Blair Watson Email & Phone Number

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Accomplished data analyst with a strong track record of navigating new technologies and industries to deliver results. My role within the ITSM configuration management team centers on data analysis and integration to support customer network-related ServiceNow enhancements. I have also spearheaded various proofs-of-concept to explore the potential business value of innovative ideas.My specific responsibilities encompass SQL and stored procedure development to extract valuable insights from corporate data sources like the enterprise data warehouse, operational data stores, and application-specific databases.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Data analysis initiatives contributing to improved processes supported by the ServiceNow IT Service Management system.

Calgary, Canada Area

Assisted project teams with a program to transition WestJet's data warehouse technology to a modernized cloud-based platform based on Snowflake in Azure, with a particular focus on the joint venture with Delta Airlines.

Calgary, Canada Area

Fulfilled a short term contract with the IT Corporate Application Services team in a similar capacity to my previous full time role. Focus areas included Legal, Supply Chain, Treasury, Audit and Marketing.

Calgary

I was initially hired in 2008 by Talisman Energy, a global upstream oil and gas company headquartered in Calgary. Talisman was acquired by Repsol in 2015. Repsol is an integrated energy company based in Madrid, Spain.In this IT Solutions Analyst role I took ownership of front line IT Business Intelligence, Finance, Marketing, Treasury, Tax, Legal and Audit applications with a focus on sustainment activities. Directed priorities for outsourced application support teams in area, both onshore and offshore. Engaged with business stakeholders regarding IT considerations in management of their applications. Reported to the Supervisor, IT NA Corporate Application Services. • Managed Hyperion Financial Management - Internet Explorer 11 compatibility issues to mitigate significant ($200K - $300K) cost to capital projects and associated negative business impact, particularly due to Repsol acquisition• Focused consistently on G & A savings in application portfolio by decommissioning unused applications (over 50 in 2017-2018) and application environments, working with infrastructure teams to virtualize servers, and reduce license and maintenance costs where possible ($580K direct cost savings, 2017-2018)• Delivered a major Treasury Management System upgrade with internal G & A resources to mitigate need and expense of external consulting support initiative• Managed the resolution of several high profile HFM incidents and proactively sought to minimize future outage risks.• Performed a detailed review of external cloud hosting options (SaaS) options for Hyperion to determine if it would be more cost effective than hosting internally• Took proactive lead in implementation and maintenance of ServiceNow for applications in my portfolio, and realized efficiencies gained from a single configuration management database• Maintained a close working relationship with outsourced application support teams to provide initiative prioritization and technical guidance

Calgary, Alberta

Provided operational support and program management for the existing BI and data warehouse environment and applications based on Business Objects, Oracle RDBMS, Informatica PowerBuilder and Hyperion Essbase. Worked closely with IT Demand Management and Enterprise Architecture to drive forward the use and efficiency of BI tools, technologies, data and processes to meet goals. Reported to various first level IT Managers due to an evolving IT organization. • Collaborated with Enterprise Architecture on design of the BI Operational Support Group (OSG), then implemented and led that team to deliver exceptional work to budget and deadline• Created a BI Continuous Improvement program to improve efficiency and reduce unproductive complexity of the BI application environment; balanced resourcing and business priorities to achieve desired outcomes in 2009 within 1% of the original annual capital budget of $790K, and then with a budget reduced by $100K the following year, still achieved 5.5% under target while meeting business objectives• Managed BI software licensing, including the procurement of additional licenses to support application usage growth• Designed and communicated application enhancement processes to IT stakeholders at Talisman during and following transition to new global IT outsourcing model, which fostered team cohesion and external party comprehension• Developed BI Training strategy to ensure users were able to fully leverage BI applications to maximize their own productivity, which promoted solution usage and user confidence levels• Worked with IT Enterprise Architecture on numerous occasions to help define BI strategy and related standards for new BI applications; served as Primary Author of Enterprise Business Warehouse whitepaper and presented it in impactful, comprehensive wat to the IT Leadership Team