Dirk Theron
Great Brakriver,Western Cape
Summary
Experienced with strategic planning, financial management, and team leadership. Utilizes innovative approaches to streamline operations and drive growth. Track record of building strong relationships with stakeholders to ensure business success.
Overview
41
41
years of professional experience
Work History
Business Owner/Consultant
01.2024 - 10.2026
- Conducted market research to gather data on local business viability. to establish local business viability.
- Treat the go-live of the business like any project, i.e. objectives, scope and deliverables.
- Execute projects to complete on time and within budget.
- Developed risk mitigation strategies and implemented plans to minimize potential disruptions.
- Develop risk mitigation strategies and plan accordingly.
- Ensured compliance with government regulations, including SARS and municipal requirements.
Senior Project Manager
Krypton Mining / Exxaro
01.2023 - 12.2023
- Oversee planning, execution, and delivery of complex projects in the organization.
- Execute projects to complete on time, within budget, and to the satisfaction of stakeholders.
- Defining project objectives, scope, and deliverables.
- Developing project plans, timelines, and budgets identifying project risks and developing risk mitigation strategies.
- Manage project resources, including personnel, vendors, equipment, and materials.
- Monitor project progress and adjusting as necessary.
- Communicate with stakeholders, including team members, executives, and clients.
- Ensure that projects are completed within established quality standards.
- Maintain a strong understanding of business strategies, goals and missions.
- Engaged key stakeholders to define project objectives and deliverables, collaborating with Business Improvement department.
- Developed project specifications and established baseline for project plan, defining scope, key activities, deliverables, resource requirements, milestones, and deadlines.
- Utilize project plans and schedules to monitor all activities.
- Manage relationships amongst stakeholders by building confidence and trust with clear professional communications and assured expectation management.
- Ensure team members are informed, have clear goals, and work collaboratively and in partnership with customers and other stakeholders to achieve planned outcomes.
- Drive project execution; track delivery; expect, monitor and control change, own change management; proactively seek and resolve blockers.
- Seek stakeholder insight and feed it into improved processes while ensuring compliance with governance and standards.
- Manage projects within agreed governance structures and processes, to ensure consistency of approach and efficient use of resources.
- Conduct progress reviews to give stakeholders confidence that projects will deliver to time, budget and agreed standards.
- Conducted reviews to evaluate project outcomes and capture lessons learned for continuous improvement, contributing to documentation for new or improved processes, products, and services to ensure dissemination of best practices.
- Participate in the Demand Management cycle to ensure all demands approved at the Project Review Board are allocated to a Project Manager and executed as per the above.
- Ensure the end-to-end project phase from Demand Management does comply with the company Governance, Risk and Cyber Security standards. Obtain Principal Architecture sign-off on any IT design before implementation.
- Participate in all Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings to ensure changes implemented do not affect operations and follows governance. Log and manage changes related to projects under my control.
Senior Infrastructure Architect
Krypton Mining / Exxaro
10.2019 - 12.2022
- Manage technical network solutions and frameworks, based on Huawei, HP, Palo Alto and Rajant.
- Perform detailed investigations to assist the Exxaro Principal Architects to keep abreast of Technology Standards, trends and solutions. Leading edge, not bleeding edge.
- Evaluation of IFS versus ServiceNow as a replacement Service Management tool to enable mobile solutions for instance, i.e. reduce travel time and enhance efficiencies for artisans working in the field (no requirement to return to the office for job cards, but rather electronically on tablets).
- Create the 3-to-5-year Network Infrastructure roadmap.
- Perform network planning, modelling and data analysis.
- Develop and deliver proposal and architecture design documentation.
- Perform network troubleshooting to isolate and diagnose common network problems. Log Problem tickets and retain accountability until a resolution is found and solution is implemented.
- Recommend areas of upgrade for network hardware and software components as required.
- Design and inspect network systems including their performance and readiness, take in consideration bandwidth requirements, infrastructure requirements and security.
- Provide support during Architecture Review Board (ARB) on Network related solution.
- Participate in all Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings to ensure changes implemented does not affect operations and follows governance. Log and manage changes related to projects under his control.
- Work with Network Operations team and Security team to ensure that the Exxaro network is properly segregated, and it is fit for purpose.
- Own Capacity Planning to ensure proactive approach to required upgrades, Server, Storage and Network devices.
- Coordinate and Project Manage Architecture Proof of Concepts, lead the evaluation, write the final report and assist in the RFQ process. The SD-WAN PoC was the standout project during this time.
- Participate in weekly Operations Meetings to ensure Architecture Standards and Governess are followed.
- Conduct internal audits to ensure compliance and to minimize external auditors’ findings.
- Ensure an always-on digital services, eliminating silos and fragmented visibility across different environments for greater digital resilience, especially in the Industrial IT space. Drive digital advancement.
Senior Technology Architect thru to Operations Director
Indusnet
07.2012 - 10.2019
- During the 7 years formed part of the team designing, implement and support majority of Kumba’s Commercial and Industrial Infrastructure, projects within the Technology and Stay-in-Business areas, both Office and Industrial (IOT) networks.
- Lead a support team of 21 for two years of operational support to Kumba’s Industrial estate. Ensure effective Resource Management/Planning, i.e. SLA Management, Standby functionality (24/7 operation), Spares, Asset Management, Software Licence Management, Incident- Change- and Problem Management.
- Monthly Customer Service Review Meetings – create service reports and provide detailed feedback on SLA, Incidents, Problems and Changes. Weekly internal Service Review meetings with technical team.
- Solution design using hardware like Cisco, Hirshmann, Rajant, HP, Dell, and Quangery M8.
- Compile Business Requirement Specification, Technical Requirement Specification, Detailed Design, Diagrams, System Configuration Files, Scope of Work, Project Execution Plan, etc as part of the solution and implementation.
- Project initiation and implementation of agreed solutions through to support handover.
- Customer IT infrastructure roadmaps, 3- and 5-year plans to align with business strategy, Plan, design and implement infrastructure solutions to adhere to the roadmaps, company Governess, Standards and Cyber Security.
- Drive customer IT Infrastructure risk identification and reporting.
- Drive customer IT Continuous Service Improvement Plans and processes.
- Utilize industry best practice to improve on customer’s internal IT standards.
- Participate in all Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings to ensure changes implemented does not affect operations and follows governance. Log and manage changes related to projects under his control.
- Ensure all customer stakeholders are on board with solution designs before implementation.
- Asset Management – Cisco Smartnet, hardware warranties and repairs.
- Comply with health and safety standards. Ensure all vendor resources also comply.
- Financial management of all Indusnet related matters, overall P&L as well as per project.
- People Management leading different teams, technical and admin.
- Performance Management of staff.
Senior Service Delivery Manager
Dimension Data UK and SA
08.2001 - 06.2012
- Customer Relationship Manger, the single point of contact between customer and the organization.
- Escalations Manager, customer and internal.
- Third Party (OEM) Manager, contract compliance and financial management.
- Incident, Problem, Change, Configuration, Capacity, Asset, Financial and Release Management.
- SLA Management through offsite NOC or onsite based SLA service.
- Reporting, Monthly SLA reporting and ad-hoc Mayor Incidents.
- Change Advisory Board (CAB) meeting attendance to ensure the customer is not affected operationally.
- Service Management Tool Competence – user knowledge to effectively work with Remedy, IFS and ServiceNow.
Service Account Manager
Business Connexion (BCX)
05.1995 - 12.2000
- BU/Contract Manager responsible for all financial matters from budgets to financial reporting. This was at Telkom Head Office in Pretoria.
- Customer Relationship Manger.
- SLA adherence through onsite based support team, WAN, LAN, Server, Storage, VOIP and Desktop.
- Escalations Manager.
Aircraft Electrician
South African Airforce
08.1985 - 04.1995
- Qualified as aircraft electrician and was promoted to the planning office where avionic upgrades to the SA Airforce fleet was planned, designed and implemented.
Education
Electronic Engineering - Electronic Engineering
NTS5 Electronic Engineering
Centurion Technical College 04.2001 -
Skills
Project and Portfolio Management
Financial Management
Service management
Analytical Thinker
Creative Problem Solver
Conflict Management
Risk Management
Leader
People Management
Financial Managementtttt
Collaborative Working
Relationship Management
Timeline
Business Owner/Consultant
01.2024 - 10.2026
Senior Project Manager
Krypton Mining / Exxaro
01.2023 - 12.2023
Senior Infrastructure Architect
Krypton Mining / Exxaro
10.2019 - 12.2022
Senior Technology Architect thru to Operations Director
Indusnet
07.2012 - 10.2019
Senior Service Delivery Manager
Dimension Data UK and SA
08.2001 - 06.2012
Electronic Engineering - Electronic Engineering
NTS5 Electronic Engineering
04.2001 -
Service Account Manager
Business Connexion (BCX)
05.1995 - 12.2000
Aircraft Electrician
South African Airforce
08.1985 - 04.1995