Career & Projects

Transamerica (Apr 2023 - Aug 2023)

Assumed project management responsibilities for Digital Onboarding – a troubled project with an approved budget of $2.5M.

• Set up essential scrum/agile practices such as scrum stand-up and scrum of scrums
• Set up Jira scrum board, backlogs, key filters, dashboard and applied scrum practices to deliver code deliverables.
• Established an initial roadmap and two three-week sprints consisting of key technical debt, critical defects and architecture/design user stories.
• Coordinated the creation of an initial product backlog of epics and associated user stories for user journey workflows.

BMO Finance Technology (Feb 2017 – Nov 2018)

H4 (Bank of Canada) Counterparty Collateral Risk Reporting

• Managed  a project to deliver BMO’s H4 Report, providing counterparty collateral risk to the central bank; The project evolved through phases from MS Excel PoC concept to the final XML
• Mediated numerous stakeholders (Chief Accounting Group, Finance, Corporate Treasury, Capital Markets to automate data into the enterprise data warehouse and map it to BoC’s template requirements) as well as tools for variance analysis
• OSFI Interest Rate Risk (I3 and GAP)
• Managed a project to reduce risk in BMO’s interest rate risk reporting to OSFI by reviewing processes, replacing manual data entry with automated data warehouse feeds, and building business objects reporting tools to identify variance root cause

RBC Payments Solution Acceleration (Jan 2015 – Jan 2017)

RBC Wallet Payment App: allows clients to use Credit and Gift Cards at NFC-enabled terminals

• Managed $2.5M Program with 20+ resources to build and enhance RBC iOS and Android Payment Apps
• Working with vendors TSYS and BellID (also several startups) to build and enhance RBC’s Payment App; Credit Card provisioning, performance, security, payment functionality, and user design
• SecureKey Concierge
• $1M project to allow clients to authenticate anonymously to third party sites using their RBC credentials

TD Digital Channels (Jul 2014 – Dec 2014)

• WebBroker and EasyWeb Enhancements - Responsible for multiple initiatives cumulatively valued at $5M+ to enhance visual presentation of client account and portfolio information

Loblaw Corporation Limited (Jan 2014 – Jun 2014)

• Management of Loyalty Program Projects to enhance the Loblaw PC Plus program website and mobile application; total program value of $1M annually

Greater Toronto Airports Authority (Nov 2012- Dec 2013)

• Management of multiple digital initiatives; examples include: Development of Torontopearson.com mobile site (launched in February 2013); Interactive digital terminal maps (launched June 2013); Interactive Connections Guide
• Implement a digital signage system throughout Toronto Airport to deliver timely and controlled communications to employees

RBC Retail Online Banking (Nov 2010 – Oct 2012)

• $5M e-Signature Project to move investment product contract signage to an electronic Tablet platform
• $2.5M project to redesign RBC's retail online banking site to drive greater client enrollment of electronic documents to deliver significant savings in processing, paper and postage costs sponsive website for a local coffee shop that I developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The website features a menu, location information, and an online ordering system. I used Bootstrap to ensure that the website was mobile-friendly.

• Organized Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE Tax Determination Core Platform team (approximately 100 resources) into 5 high-performance delivery teams (Core .NET Platform, API Governance, Data Engine Platform, User Admin); each comprised of Scrum / Dev / Ops teams focused respectively on feature-delivery and Dev / Ops team managing prioritized production tickets

• Organized ~100 resources into teams (Core Platform, API Governance, Data Engine and User Admin); each delivering prioritized work building features and Dev / Ops resources resolving production issues

• Drove teams to balance feature-richness with quality (impacting stability, performance, and security) by resolving technical debt operating expenses were reduced $1.5M dollars over 2 years

• Elaborated tools (Jira, Azure Dev / Ops) to work based on key performance indicators (velocity, carryover, work-in-progress), monitoring and improving the ability to produce prioritized work sustainability

• Integrated tools (Jira, Azure Dev / Ops, aha!) to measure and report on feature and quality deliverables in a data-driven automated manner (less manual)

Over a decade of performing increasingly senior roles in client-facing  implementing information technology solutions

Program Delivery Manager, Manulife Financial (Mar 2010 – Oct 2010)

Focal point for IBM global resource service delivery to Manulife Individual Life and Retirement Services Business Units – two programs of combined $3 million annually with 40+ resources (onshore and offshore)

Program Delivery Manager, TELUS Communications (Apr 2009 – Mar 2010)

Responsible for the delivery of $3M of contracts with 30+ resources building to 90+ resources

Proposal Team Lead, Air Canada (Messaging Infrastructure) (Oct 2008 – Jan 2008)

Led a team in the development and presentation of a proposal to deliver a replacement of Air Canada's enterprise messaging and printing service (the proposal included hardware, software, application services and application maintenance components)

Project Manager (Jun 2004 - Oct 2008)

Rogers Digital Media (Agile Web 2.0 Development) (Jan – Oct 2008)

• Global delivery of $250,000 worth of projects with 8+ resources on 'Web 2.0' redesign projects for Rogers Digital Media properties (CanadianBusiness.com and Macleans.ca)

Bell Canada (Application Development) (Jan – Oct 2008)

• Projects totalling $3 million and +45 resources for the largest Application Services program in Canada involving the customer's primary call-centre order processing tool (a Web Services-oriented application)

IBM Business Transformation and Outsourcing (Application Development and Process Integration) (Apr 2004 – Oct 2005)

• Led multiple project teams in implementing document processing outsourcing solutions for customers using IBM Content Manager-based tool GIW (Global Imaging and Workflow)

Bank of Nova Scotia (Data Centre Solutions) (Jun 2003 – Apr 2004)

• Simultaneous management of multiple data and application hardware infrastructure-related projects ranging in value from $35,000 to $150,000 with teams of 3 – 15 resources

Project Control Officer, IBM Canada (Application Development) (Nov 2003 – May 2004)

• Responsible for providing administrative control to a medium sized internal IBM application enhancement project (41 resources and C$684,000), involving several IBM Canada applications using IBM Global Services and SEI-CMM methods
• Responsibilities included tracking project progress, project plan development and maintenance, tracking project financials tracking, gathering status from application team leads and developing comprehensive weekly status reports

Project Control Officer, Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee, MAG (Application Developer) (Feb 2002 – Nov 2002)

• Engaged on a large Microsoft technology application development project (38 resources and C$2,983,000) for a public sector organization with the task of providing administrative control and project management support
• Responsibilities included selecting project resources and managing staff integration; tracking project progress with MS Project; tracking project performance using financial (earned value) measurements; preparing status reports for the client; reconciling and managing issues concerning invoices; maintaining the Project Control Book

Project Manager, Community Care Access Centre (Aug 2001 – Dec 2001)

• Executed the initiation phase of a project to create a website to integrate the collection and presentation of contact and service information for provincial community care centres
• Worked closely with Community Care workers to understand requirements
• Define technology parameters (e.g. technology platform, network infrastructure requirements)
• Drew up a project charter, initial scope document and high-level schedule

Project Control Officer, Stelco (Application Development) (Sep 2000 – Dec 2000)

• Provided administrative control for a large application development project (100 resources and C$6,000,000)
• Responsibilities included managing billing, staff facilities access, the design and conduct of orientation sessions, managing team hardware and software requirements, preparing status reports, and maintaining the Project Control Book

Consultant, Ontario Government Management Board Secretariat (Aug 1999 – Jan 2000)

• Created the Year 2000 Transition Guide for a large public sector client. The guide served as the central reference manual (an MS Word document) for the client’s Year 2000 risk management processes. Organized and conducted training sessions to prepare key ministry personnel on the client’s Year 2000 event management processes. Assisted in the set up and operation of the client’s Year 2000 Corporate Response Centre

Systems Analyst, Air Canada, (Feb 2002 – Nov 2002)

• Developed and documented business processes and business tools using MS Excel for the asset inventory management systems of a large IT services outsourcing client
• Ensured quality control and audit readiness for the software licensing and hardware asset management systems

 Application Developer (IBM Canada) (Jan – Sep 2000)

• Development of integration objects, Java Server Pages and JavaScript User Interface validation using IBM Websphere HostPublisher
• JAD (Joint Application Development) methodology was utilized, involving a succession of collaborative workshops with the end-user to take the application through successive stages of refinement through to completion
• Host Publisher was a set of tools for providing access to data on a legacy data source (a terminal-oriented host application or database application, for example) on the World Wide Web or a private intranet. These legacy data sources typically involve proprietary access and complex applications. Host Publisher enables you to present end users with the data they need without exposing the way the data is accessed

Business Analyst (CIBC Mellon) (Apr 1999-Aug 1999)

• Developed Y2K Business Continuity Plans for a large financial institution; mapped key business processes and created risk mitigation and contingency strategies through interviews with process owners and analysis of their business processes and essential assets. Pursued an aggressive timeline in preparing our client for external audit by the industry’s regulatory body (OSFI) 

Application Developer, Business Analyst, Data Architect (Jun 1998 - Mar 1999)

Defining requirements and developing custom applications using Java, Javascript, and HTML technology. Sizing and scoping the project to meet fixed time and budget requirements, determine client requirements, design data model and application architecture and lead the team of five developers build

Royal Bank of Canada Ltd: Summer Internship (Jun 1995 – Sep 1995)

Research Analyst for the Bank's Multinational Corporate Banking Division; responsible for the development of a position paper on the Japanese General Trading Companies, outlining their profitability, credit worthiness, scope of activities, organizational structures, and the political and cultural context in which they operate

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade: Winter Internship (Nov 1993 – Apr 1994)

Research Analyst for the East Asia and Pacific Rim Department

Responsible for developing templates for snapshot country summaries for Ministry officials

Ministry of Education (Japan): English Instructor (Jul 1991 – May 1993)

Teaching English at Junior High Schools, establishing teaching plans, coaching Japanese teachers of English, selection of ministry curriculum English textbooks, creation and delivery of workshops for the teaching of ‘living’ English