“This is Mark; he helps!” – Senior KPMG Manager
Highly skilled and motivated IT architect with 25+ years of experience, able to fill a variety of roles from head of engineering through to pure project manager.
EXPERTISE – Technology
- Cloud Migration and Integration (AWS, Azure) (19 years)
- Advanced Salesforce application design, integration, and coding (10 years)
- Migration of multiple legacy systems to Salesforce from a wide variety of source systems, including transformation and data clean-up
- Detailed analysis of client needs and delivery of applications so the adoption of Salesforce delivers on its promise.
- Full custom sites using all the Salesforce technology stack (APEX, Lightning, Visualforce, custom objects, etc.)
- Integration platforms: Talend version 6.5> + TMC cloud (6 years), Mulesoft (3 years), Streamsets (1 year).
- Storage Management: Traditional monolith storage (MYSQL, DB2, ORACLE, MS SQL, NSF) to cloud storage (Snowflake, MongoDb, S3) (15 years).
- Enterprise Level OO Coding (22 years): Java & Scala (17 years), .Net ( 12 years) + miscellaneous languages (
Python, Lotus script, COBAL, APEX). - Full-stack app development: HTML, CSS, JavaScript & frameworks (React, AngularJS, JQuery, Dojo, Bootstrap, SSJS), Vaadin, (14 years).
- Extensive networking and infrastructure knowledge, able to work directly with support teams to achieve development goals with the minimum of friction. (26 Years)
EXPERTISE – Business & Management
- Complex cross-department technical project management dealing with challenging stakeholders.
- Data Analysis and Conversion (20+ years): dealt with every form of data platform and structure, from flat file AS400 and historical NoSQL to cloud-based vector formats, and both integrated and migrated them to the chosen client platform while providing proof of quantitative and qualitative validation.
- Significant experience with multi-country data management and data security (SOX, GDPR, localised laws).
- In-depth technical and financial understanding of the full insurance life cycle from quotation to claims for multiple lines of business across the industry spectrum
- Extensive team management abilities, from dealing with challenging stakeholders to getting the best from resource-limited subject matter experts,
- Budgetary responsible: Able to negotiate with vendors and prevent spiralling costs and budget for long-term support and tech dept.
- High level of competence in performance-based methodologies such as agile / scrum / hybrid, and test-driven development (15 years) for the SDLC, as well as traditional methods such as 6 Sigma / Waterfall, this includes the full Agile process from daily stand-up through point and sprint allocation to long term prediction reporting for stakeholders.
Career History
August 2023 – Current : Technical Integration Project Manager at AXA-XL
- Responsible for Liaison, Coordination and stakeholder management across multiple projects
- Took ownership and responsibility to deliver in cases where IT area ownership was in doubt or conflict.
- Broke down barriers across the full range of IT services caused by the rapid expansion into multiple cloud services.
- Provided management of non-functional requirements, including business operational expectations, disaster recovery, support models, security, and data requirements.
- Bridged the technical communication gap between project teams and technical teams.
Jan 2018 – June 2023: Integration Lead at Aon (UK) then Global Head of Integration at Aon.
- Responsible for integrating / migrating the data for 50+ policy administration systems spread over the world (30 countries) from client through to direct claims.
- Providing guidance and standards for moving from POC via project to BAU.
- Providing a broad knowledge base on both insurance and technical subjects to supplement existing Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) to achieve project and business goals in a culture where we all pull together.
- Running a team and providing escalation points for business procedures as well as technical obstacles for 65+ technical staff members (both internal and external).
- Breaking down boundaries between system integration at all levels of a global project.
- Acting as a senior SME/Coder when needed to hit deliverables.
November 2013 – August 2019: Senior Salesforce & integration consultant for Bluewave.
- Provided multiple complete and innovative solutions for clients on the Salesforce platform, expanding on its base abilities to hugely improve workflow and features.
- Fully customised UI and workflow.
- cost-efficient bespoke reporting.
- White-labelled client and public experiences.
- Highly complex and fault-tolerant code provided, using the full range of features in Salesforce, from light customisation to full Visualforce pages and APEX libraries.
- Various data integrations using both built-in and third-party integration tools (Talend / Mulesoft) that reflect the true data needs of the business (triggered vs scheduled and taking into consideration legacy infrastructure).
- Provided training on Pardot and Marketing Cloud.
August 2005 – October 2011, September 2012 – November 2013, April 2015 – Jan 2018: Senior Developer & Solutions Architect at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty.
- Built and maintained a web application infrastructure hosting 5,000 users (up to 1,200 concurrent), using JBoss, MS SQL, IBM Domino, Apache Tomcat, MySQL, custom Java applications, and multiple interfaces to other systems.
- Live-coded with business, a client-facing aviation claims handling system, broke the back of it in one week. This included: synchronisation with middle office systems and multi-layer role-based security for both internal and external users.
- Developed a synchronisation system between two international insurance systems, transferring policy premiums amounting to more than $680 million.
- Java using Jboss.
- REST and Adobe Flex interfaces
- Interfaces to MySQL, SQLServer and AS/400 system via SOAP-based web services.
- On-line error and re-submission handling.
- Administration interface (web-based)
- Developed and maintained the DUET and Ecert web applications for all aspects of marine insurance (2005-2007). Application functionality included:
- Policy & quoting engine driven by web services.
- Automatic PDF generation (via web services).
- Full web client administration.
- Custom user registration.
- Online quote generation.
- Historical data retrieval.
- Final point of call for all front office systems and integration systems:
- Designed and developed solutions for problems beyond the scope of outsourced development and maintenance teams.
- Acted as the technical evangelist for IT between the London branch and the global centre of excellence team located in France.
- Trained IT staff members in various systems, providing core background knowledge and laying out the business impact of all the work they undertook, for both Global Property and Marine Insurance systems.
- Designed and implemented a new premium booking user interface for bookings on insurance policies
- Developed interface and syncing software for native Excel documents to back end ISeries via angular JS framework.
- Developed fault tolerance import functions to handle user error and none rigid/bad data.
- Performing the exceptional email account conversion for the Tokyo Bank email migration project.
October 2014 – July 2019: Senior Development and support Consultant for Lan2Lan
- Expanding and customizing large scale social network implementations.
- Custom workflow creation for governmental departments (SC Cleared till March 2023)
- Written Office/.Net application plug-ins for back office integration that plugged feature gaps on several given systems.
- Jboss Application Migration
- Handling Integration between developers and new infrastructure for the migration of all applications from Jboss 5/7 to 6 EAP (60+ application servers spread over 20 applications)
- Server configuration and set up for parity of function between different versions of servers.
- Managed and updated an international cash allocation system
- Java and Spring 2.5 (Core, MVC and WebFlow).
- Hosted on Websphere—I was also the Websphere administrator for all development and test systems.
October 2011 – August 2012: Solutions Architect at FirstBest / XL Group.
- Customized First Best’s UMS platform for international clients (Workers Compensation, General Liability and Global Property)
- Produced technical architecture documents to provide specific scalable solutions for larger client customizations.
- Completed multiple smaller customizations to UMS framework and applications for client.
- Worked as a solutions architect on the XL Global property project, dealing with all levels of integration.
- Completed a proof of concept application for providing insurance services to mobile devices:
- Developed a proxy server converting existing web services to REST services, optimized for iOS.
- Expanded the existing First Best UMS platform web services
March 2000 – August 2005: 3rd Line Support / Developer at Bank of New York.
- Acted as a consultant for the successful migration of 10,000 users from Exchange to IBM Notes.
- Provided server and infrastructure support services (COMPAQ, HP).
- Provided Workflow development services.
January 2000 – March 2000: Developer at British American Tobacco
- Developed a global legal release and authorization system for both browser and thick client, using both NoSQL and relational databases.
June 1995 – January 2000: First to Third-line Support / Developer as GE Global Consumer Finance UK
- Part of GE GCF (UK)’s Critical Technology Group based in Leeds, responsible for providing technical resource to back up the outsourced support contract, developing and implementing new systems.