Insurance/Financial Services Programme/Project Manager & Consultant - linkedin @ catchwater.com | LION | Toplinked.com
Hong Kong
- Current
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- Managing Director at Catchwater Consulting - johnmac @ catchwater.com
- Past
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- Project Consultant at JP Morgan Asset Management
- Program Manager at HSBC Securities Services [Hong Kong]
- Implementation Manager at Fidelity Investments [London]
- Insurance Industry Specialist & Functional Architect at ALICO (AIG) / Kanbay [Tokyo, Japan]
- Project Manager, Global Fund Services at Bank of Bermuda [Hong Kong]
- Product Manager & co-founder at OpenNet Inc
- Account/Project Manager at CMG Asia
- Project Manager, Regional IT, Hong Kong at Guardian Royal Exchange
- IT Consultant, International Systems at Eagle Star Life
- IT Manager, Financial Insurances, London at Eagle Star Group
- Team/Project Leader, Corporate IT at Eagle Star Group
- Technical Clerk, Group Pensions at Eagle Star Life
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John Macpherson’s Summary
Experienced, capable, adaptable, resourceful Programme & Project Manager and IT Consultant, with a strong track record of delivering enterprise-level technology and change programs in Insurance & Asset Management, and an enviable history of "repeat business". Internationally mobile, Asia-based since 1993, extensive regional and global project experience.
I focus on getting the job done, whatever it takes. Strategic vision, attention to detail, drive for results. Proactive, focus on communication, risk avoidance & issues resolution. Diplomatic, patient & tolerant, I achieve consensus, bridge gaps, & build great teams. My employers and employees consider me a trusted, go-to person, who can be relied on to find creative solutions, give good advice, and deliver more than expected.
Also an advocate of open source software and OSS-style development methods, interested in promoting OSS adoption in business, and ensuring the appropriate infrastructure exists in Asia to support OSS use.
Selected Achievements:
> Mobilised and managed a global program to standardise and off-shore Investor Services business processing, and migrate multiple legacy systems to a single global platform.
> Co-founded an Asian insurance and healthcare B2B service provider and a healthcare business in Thailand.
> Defined complete technology strategy and requirements, and selected appropriate systems for new Asian regional life and health insurance business - including support for multi-line and flexible benefits products.
> Solved the management information needs of a crisis-hit mortgage insurer, which allowed the business management to understand their potential exposure, define reserves, reduce or eliminate claims and minimise the size of the losses. (Also handled disaster recovery after being hit by IRA bomb.)
> Co-founded the Access to Broadband Campaign in Thailand, worked with the Thai government to promote affordable broadband nationally; webmaster for UK campaign
John Macpherson’s Specialties:
IT Strategy Definition, Benefits Management
Business Process Improvement, Off-shoring, Outsourcing
Project/program management, implementation management
Systems integration, migration, data conversion.
Functional architecture
Business requirements analysis
Modular (insurance) products, rule-based systems e.g. claims, underwriting automation.
Financial POS, sales force automation
MIS, Business Intelligence
Open Source Software
Methodology, best practices, governance, PMO
John Macpherson’s Experience
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Managing Director
Catchwater Consulting - johnmac @ catchwater.com
(Information Technology and Services industry)
June 1998 — Present (11 years 2 months)
Managed independent consultancy business in Hong Kong and Bangkok, clients included:
> JP Morgan Asset Management in Hong Kong
> HSBC Securities Services in Hong Kong,
> FIS Software at Fidelity Investments in London, UK
> Kanbay at ALICO (AIG) in Japan
> Global Fund Services, Bank of Bermuda in Hong Kong
> CMG Asia in Hong Kong & Ayudhya CMG in Thailand
> OpenNet Inc. in Malaysia
Details of the above assignments are given separately below; in addition to which:
> Provided Asia representation for OpenSquare, a UK financial services software company.
> Provided HK representation and country management for PIPC, a UK-based project management consultancy
> Incubated and later managed a Thailand-based healthcare business
> As a founding member of the Access to Broadband Campaign in Thailand (off-shoot of the UK campaign of the same name), worked with Thai government to instigate provision of cost-effective broadband internet services to all parts of the country.
> Implemented and hosted open source-based Content Management Systems for companies and non-profit organisations -
Project Consultant
JP Morgan Asset Management
(Investment Management industry)
July 2007 — September 2008 (1 year 3 months)
Consultant to COO and IT Director for implementation of Flexcube Investor Services package Transfer Agency system from iflex/Oracle Financial Services. Advised on project scope and approach; managed vendor relationship; facilitated requirements gathering workshops; rationalised and reduced business reports requirements.
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Program Manager
HSBC Securities Services [Hong Kong]
(Financial Services industry)
April 2005 — July 2007 (2 years 4 months)
Program Manager for global enhancement of Transfer Agency services, including replacement of three in-house systems in 6 countries (initially) with a packaged system (Flexcube Investor Services from iflex) - managed across vendor package implementation, internal IT developments, multi-country process business model standardisation & process offshoring.
Also conducted project portfolio optimisation exercise across HSS strategic global projects. -
Implementation Manager
Fidelity Investments [London]
(Financial Services industry)
June 2004 — December 2004 (7 months)
Worked for Formula Insurance Systems implementing their Group Life and Pensions package, ALIS, for Fidelity Investments in UK. provided consultancy to Fidelity's internal teams to assist their development of implementation strategy and plans, and co-ordinated planning and provision of vendor resources and deliverables to support client testing, parallel run, migration, operational readiness and production support. Also co-ordinated system performance testing and capacity planning, working with FIS's technical specialists and Fidelity's IT teams.
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Insurance Industry Specialist & Functional Architect
ALICO (AIG) / Kanbay [Tokyo, Japan]
(Insurance industry)
June 2003 — February 2004 (9 months)
Engaged to design rules engines and web services for integration with - and as first step in migration away from - an antiquated and complex mainframe Life Insurance policy administration system. Main task was to define a modular product rulebook, which, in addition to providing a standardised structure for defining all new products, had to support all the existing products as well.
Responsible for educating ALICO's business users and IT staff in Japan, and Kanbay's development team in India, about the modular product concept, structure, design and benefits. Also responsible for reviewing and approving system specifications. -
Project Manager, Global Fund Services
Bank of Bermuda [Hong Kong]
(Investment Banking industry)
May 2001 — September 2002 (1 year 5 months)
Managed ongoing enhancements of BoB's internal Group Pension and Mandatory Provident Fund administration system. Worked with business users to specify enhancements, and worked with management to define enhancement priorities and agree funding. Co-ordinated the delivery of these enhancements with the internal Hong Kong IT team, a Shenzhen based development team, and the business users.
Subsequently, at the request of the GFS Operations Director, conducted a strategic review of MPF administration capabilities and development processes, including options for moving to a software house model for system maintenance. Recommendations made were subsequently taken up and implemented by the bank. -
Product Manager & co-founder
OpenNet Inc
(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Internet industry)
January 2000 — April 2001 (1 year 4 months)
Involved in developing initial concept for, and became Product Manager of, a startup insurance and healthcare B2B company based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, handling transactions between insurers, employers and healthcare providers. In addition to defining the product roadmap and managing outsourced development, assisted with business development in Hong Kong.
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Account/Project Manager
CMG Asia
(Privately Held; 10,001 or more employees; Insurance industry)
June 1998 — December 1999 (1 year 7 months)
Worked initially for a Malaysian software house as their account/project manager in Hong Kong, working on a “custom package” Group Life/Health system for regional implementation in Colonial Mutual Group's Asian offices. Responsible for overall delivery and activities involving the customer, in particular requirements analysis and UAT, with development and system testing conducted and managed in Malaysia.
Relocated to take up same role in Thailand, but client then requested that I take over as their internal project manager. Responsible to the CFO, managed requirements analysis, data conversion, system installation and UAT. -
Project Manager, Regional IT, Hong Kong
Guardian Royal Exchange
(Insurance industry)
March 1996 — June 1998 (2 years 4 months)
Developed IT strategy to support new regional Life and Health Insurance companies, and the launch of an innovative Flexible Employee Benefits product and distribution channel.
Developed regional data warehousing and management information system architecture.
Managed the development and implementation of a Marine Cargo policy issuing system for brokers in Thailand and Indonesia.
Managed teams building a new administration system for regional General insurance operations. -
IT Consultant, International Systems
Eagle Star Life
(Public Company; Financial Services industry)
November 1992 — February 1996 (3 years 4 months)
Defined an international IT strategy for development of a core Life administration “package”, for implementation in start-up companies, and existing companies in need of a replacement administration system.
Feasibility study for migration or replacement of legacy WANG RPG application systems.
Managed the development and implementation of sales and marketing systems for life insurance operations in UK, Hong Kong and Taiwan. -
IT Manager, Financial Insurances, London
Eagle Star Group
(Insurance industry)
January 1992 — October 1992 (10 months)
Managed provision of information technology and management information to enable the control of a loss-making subsidiary.
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Team/Project Leader, Corporate IT
Eagle Star Group
(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; Insurance industry)
April 1988 — December 1991 (3 years 9 months)
Managed End User Computing Support team, providing end-user PC hardware, software and support across the Group.
Managed a team designing, developing and supporting management control systems for the Division.
Conducted a comparative evaluation of Executive Information System packages. -
Technical Clerk, Group Pensions
Eagle Star Life
(Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; Insurance industry)
January 1987 — March 1988 (1 year 3 months)
Administration of group life, health and pension schemes.
Additional Information
John Macpherson’s Websites:
John Macpherson’s Interests:
The future of technology/Applications of new technology, Open Source Software (as a concept & in practice), Motorbikes, motor sport, Scuba diving
John Macpherson’s Honors:
Certificate of Advanced Project Management, Cranfield School of Management
John Macpherson’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
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- consulting offers
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- job inquiries
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