Markus S.
Author & Project Delivery Researcher
Experience
Author & Project Delivery Researcher
Independent
Undertaking a focused professional sabbatical to consolidate 20+ years of delivery experience into a structured body of thought leadership. Authored Why IT Projects Fail And How To Fix Them; developed and developing practical frameworks for sponsors and PMOs, and published a series of articles examining systemic delivery problems and their solutions. Producing research, tools, and guidance aimed at strengthening organisational delivery capability and raising professional standards across the project lifecycle.
- Full-length book on project failure patterns and corrective practice
- LinkedIn series on sponsorship, PMO maturity, and delivery behaviour
- White papers and models covering benefits-first planning, risk transparency, and prioritisation
- Practical assessment frameworks for sponsor accountability and project readiness
Senior Project Manager
The Cumberland Building Society
- Driving remote delivery of the Proposition Simplification Programme ahead of core banking migration across savings, current, and mortgage accounts.
- Executed projects using Hybrid, Agile, and Waterfall.
- Established executive dashboards (OKRs & KPIs) in Jira/Confluence for automated key stakeholder updates on progress and required actions.
Senior Project Manager
Aviva Plc
- Managed full lifecycle of the Product Governance FCA pricing programme, meeting internal risk & compliance, and regulatory requirements deadlines.
- Designed, developed, and delivered a new TOM for Product Governance management, including the RFP for a new Product Governance system.
- Introduced enhanced risk/issue governance, reducing unplanned scope creep by ~10%.
- Generated stakeholder-ready reports, scenario analyses, and decision-support materials for Directors and Heads of impacted departments.
PMP Development Expert
Corndel Ltd.
- Led and oversaw a 13-month professional development programme in project management for 40 students, achieving an 80% completion rate.
- Authored training content and executed its deployment (PMP, Agile, stakeholder techniques) and mentored candidates to successful APMP certification.
Senior Project Manager / CISO
Willis Towers Watson
- Oversaw delivery of a business-wide RFP cybersecurity proxy programme from requirements through implementation and closure.
- Managed vendor relationships, risk mitigation, change requests, and compliance aspects across technical teams.
- Guaranteed key deliverables were documented, audited, and aligned with NCSC security standards.
Senior Project Manager
Aviva Plc
- Led a business unit-wide large-scale project for a unified international cybersecurity TOM and system across NA, Europe, and SE Asia.
- Implemented cross-region governance, orchestrated multi-vendor integration, and maintained regional regulatory alignment.
- Headed strategic planning, resource management, budget control, and steering committee reporting.
Portfolio / Programme Manager
BT Group Plc
- Directed development of remote delivery capability for 3,500 PMs; secured £13M+ cost savings across 2 years by eliminating existing training and supplier contracts.
- Defined, designed and introduced an accelerated change framework, including standards, training, and governance frameworks into the telecoms PMO.
- Negotiated vendor contracts, optimised resource allocations, and drove continuous improvement culture.
Programme / Project Manager
Aviva Plc
- Led enterprise programmes in risk & regulatory, transformation, and commercial challenge domains.
- Controlled budgets up to £7m+, negotiated contracts, and switching suppliers (reduced Oracle license fees ~50% / £2M).
- Headed continuous improvement and PM discipline across business unit functions, aligning delivery to business defined strategic goals.
Summary
Remote-first Senior Change & IT Programme Manager with 20+ years driving high-value digital transformation across insurance, life & pensions, banking, and telecoms. Proven and trusted director of distributed, multinational / cross-border teams (5–40) across engineering, design, QA, operations, finance, legal & procurement—managing PMs, BAs & Test Managers with full budget & fiscal accountability.
Skilled in strategic agovernance, process redesign, change management, cross-functional alignment, and delivering measurable outcomes. Deep expertise in Agile, hybrid delivery, risk & regulatory change, remote team management, and executive reporting.
Currently developing a substantial body of work on project delivery excellence and PMO strategy, distilling extensive hands-on experience into practical frameworks for sponsors, PMs, and organisations.
Languages
Education
University of Salford
BSc (Hons) Business IT / Project Management · Business IT / Project Management · Manchester, United Kingdom
Certifications & licenses
AI Diploma
Oxford Saïd Business School
APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ)
CITP Assessor, Programme & Project Management
BCS
Certificate In Information Security Management Principles (CISMP)
BCS
Chartered IT Professional (CITP)
Fellow, Chartered Institute For IT (BCS)
Similar Freelancers
Discover other experts with similar qualifications and experience
- English
- Deutsch
2025 © FRATCH.IO GmbH. All rights reserved.