Allan Williams
Winnipeg,Canada
Summary
Experienced Information Technology Professional managing implementations of software and BI solutions leading dynamic teams. Many years of experience leading teams in gathering, analyzing, and defining business and functional requirements, creating metrics, dashboards, and other decision-making tools. This includes data-modeling and and designing/re-engineering processes. Proven ability to lead integrations/implementations and deliver successful solutions. Successful at optimizing security standards, improving planning processes and managing systems implementation. Knowledgeable about disaster recovery planning, roadmapping and team development.
Overview
42
42
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Vice President of Information Technology
Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board (WRREB)
03.2019 - Current
- Represent WRREB at the semi-annual Technical Peer Group (TPG) meetings consisting of the key IT resources from Real Estate Boards across Canada.
- Actively contribute to all manner of strategic and operational affairs as a member of the Senior Management team.
- Enhance the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board’s proprietary systems and develop strategic opportunities to integrate and partner with industry vendors.
- Provide technical leadership with respect to data analytics using the Tableau platform.
- Support data analytics capabilities to maximize the value of internal and Member data.
- Ensure the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board fully utilizes the functionality of technology by contributing to the effective education and training of Members and staff.
- Develop, maintain, and support technologies to accommodate present and future requirements, which reflect the high state of technical sophistication consistent with the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board’s strategic direction.
- Manage, develop, coach, mentor and motivate the Technology Services team; define key performance indicators and deliver results.
- Responsible for setting application implementation strategies and adherence to software development standards and best practices
- Contribute to operating and capital budgets relating to the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board’s technology needs to meet strategic goals with measurable value.
- Support the preparation and implementation of project charters, business cases, policies, procedures, and standards relating to information and cybersecurity systems.
- Research and recommend new technologies in the Real Estate marketplace to assist our REALTOR members.
- Evaluate current technologies, vendors, and future trends to recommend changes in the IT department that will have a positive effect and drive business value.
- Foster partnerships and drive transparency and service excellence
- Establish service level agreements with service providers and monitor service delivery to ensure the agreed targets and standards are met.
- Collect, store, document, and disseminate information in an organized and methodical manner.
- Key Accomplishments:
- - Major network infrastructure upgrade completed.
- - Introduced comprehensive analytics to our 3,000+ REALTOR members – giving them a complete insight into their activities over the last 10 years with interactive dashboards – WRREB is the first Real Estate Board in Canada to offer this level of detailed analytics containing key, personalized Real Estate metrics to our members.
- - Completed a transition from an on-prem IT infrastructure environment to a secure Data Center in Winnipeg.
Information Systems Manager
Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board
03.2019 - 07.2022
- As the Information Systems Manager at the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board, responsibilities encompass the core systems used at WinnipegREALTORS. In addition to the MLS (Multiple Listings Service) - https://www.winnipegrealestatenews.com, REALTORS that are members of the Association also use several proprietary and third-party applications to conduct business. Along with the CTO, responsibilities also include working with technology partners.
- Participation in the TPG (Technology Peer Group) is also a key function of this role. The TPG is a group of Senior IT Management from Real Estate Boards across Canada - with meetings semi-annually to collaborate on current technology initiatives in Real Estate.
- In my time at WinnipegREALTORS, I have introduced visual analytics and we have made great strides on developing interactive Dashboards for our staff and members.
- Key Accomplishments since 2019:
- - Introduction of Visual Analytics - #Tableau - to the organization.
- - Accounting System Upgrade to cloud-based Business Central
- - Migration to cloud-based CRM
- - Broker facing interactive Dashboards with customized Real Estate metrics for all REALTORS employed by a Brokerage.
- - Migration of proprietary RECOM (Call Center application for REALTORS) applications from an on-premises to the Microsoft Azure platform consisting of a of our proprietary application in conjunction with a third-party solution Dialpad (https://www.dialpad.com/)
- - Development of Data Governance policies in the organization.
Sole Propietor
Sunset Hill Solutions
01.2007 - 01.2019
- Between 2007 and 2019, Business Intelligence and Software Development contract work was performed for clients of my company Sunset Hill Solutions. I list the main subcontracting roles during this period below. Sunset Hill Solutions has been dormant since 2019.
- 2007-2009 – Consultant, Realm Business Solutions
- Specialized in SAP Business Objects consulting during the period of 2007-2019 as a self-employed contractor. Realm Business Solutions (subsequently purchased by Yardi Systems) was based in Dallas, TX. On behalf of Realm and working from a home office, support was provided for their proprietary implementation of Business Objects to provide custom reporting for their clients worldwide.
- During this period, travel was required to Realm’s head office in Dallas and their clients across North America and Australia to provide consulting and software implementation services.
- 2009-2010 – Senior Developer, Cambrian Credit Union
- Application work was performed for Cambrian related to their websites and internal software applications. Left this engagement to begin work at Manitoba Public Insurance in 2010.
- 2018-2019 – Senior Consultant, Infosol Inc.
- As a Senior Consultant with InfoSol, responsibilities included client support of Tableau and SAP Business Objects Dashboar/Report solutions. Responsibilities also included in-person training at various customer sites across the U.S. A decision was made in 2019 to seek full-time employment locally due to a fear of a downturn of the U.S. economy.
Manager of Business Analytics
Manitoba Public Insurance
01.2010 - 01.2018
- All Roles: 2010-2015 – Senior Business Intelligence Analyst … 2015-2018 – Manager Business Analytics.
- Provided IT leadership for MPI’s implementation of SAP Business Objects and Tableau supporting users across the province of Manitoba. Part of a team that manages all aspects of the large-scale Enterprise Data Warehouse employed at MPI. Duties also include mentoring junior staff members within the Business Analytics department of MPI.
- Key Results:
- Installed and configured SAP Business Objects XI R3 as part of the Enterprise Data Warehouse project at MPI.
- Development of a Data Governance platform for MPI
- Championed the implementation of many process improvement initiatives that involved replacing manual reporting systems with automated Business Objects solutions.
- Responsible for the day-to-day operation of SAP Business Objects for the entire organization. Includes configuring and administering security profiles for the various business units within the corporation.
- Performed major upgrade to version 4x of SAP Business Objects for the corporation.
- On-going mentoring of junior staff members within the Business Analytics department
- Managed the Tableau Analytics implementation for MPI during 2015-2016.
Sr. Analyst
Great West Life Realty Advisors
01.2003 - 01.2007
- Duties and Responsibilities were split between Business Objects report development work and application development work as follows:
- A. SAP Business Objects Work
- Configuration of Central Management console – users, user groups, folders, security, etc.
- Universe design using Designer
- Report writing using Desktop Intelligence and Web Intelligence
- Worked with Business Objects Data Integrator for ETL processes
- Managed Data Mirror service used to copy data from source system (AS400) to target database (SQL Server)
- B. System Development Work
- Duties included a combination of analysis, design, and development of process improvement software for the Realty Advisors division of Great-West Life – a division of the company that managed a diverse real estate portfolio valued at $7 Billion in early 2007. Mentored two junior development resources in the department and managed development initiatives within the department.
Manager of CU Solutions
Credit Union Central of Manitoba
01.1995 - 01.2003
- The CU Solutions team was formed in early 2003 as a new initiative to provide value-added services to Credit Unions. In the role of Manager of this team, duties and responsibilities involved meeting with Credit Unions to gather requirements, participate in the system design process, provide mentoring to the development resources on the team – in addition to actively participating in the coding of the applications.
- Achievements included development of Credit Union websites, and client-server applications that automated the Credit Union Current Account reconciliation and the daily ATM/POS reconciliation.
- MARCH 1998 – MARCH 2000 – MANAGER OF BANKING AND PAYMENT SERVICES
- Led a department of 20 staff members responsible for the Banking and Payment Services provided to Manitoba Credit Unions. This included Cheque Clearing, Electronic Funds Transfers, Wire Transfers and Money Orders. Participated on the National Payment Advisory Council with provincial counterparts in developing initiatives for the Canadian Credit Union System.
- APRIL 1995 – MARCH 1998 – BANKING SERVICES PROJECT ANALYST
- Participated in requirements gathering, system design and coding of client-server applications built to facilitate the automation of back-office processes within the Banking and Payment Services at Credit Union Central of Manitoba. Projects included process re-engineering related to the processing of Wire/Draft Transfers and Money Orders. Was a key resource in the development of Excel models used as a key part of a process to move to a pure transaction-based fee recovery system for charging Manitoba Credit Unions for the products/services provided by Credit Union Central.
Accounting
Various
01.1983 - 01.1995
- Employed full-time between the mid 80-s and early 90's in a variety of Junior-Intermediate Accounting roles in the city of Winnipeg prior to making the career shift to IT in the early 1990’s. Here is a summary:
- B. A. Robinson Co. Ltd
- Westfair Foods (they moved job functions to Calgary)
- Metropol Security (company sold in 1991)
- Winnipeg Commodity Exchange
- Dominion Tanners
- I can provide more information on this part of my career if required.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Economics
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB05.1983
No Degree - Accountant
Certified Magament Accountant
Winnipeg 09.1987 - 04.1991
Canadian Futures Program - undefined
Canadian Securities Institute
06.1992
Skills
- Information technology leadership
- Data analysis expertise
- Information technology compliance
- Strategic IT governance
- Infrastructure oversight
Languages
English
Full Professional
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Accomplishments
Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board:
- Introduced comprehensive personalized analytics to our 3,000+ REALTOR® members – giving them a complete insight into their activities over the last 10 years with interactive dashboards . WRREB is the first Real Estate Board in Canada to offer this level of detailed analytics containing personalized Real Estate metrics to our members.
- Major network infrastructure upgrade completed to a secure data center.
Timeline
Vice President of Information Technology
Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board (WRREB)
03.2019 - Current
Information Systems Manager
Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board
03.2019 - 07.2022
Manager of Business Analytics
Manitoba Public Insurance
01.2010 - 01.2018
Sole Propietor
Sunset Hill Solutions
01.2007 - 01.2019
Sr. Analyst
Great West Life Realty Advisors
01.2003 - 01.2007
Manager of CU Solutions
Credit Union Central of Manitoba
01.1995 - 01.2003
No Degree - Accountant
Certified Magament Accountant
09.1987 - 04.1991
Accounting
Various
01.1983 - 01.1995
Canadian Futures Program - undefined
Canadian Securities Institute
Bachelor of Arts - Economics
University of Manitoba
Software
SAP Business Objects
Tableau
Microsoft Visual Studio
Microsoft Cloud
Work Preference
Work Type
Full TimeWork Location
On-SiteRemoteHybridImportant To Me
Work-life balanceCompany CultureFlexible work hoursWork from home optionSpeaking Engagements
Inspired Business Intelligence Conference (IBIS) 2019 (** SPEAKER **)
June 2019
Carlsbad, CA
Inspired Business Intelligence Conference (IBIS) 2018 (** SPEAKER **)
June 2018
Carlsbad, CA
BI and Analytics Conference (** SPEAKER **)
August 2017
Nashville, TN
Inspired Business Intelligence Conference 2017 (** SPEAKER **)
June 2017
Carlsbad, CA
Inspired Business Intelligence Conference 2016 (** SPEAKER **)
June 2016
Carlsbad, CA
Inspired Business Intelligence Conference 2015 (** SPEAKER **)
June 2015
Carlsbad, CA
SAP Business Objects and Analytics – ASUG (** SPEAKER **)
September 2014
Fort Worth, Texas
Inspired Business Intelligence Conference 2014 (** SPEAKER **)
June 2014
Carlsbad, CA
SAP Business Objects – ASUG (** SPEAKER **)
September 2013
Los Angeles, CA
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