Paul Francis

A senior leader with over seventeen years experience in business, consulting and technology, I am experienced in not only technology and consultancy processes, but also business and people leadership. I have extensive international experience in formulating and articulating vision and strategy, business development and building teams. I consider myself to be commercially aware, strategically minded, technically very competent, assertive in leadership and credible at all levels of an organization.

Employer:	MultiTrode
Position:	Group CTO
Time period:	January 2009 - January 2010
Description:	Multitrode is a leading independent supplier of software and hardware products for utilities in the water & wastewater industry. As part of the core executive team, and with involvement at board level, my responsibilities extend across all aspects of products, professional services and support. With a clear brief to help grow and expand the business internationally I am involved in setting and delivering on strategic and tactical goals across the organization; including product roadmaps, development teams and process, quality, acquisitions and partnerships, manufacturing, services and product support activities. Client and technology profile: Water & Wastewater, mining, municipal government, utilities Java, J2EE, MySQL, C++, embedded C, Linux/CentOS, PHP, Ruby, PLCs, RTUs, hosted applications/SAAS, web 2.0, automation & control

Employer:	Citect Pty Ltd
Position:	Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Time period:	August 2005 - January 2009
Description:	Citect is the leading global provider of industrial automation (SCADA), facilities automation, real-time intelligence & next generation manufacturing execution systems (MES) solutions. Citect has representation now in over 130 countries worldwide. Formerly listed on the ASX, Citect were acquired by Schneider Electric (CAC: SU.PA) in March 2006. Highlights: • Reporting directly to the CEO, I am a member of the core Citect executive team and as such am involved in business planning and strategy for Citect globally. • Was part of the management team that led Citect through the Schneider acquisition and post-acquisition integration process • With oversight of product architecture, development teams and technology direction, I am responsible for developing and driving the company's strategic product vision, software delivery and go-to-market capabilities • Established new product teams to develop patented on-demand hosted products from inception to release • Direct involvement with Schneider corporate teams in relation to innovation, automation strategy and global R&D • Commitment to ongoing process improvements in support of expediting product delivery, reducing costs and increasing productivity • Direct P&L control of IT, QA & Testing, Localisation, Enterprise Services and Business Analysis teams • Overall responsibility for global IS operations, including hosting, infrastructure and business applications (effectively CIO) • Leading role in M&A due-diligence for future acquisitions • Executive relationship for key partners such as Microsoft, SAP, Sun and Oracle and key accounts, including BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. • Company and product evangelist in industry and analyst events worldwide • Head of QA & Testing teams for all product development • Head of team providing enterprise services for development of key common components across all product lines Training: • Advanced Media Training (Hill & Knowlton) • Schneider Electric Leadership Foundation residential course for senior executives (MGSM) • Lean Manufacturing Techniques Citect client and technology profile: • 3M, F&B, WWW, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Building Automation, Power, Automotive, CPG • ASP.NET, C#, SharePoint (MOSS), SQL/Server, Web Services, Windows, SAAS, SOA, XML, MS Project and Project Server, MS Office, Reporting Services, AJAX, web 2.0, Sun JCAPS, SAP ERP, XMII & Netweaver, SCADA, MES, EMI

Employer:	Volante Pty Ltd
Position:	Software Solutions Manager
Time period:	January 2005 - August 2005
Description:	Volante were one of Australia’s largest IT services companies with revenues of over AU$350 million and 900 staff throughout Australia. Volante specialised in providing business solutions, software, hardware, services and strategic consulting to medium to large scale organisations. Volante were acquired by Commander in 2006. My responsibilities included: • Lead pre-sales (business development), architecture, development, project management and consultancy teams focussed on enterprise and government clients • Creation of new software solutions consulting practice in Canberra (ACT) • Key influencer in strategic business planning, including financial forecasting and budgeting • On-going P&L and associated financials responsibility • Validation of major solution architectures and associated technologies • Evangelising technical and business process initiatives to ensure continuous improvement and aid sales • Evaluation and updating best practise in software development and implementation (ISO 9001 accredited process) • Bid documentation and pricing (responding to RFIs, RFPs etc) • Co-ordination with project management and development teams to ensure realistic planning, development, testing and implementation schedules • Working to codify service offerings, and help develop IP for the company in the form of solution framework products and reusable components • Management of strategic and tactical partner (Microsoft, Captaris, Dexterra, Tower, Meridio, HP etc.) relationships • Validation of key user requirements, functional and technical specifications • Production planning, resource allocation, utilisation, skills assessment and training • Generation and measurement of business and personnel KPIs • Active participation in strategic and management matters at operational and board levels • Active participation in commerce groups such as Enterprise Ireland Volante client and technology profile: • Government (state and federal), Education, Media, Pharma, Manufacturing, Web-based • ASP, IIS, CMS, Sharepoint Portal Server, SQL/Server, .NET, Web Services, Windows, XML, MS Project and Project Server, MS Office, BizTalk, Captaris Teamplate Workflow, J2EE, Global360 W-MSJ, Reporting Services.

Employer:	Saltmine Limited
Position:	Director of Technology & Resources (Technical Director)
Time period:	April 2002 - August 2004
Description:	Started by a group of ex Microsoft employees, Saltmine supply interactive new media (e.g. Xbox Live, PGA Tour) and bespoke corporate online solutions, consultancy services and hosting. These solutions are typically database driven hosted internet (SAAS), or intranet business applications, utilising business intelligence, workflow, knowledge and content management capabilities. Projects ranged from supporting compliance and governance, business process and risk management through to online corporate presence, e-commerce, B2C and social networking websites. Highlights: • Active participation in strategic and management matters at operational and board levels, in both the London and Seattle Saltmine offices. • Lead Pre-sales, development, design, architecture and consultancy teams focussed on enterprise clients including BP, Microsoft, Kingfisher Group, Chevron Texaco, Marks & Spencer, NatWest, and Shell. • Leadership of both internal IT function for infrastructure and business systems, and customer hosting operations. • Validation of key user requirements, functional and technical specifications • Validation of major solution architectures and associated technologies • Bid documentation and pricing (including responding to RFIs, RFPs etc). • Key influencer in business planning, financial forecasting and budgeting. • Co-ordination with project management and development teams to ensure realistic planning, development, testing and implementation schedules. • Working with other department heads to codify service offerings, and help develop IP for the company in the form of solution framework products and reusable components. • Evangelising technical & business process initiatives to ensure continuous improvement and aid sales. • Management of partner (Microsoft, Documentum, Red Dot) and customer relationships. • Production planning, resource allocation, utilisation, skills assessment and training. • Generation and measurement of business and personnel KPIs. • Active participation in Microsoft .NET Evangelist Group on behalf of Saltmine UK. • Liaison with Microsoft Redmond with regard to future product direction. Saltmine client and technology profile: • Oil & Gas, Software, Retail, e-Commerce, Media, Online/Web, Travel, Finance • ASP, IIS, CMS, Sharepoint, SQL/Server, .NET, Web Services, Windows, XML, MS Project, MS Office, BizTalk, Commerce Server, Web Development, hosted applications. Exposed to Siebel, Documentum, Vignette, Map Point

Employer:	Devron Integrated Systems Ltd
Position:	Co-founder & Director
Time period:	December 1996 - April 2002
Description:	Devron provided ERP products and consulting services specifically for the hotel, publishing, event management, conference and exhibition industries. My responsibilities included: • Company strategy, business planning and business development • Pre-sales, client presentations, development of user requirements, functional and technical specifications - including overall solution architecture and associated technologies • Development of cost benefit analyses, business process analysis and process re-engineering. • Development of ‘best practise’ policies and standard implementation methodologies for consultancy services. • Overall management of professional services (consulting) teams, resource planning & financial budgeting. • Data conversion planning and client liaison • Program Management of implementations and rollouts • Identifying and pursuing business development opportunities through consulting engagements • Speaking at industry events and conferences – speaking engagements included talks on technology trends and best practices Highlights: • Managing the successful implementation of over 30 enterprise systems for such customers as: EDS, Earls Court & Olympia, Excel, RICS, Wembley and the World Conservation Union • Often running concurrently, the projects ran not only in the UK, but also in Spain, Holland, Belgium, Ireland, France and Switzerland. • Planning and management of two major SAP integration projects with customers in the Netherlands. • Full life-cycle development of numerous software ‘add-ons’ for the core product, allowing for on-sell of value added services and product to existing customers. • Growing the consulting revenue 100% year on year between 1997 and 2001 through the identification of new business opportunities, networking, and response to tenders and so on. Devron client and technology profile: • Exhibitions, Conferences, Publishing, Travel and Leisure, Online, Media, Not For Profit, Education • ERP, ASP, Crystal Reports, Dreamweaver, e-commerce, Infomaker, JavaScript, MS Access, MS Office, MS Project, MS SQL/Server, MS Windows, .NET, Oracle, SQL, Sybase SQL Anywhere, VISIO, Visual Basic, Visual Interdev. • Exposure to Great Plains, SAP, JD Edwards, Oracle Financials, Siebel.

Employer:	Institute for International Research
Position:	Group IT Manager (contract position)
Time period:	August 1995 - December 1996
Description:	At the time, Institute for International Research (IIR) was one of the largest privately owned media companies in the World with revenues of approx. US$750M Reporting to the CFO and subsequently the CEO (Lord Irvine Laidlaw), this was a twelve month contract, extended for a further five. I was initially based in Amsterdam for seven months, then New York for four and finally Florida for six. However, as manager for the group, my responsibilities extended to all IIR offices worldwide (35 countries / 58 operations). Hence, the position involved a lot of international travel. Highlights: • Management of the design and implementation of a new global CRM system. Responsibilities included Architecture / Design, Infrastructure Design, Business Analysis and Program Management. • Creation of a group-wide e-mail system infrastructure. Prior to this, all electronic correspondence had been via fax. • Project managed the implementation of a new group treasury system. • Involvement in a number of M&A opportunities. • Restructuring and re-negotiation of IIR’s North American telecoms set-up, resulting in annual savings > $500,000. • Management and implementation of the back-office consolidation for IIR’s four main North American business units into one central location in Sarasota, Florida. This role covered a host of tasks from sourcing suitable office space, through to networks and infrastructure planning, systems analysis, business process re-engineering and systems integration. IIR vertical and technology profile: • Conferences, Exhibitions, Publishing, Training, Media • HTML, Lotus Notes, MS Office, MS Project, MS Windows, SQL, SQL/Server, Telecoms, Universe, UNIX, VB, NT • Exposure to Sun Systems Accounting.

Employer:	Lotus Development Corp
Position:	Analyst / Programmer
Time period:	April 1994 - August 1995
Description:	Worked in the systems development area of the IS department. The tasks involved managing and working on internal projects for many of the business areas within Lotus. Highlights: • Design and development of an EDI system to transfer direct sales orders from the UK into the shipping database at a warehouse in Dublin. The system successfully processed over £1million worth of orders in its first three days of operation. • Consolidation – through a process of analysis and data conversion – of multiple, unique customer databases spread throughout the EMEA region into one central marketing segmentation database (SQL/Server). • Management of the European stage of the implementation of a new customer support system (Vantive). This project involved working closely with Lotus offices in the US, and meant a number of trips to Mountain View, CA and Boston, MA. My role had particular emphasis on the conversion of multiple Lotus Notes databases into the central Vantive database. Technologies utilised: • Approach, C, C++, Lotus Notes, Lotus SmartSuite, MS Windows, OS/2, SQL/Server, Sybase, T-SQL, UNIX (Solaris), Vantive, ViP, Visual Basic, Visual C++

Employer:	Spur Electron
Position:	Analyst / Programmer
Time period:	June 1992 - April 1994
Description:	Spur Electron is primarily a space and defence contractor. I worked in an analyst / programmer role, producing applications for clients such as the European Space Agency and the Ministry of Defence (DRA). I was also involved in developing applications for PSION’s business range of handheld devices, particularly in the area of parking enforcement. Highlights: • End-to-end design, development and commercial release of one of the first handheld parking enforcement systems in the UK. Clients included Woking Borough Council, Royal Parks and APCOA parking at Heathrow airport • Re-development of a complex database system for the DRA, used to store and cross-check inventory • Applications development for the European Space Agency (ESA) in relation to satellite technology Technologies utilised: • C, C++, DOS, MS Access, MS Windows, PSION SIBO, R-BASE, SQL, UNIX, Visual Basic.

University:	Kingston University
Time period:	1988 - 1992
Degree:	Computer Science , BSc

Hobbies:

Photography, travel, mountain biking and golf.