Gopal Balakrishnan Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Deep technical leadership of CRM, project delivery, and business platform integrations of two recent acquisitions; directly working with stakeholders and C-suite to execute projects and lead change management initiatives.

Skokie, Illinois

Led the institution and successful adoption of SAFe-inspired processes to promote transparency of work performed by Salesforce, SharePoint, and FA Portal teams, which led to a significant reduction in unplanned work and improved stakeholder satisfaction.Managed successful migration of SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online, including OneDrive/MySite and intranet migrations. Also led further migrations from on-prem servers and virtual machines to Azure Cloud.Navigated separation… Show more Led the institution and successful adoption of SAFe-inspired processes to promote transparency of work performed by Salesforce, SharePoint, and FA Portal teams, which led to a significant reduction in unplanned work and improved stakeholder satisfaction.Managed successful migration of SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online, including OneDrive/MySite and intranet migrations. Also led further migrations from on-prem servers and virtual machines to Azure Cloud.Navigated separation and cleanup activities for Salesforce and SharePoint related to company split (Kaufman Hall's Software division became Syntellis Performance Solutions) in adherence with transition service agreement (TSA).Transitioned company to Salesforce Lightning UI with high user satisfaction post transition. Show less

Greater Chicago Area

I started out managing the eCommerce project portfolio, which included all projects that involved the website experience, marketplace integrations, and search/navigation functionality. At the time, the development team I worked with used a Kanban system, and much of my job was to facilitate and mediate between stakeholders to ensure that the right work was prioritized for the developers. During this time, I successfully managed the implementation of Gift Card functionality on Zoro.com… Show more I started out managing the eCommerce project portfolio, which included all projects that involved the website experience, marketplace integrations, and search/navigation functionality. At the time, the development team I worked with used a Kanban system, and much of my job was to facilitate and mediate between stakeholders to ensure that the right work was prioritized for the developers. During this time, I successfully managed the implementation of Gift Card functionality on Zoro.com, an eBay marketplace integration, and other smaller-scale enhancements to the site experience. While managing this, I acted as the Scrum Master and coach for our Marketing & Analytics Development scrum team to help them better utilize their Kanban process.As our stakeholders and product owners grew, we moved the development team from Kanban to Scrum, and I took over as Scrum Master for the eCommerce development team.In mid-2017, the company and department reorganized, and I became the Scrum Master and Project Manager for the Cart & Checkout scrum team.As the organization has evolved, I have played a major role in Agile adoption and coaching. It has been a long process, and I continue to sell Agile as a mindset to the organization as a whole. Show less

Buffalo Grove, Il

Acted as Scrum Master for eCommerce development scrum team while working as NetSuite Admin.Provided day-to-day ERP support. Used Agile methods to manage multiple internal projects, and used traditional project management methods to manage NetSuite as a vendor. Coordinated between several departments to manage multidisciplinary projects, including project prioritization and communication.Proficient in creation/editing of workflows, custom records and pages, parent/child… Show more Acted as Scrum Master for eCommerce development scrum team while working as NetSuite Admin.Provided day-to-day ERP support. Used Agile methods to manage multiple internal projects, and used traditional project management methods to manage NetSuite as a vendor. Coordinated between several departments to manage multidisciplinary projects, including project prioritization and communication.Proficient in creation/editing of workflows, custom records and pages, parent/child relationships, form enhancements, searches/reports, and NetSuite customization.Implemented site tags using Signal (formerly Bright Tag) Show less

Greater Chicago Area

Hired, trained, and supervised product side logistics and customer support team.Interfaced between Goose Island and parent company Anheuser-Busch to achieve production and delivery goals for Goose Island products.Monitored and ordered packaging inventory stock.

Chicago, Il

Integrate product side logistics patterns to Anheuser-Busch BUDNET system. Responsible for creating status reports using MS Excel and Access databases for presentation to executives and senior management. Interface with direct customers to solve inventory issues. Ensure customers keep within inventory min/max levels.

Greater Chicago Area

Worked on 18 projects for Goose Island Beer Co. under the new AB-InBev umbrella. Focus on safety, quality, and capacity increases.Managed $1.3M expansion project to add new fermentation and beer storage space.- Technical drawing (making and interpreting)- Process Piping system design- Vendor/supplier management (bid solicitation, etc.)- Work auditingBarrel/cellar (cleaning, racking, adding fruit, yeast trubs, etc.)- Collect samples for lab analysis- Make… Show more Worked on 18 projects for Goose Island Beer Co. under the new AB-InBev umbrella. Focus on safety, quality, and capacity increases.Managed $1.3M expansion project to add new fermentation and beer storage space.- Technical drawing (making and interpreting)- Process Piping system design- Vendor/supplier management (bid solicitation, etc.)- Work auditingBarrel/cellar (cleaning, racking, adding fruit, yeast trubs, etc.)- Collect samples for lab analysis- Make Fleur (Belgian Style Ale) Show less

· Responsible for updating existing College of Engineering website (January, 2008- January 2009) using HTML. · Created new content and transferred parallel content from existing College of Engineering website to new College of Engineering website (launched in March, 2009) · Filmed Engineering for the Americas 2008 and Senior Design Presentations for May 2008 graduates for archive keeping. · Audio and Video Editing using Final Cut, Pro… Show more · Responsible for updating existing College of Engineering website (January, 2008- January 2009) using HTML. · Created new content and transferred parallel content from existing College of Engineering website to new College of Engineering website (launched in March, 2009) · Filmed Engineering for the Americas 2008 and Senior Design Presentations for May 2008 graduates for archive keeping. · Audio and Video Editing using Final Cut, Pro Tools and Logic for University of Miami productions. · Trained new employees in web editing. Show less

-Created comprehensive floor layouts and plans, including all tanks and pertinent equipment and their footprint dimensions, as well as electrical mapping. -Created up-to-date P&ID's (Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams) of the brewery. -Made an up-to-date form with all tanks, their dimensions, and working capacities. Procured old/lost technical drawings to aide in this task.-Represented Goose Island at the Oak Park Microbrew and Food Review.-Learned how to brew in an… Show more -Created comprehensive floor layouts and plans, including all tanks and pertinent equipment and their footprint dimensions, as well as electrical mapping. -Created up-to-date P&ID's (Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams) of the brewery. -Made an up-to-date form with all tanks, their dimensions, and working capacities. Procured old/lost technical drawings to aide in this task.-Represented Goose Island at the Oak Park Microbrew and Food Review.-Learned how to brew in an industrial setting and also learned how to work in the cellar, including filling, yeast dumps, dry hopping, filtering, and basic spec analysis. Show less

Responsible for creating recruitment and short documentary films related to University of Miami Engineers Without Borders projects. Member of Executive Board and part of the organization's decision making team.Volunteered at fund raising events for international projects.

·Tested software intended for small businesses to use for training and secure file sharing.·Suggested changes to enhance ease of use and to fix bugs.

Worked on the design and population of the Off-Campus Miami website (http://www.offcampusmiami.com/) using HTML programming.Worked directly with Eugenio Lascurain, the founder of this website to bring an efficient, user friendly interface to the website for customer use.

Delivered food from Edwardo's location on North Ave to Oak Park, Chicago, Melrose Park, River Grove, Forest Park, River Forest, Berwyn, and Elmwood Park.

Handled monetary transactions, scooping, serving, stocking, and cleaning of Oberweis Dairy store in Oak Park, IL.

- Worked as a summer camp counselor for mentally disabled children and adults.- Learned essential conflict mediation skills and developed the patience required for such situations.

Master Of Business Administration - Mba, Strategy, Finance

Bachelor Of Science, Industrial Engineering

Activities and Societies: Engineers Without Borders, Institute of Industrial Engineers