Neil Thomson
Senior Customer Excellence Delivery Manager
Auckland
Summary
Service Delivery Manager with over 35 years of experience in Sales, Product Management, Account Management, and Business Development, focusing on IT solutions, infrastructure, and service delivery management. Experienced in delivering services that support business growth through strategic leadership and innovation. Demonstrated ability to improve service efficiency, availability, reduce costs, and enhance customer satisfaction. Experienced in building client relationships, providing thought leadership, and solving problems with a solid work ethic. Worked with stakeholders to create and execute IT strategies aligned with business goals.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
10
10
Certifications
1
1
Language
Work History
CXDM
Cognizant New Zealand
05.2022 - Current
- Manage a portfolio of high-value clients, overseeing contract deliverables across various disciplines such as Oracle, MS SQL, Linux, and Cloud platforms
- Ensure that key performance indicators (KPIs) are achieved, and IT Service Management (ITSM) practices are followed through a Managed Service Operation
- Providing leadership and team management, governance, communication, and stakeholder management
- IT service delivery and operations management, including IT security and risk management
- Achieving sales targets consistently through strategic upselling, cross-selling, and adept relationship management
- Collaborate with international teams to enhance service offerings across various Service Lines
- Acted as the lead participant in the integration process from Servian to Cognizant
- Enhanced internal processes for operational efficiency
- Provide account management for smaller accounts to ensure continued engagement with sales, and to capitalise on up-sell and cross-sell opportunities
- Achieved full client retention, increasing annual revenue through specific strategies and relationship-building efforts
- Solid understanding of financials related to profit and loss and invoicing process
- Collaborated with the Senior Leadership Team to ensure opportunities and pipelines were consistent across accounts in Salesforce
- Proven ability to learn quickly and adapt to new situations.
Business Development / Account Management / SDM
EnterpriseIT & Servian NZ
Auckland
08.2011 - 04.2023
- Joining EnterpriseIT as the new Service Delivery Manager before winning the contract to support Air New Zealand as a Managed Service account
- My role involved documenting the process to support the Oracle platforms, initiating relationships with the platform owners, and understanding the environment for change management, production support, and development release cycles
- Project Tiakina was the first major project, which involved migrating to new Data Centres into in collaboration with other vendors
- Subsequently, we secured support contracts for Linux and Microsoft SQL, leading to an expansion of our team at Air New Zealand
- As our presence increased and we won further contracts, I transitioned into roles involving Account Management, Business Development, and Service Delivery across the rest of the North Island account base
- As our client base expanded, our capabilities also grew, enabling us to support a range of initiatives from data analytics to data centre and cloud-based projects
- With increased staff numbers and enhanced expertise, we were subsequently acquired by Servian, an Australian firm
- This acquisition bolstered our consultancy services and facilitated the introduction of our managed services into the Australian market
Business Critical Solutions Manager / SWAT Team Member Asia Pacific
HP NZ
Auckland
02.2002 - 08.2011
- In the Solutions team, my role is to develop solutions for Finance, Telecommunications, and Mobility & Wireless sectors
- I design and architect solutions by collaborating with stakeholders
- My responsibilities include identifying, prioritizing, and executing solutions and partnerships for the NZ market through sales, marketing, and delivery teams using Market Maps
- I focus on creating competitive solutions and strong partnerships to achieve positive customer outcomes
- I also provide technical consulting for HP Non-stop Server customers (ANZ, EDS, ETSL, FAL, NZ Newspapers, NZSE, WCC – Carl & WestpacTrust-IBMGSNZ) and manage the FAL account as an Alliance partner
- Assisted ERMs in closing deals:
- ANZ Banking Group NZ: $4.6 million for upgrading to the S-Series platform
- WestpacTrust / IBMGSNZ: $440k for implementing a security solution for triple DES
- ETSL: $450k for network upgrade
- Focused on Computing on Demand, developing HP’s market share
- Coordinated Access-On-Demand project, managing solution inputs and costs with key stakeholders as a virtual team
- Developed joint initiatives with Alliance partners in the NZ market using my network and global services capability
- Worked on Mobility & Wireless solutions with partners like iTouch and Emprise for Sales Force Automation and Field Service
- Key member of Auckland University Wireless Campus project, advising on market trends and building architecture
- Engaged in positioning HP Arcot Solution for Visa Verify service to NZ banks
- Pocket Presence - I collaborated with Vodafone and Oracle to develop a one-click configuration solution for the GSM network, using Vodafone's sell-through model
Himalaya Product Manager
HP NZ
Auckland
08.2000 - 02.2002
- As the Himalaya Product Manager, I was responsible for developing and executing business plans to achieve revenue and gross margin goals for the Enterprise Systems Group
- My duties included creating market-appropriate solution bundles from ISV partners and setting product pricing for sales, support, and services
- I also leveraged my experience as a Technical Lead/Consultant in Pre Sales, maintaining customer relations with all Himalaya accounts and alliance partners
- Additionally, I supported Enterprise Relationship Managers with Non-stop Server accounts in the finance and telecommunications sectors
- Closed deals:
- ETSL: $25k Professional Services Security Review
- ETSL: $200k Security solution, Atalla A7000 upgrade to A10ke
- ETSL: Alliance Partner QSI Internet Payment Gateway on NT Cluster Server
- Wellington City Council: $475k for Library System with Alliance Partner CARL
- Organized Compaq events with Terry Shannon and Nigel Baker
- Developed K to S-Series Upgrade program for NZ Himalaya customers
- Brought Alliance partner solutions into NZ:
Pre-Sales Himalaya / Technical Consultant
HP NZ
Auckland
09.1995 - 08.2000
- In my role within the Pre-Sales team, I focused on the Himalaya Product, catering to Non-stop customers in Auckland and Wellington
- This national role involved providing product updates and guiding platform direction for these accounts
- I collaborated closely with the Enterprise Relationship Manager for each account to ensure accurate and valuable information was conveyed to the customers
- Key responsibilities included:
- Educating the sales force on contacts for Tandem/E-commerce solutions
- Introducing suitable solutions to market
- Strengthening informal virtual teams across APD, Australia, and New Zealand
- Enhancing solution value within the Business-Critical Server Division
- Achievements:
- Conducted six annual Targeting information sessions on identifying opportunities
- Discovered market spaces such as 724 Solutions for Finance and Telco
- Launched solutions in NZ, Australia, and APD by leveraging key stakeholders
- Established strong product linkage with Alpha Marketing
- Delivered multiple internal and external training sessions
Education
ST Kentigern College
Auckland, New ZealandSkills
Friendly, positive attitude
Teamwork and collaboration
Problem-solving
Team management
Calm under pressure
Organization and time management
Verbal communication
Supervision and leadership
Excellent communication
Dependable and responsible
Certification
IT Service Management (ITSM)
Timeline
CXDM
Cognizant New Zealand
05.2022 - Current
Business Development / Account Management / SDM
EnterpriseIT & Servian NZ
08.2011 - 04.2023
Business Critical Solutions Manager / SWAT Team Member Asia Pacific
HP NZ
02.2002 - 08.2011
Himalaya Product Manager
HP NZ
08.2000 - 02.2002
Pre-Sales Himalaya / Technical Consultant
HP NZ
09.1995 - 08.2000
ST Kentigern College