Career
CURRICULUM VITAE
PROFILE
- Wide-Ranging experience in Business Strategy, Change Management and Restructuring
- Skilled in Marketing & Product Management & development.
- Experience in the Integration of acquisitions (Products and Systems).
- Project and Programme Management skills
- Excellent man-management and team building skills (across geographies)
- Strong analytical and process development skills (KPIs, BPR etc.)
- Well practiced in budgetary and cost control and management of Financial Targets
- Full product Lifecycle experience from Concept to Exit
- Wide experience of working within international markets
Key Achievements
Key player in major strategic activities. Managing withdrawals from unprofitable markets, including disposal of assets, sale of on-going business units, involving regulatory, contractual and staffing issues.
Rationalised and integrated product set of over 300 services (from acquisitions) down to a profitable 45.
Launched a single Pan-European Internet Access service across 12 countries and 15 autonomous networks (from acquisitions)
Launched a brand new Digital Signage brand in the EMEIA market place, Brand went from zero to 6th best globally within its first year.
Skills & Competencies
Business Strategy/Change Management – Integration of acquired companies, Development of new solutions and markets taking organisations into new arenas, Rationalisation of products and services, Closure and sale of business arms.
Business Transformation - Managed the launch of a new product set and a new channel to market through VARs principally Systems Integrators and in managing Joint Ventures (e.g. with HP, SCC, T-Systems, Reuters).
New Product Development - Developed and launched a range of pan-European products including Internet Access, Messaging systems, Managed VPNs, Managed Firewalls, xDSL access etc.
Product Management - Lead pan-European teams of product managers. Installed product management functions where none existed before.
CAREER HISTORY
2008 – Present Management Consultant
Stephen currently works with a number of small IT and Communications businesses and start-ups helping to define their business strategy and to implement the methodologies and processes to enable them to achieve their potential. These include Apolo Infomatica; a small start-up in Madrid providing outsourced IT support and Network Maintenance, where Stephen:
- Formalised their service offerings.
- Provided them with appropriate tools and processes for managing RFPs.
- Defined their Service Level Agreements and introduced the concept of KPIs.
He is currently working with Infotec Ingenieria S.L. Where Stephen is:
- Setting up and running a project management office.
- Implementing a RFP/Bid Review process.
- Defining their support & fault management processes.
- Installing a Product Management function
2005 – 2008 Product Director
John Ryan Int. (ScreenRed)
Due to his experience in Strategic Business Development and Business Transformation, Stephen was recruited to develop and implement the strategy needed to move a principally entrepreneurial company onto the next phase of its development.
- Instigating the business practices needed to support its growth into a multinational organisation.
- Introduced the rigours of product management function and a bid review process into the organisation including controls for change management, product development, and support.
- Managed the launch of a new business model and new channels to Market for continental Europe using VAR partners including companies such as Telefonica, SCC, HP, Reuters and T-systems.
- Developed and launched a new Digital Signage brand in the EMEIA market place, within the first year the brand recognition went from zero to 6th worldwide.
- Stephen formalised and designed the customer service processes and also drove a program to standardise the internal IT structure of the company.
2001 – 2005 European Product Group Manager
Cable & Wireless
As line manager for European connectivity services (incl. IP Access, Frame/ATM Dial/DSL, Managed Firewalls and IPVPN) with a turnover of approx £136m, Stephen was responsible for a team of product managers and developers spread across four countries. Within this role he had overall responsibility for full product lifecycle management. In addition:
- Developed and led a major “product based” programme (18 months) to rationalise 300+ products to a more focussed and profitable group of 45.
- Key player in strategic reviews including disposal of assets and customers, withdrawal from Markets.
- Responsible for the integration of 12 acquired European ISPs (products, processes).
- BPR: new processes and systems across Europe to replace a wide mix of systems across 11 countries.
- Launch of several new products including Hosted IPVPN, Managed Firewall, xDSL access, Managed Routers, Global Dial and IPVPN QoS
2000 – 2001 Team Leader Product Management Internet Access
Cable & Wireless
Stephen led the team responsible for European product management & development of Internet Access products and services. He launched the Pan-European service “CW Internet Access”. This development brought together all C&W´s ISP Networks (physical AS’s, processes and systems) from a number of acquired companies, enabling them to be sold as a single seamless cross border service. Significantly reducing the operational costs, cost of sale and facilitating the sale of cross border solutions.
1996 – 2000 Product Management Messaging & Intranet Apps.
Cable & Wireless Communications
Stephen managed the team of people responsible for the Messaging, Broadcast and Intranet/Internet application products within Cable and Wireless Communications. These included Mail Integration and Directory Services; with a turnover in excess of £26 million.
He successfully developed & launched a managed SMTP E-mail service and an enhanced Internet based messaging and gateway service.
In this role Stephen also produced a long-term strategic review of the messaging market. This report resulted in the decision to withdraw from traditional parts of the messaging portfolio. Stephen played a core part in this managed withdrawal and was required to analyse costs, customers, contractual & regulatory issues, as well negotiating with prospective buyers for any disposals.
1994 – 1996 Service Account Manager Mercury Communications
1993 – 1994 Analyst Programmer C.D.E. San Sebastian, Spain
1992 – 1993 Analyst Programmer Southern Weighing Group
1992 – 1993 IT & Computing Trainer
1988 – 1989 Sales Manager Parceline Limited
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EDUCATION
1989-1992 Bradford University – BSc 2nd Class Computer and Information Systems
Science