David Mcneill - Program Director

Recommended expert

United Kingdom

Experience

Oct 2024 - Present

1 year 4 months

Program Director

LetterOne & Remedica

Led the Greenfield implementation of SAP S/4HANA at Remedica Pharma on behalf of Private Equity owners
Defined overall strategy based on template approach with key vendors & partners
Led licensing model decisions and negotiations
Acted as interim CIO and provided executive advisory to company board and private equity on TOM and technology improvements
Prepared and drove initial planning, business case, budget, requirements gathering, phase zero and RFP process, negotiations, selection, onboarding and kickoff
Developed and managed comprehensive project plans with achievable milestones, resources, and budgets
Ensured alignment of the project with business goals, particularly in the context of pharmaceutical industry regulations, standards and expectations from private equity
Assembled and led a cross-functional project team, including internal staff, consultants, and external vendors
Provided leadership, guidance, and support to the project team, fostering a collaborative and results-driven environment
Acted as the primary point of contact between the board/leadership, project team, senior management, and key stakeholders
Facilitated regular key status meetings, including steering, board updates, program management and managed stakeholder expectations throughout the project lifecycle
Collaborated with business process owners across departments to ensure that SAP S/4HANA meets organizational needs
Identified risks and issues early and developed strategies to mitigate and resolve them
Managed the entire budget, ensuring that all costs are tracked and controlled
Optimized resource allocation and utilization to achieve project objectives efficiently
Drove change management and user adoption with key initiatives and simple to embed strategies
Led planning and integration with acquisitions, incorporating TSAs and carve-out strategies

Mar 2024 - Oct 2024

8 months

London, United Kingdom

Program Lead

Nomad Foods

Led the ERP program for finance, supply chain, logistics and purchasing entity
Managed the build of the template and deployment to UK & Ireland
Ensured deliverables were met by implementation partners and transitioned to business
Drove strategic benefits for sponsorships
Implemented improvements to change management, governance and key stakeholder engagement
Led program boards, steering and managed critical escalations to successful mitigation

May 2023 - Mar 2024

11 months

Prague, Czech Republic

Program Manager

Novartis

Led global accelerated SAP S/4 and Ariba programs that were behind schedule and needed a new direction
Developed a flexible recovery plan and reshaped the program organizational structure through quick wins and medium-term solutions
Managed overall program budget, governance, planning, risk and issue management
Implemented a new agile-based delivery model, reporting/build/project management tools and new direction for change and communications
Increased efficiency by hiring and onboarding niche partners, establishing a new PMO office and securing key experts in roles such as solution architects and delivery leads
Led strategy review with SAP and system integrator to ensure alignment with long-term business goals

Aug 2019 - Jun 2023

3 years 11 months

Basel, Switzerland

Program Lead

Roche

Managed the Aspire program, one of the largest global greenfield transformation programs in the pharmaceutical industry to build a new global template based on SAP S/4 with key integrations
Prepared and drove approval of the business case, defined scope, built program team and multi-year budget then led the initiation phase
Oversaw delivery of SAP S/4, master data hub and analytics across finance, procurement, supply chain, order to cash, manufacturing, EAM and quality systems
Translated program proposal into projects, work packages and delivery streams for the global template
Managed a large global team of senior internal, external and offshore resources through organizational changes
Drove medium to long-term strategy and thought leadership, including roadmap for RPA, advanced analytics and machine learning
Led rollout for Asia and European sites including go-live readiness, testing, UAT, training, data migration, cutover, hypercare and transition to support
Managed budgets and senior stakeholder relationships
Implemented agile best practices and change management for future deployments
Integrated satellite programs including organizational change management, GEP, Cloudera, Collibra and proof of concepts
Coached managers and team leads to encourage high-performing teams and improve collaboration
Reviewed and challenged project plans, risks and mitigation actions, resolving deviations in timelines or quality

Dec 2018 - Jul 2019

8 months

Qatar

Program Manager

Invenio Business Solutions

Managed multiple programs across UK, US and Qatar including S/4 HANA, tax revenue management, Odoo point of sale, data migration strategy and cloud HEC & AWS migrations
Directed implementation of the first fully automated, government-agent integrated, cloud-hosted online tax system for the State of Qatar
Led delivery through RFP, proposal and contractual obligations
Ensured client satisfaction at executive level while maintaining consistent profitability and developing future opportunity pipeline
Built and led a core team of circa 150 resources through initiation, delivery and transition to service/support
Introduced smart governance model and agile lean ways of working with SAP Activate and SCRUM, adding scrum masters and tools such as Jira and Solution Manager
Acted as escalation point for critical issues and risks, chaired steering meetings with clients
Managed change management, budgets, financial reporting and business development opportunities

Jan 2018 - Jul 2018

7 months

London, United Kingdom

Head of Finance Programs / Program Director

Vodafone

Defined strategy, delivery and implementation of ERP programs within finance transformation roadmap using SAP S/4 as digital core across 23 live markets
Managed in-flight programs across finance, supply chain and HR, integrated S/4 with Concur, Ariba, SuccessFactors, Fieldglass and analytics platforms
Oversaw migration and upgrade from SAP WM to EWM with S/4 integration
Delivered business case realization, transformation roadmap and key benefits
Built a program team of over 100 and coached managers to transition talent to BAU
Managed scope, cost, schedule and contractual deliverables up to 100 million euros
Led migration to Business Suite on HANA and conversion to S/4 with integration to major programs and local ERP/interfaces
Established change management stream for communications, stakeholder management, training and deployment
Conducted roadshows to local markets
Drove innovation workshops and prototyping for finance processes with S/4, AI, automation, blockchain and IoT
Ensured alignment to IFRS regulations
Acted as escalation point for high-level risks and issues
Communicated seamlessly to markets and stakeholders
Led contract negotiations with vendors and suppliers

May 2017 - Nov 2017

7 months

Coventry, United Kingdom

Program Manager

Meggitt

Managed global SAP data centre migration from DXC (HP) to IBM cloud, upgraded to SAP Business Suite on HANA with SAP S/4 and SAP Analytics integrations
Established multi-stream delivery: network installation, firewalls & security, disaster recovery, database migration/restricted data removal, integrations, EHP8 upgrade, HANA optimizations, SAP GUI rollout, EAM, GTS 11 upgrade, BODS 4.2 upgrade and testing
Led project managers, architects, team leads, developers, business analysts, test managers and change managers including off-shore and on-site resources
Drove stakeholder communications, chaired steering up to CIO and exec level
Managed budget, plan, delivery timelines, risk and issue mitigation, change management and benefits realization

Apr 2016 - May 2017

1 year 2 months

Derby, United Kingdom

Program Manager

Rolls Royce

Delivered digital transformation program for customer & services across civil and defence business areas globally
Managed inflight and end-to-end projects with full transition to support
Ensured enhanced integrations for MRO between SAP, Maximo, MS Dynamics and bespoke applications
Led projects including hybrid cloud migration with MS Azure, global business portal consolidation, AWS service centre integrations, aircraft datacenter IoT integration, asset management modernization and e-commerce platform integrations
Managed UX/UI strategy and implementation
Introduced agile and iterative methodologies, refined checkpoint process across ecosystem vendors
Managed portfolio budget (CapEx and OpEx), performed benefits analysis and negotiated supplier funding
Engaged stakeholders up to C-Level, chaired steering and board meetings
Defined governance and delivery model, built core delivery team and design authority
Managed a large resource pool of internal, external and SI resources
Collaborated with enterprise architecture on digital, BI, big data, cloud and portals strategy

Sep 2015 - Mar 2016

7 months

London, United Kingdom

Program Manager

Henderson Global Investors

Managed finance transformation projects including FI controlling, MI/FCA reporting, consolidation, master data management, procurement and profitability cost management across Europe, America and Asia
Used waterfall and agile methodologies from initiation to go-live and system decommissioning
Led a team of permanent, contract and SI consultants including developers, architects, leads and managers
Advised on strategy, goals, ROI and roadmap for finance and SAP ERP to meet TOM
Designed general ledger consolidation and planning in ECC6, BPC10, PCM, BW7.3 & BI4
Managed MI and FCA reporting suite with Business Objects BI4.1, Webi, Analysis Office and EPM
Owned project plans, resourcing, SI selection and budget forecasts
Ran stakeholder engagements, status updates, RAID logs and executive presentations
Directed mixed-methodology delivery (SCRUM and Prince2)
Provided program updates, challenged scope, budget and risks
Led transition to BAU and support with AMS provider
Defined governance, PMO management and vendor invoice approval
Negotiated with product, SI and vendors via RFP/proposals, SOWs and contracts
Drove improved communications and impact assessment to minimize risk

Apr 2014 - Aug 2015

1 year 5 months

London, United Kingdom

Program Lead

Capita

Led global transformation program to deliver new analytics/BI and reporting solutions across PS, FI, SD, HR, SRM and MM
Analyzed ERP and BW pain points, provided improvement recommendations with minimal business disruption
Led ECC6 upgrade, BW7.4 re-implementation and Business Objects BI4.1 installation
Evaluated and recommended reporting tools including SAP BO, Tableau, Spotfire, Antivia and Axiom
Defined hardware/software requirements based on sizing models
Provided cost-benefit analysis and ROI
Created BI strategy, roadmap and architecture aligned with new data centre
Managed system move to new data centre and expanded team resourcing
Controlled budgets and project plans
Led SAP HANA business case for BW with HANA Live integration
Directed licensing discussions and negotiations
Maintained current system while phasing in BW7.4 & BI4.1
Drove Salesforce and other integrations for analytics
Advised on HR transition to SuccessFactors

Dec 2013 - Mar 2014

4 months

Winchester, United Kingdom

Project Manager

Deloitte

Managed delivery of SAP BW7.3, BPC10 and SAP Fiori
Ran requirements workshops and provided business analysis for HR, FI, PTP, procurement, OTC, shopping carts and BPC budget/forecast reporting
Defined architecture from ECC to BW including BPC HR/finance model integration
Evaluated and approved specifications, transports and change requests
Developed technical strategy, roadmap and performance improvements
Engaged stakeholders and chaired update meetings
Managed risk and mitigation efforts

Jun 2013 - Dec 2013

7 months

Houston, United States

Project Manager

Shell

Delivered self-service BI project using SAP BI4, HANA, SAP BW7.3 and SpotFire
Managed parallel global go-lives across multiple business areas
Defined interim and long-term strategy aligned with business goals
Provided project governance, planning, budget and resourcing
Evaluated architecture boundaries, infrastructure impacts and risk management strategy
Implemented change management, governance and controls
Defined project team roles and responsibilities (onsite/offshore)
Provided technical architecture for easy adoption of BI tools
Defined BI roadmap for new tools like mobile, Antivia and Design Studio
Integrated SAP BI Webi reports with SharePoint 2010 for self-service publishing
Evaluated BI system performance and recommended improvements
Led workshops and stakeholder engagement

Apr 2013 - Jun 2013

3 months

Houston, United States

Program Lead

Hess

Set up and ran program to implement SAP BW powered by HANA and BI4
Led system performance improvements
Defined BI/reporting roadmap and enterprise-wide self-service BI adoption strategy
Architected and led installation/integration of SAP BI4 with SharePoint 2010 using .NET 3.5
Interviewed executives and provided four-year strategy recommendations including change management, CoE, support, BI implementation and data warehouse options
Managed program initiation, SI negotiation (RFP and SOW) and technology recommendations
Oversaw stakeholders, communications, project plans, deliverables, budget and resources

Feb 2013 - Apr 2013

3 months

United States

Account Manager

SAP America

Provided RFQs and RFPs to clients on SAP HANA and SAP BI4
Analyzed existing systems and interviewed key staff up to C-Level
Developed high-level solutions and implementation plans
Led commercial negotiations for clients in engineering, hospitality and financial services

Summary

I am an experienced Business & Technology Transformation Senior Project/Program Manager within Finance, Logistics, Procurement, Manufacturing, HR, Digital, Analytics and ERP / SAP. In additional to having a very successful track record of delivering some of the largest, innovative, complex projects & programs in the transition space on time and within budget. My goals are to implement sustainable strategies, build high performing teams, increase sales & profitability, provide a maximum return on investment and reduce TCO. I regularly work with and advise C-Level Executives & Boards, along with having a great network of contacts with Suppliers, Vendors and 3rd parties to call on. I am also an experienced Speaker at Events and Conferences. Coming from a blended strategic, accounting, business & technical background this experience provides me with the skillset to be adaptable and add value especially in pressurised environments.

Skills

Program/project Management: Msp, Pmp, Prince 2, Agile, Safe, Scrum, Activate & Goal Directed Project Management. Tools Include: Jira, Calm, Focus Build Solman, Ms Project, Excel, Smartsheet, Planview & Clarity
Stakeholder Management: Strong Stakeholder Relationship Management, Including 3rd Parties, Multiple Suppliers And Vendors To C-level
Finance/budget Management: From Small To Multi-million Budgets, Accurate Forecasting, Cost Benefit Analysis, Supplier Or Vendor Commercial Negotiations, Rfq/rfp And Sales Bid Management
Digital: Cloud (Aws, Azure), Saas, E-commerce Platforms, B2b, Payment Systems, Single Sign On, Integrations, Crm And Portals
Business Intelligence & Analytics: Sap Bi / Business Objects, Tableau, Qlikview, Birst, Spotfire, Cognos, Power Bi & Oracle Bi
Erp, Ai, Data Warehousing, Etl, Epm, Crm & Big Data: Sap, Oracle, Informatica, Sales Force, Hyperion, Sql, Ms Dynamics & Axiom
Sap: S/4 Hana, Ecc, Ewm, Bpc, Bw/bi, Success Factors, Ariba, Concur & Hybris
Financial Services: Asset Management, Investment Management, Financial Control, Mi & Fca Regulatory Reporting
Strategy & Architecture: Target Operating Model, Ssadm, Sdlc & Lean Six Sigma

Languages

English

Native

German

Elementary

Education

Oct 1999 - Jun 2001

Liverpool University

Computing & Information Systems · Computing & Information Systems · Liverpool, United Kingdom

Oct 1996 - Jun 1999

Liverpool University

Technology Management · Technology Management · Liverpool, United Kingdom

Oct 1988 - Jun 1996

St. Malachy’s Grammar School, Antrim Road, Belfast

Belfast, United Kingdom

Need a freelancer? Find your match in seconds.

Try FRATCH GPT

Similar Freelancers

Discover other experts with similar qualifications and experience

Experience

Program Director

LetterOne & Remedica

Program Lead

Nomad Foods

Program Manager

Novartis

Program Lead

Roche

Program Manager

Invenio Business Solutions

Head of Finance Programs / Program Director

Vodafone

Program Manager

Meggitt

Program Manager

Rolls Royce

Program Manager

Henderson Global Investors

Program Lead

Capita

Project Manager

Deloitte

Project Manager

Shell

Program Lead

Hess

Account Manager

SAP America

Summary

Skills

Languages

Education

Liverpool University

Computing & Information Systems · Computing & Information Systems · Liverpool, United Kingdom

Liverpool University

Technology Management · Technology Management · Liverpool, United Kingdom

St. Malachy’s Grammar School, Antrim Road, Belfast

Belfast, United Kingdom

Similar Freelancers

Architecture Consultant (Freelance)

Project Manager Digital Transformation, OCM

Interim Change Manager

ERP Program Manager

Project Manager for SAP GTS Trade Services, edition for SAP 4/HANA

Operation Manager

Freelance SAP Project Manager focusing on HR-IT (SAP HCM)

External Consultant to Program Management / SCRUM Master

SAP SuccessFactors & S4HANA Consultant

Project Coordinator / IT Coordinator

Project Manager, Hustler, & Hound "Project Metrics on the Internet"

Vice President IT Applications

SAP Subproject Manager (SCM, MM, EWM)

Senior Manager / Program Manager

Finance Transformation Director

Senior IT Project Manager – Insurance & Telecom Digitalization

Project Manager

Scrum Master for Agile Transformation and Team Development - DevOps & Cloud Adoption

Senior Project, Program, PMO + Change Management Lead

Program & Transformation Manager

Data Solution Architect

Senior ERP Expert / Advisor

CMO Governance & RAID Lead – Enterprise Portfolio

Head of SCM Organization and Local S4H Implementation

Program Manager - SAP S/4 HANA

Senior Project Manager S4HANA in the Energy Sector

Managing Director

SAP FI/CO Lead Consultant

Commercial Program Manager

Program and Project Manager