Management Sales

Rick L. Pharr

*********@*******.*** ( (C) 832-***-****

http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickpharr

Distinguished Senior Business Technology Executive

Dynamic executive with 20+ years of experience directing technology and

customer enablement initiatives for industry-leading organizations in

energy, information analytics and enterprise software. Rare combination of

deep IT and customer care knowledge, with ability to integrate both aspects

to significantly increase productivity and performance, as evidenced by

transition of Seismic Micro-Technology IT, Services and Customer Care teams

into IHS organization following acquisition. Demonstrated success

implementing IT initiatives to facilitate business growth and reduce costs.

Proven leader with track record of maximizing profitability through

strategic planning and execution of multiple, simultaneous services.

Innovative thinker with vision for identifying new business opportunities;

generated 12 percent revenue growth through introduction of premium support

strategy that was eventually adopted by competitors. Exceptional

communicator with highly refined skills in team building, problem

resolution and cultivating enduring relationships.

Areas of expertise:

IT Infrastructure/Design - Strategic Planning - System Integration/Process

Automation -

Change Management - Process Improvement - Restructuring - Client Relations

-

Business Transformation - Project Management - Business Development -

Operations Management - Vendor Relations - Customer Service -

Team Building - Team Leadership/Training

Professional Experience

IHS (acquired Seismic Micro-Technology) - Houston, TX 2008 to Present

Global leader in information insight in energy, economics, geopolitical

risk, sustainability and supply chain management.

Senior Director of Customer Care (2012 to Present)

Directed transition of Seismic Micro-Technology IT, Services and Customer

Care teams into IHS organization following August 2011 acquisition, largest

in company's history. Conducted integration planning for Customer Care,

including cross-training staff, implementing processes for order

management, delivery, Tiers 1-3 support, training services, quote-to-cash

procedures, legal aspects. Perform due diligence of target acquisitions (12

as of January 2013), providing global operational execution plans for

integration of customer care, order management and delivery functions.

. Spearheaded process improvements for CRM, telephony and decision

support systems, resulting in creation of internal knowledge

management system used by 400 sales agents globally and providing

detailed information on all standard operating procedures. Lead

ongoing development of Phase 2 processes to provide customers access

to internal system, with goal of reducing need for internal support.

. Orchestrating global phone system strategy to integrate call centers

in Denver, CO, United Kingdom and Malaysia after identifying need for

capability to route calls between all 3 centers to reduce labor costs;

collaborating with vendor Cisco Systems to build infrastructure,

scheduled for completing in 2013.

Vice President, Customer Enablement & Information Technology - Seismic

Micro-Technology (2008 to 2012)

Led global IT, Professional Services and Customer Support for market leader

in geoscience software, used in 100+ countries to evaluate potential

reservoirs, plan field development. Directed go-to-market strategy

supporting international growth in EMEA and APAC, including design of

service and tiered support offerings. Managed development of e-commerce,

customer portal and event registration websites. Served on executive

leadership team, guiding company's growth from $100M revenue to being sold

for $500M.

. Transformed global infrastructure and business application

environments, facilitating company's 60 percent growth in revenue

during tenure. Established datacenters in U.S. and U.K., utilizing

virtualization to reduce footprint, increase system uptime to 99.99

percent. Enhanced performance of 45-member global sales force by

enabling 24/7 remote system access to regional offices in Houston,

U.K. and India, as well as 12 satellite offices globally, and

increased efficiency by implementing virtual office environment.

. Slashed recurring IT expenses by 22 percent through operational

efficiency, vendor management, sourcing optimization.

. Generated new revenue stream of $1M annually by offering premium-level

IT support/services for largest customers.

Rick L. Pharr

*********@*******.*** ( (C) 832-***-****

IHS (acquired Seismic Micro-Technology) - Continued

. Streamlined global geoscience support organization to focus on

customer enablement and product improvements through application of

best practices and performance management.

. Guided development/implementation of new CRM, ERP and delivery systems

to replace legacy applications and streamline quote-to-cash process.

. Configured customer care strategy that reduced incoming call volume by

20+ percent and increased global customer engagement scores by 8

percent, leading to expansion of customer care team to 20 spread among

4 countries from previous 5-member team. Introduced call tracking

capability to monitor problems with enterprise accounts, including

escalation to higher-level support teams, and measure customer

satisfaction.

Symantec (acquired BindView Development) - Houston, TX 1998 to 2008

Global leader in IT security software.

Director of Technical Support (2006 to 2008)

Led initiative following 2006 acquisition of BindView to transform 400-

member global technical support team for Security products for

enterprise/Fortune 1000 clients. Built processes to better manage client

expectations and service delivery for daily workload of 12-20 calls per

team member relating to clients' "mission critical" problems. Revamped

management system, introduced measurements for performance improvement,

customer satisfaction. Collaborated with global product and support teams

to improve products by identifying customer needs. Implemented processes to

reduce backlog, decrease time to resolution and build online knowledge base

content.

. Orchestrated operational turnaround in 9 months of team with lowest

customer satisfaction scores internally to become highest-performing

team, boosting customer satisfaction scores by 30+ percent. Shifted

team members' responsibilities, resulting in 10 percent headcount

savings, and introduced mentoring process for management staff.

Director of Support Services (1998 to 2006)

Led all aspects of global IT, global technical support and Americas

facilities operations for BindView, leader in compliance software. Directed

configuration management, product build, user interface, website

development and installation development teams.

. Established premium support strategy supported by multiple-tier global

structure, first such service offering among company's direct

competitors and creating new revenue stream that generated 12 percent

increase in support revenue for access to 24/7 high-level technical

support and significantly increased customer satisfaction.

. Introduced change, incident response and disaster recovery processes

that reduced system downtime and created formal, predictable system

release process.

. Created capital steering committee to provide upgraded governance,

reducing capital expenditures by $1M+ annually.

. Initiated IT controls and best practices to ensure Sarbanes-Oxley

compliance.

Additional Experience

Sales & Marketing Manager - Kaetron Software; The Woodlands, TX

. Created channel sales strategy and led corporate sales team. Developed

marketing plans, including direct mail, trade show presentations,

telemarketing, print, Internet advertising. Managed inside sales and

technical support teams.

Product Marketing & Quality Assurance Manager - Kaetron Software; The

Woodlands, TX

. Built product management team, released 6 commercial applications.

Gathered customer requirements, designed user interface and product

features. Led configuration management, product design and quality

assurance teams.

Education

Bachelor of Science, double major in Business Management, Information

Systems - University of Phoenix - Houston, TX

International Business Honor Society, Delta Mu Delta, Lambda Sigma Chapter

3.93 GPA

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