Project/Programme Management Consultant & Strategic PMO Lead

Established and embedded PMO governance frameworks for the global ServiceNow rollout across 20+ European sites, improving delivery oversight and audit readiness. Set up and managed Steering Committee cadence and standardised reporting, delivering clear executive updates that drove faster decision-making and 100% milestone alignment. Defined and led the cutover management strategy, coordinating cross-functional teams and executing detailed plans that enabled zero-critical-issue go-lives across all sites. Directed programme controls and financial management of a multi-million-euro portfolio (c.10m), ensuring delivery within budget and a variance of 1.6% against the forecasted budget ensuring efficiency gains in cost tracking and benefits realisation.

Accountable for end-to-end governance of Network & Hosting programmes, leading cross-functional teams through design and transition phases to deliver service models aligned with technology and data strategy. Gathered and defined business service requirements, conducted As-Is assessments, and designed To-Be models, securing 100% stakeholder sign-off across all critical services. Planned and tracked c. £26m programme budgets, analysing forecasts vs. actuals to prevent overspend, optimising resource allocation, FTE recoveries. Led service transition to operational teams, managing SLAs and supplier contracts, ensuring full compliance with TfL policies and achieving a 20% improvement in operational readiness.

Collaborated with EXCO and directors, coordinating 7 workstream leads to deliver an end-to-end programme plan with 100% stakeholder alignment and on-time milestone delivery. Led CHARM system cutover across EM, NW, and SE regions, managing 10+ suppliers and 50+ cross-functional resources to achieve seamless go-lives with no critical issues. Designed and implemented real-time programme reporting processes, improving executive decision-making speed by 30%. Directed £45M programme finances, optimising budgeting, forecasting, cost tracking, and benefits realisation, delivering 15% cost savings while remaining within financial parameters. Spearheaded the design of enhanced governance frameworks, driving proactive risk mitigation and ensuring 100% compliance with programme quality standards.

Led the PMO team for the Whiplash Reforms Programme working closely with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) & CPRC (Civil Procedures Rule Committee UK) to secure successful delivery of the ‘Official Injury Claim’. Integrated robust PMO processes, change control, governance frameworks, constructing/sustaining the end-to-end OIC Programme plan, incorporating partner schedules, tracking assumptions, and ensuring smooth delivery. Implemented financial governance processes in Oracle NetSuite/Fusion ERP, covering estimation, forecasting, POs, invoicing, supplier management, and month/year-end reconciliations. Directed first-line assurance, representing the program during external audits (EY/PWC), and coordinated action plans across program teams, decreasing audit findings by around 30% across all projects.

Led PMO for a £250M+ Growth & Digital Transformation Programme, managing a 7-member team across multiple portfolios, implementing agile governance and robust planning controls. Supervised the full PMO lifecycle, including EXCO reporting, RAID tracking, change control, risk and issue management, and programme reporting, ensuring 100% visibility of programme health and enabling timely executive decisions. Delivered programme finance leadership and coaching for PMs, piloting a governance framework across 5 workstreams. Championed resource allocation for 200+ staff across UK, US, and India, ensuring optimal skill deployment and reducing project delays by 15%.

Galvanized cross-functional teams across Technology & Control (Legal, HR, Fin Crime) to address Brexit-related changes. Governed the Barclays Brexit strategy roll-out; supervised all business mandates from inception to culmination, while achieving a stakeholder satisfaction score of 4.8/5 on Brexit-related projects. Vigilantly monitored risks, issues, and dependencies across the Barclays Brexit strategy, ensured regular reporting, escalating critical items to the executive team in time. Collaborated with the central finance team to overhaul budget tracking and ensuring finances are tracked closely.

Led end-to-end implementation of the FATCA and CRS regulatory reporting programme across 10+ jurisdictions, achieving 100% compliance with global tax transparency requirements. Partnered with Compliance, Legal, Operations, and Technology teams to translate regulatory requirements into 50+ actionable business and technical solutions, streamlining reporting processes. Managed cross-border stakeholder engagements and aligning offshore and onshore teams to deliver on complex regulatory milestones under strict deadlines. Delivered all key program artefacts, including regulatory impact assessments, readiness dashboards, and compliance packs, enabling executive decision-making and audit readiness with zero compliance issues.

Reinforced programme-wide financial oversight for Barclays UK & International Technology, ensuring regulatory compliance and strategic cost management. Streamlined £200M+ budget processes, driving accurate tracking, variance mitigation, and proactive financial adjustments, delivering 15% savings. Generated forward-looking forecasts and insights, closing performance gaps and increasing transparency across executive reporting. Developed high-impact executive dashboards, enabling faster strategic decisions and preemptive resolution of financial risks.

Established and mobilised PMO processes and services to support programme/project delivery to meet EXCO requirements. Designed and implemented business case frameworks, introducing structured review mechanisms including peer reviews, audits, and cross-functional assessments. Partnered with Technology teams to drive process automation and lead business process optimisation and re-engineering.

Implemented SAP ABAP solutions across multiple clients, optimised code, and system testing for robust performance. Partnered with functional teams to translate requirements into scalable solutions, supporting data migration, integration, and post-go-live adoption. Enabled Team Knowledge transfer sessions and post-implementation support to client teams, strengthening system adoption and sustainability.