management and the conversion of the old sales proposal systems. The new system improved the sales process which allowed the sales reps to be more competitive and bring increased premium to the company.
· Created a remote systems development site. The additional staff supported the increased resource needs for the Year 2000 Project. Annual cost savings were over $100,000.
· Provided a new Life Underwriting Work Flow and Tracking System. With this system, the New Business Operating Unit increased their ability to underwrite, process and issue business and improved the quality of new business submissions without hiring additional underwriting staff.
November 1994 – September 1995
CSC (Computer Sciences Corporation)
Director of Information Systems
In 1994, MONY (The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York) outsourced its entire IS Organization to CSC. At that time, I was recruited by both CSC and MONY and chose to join CSC. While at CSC, I:
· Assisted new CSC Management in setting up an account and organizational structure
· Led a 240 person Systems Development area for 3 months until a CSC person could be recruited to fill the position
· Completed a study into acquiring a Life Insurance Product Administration System
July 1978 – November 1994
MONY (The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York)
Assistant Vice President IS and IS Executive Team Member
At MONY, the scope of my responsibility continually increased from IS Research Analyst through various management positions in different parts of the IS Department. In my final position, I reported to the CIO as part of the four person IS Executive Management team that conducted a strategic study that would improve MONY’s technological capability and save $10M annually. That multi-year study culminated in outsourcing the entire MONY IS environment to CSC.
1990 – 1994 Assistant Vice President - Technologies Research and Support
Directed a complete changeover in the way Technologies Research and Support addressed the changing needs of IS at MONY. This unit was responsible for Data Base Administration, System Development Process Support and New Technologies Research and Development. With the numbers of people reduced through a series of downsizings and facing morale and quality problems, I merged three disparate units into a cohesive 30 person team and subsequently changed our organization into a self-directed work unit. We provided the same level of technology support with 16 fewer staff members. The unit also delivered:
· A standardized Client Server Infrastructure and two Client Server production systems.
· Round the clock production support that led to 99% availability measures for MONY’s Database Environment and development support for logical and physical data base design and implementation.
· A Systems Development Methodology, Structured Analysis and Design Techniques, and a set of programming productivity aids that were rolled out to the entire development community.
1988 – 1990 Assistant Vice President, Systems & Programming
Managed Systems Development areas that supported Universal Life Administration and Human Resources, Benefits and Compensation, each area consisting of 50 to 60 developers. I led the company-wide implementation of a major Universal Life Product and the implementation of a new full function Human Resources System.
1978 – 1988 Director of Office Systems and the Development Center
Co-created MONY’s first Advanced Technologies unit. I staffed and ran the Research and Development section of the unit. Provided direction in utilizing new technologies for the company and led an IS Development Center to provide higher quality tools and support to MONY’s 200 to 250 developers to increase their productivity.
May 1973 – June 1978
Progressed through junior and senior computer programming positions at General Electric, Blue Cross of Massachusetts and the Crouse Hinds Lighting Company.
Education
Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI), 1982
American Management Association’s Executive Effectiveness Course, 1983
Post Graduate Work in Computer Science at McGill University in Montreal, 1975
Bachelor of Science in Math from State University of New York at Brockport, 1972
Personal Date of Birth, April 14, 1950
Married, one adult child
Physically fit, non-smoker |
