Neil De Ridder Email & Phone Number

Canada

London, Ontario, Ca

Versatile Senior Executive Counsellor providing strategic, tactical and operational advisory services to C-level executives and senior IT leaders focusing on organizational and technology strategy, business and technology transformations, and service improvement. Supporting a $25M+ portfolio, servicing over 340 global accounts across sectors including Professional Services, Real Estate, Technology, Media, and Telecommunications, our team has achieved over 30% growth last year. With focus on delivering tailored strategic advisory services to CIOs and senior IT leaders to ensure technology strategies are seamlessly integrated with overarching business goals. Key Responsibilities:• Strategic Advisory: Guiding CIOs and senior IT leaders with customized Key Initiative Plans and IT Strategy, facilitating CEO-CIO Alignment for business and technology integration.• Portfolio Management: Oversee a $25+M portfolio across diverse sectors, emphasizing strategic account growth and service excellence.• Leadership and Team Development: Lead a team of executive counsellors, promoting an environment that prioritizes high-quality advisory services and professional development.• Research and Market Strategy Development: Conduct in-depth industry trend analyses and align organizational strategies with market dynamics to enhance membership value and ensure sustainable growth.

Senior Technology Management Leader with a strong track record of success in driving strategic initiatives and delivering transformative solutions. Client industries include global IT consulting services, global space, higher education, and insurance regulation.Key highlights include:- interim CIO (in-transition contract), leading a nonprofit association IT department. Primary focus was the development of an IT strategy, business alignment, IT redesign, outsource infrastructure and helpdesk managed services, transition to cloud and maturing cyber security capabilities- Program Manager - Return to Campus (post COVID) initiative at a post secondary education institution. Led Post-COVID readiness activities across 650+ rooms/labs, resulting in a successful return to in-classroom instruction for 20,000 students and staff for fall and winter sessions at SAIT.- IT M&A Program Manager and Technology Management Consultant for a MDA Space, a global Canadian space technology company. During the COVID pandemic, led the successful 9 month technology transition following a $1B private equity acquisition, overseeing the redesign of IT and cyber security services, and organizational structure. Developed and implemented technology transformation strategies, revamped annual budget process, resulting in enhanced operational efficiency- Technology Management Consultant provided IT organizational change services for a global systems integrator. Developed a change strategy to improve business relationship management, culture, and technology solutions for a strategic $100M account. Conducted an IT services review for the Australian-based technology services team providing recommendations for IT reorganization, infrastructure cloud transition, and new financial reporting model

Canada, Alberta, Ca

Senior Director, Information Technology - Provided leadership in the delivery and operations of enterprise cloud-based information technologies and project delivery.- Leadership role in enterprise cloud-based information technologies and project delivery (25-member team) reporting to the Chief Technology Officer.- Member of the Customer Information System (CIS) Replacement Evaluation team, overseeing a $95M initiative to transform and replace legacy customer service applications for ATCO Gas and Electric business units.- Managed enterprise cloud operations involving Wipro, Oracle, and IBM managed services.- Developed an enhanced enterprise cloud operations model for a multi-vendor platform environment(SaaS, PaaS, IaaS), incorporating Oracle ERP and Integration Cloud, Salesforce, IBM Maximo SaaS, IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud- Led IT's Project Management Office, project delivery (Agile, Waterfall), and governance function, processes, and organizational structure to ensure the successful delivery of ATCO's $80M technology program.- Served as the IT M&A Transition Lead during ATCO's $835M sale of the fossil fuel-based electricity generation portfolio, responsible for the divestiture separation of IT operations to migrate applications, data, and managed services from ATCO to Heartland Generation Ltd.

Calgary, Ab, Ca

Head of IT, reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, directed all enterprise IT strategies, transformations and operations. Enterprise value grew from $5.4B to $15.3B with a workforce expansion from 250 to 1,100 employees.Strategic Leadership and Business Alignment:o Transformed the IT department from helpdesk/systems support to a business-technology partnership model. o Strategically allocated IT budgets, directing $250M in transformational and operational investments aligning expenditures with corporate goals to drive substantial business growthTechnology and Business Transformation:o Spearheaded the $15M SAP ERP initiative, consolidating operations for 1,100 employeeso Integrated the $7M IT integration of the $1.3B acquisition of Williams Energy Canadao Initiated technology and business transformations: $4M Rogers Data Centre colocation and office technology transformation, a $20M Asset Management program and $15M Record Management program. Implemented COTS and cloud applications: $7M Schneider Electric’s Polaris, $2M Quorum’s TIPS, Workday.Operational Excellence and Compliance:o Established an executive IT Steering Committee achieving strategic investment governance and a unified technology strategy that significantly advanced IPL’s business objectives.o Drove CSOX compliance initiatives that were recognized by external auditors for their maturity, substantially enhancing the organization’s governance and risk management posture.Technology Governance and Risk Management (including Cyber Security function):o Developed and executed the comprehensive 3 year IT Strategy aligned with IPL’s overarching strategic plan, collaborating with senior leadership and external advisors.o Upon thorough assessment, initiated a board of directors approved $5M enterprise cybersecurity program, mitigating risks through delivery of effective cyber solutions, processes, and policies across corporate and operational technologies (SCADA, DCS, DSS, etc.)

Senior Technology Management Consultant with a strong track record of success in driving strategic initiatives and delivering transformative solutions.Provided technology advisory and consulting services including strategy development and execution, service delivery improvement, program development and management.Client industries included upstream and midstream energy.

Plano, Texas, Us

Member of management team, delivered consulting services, account management, and service delivery oversight. Client industries included telecommunications, federal and provincial government.Highlights include:- Manitoba Telecom Services. $1.7B Allstream acquisition. Bell Unwind Program Manager, migrated and implemented new business/residential services and systems across multiple geographies and carriers. $10.0M budget, 25+ projects and 30+ resources within a total $90M integration program- Government of Manitoba. Developed the Service Management and Application Management Services strategy for several government departments. Developed the RFQ/RFP approach, documents and associated business case- Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC). Business Needs and Architecture Definition for the Future to Discover program