Chris Smith

Portfolio Director

United Kingdom

About

An accomplished technology and business leader with a successful track record in a variety of roles - leveraging considerable delivery, commercial, customer and operational experience to drive greater levels of efficiency, protection and growth Successfully led and delivered numerous high-profile deliveries covering technology / business transformation, outsourcing / insourcing, cyber / information security, large complex enterprise software / hardware procurement deals, investment planning and regulatory negotiation Possessing a unique blend of expertise gained across a range of industries (including Banking and Financial Services, Retail, Telecoms, Transport, Automotive etc,) it allows a deep insight to take the best from each and enable positive, impactful, organisational and customer centric solutions Key Skills and Specialties: • Change delivery – ranging from programme recovery, portfolios to strategic change and large transformation • Cyber and Information Security – end to end (strategy/roadmaps through delivery to operational) • Procurement, supplier and vendor management – from specialist providers to strategic partnerships • Strategy / roadmap development and implementation • Creating collaborative, healthy and sustainable high performing teams • Technology and business partnering • Inclusive, collaborative and authentic leadership style – looking to build an environment of direction and purpose through an approach of empowerment, support and fun • Employee development, mentoring and talent management

Experience

  • Cyber Transformation Director at NatWest Group
    Mar 2025 - Present · 1 yr 4 mos

    Accountable for the successful delivery of a number of Cyber Transformation programmes focussed on Identity - Identity and Access Management (IAM), Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), Privileged Access Management (PAM), Machine Identity Management and Active Directory remediation/transformation

  • Head of Technical, Security and Integrations at PXC
    Jan 2024 - Mar 2025 · 1 yr 3 mos

    Accountable for the delivery of: • Technical - leading initiatives to simplify, modernise, and transform the business, including leveraging cutting-edge technologies like Automation, AI, and data transformation. Delivering measurable outcomes including substantial cost reduction, organisational optimisation (e.g. Service Transformation, process simplification, knowledge management etc.), and enhanced revenue growth. • Security - programmes to ensure regulatory compliance and elevate cyber maturity / capability • Integration - strategic deliveries to seamlessly integrate with AltNets, positioning PXC as the UK's leading wholesale platform provider for connectivity, cloud, and ICT services.

  • Global Head of Cyber Delivery, Change and Partnering at Aviva
    Jan 2022 - Dec 2023 · 2 yrs

    Accountable for: • Successfully delivering a comprehensive global Cyber portfolio, ensuring robust protection for the organisation, colleagues, and customers. • Partnering with Aviva subsidiaries (Succession Wealth, Wealthify, Sesame Bankhall Group) across Technology, Cyber, Risk, and Compliance • Fractional or interim CIO/CTO services, offering strategic leadership and expertise during a transitional period

  • IT Transformation Director at Admiral Group Plc
    Jan 2020 - Jan 2022 · 2 yrs 1 mo

    Led a >£20m+ programme (>300 team in size) to stabilise and transform a complex, legacy, beyond end of life IT estate to a modern, scalable, secure and supported/managed capability that would underpin the business moving forwards - reducing call volumes to the helpdesk by >70% and the number of operational issues by >50% (P1s and P2s) with resulting increase in business revenue growth

  • Cyber / Information Security Transformation Programme Director at NFU Mutual
    Dec 2017 - Dec 2019 · 2 yrs 1 mo

    Accountable for leading a >£35m business and IT programme to transform organisational Cyber and Information Security capability to top quartile, thereby ensuring the appropriate protection, integrity and resilience of customer/colleague data, IT/business systems and business reputation