Chris MacNeil

ICHT is the UK’s largest NHS Trust, with over 9,000 employees, an annual turnover of £900 million, and over a million patient appointments a year. The IT Department delivers all of the IT and telecommunications needs of the Trust.

My role is to identify ways in which technology can help our business units meet cost-saving targets and release staff time. I match requirements to need, manage business cases through to approvals, track benefits and leverage communications tools to ensure project success.

Recent work includes:
• identifying cost savings in excess of £250k pa by producing electronic correspondence
• development of an ICT self-service microsite, releasing over £50ka pa of support staff time
• implementation of a Facilities management floor plan application, supporting statutory requirements and releasing £50k pa of staff time

In my previous role as Senior IT Project Manager, I:

• led a Training Team which wrote and delivered a new curriculum to over 3,000 users
• led a team of Project Managers, introducing PRINCE 2 principles to IT project management within the Trust
• implemented Stellent enterprise collaboration technologies for improved productivity, document management and user community engagement
• ensured the encryption of nearly 1,000 mobile devices and laptops in line with statutory security requirements

Principle methodologies used:
> PRINCE 2
> Agile development

I provide cross-cultural training and coaching services to business professionals relocating from elsewhere to the UK or to Canada.

Typical presentations are 2 hours long and can be delivered in person or over conference call. Subjects include Daily Living, Conducting Business or Family Life in the host country. Working in this field has enhanced my skills in better understanding communities and global cultures.

I have developed and delivered (in person or via conf call) over 2 dozen presentations tailored to assignee needs.

Clients include:
> Cartus (formerly Cendant Corp)
> Transglobal
> Berlitz
> Vodafone
> Abbott Medical
> NATS
> Unilever

e/booster was founded to sell North American IT, CFA and other training and leisure texts in Europe, but later evolved to a social media consulting practice.

Achievements:
• introduced 3 independent publishers to the European market, providing communications and branding services, establishing a year-on-year growth of 5% - 10% in product sales.
• 15% annual web traffic growth (on average) across 6 principle client sites
• 1st page of Google ranking for several product-specific keyword phrases
• reduced bounce rates whilst increased user time spent on site (avg 2.5 min per visitor)
• increased call-to-action rates

Experience / approach:
> consolidated written communications plans
> guiding mission and editorial direction of online content
> clearly identified ROI targets
> strategic keyword targeting
> full leveraging of Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and other specific Web 2.0 applications
> targeted CPM purchases on Facebook, Google and StumbleUpon

Network Canada was founded in 1998 and is the fastest-growing wholly volunteer-run group of Canadian expatriates in Europe. It has a reach of over 5,000 people (at least 10% of which are paying members) and runs over 20 branded events per year.

Over my time with the organization I have served in several capacities from ordinary member to President.

As President (2007-08) I:
• incorporated the organization as a Company, enabling us to secure cost reductions for insurance and improved sponsorship funding
• conceived of and launched the new “Living in London Live” series of membership information seminars (attracting over 10 new sponsors, and 100 members)
• conceived of and launched “Study Canada”, an annual event to promote Canadian universities during Canada Day events on Trafalgar Square (signing up over 150 interested student candidates each year)
• oversaw:
- the launch of the 2nd edition of our branded "Living in London" guidebook
- over 2 dozen successful events (with budgets ranging up to £15,000 each)
- a 15% increase in recruitment of paying members

The NHSU was chartered with a vision of providing all training to 2.5 million staff across all of the NHS in England.

I was contracted for 4 months to co-author the 1,000-page ITT (Invitation To Tender) system requirements documentation for the £100 million “Virtual Campus”. This was to have integrated several technologies to allow users access to bookings and courses.

WCF specialised in the production of Canadian fringe theatre in the UK and Europe.

Experience:
• co-wrote the company’s Business Plan and handled all statutory reporting
• sold web site design and telephony services into the artistic community
• helped establish the e-commerce ticket sales functionality for our events
• co-developed at least 10 opening night galas and other events

I managed 10 web projects which supported the content flow for the cutting edge $1 million in-house IP television studio in Bedfont Lakes.

I led:
• a development team based in London, Paris, Amsterdam and San Jose
• projects with budgets up to $100,000 USD
• new-build and off-the-shelf enterprise communications technology installations

egroup, incorporated was a successful Ottawa-based e-learning and web application development firm. We built innovative tools spearheading development in online education, membership management, e-commerce and other areas. We wrote some of the first courseware on Internet search, usage, and coding. In its later years, the company focused exclusively on IT consulting, having sold its online products to American partners.

At egroup, I:
• won the majority of new business by creating opportunities with existing clients, identifying new prospects, responding to RFPs (Requests for Proposal) and writing proposals, concentrating on projects valued in excess of $20,000 CDN
• maintained client relationships with existing and new business contacts throughout North America
• co-authored all of our 2 dozen training books and materials, and managed their copyright process through the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO)
• co-designed and provided QA / usability testing for all of our product suite
• managed all statutory reporting requirements and staffing issues