Back to my favorite industry - Software Development and Delivery

Looking forward to start at NobleOak and join a group of Professionals in the Insurance space.

I came out of retirement to join a start-up Life Insurance Company in May 2017, as I could not resist working with a group of Insurance professionals, ex-colleagues and friends again. I must admit retirement is not for me - yet. Anyhow, as planned we delivered on time, below budget and now that NEOS is well under way to become a brand to be reckoned with, I am taking some time off to be at the birth of another grandchild in March 2019 (I missed a few in between). I have scrapped the idea of retirement soon, so watch this space early next year.

Integrating several software packages from different vendors, to deliver a STP offering for TOWER known as the Accelerate Product. Since then have implemented a partner STP offering with NIB on LIFE insurance. Delivered a project that will deliver an online STP facility to TOWER's Group Risk partners. On the success of Accelerate, deployed TAL flagship online Digital Portal - Accelerated Protection.

Project and Vendor relationship manager

Project Manager

2005 – Appointed as Program Director in a contract position at Esprit-IT (now Fintechnix), an Application Package provider in Sydney who supplies customized software to the major Insurance players in Australia. Duties were to upgrade the existing package to customer requirements for packaging and reselling to other Insurance companies. Primarily Project managed 25 staff from Fintechnix as well as some of the Customers own staff. We have successfully implemented the first Phase in November 2005 and the product has become the best selling Life Risk product in Australia. The last Phase, is planned for implementation end of September 2006.

Project Director for the One Care project. Supplying a policy management back office system.

1997 – Appointed by Saudi Aramco as Senior Consultant on the Walker Team to assist in the day-to-day Support and Maintenance of the Walker Products on Release 16.5.0, as used by Saudi Aramco.1998 – Take part in the upgrade to Release 16.5.41998 – Appointed Walker Project Team Leader - manage the Walker Support Project Team.1999 – Implement Release 17.0.2 at Saudi Aramco.2000 – Appointed as the Algosaibi Information Systems Company Outsource Manager at Saudi Aramco.2001 – Managed the writing of program specifications for the conversion and migration of data from Walker to SAP.2002 - Tasked with a special assignment of compiling the Project Management Life Cycle manual for FRAD based on my success with the Walker Outsource which was implemented as their Development procedure in BSAD in Jan 20032003 – Took over the management of the AGIS Storage Division, with an annual budget of 22 million Riyal, with the biggest sales in Aramco EXPEC of NETAPP equipment in the ME

Project and Integration Manager for Aramco on the Walker software

1994 – Take over the project management of a development team at ALLIANZ insurance company to develop and implement a Claims Processing System on a Siemens RM600.1996 – Project managed an audit team that was doing rollout of the latest version of Windows NT and UNIX to all the branches countrywide of the South African Breweries.1997 – Appointed as substitute Project Manager at Charter Life and brought the project back on-line.1997 – Seconded to Algosaibi Information Systems, to work at Saudi Aramco as a Primary Consultant, by PQ Africa.

Account manager/ Project Manager at various clients

1993 – Appointed by the South African audit firm of Ernst & Young to lead a team of people (IT and auditors) to reduce the 3-year backlog of bank reconciliation transactions caused by the fall of the Bophuthatswana Government.1993 – Train a team of auditors (18) to use Walker as well as the Reconciliation module.1994 – Successfully produced final reconciliation statements accepted by the South African Auditor General.1994 – Joined Q Data Consulting (previously Data Trust) as Senior Consultant.

1991 – Appointed by SPL on a full time basis to develop a Walker Maintenance and Support Team to sell customization services to Walker users.1992 – Services sales exceed the budget by 120% and the team grows to a staff of 221992 – Start a WALKER customization project for the Bophuthatswana Government using Walker’s (MBA, Purchasing, Accounts Payable and Bank Reconciliation) modules.1993 – Leave the services of SPL to become an independent contractor.

1990 – Managed a Project team for the evaluation of a financial package for TRANSMED (Rail Transport Medical Aid)1991 – Implemented the WALKER software modules (MBA, Bank Reconciliation) at TRANSMED on behalf of SPL, SA.1991 – Implemented the WALKER software modules (MBA, Purchasing and Accounts Payable) on behalf of SPL at The South African Development Bank.

1988 – Developed and implemented the Marketing, Sales and Debtors system for selling TV and Radio media using Natural, Adabas on a Persetel mainframe.1989 -1990 Write system and program specifications for the interface between their Human Resources system and Q-Pac salary systems (similar to SAP – parameter driven).

1985 - Developed and implemented a Time Share Sales and Marketing System as well as accommodation booking using an IBM 36 desktop system with Cobol as a private Consultant.1986 – Implemented the following projects as a Senior Analyst substitute:Actuary syste for Standard Bank, SAAutomatic QPAC (Salary Package) interface to in-house personnel system for South African Broadcasting Corporation1987 – Promoted to Project Manager at the Atomic Energy Board, re-writing their financial systems – biggest project team in Data Trust, (18 people) at the time.1988 – Left Data Trust to handle a special assignment at the SABC as a private Consultant.

1973 - Started my IT career as a trainee programmer on financial systems. 1974 - Promoted to Analyst programmer and did the total programming on Debt Collection system.1976 - Promoted to Analyst in charge of Inventory Systems. During this time we redesigned the Parts and Accessories system.1979 - Promoted to Systems Manager responsible for all Support and Maintenance on systems running on Datsun South Africa’s Mainframe.1981 - Promoted to Development Manager Dealer Systems, which was a new team dedicated to the development of all Dealer Communication Systems on PC’s linking into the mainframe. This includes enquiries and orders thru a countrywide network using GWBASIC as programming tool.1984 – Transferred to create the Management Information Center Development team with the vision to promote the use of data and producing meaningful management information.1985 – Left the employ of Nissan South Africa to become a Contractor.