Robert Hicks Email & Phone Number

IT Business Partner aligned with six manufacturing sites throughout the UK, providing a primary point of contact for liaison between IT and the Business. The primary responsibilities of my current role are:• Regular site reviews with senior management teams incorporating service and change updates. Reviewing IT spend assigned to site, pipeline management and communication of wider IT projects and activities.• Creation of project proposals including the forming of business requirements and generating requests for systems enhancements.• Supporting Project Managers and business colleagues through all stages of projects; assisting with the definition of requirements, regular steering group meetings, acceptance, and project sign off.• Proactive communication of IT initiatives via presentations and a monthly newsletter. • Escalation point for site senior management teams for IT change and service. • Negotiating and providing feedback on delivery lead times and pipeline management, ensuring demand on IT is clear, agreed and achievable with minimal business impact.

Cornwall

IT Project Manager responsible for the delivery of multiple projects within various business areas within DS Smith. Managing both application and infrastructure projects, whilst building excellent working relationships with all teams within the IT Department.Regular face to face communication with key stakeholders, often Senior Management, in the form of project definition workshops and regular steering group meetings. Some examples of the projects I have managed are: • The integration of two new company acquisitions working within both the UK and Group Project Frameworks • Local Area Network upgrade at two major manufacturing plants.• Managed all IT aspects of new Corrugator install. Responsible for delivery of all infrastructure and associated applications from various suppliers within challenging time restraints.• Move of UK business system into a data centre environment, working closely with business personnel to ensure testing was completed over various sites.• Moving UK mobile telephony estate to a new supplier, including managing customer expectations whilst liaising with mobile user’s company wide.• Roll out of Windows 2007 desktop estate to all UK Packaging, Paper and Recycling Sites.

Tiverton

Responsible for infrastructure projects that provide a standard, resilient Local Area Network (LAN), based on Cisco architecture that also supports an expanding company wide IP telephony system with high availability. • Technical project manager for 4 office relocations providing telephony, network infrastructure and access control for St Regis Divisional personnel and DS Smith Packaging. Working closely with the IT Director and Company Financial Controller. Completed within challenging deadlines.• Project managed Cisco IP telephony installations covering Beech House, Kemsley, Ely and Tiverton, that included a new iteration of the call centre software utilised at the DS Smith Recycling FM Centre, with all installations delivered on time and budget.• Installation and configuration of company wide video conferencing system operating over the DS Smith Wide Area Network (WAN). Working closely with Group IT Director on the feasibility of a group wide implementation.

Promoted to manage and mentor a team of 7 technicians, responsible for maintenance, project and day to day support in excess of 1400 users within UK and Mainland Europe. • Undertook general projects - team involved with planning for implementation of IFS Training rooms, Citrix installs to all European workstations within deadlines. Coordinated replacement workstation roll out to all UK Sites and European offices (1000+ Systems within one year) Delivered Lotus Notes Upgrades to all. • Managed and minimised, disruption of Virus outbreaks using Sophos Sweep• Project Managed the preparation, testing and implementation of standard workstation and laptop image builds with regional variations (Belgium/Italy/Sweden/Finland).• Forged strong team spirit and working protocols for a multi-site and geographically split team throughout Europe and Asia.