Pradeep Gopinath
Salmiya
Summary
Regional IT Manager with solid background in Retail, Food & Beverage stores operations and customer service. Managed multiple countries and teams while achieving goals and improving customer satisfaction. Dynamic career of nearly 27 years that reflects rich experience & year-on-year success in Infrastructure Management, Transition/ Transformation, IT service operations and Integration Management across IT industry. Developed relationships with business stakeholders and leadership teams across geographies & departments while collaborating with other Project Managers to balance project resources, schedules and scope. Expertise in planning, executing and spearheading IT infrastructure and support projects; leveraged skills in enhancing business growth by setting up infrastructures, Business Solution Applications & Digitalization Processes.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Regional IT Manager
Alshaya Group
07.2019 - 03.2024
- Managing complete processes for setting up IT Service Operations in Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Lebanon.
- Managing and leading more than 90 technical personnel providing help desk, front line support, procurement, project management and deployment.
- Team responsibilities include all IT aspects of retail stores, restaurants & Alshaya Head Office and Data Center.
- Managing infrastructure technologies, connectivity, store environment, Data Center all user requirements.
- Overseeing all IT operations infrastructure. Developing, implementing, and evaluating IT projects in line with organizational objectives.
- Liaising with other departments to determine and address their IT needs and requirements.
- Managing and supervising employees in the IT department. Ensuring the maintenance of current projects and technology systems.
- Identifying vulnerabilities, the need for upgrades, and opportunities for improvement.
- Preparing financial budgets and performance reports.
- Building and maintaining relationships with external advisors and vendors. Ensuring reported issues are resolved in a timely manner
- Oversee the handling of IT incidents and service requests, ensuring they are properly logged, categorized, prioritized, and resolved within acceptable timeframes.
- Number of Stores Opened: - 700Plus.
- Managed Malls Openings
- Kuwait: - The Avenues, Marina Mall, Gate Mall, Bairaq Mall, Khiran Mall
- Bahrain: - Bahrain City Centre.
- Jordan: - Mecca Mall, City Mall, Taj Mall.
- Lebanon: - Beirut City Centre, ABC Ashrafieh.
- Managed Premium Brands openings
- Fashion & Footwear
- Mothercare, BHS, DEBENHAMS, H&M, American Eagle, MUJI, Victoria's Secret, NEXT, COS, Harvey Nichols, Jack Wills, River Island, Coast, Dorothy Perkins, EVANS, MILANO, Miss Selfridge, OASIS, WALLIS, Claire's, Footlocker, Payless.
- Food & Beverage Brands
- Starbucks, P.F Chang's, The Cheesecake Factory, Dean & Deluca, Le Pain Quotidien, Texas Road house, Shake Shack, IHOP, Potbelly, Pizza Express, Raising Cane's, Pei Wei, Asha's, Brasserie, Al Forno, Katsuya, Café Coco. Blaze Pizza.
- Home Furnishing:
- Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn teen, West Elm, Williams Sonoma.
- Health & Beauty, Pharmacy
- The Body Shop, MAC, Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, Jo Malone, Boots
- Leisure & Entertainment: KidZania & Tekzone Kuwait.
- Data Center Migration: From on premise to Ooredoo DC
- Servers: HP DL 980 series, Fujitsu SPARC M 5000, DELL Chassis etc..
- Storage: EMC 9400, EMC VNX 5300, PURE Storage X2 etc..
IT Project Manager
Alshaya Group
05.2010 - 06.2019
- Roles & Responsibilities: - Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon.
- Hardware BOQ preparation according to host brand requirement.
- Design Stores & Mall Networks.
- Build up Network infrastructure in Stores & Malls.
- Enable Date & Voice communication.
- Install Server, POS systems, Network Switches, VOIP systems & Foot Count Devices in Stores.
- Recruiting specialists and sub-contractors.
- Monitoring sub-contractors to ensure guidelines are maintained.
- Coordinate internal resources and third parties/vendors for the flawless execution of projects. Making sure quality standards are met.
- Ensure that all projects are delivered on-time, within scope and within budget.
- Assist in the definition of project scope and objectives, involving all relevant stakeholders and ensuring technical feasibility.
- Ensure resource availability and allocation.
- Develop a detailed project plan to monitor and track progress.
- Report and escalate to management as needed.
- Successfully manage the relationship with the client and all stakeholders.
- Create and maintain comprehensive project documentation.
Technical Support Engineer / Supervisor
Alshaya Group
04.2001 - 05.2010
- Employed advanced troubleshooting and expert application knowledge to solve system user interface problems.
- Troubleshoot operating systems, hardware and software problems to identify root causes.
- Combined technical expertise and strong interpersonal skills to diagnose and resolve issues remotely. (Micros RES 3700, Oracle Symphony, QSR Dine time)
- Enforce organization information security standards, procedures, and guidelines.
- Handle on / off site computer hardware and Network problems at any point of time.
- Upgrade and migrate operating systems and software applications.
- Assemble and install POS (IBM, Micros, Toshiba)
- Maintain internal systems to ensure quality and continuity of standards, including the delivery of internal and external service level agreements.
- Enforce organization information security standards, procedures, and guidelines
Customer Support Engineer
Al-Sarraf Computer services Co
10.1998 - 03.2001
- Analyze customer issues and develop necessary actions and ensure optimal levels of customer satisfaction to provide appropriate support for same.
- Manage all customer issues and if required escalate it to required departments.
- Take ownership of customer issues reported and see problems through to resolution.
- Research, diagnose, troubleshoot and identify solutions to resolve customer issues.
- Follow standard procedures for proper escalation of unresolved issues to the appropriate internal teams.
- Ensure proper recording and closure of all issues.
Systems Analyst
Abdul Aziz Yousef Al-Essa Co
08.1996 - 08.1998
- Oversee the installation and configuration of new systems to customize them for the organization
- Conduct testing to ensure that the systems work as expected.
- Provide staff and users with assistance solving computer related problems, such as malfunctions and program problems.
- Test, maintain, and monitor computer programs and systems, including coordinating the installation of computer programs and systems.
- Coordinate and link the computer systems within an organization to increase compatibility and so information can be shared.
- Expand or modify system to serve new purposes or improve work flow.
- Read manuals, periodicals, and technical reports to learn how to develop programs that meet staff and user requirements.
Education
MBA - Systems
Vinayaka Mission University
Bachelor - Computer Science
Diploma - Electronics
Skills
- IT Service Operations
- Project Planning & Execution
- Transition /Transformation
- Budgeting & cost estimation
- Network Management
- Infrastructure strategy
- Technology road maps
- Application support
- IT procurement
Websites
Certification
- PMP
- ITSM
- ITIL
- IT Asset Management.
Timeline
Regional IT Manager
Alshaya Group
07.2019 - 03.2024
IT Project Manager
Alshaya Group
05.2010 - 06.2019
Technical Support Engineer / Supervisor
Alshaya Group
04.2001 - 05.2010
Customer Support Engineer
Al-Sarraf Computer services Co
10.1998 - 03.2001
Systems Analyst
Abdul Aziz Yousef Al-Essa Co
08.1996 - 08.1998
Bachelor - Computer Science
Diploma - Electronics
MBA - Systems
Vinayaka Mission University
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