Nick Kent

Experience

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  Clares Micro Supplies

  Sept 1984 - Feb 1987

  Programmer

  Clares Micro Supplies were a software house who provided technical and business applications for the Acorn (BBC Micro) range of computers. Projects included development of accountancy software modules, development of a range of database utilities including a Mailmerge and Report Writer and providing technical support to customers.

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  Nano Computing Ltd

  Feb 1987 - Aug 1989

  Analyst Programmer

  Whilst working for Nano, I completed several in-house projects using FORTRAN and BASIC and was contracted out to various client sites: ICI plc, Soda Ash Products, Mond House, Northwich. The role included VAX/VMS System Management, PDP/11 (RSTS/E) System Management, design and development of a Suggestion Scheme administration system using 'INFO' (a 4GL development environment), development of data transfer techniques and the development of a kiln diagnostics application in FORTRAN. ICI plc, Engineering Dept, Brunner House, Northwich.6 month contract to develop and commission a plant logging and control system. This was based on an in-house application communicating from a PDP/11 on a RSX-11M + platform to several TCS instruments that were controlling of the manufacturing process. Show less

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  Shell

  Aug 1989 - Oct 2015

  • Responsible for the implementation and adoption of Industrial Control Systems (ICS) cyber-security policies and technical solution for the Lubricants business to provide a more robust defence against cyber threats• Managed the delivery of Cisco’s Secure Ops Solution in four global data centres located in Amsterdam, Houston, Kuala Lumpur and Beijing• Developed a financial model to challenge, and subsequently reduce, internal project costs by ~25% • Managed a project to perform a network asset discovery across the LAN and WAN topologies with the 3rd party telecoms provider• Implemented a Symantec anti-virus solution (EndPoint Security) for process control domains. The solution design included LAN/WAN requirements and firewall rules to allow the correct network traffic through the various network segments. Completed comprehensive technical user documentation for the final solution. Show less • Responsible for assurance and oversight of the IT infrastructure for applications connected to single global instance of SAP in 28 countries hosted in data centres and in the cloud (Amazon Web Services)• Used Riverbed’s SteelCentral (formally OPNET) to analyse network traffic & protocols (TCP/IP, IPSec, HTTP, FTP) to identify the cause of a wide range of technical issues such as poor application response times and restricted network access• Provided in-country project management and technical support at critical testing and go-live phases• Managed communications to senior business and project stakeholders Show less • Project Manager for the implementation of a web-based solution to help migrate 140,000 enterprise users across desktop operating systems• Managed a global project team located in Manchester, Houston & Kuala Lumpur with a budget responsibility of $2.6m• Member of the Programme’s executive team reporting to the governance board • Obtained user requirements, created functional specifications and formed & lead a business-user working group throughout software development lifecycle (SDLC) to deliver the solution using the Agile project management delivery method• Presented at several inter-company global conferences to provide attendees with an understanding of the strategy and vision for the solution Show less • Lead a matrix-based team based in Malaysia and Australia to implement Microsoft’s System Configuration Command Centre (SCCM) across Shell’s IT infrastructure in conjunction with a Project to upgrade the storage of more than 50 software distribution servers• Worked closely with Microsoft’s Product team for SCCM 2007 during the beta phase to help influence the final design and integration across a number of technologies• Integrated a 3rd party product to provide more efficient distribution of software applications across the WAN network• Directly involved with the negotiation of a $1.6m commercial software licence Show less • Responsible for the design and implementation of internal processes and solution architecture to interface to 3rd party Public Key Infrastructure provider• Solution enabled the creation, management and use of digital certificates to support encryption and nonrepudiation of emails for Shell’s top-200 executives• Worked with 3rd party, internal contract & procurement and legal teams to deliver the final solution• Established an operational team in Malaysia and handed over the run & maintain support to them Show less • Drafted in by the head of IT in Malaysia to get a troubled project back on track (I was the 3rd PM)• Delivered the design and implementation of a web-based solution that enabled the selection of a user’s replacement hardware and subsequent automated hardware ordering process. Solution included the automatic population of software distribution groups in Active Directory• Handed the completed solution over to a run & maintain team in Malaysia which included the development and delivery of a training strategy Show less • Global Programme Manager with a team of 50 people based in Houston, Manchester and Kuala Lumpur and budget of $16m. Responsible for planning (MS Project), finances and resourcing for the team. Accountable for the design, development and implementation of tools to support the Programme’s successful migration of 128,000 desktops from Windows 95/NT to Windows 2000. Architected the solution, managed the US-based team during the development of the software tools and responsible for providing support to the business during the migration of 10Tb of shared data. • Responsible for the recruitment and management of the operations team in Houston, Wythenshawe and Kuala Lumpur. Show less

  • Project Manager – Industrial Cyber Security Project

    Nov 2012 - Oct 2015

  • Project Manager - Application Infrastructure Assurance

    Mar 2009 - Nov 2012

  • Project Manager - Desktop Upgrade

    Jan 2008 - Mar 2009

  • Programme Manager - SCCM Deployment/Storage Upgrade

    Jul 2006 - Dec 2007

  • Project Manager - PKI Implementation

    Nov 2005 - Jun 2006

  • Project Manager - Client Asset Refresh

    Aug 2003 - Oct 2005

  • Project Manager - Disk Quota Manager Solution

    Mar 2003 - Aug 2003

  • Global Programme Manager - Desktop Migration

    Oct 2000 - Mar 2003

  • Various - see below

    Aug 1989 - Oct 2000
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  J&S Accessories

  Nov 2015 - Feb 2017

  Programme Manager - Digital Transformation

  • J&S Accessories are the UK’s largest motorcycle clothing and accessory retailer with 28 stores and e-commerce presence via their branded websites, eBay and Amazon• Reponsible for a Digital Transformation project which included analysis of existing business processes, redesign and implementation of new processes and technology to automate manual activities. Delivered using the PMP Agile framework• Delivered a new, bespoke e-commerce website which resulted in 155% growth in online sales. This included specification and development of interfaces to legacy ERP systems, Magento websites, Amazon, eBay, SagePay & PayPal to facilitate the automatic population of products to the e-commerce website and management and automated processing of orders and payments• Delivered an on-premise Windows 2012 server with SQL*Server 2014 to provide the infrastructure for the Digital Transformation adoption• Implemented the ‘Feefo’ product and service review system and a 3rd party finance solution • Improved eBay seller rating from ‘Below Standard’ to ‘Top Seller’ in 4 months resulting in improved product listings and reduced eBay fees Show less

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  Hewlett Packard Enterprise

  Feb 2017 - Aug 2017

  Senior Project Manager - Managed Security Services

  • Project leadership and delivery, engaging on behalf of Hewlett Packard Enterprise / DXC HPE Managed Security Services in the provision of a range of cyber-security related products and services to a variety of customers• Full project lifecycle management and delivery, including project planning, scope, budgeting and resourcing• Successfully delivered a Safenet 2-factor authentication project MFA, a SIEM system using ArcSight, and also a Privileged Access Management PAM project using CyberArk• Delivered a project to integrate a customer's Service Now environment to Service Manager 9 SM9• Collaborated with the Security Operations Centre SOC to assure incident and operational management• Delivered improved process flows and tooling, providing the SOC with notifications of key incidents Show less

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  BP

  Aug 2017 - Mar 2021

  Senior Programme Manager - Digital Security & BP Wind Energy

  • Led end-to-end programme delivery to implement a Data Lake on Microsoft’s Azure Platform, consolidating data repositories as part of BP’s strategic shift from AWS to Azure• Oversaw a $4.6M programme spanning multiple projects, leveraging Agile methodologies to ingest data from wind turbines, legacy ERP systems, SAP, safety data, and SharePoint• Coordinated and motivated six distributed project teams UK and US to build a core data lake in Azure, building CI/CD pipelines for IoT data from wind farms• Drove business value through early detection of wind turbine component failures, ultimately delivering an estimated net savings of $2.7M$4.1M per annum• Enabled advanced analytics via integration with Power BI and Palantir, ensuring accurate, actionable insights for data driven decision making• Project leadership and delivery, engaging as Global Lead for the implementation of a Network Detection & Response NDR solution in BP's global Oil & Gas assets (onshore & offshore)• Key role in the successful end-to-end design and implementation of site architectures, and the deployment of infrastructure to enhance and harden BP's security posture for process control assets• Leadership, management and motivation of a project team distributed across the US and UK, in addition to working with stakeholders and executives in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East• Successfully delivered the platform migration of a Palantir data lake instance, working closely with the Security Operations Centre SOC, CERT, Defence Teams, and a portfolio of 3rd parties• Provided interim cover on a Privileged Access Management PAM project using CyberArk• Delivered a key process improvement project for the Process Control Network Centre of Excellence• Implemented a solution to protect BP's assets from cyber-threats, ensuring continued safe operation• Provided management access and visibility to remote, global firewalls as part of critical infrastructure Show less

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  DWP Digital

  Mar 2021 - Dec 2022

  Programme Director

  • Led one of Europe’s largest Contact Centre implementations supporting 30,000 agents, deemed part of the Critical National Infrastructure, with an annual budget approaching £10m• Supported DWP’s strategic objective to bring services in-house by adopting cloud-based solutions and establishing a Target Operating Model TOM• Oversaw a multi-disciplinary team of approximately 80 staff PMO, Service Design & Transition, Technical, Platform Build, Architecture, Commercial) spanning employees, suppliers, and contingent labour• Drove solution design and security architecture to ensure compliance, resilience, and alignment with government security standards, managing contracts collectively exceeding £20m• Championed test-driven development TDD service adoption, enabling consistent, scalable testing across the department Maintained robust stakeholder engagement, including daily stand-ups with the Senior Responsible Officer and Product Owner, weekly team-wide stand-ups, and monthly Programme Board updates to executive stakeholders• Provided formal briefing to a House of Lords Peer on commercial governance, reflecting the high-profile nature of the programme• Recognised with DWP’s Digital Channels Award for ‘Most Collaborative Team,’ affirming the programme’s success and cohesive delivery approach Show less

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  NWG (Northumbrian Water Group)

  Jan 2023 - Jun 2023

  Programme Manager

  • Led an Asset Management Transformation Programme comprising 12 interlinked projects, delivering organisation-wide change management and improving operational efficiency across the business• Developed and implemented a strategic planning framework to inform asset investment decisions, ensuring optimal resource allocation and alignment with corporate objectives• Demonstrated strong leadership skills by guiding cross-functional teams through complex project lifecycles, managing competing priorities, and fostering a collaborative culture• Applied deep expertise in change management to drive stakeholder buy-in, streamline processes, and embed a culture of continuous improvement• Showcased exemplary project management through meticulous scheduling, risk mitigation, budget oversight, and transparent communication of project milestones• Facilitated proactive stakeholder engagement by maintaining clear communication channels, delivering timely progress updates, and ensuring alignment on strategic goals Show less

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  RCI Group

  Jun 2023 - now

  Group CIO

  • Group Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Board member for the RCI Group of companies (8 in total)• Provided strategic leadership and governance as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO), shaping the Group’s security vision, ensuring regulatory compliance, and championing a risk-aware culture across all business units• Developed a technology-focused strategic roadmap that propelled the organisation to the next level growth, technical innovation and advancement and digital transformation• Spearheaded the IT due diligence process for prospective M&A targets, ensuring thorough risk assessments, strategic alignment and transformation into the Group• Architected and orchestrated the implementation of a comprehensive Group-wide Data Lake using Microsoft Fabric, leading a high-performing team to enable data-driven strategies and fuel organisational insights and business growth• Guided, co-developed, and oversaw the end-to-end design of an organisation-wide C# Blazor application suite, improving operational efficiency and driving measurable business outcomes• Introduced Generative AI-driven solutions to enhance process automation, elevate data-driven insights, and streamline customer interactions, delivering measurable efficiency gains across multiple business units• Introduced Group-wide solutions for Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Supply Onboarding and Management and Project Management delivery• Engineered and operationalised comprehensive cybersecurity measures, deploying preventive controls and response frameworks to protect against threats, ensure data integrity, and align security initiatives with the Group’s broader strategic goals Show less