Pan European Hotel operator originally with 104 properties in UK, Netherlands and Germany which has been reduced to 64 properties under different brands following restructure and Investment Funded buyout. Responsible for overall technology strategy, WAN/LAN, Server and Desktop strategy, IT Security, DR, telephones and mobile communications.

Responsible for overall IT technology strategy design, deployment and management and for Pan European WAN/LAN strategy

Key Achievements - QMH
• Architect for two infrastructure upgrades enabling hotel teams to improve productivity and performance. UK upgrades of 20 hotels, 520 workstations and users, full IT infrastructure in 11 weeks
• Define and implement infrastructure enabling 95% cost savings on software deployments and simplifying management and support (1998 upgrades)
• Further improve infrastructure and ongoing management and cost savings with Terminal Services based environment (2006)
• Define and Co-ordinate PAN European WAN/LAN strategy
• Define, Design and Deploy PAN European security strategy including Firewalls, A/V. VPN’s, Pen-Testing and mobile workforce
• Facilitate Business functions requiring IT support for rebranding and new environments
• Facilitate technology environment for 2-way interface between PMS and Pegasus Solutions and later a 1.5-way interface between PMS and holidex helping the company deliver cost savings by elimination of repetitive manual processes
• Negotiate and implement changes to telecoms strategy resulting in savings of upto 50% in some areas
• Negotiate Supplier arrangements for project hardware achieving discounts of upto 50% on key equipment
• Set-up and test business contingency plans – technical relocation and BCM/BCP

Direct reports were Heads of Technical Departments (Software and Hardware) and Installation Teams but included the entire teams during rapid product development projects.
In this role my responsibilities included:
• Customer consultancy for corporate and NGO customers including clients in Banking, Manufacturing, Retail, Insurance, MOD, AID Funding, Registered Charities, Medical, Hospitality
• Manage Consulting and Sales Process from lead generation to Project implementation.
• Manage software product development both of our central products and bespoke systems
• Responsibile for bringing products to market – design, development, packaging, marketing and sales
• Manage hardware departments and co-ordinate deployment activities
• Select hardware products and components for inclusion in custom systems
• Customer site surveys, installation planning and installations,
• Technology selection and review

Key Achievements
• Build IT company from start-up to 4 national offices, with 60 employees providing software, hardware, training, deployment services, consultancy services and awareness conferences (CompuServe (Pvt) Ltd 1986 – 1998)
• Set-up and run first phone-in and dialup product information service in Zimbabwe (similar concept to Talking Pages) (Grey Matter (Pvt) Ltd 1989)
• Set-up and run Audio Visual services company (The Presentation Company (Pvt) Ltd 1994)
• Set-up retail trading outlet for IT company (1996)
• Set-up Zimbabwean CompuServe (CIS) node (affiliated with CompuServe Inc.)

Manage Startup of company and development of additional companies for diverse needs.
In this role I created a company which provided for most business IT needs from box shifting through full corporate deployments, training and after sales support.
This Role encompassed:
• Define objectives and direction of the company
• coordinated the activities of middle management and other directors
• Senior consultant to customers and major bid responses for corporates, public sector, NGO/VSO and AID/Non-Profit organisations
• Source business opportunities
• define product strategies
• Full budgetary control and responsibility