Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Chief Enterprise Architect and AI leader with 30+ years of executive leadership, delivering transformative enterprise architectures across regulated, multi-vertical global organizations. Recognized as one of CIO Magazine’s Top 10 Chief Architecture Officers to Watch (2024), I have driven architecture practices from tactical governance to strategic business enablement, achieving Gartner maturity levels of 4- (top 10% globally). https://magazines.thecioworld.com/2024/architects-of-tomorrow-top-10-caos-to-watch-january-2024/#page=1
At Nord Anglia Education, I setup and headed up the Group's Enterprise Architecture team, driving alignment between business strategy and IT through the development and execution of comprehensive architectural frameworks. I directed the creation of enterprise and solution architectures, ensuring they supported the company’s mission, strategy, and processes, while fostering consistency in information assets and processes across the organization. Working closely with application and project managers, I ensured IT solutions were aligned with business goals and guided the design and deployment of key systems, including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics Business Central, and OneStream, all hosted on Azure. Key accomplishments include establishing an Enterprise and Solution Architecture governance framework, tailoring the TOGAF methodology to suit the organization, and designing the Software Delivery Life Cycle (SDLC) and Risk Management Framework. I also led the development of Nord Anglia’s data architecture strategy, spearheaded the refactoring of enterprise analytics reporting onto an Azure-based analytics platform. Additionally, I successfully re-engineered the architecture of key systems, such as Microsoft Dynamics and iSAMS, achieving significant cost reductions in infrastructure and improvements in efficiency. Throughout my tenure, I ensured adherence to corporate standards and drove innovation, helping Nord Anglia optimize its IT landscape while supporting scalable, future-proof solutions.
At Investec Wealth and Investment, I headed up the Enterprise Architecture team, a team of 8 architects, driving the alignment of IT strategy with business objectives to support the organization’s transformation goals. My role involved designing and implementing business and IT architectures based on strategic business goals, while optimizing the IT applications portfolio to reduce both OPEX and CAPEX while improving efficiency and effectiveness. I directed the IT governance process, ensuring adherence to architectural and business principles across major projects, and played a key role in the selection of IT solutions that minimized disruption and aligned with the company’s strategic direction. A major achievement was establishing and institutionalizing the Enterprise Architecture practice based on the TOGAF framework, including the rapid development and enforcement of governance processes, which significantly accelerated our maturity in this area. I contributed to the creation of the IT vision and strategy, ensuring alignment with broader business objectives and developing detailed baseline, target, and transition architectures. Additionally, I led key initiatives such as designing the AWS-cloud-deployed CRM solution, client onboarding system, and Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) digital solutions. I also introduced process analysis techniques like Value-Added Chain and Event Process Chain to optimize business workflows and was appointed GDPR champion for the IT team. My work ensured that Investec’s IT infrastructure was optimized for future growth, scalability, and alignment with strategic goals, while mentoring and coaching multiple IT teams to foster a culture of continuous improvement.
At DST, I led the solution architecture function, managing a team architects and ensuring alignment with business goals through the application of the TOGAF framework. I played a key role in translating business requirements into architectural solutions, documenting baseline, target, and transition architectures across applications, data, and technology. My responsibilities included designing transition architectures, collaborating with project management to define implementation schedules, and providing architectural oversight during the solution development and testing phases. I also defined operational frameworks for post-implementation support in accordance with ITIL best practices. Major accomplishments include designing the Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs) for AWS cloud services (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS), leading the migration of multiple services to AWS, and developing the IFDS client solution architecture reference framework by combining TOGAF, ITIL, PMI, and CMMI. I successfully completed a full project lifecycle for the Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) tactical solution project, ensuring all IT-related issues were addressed and the solution conformed to architectural standards. Additionally, I managed the architecture governance processes, designed a Capital Tax Calculation Tool (CGT) solution on AWS, and designed secure, integrated solutions for various business processes, such as fund switches and cheque dispatches. My work also involved running RFIs for new technologies and overseeing the architectural and security risk management for offshore IT operations.