CIO/Technology Executive

Profile

Carmen Sandu is a technology executive with over 20 years of business management, technology and problem solving experience, including: business and technology strategy, performance management, organizational and operational assessments, mergers and acquisitions, shared services, and risk management.

Carmen Sandu is widely recognized for strategic critical thinking, technical expertise, indefatigable implementation abilities, and innovation. She has successfully managed large organizations of 300-400 staff members. She has directed numerous large projects with budgets ranging from $250k to $90M.

Strong relationship within stakeholders and an understanding of the complexities surrounding distributed IT functions and direct experience makes Carmen uniquely qualified. She is an expert at building consensus across diverse departments with conflicting goals. She has a strong track record of working successfully across multiple functions including financial services, human resources, public safety, facilities, investments, regulatory services, health services, education, manufacturing services, supply chain, and customer relations services.

Experience

Aramid Solutions 2015 - Present

Managing Partner

Responsible for all aspects of operations in a full service delivery technology firm focused on:

IT Strategy and Governance;

Optimization and Problem Solving;

Cultural and Organizational Change Management;

End to End Service Delivery; and

Risk Management.

Focus on assisting universities and research institutions by serving as advisor on technology opportunities as part of multi-year transformation processes

Manage comprehensive process redesign at large institutions. This includes all phases of implementation process: planning, fit/gap analysis, conceptual design, validation, design detail, and post implementation verification

Conducts diagnostic review of contracts and grants

Facilitated development of high level strategy at State of Illinois IDFPR, and assisted with development of roadmap for delivery of constituent services in alignment with defined strategy

City of Chicago 2013 - 2015

Managing Deputy Commissioner/CIO

Directed large municipal organization of IT professionals with a budget of over $50M

Oversaw all areas of business including strategy, executive level support, operations, personnel, communications, and special projects

Directed the development of business case and implementation of strategies for new services and IT modernization including: CRM, work order management, procurement, regulatory systems, and facilities and fleet management

Performed assessment, selection, and implementation of information systems

Championed a shared services model; spearheaded consolidation of services and rationalization of technologies

Drove a comprehensive fifteen year plan for long term technology investment

Led strategic alignment of Enterprise Applications across program portfolios and other disciplines within the Department of Innovation and Technology

Provided leadership and oversight of enterprise application portfolios including: CRM (311 program), Work Order Management, Administrative Systems (e.g. Financial, HR, Revenue, Collections, Billing, etc.), Business License, Permits, Inspections, Health and Human Relations, Content Management

Engaged in consolidation of IT to gain efficiency and leverage new technology across the City and to continue technology modernization through platform simplification and standardization

Built partnerships and collaboration with all City of Chicago departments and the Chicago technology community; challenged the Chicago technology community to provide solutions that would address Chicago civic issues

The University of Chicago 2008-2013

Chief of Staff - IT Strategic Planning and Governance 2009-2013

Direct report to Chief Information Technology Officer and advisor to administrative and academic governance bodies

Oversee team of over 400 staff with 6 direct reports

Provided leadership in several areas including facilitating Strategic Planning Cycle, Strategic Reporting, Demand Planning, Capacity Planning and Strategic Budget Alignment

Led strategic roadmap development for University’s Investment Office and Facilities Department in addition to the IT organization

Led continuous improvement and ongoing management of project portfolio management process for IT Services and oversight over IT project portfolio with 78 active projects and budget of over $45M

Managed vendor relationships with key strategic partners

Supported and provide leadership for key initiatives, including: Services Catalog, Change Control Process, Incident Management, and Client Relationship Management

Led high-visibility projects where diplomacy and finesse were required due to high risk or key stakeholder involvement including Data for Board of Trustees, Travel Registry, Distance Learning, Global Enablement, and Business Continuity

Represented IT organization in national forums and produced reports for national agencies and consortia

Monitored, researched, synthesized and analyzed information from public domain and alternative intelligence sources

Identified and developed standardized methodology, timing and reporting of information that provided senior leaders with clear insights into business and industry trends and opportunities.

Identified, developed and implemented best practices relative to strategic research and analysis

Sr. Project and Portfolio Manager/Sr. Business Systems Analyst 2008-2009

Designed Project Management framework and methodology based on PMI best practices

Developed and implemented project management tools, standards, and methodology providing Project Gate definitions, Project Portfolio Reviews, and processes surrounding the SDLC

Developed and implemented Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), a Balanced Score Card solution, an Enterprise Project Office, Project Portfolio Management, and Enterprise Project Management practices

Led and assisted in over 18 engagements providing functional support, assistance and deployment for software business applications and business process analysis including Graduate, Human Resources, Financial Services Initiatives, as well as internal IT efforts

Worked directly with senior University administrators including the Registrar, Bursar, Dean of Students, Comptroller, Provost and President Office staff and regularly presented materials to senior executives

Mentored staff in methodology and consulting excellence; encouraged best practices in project management and project planning

Solo Cup Company 2001-2008

IT Manager/IT Technical Project Manager 2005-2008

Rapidly advanced through positions and promoted to Supply Chain and Logistics IT Manager/Project Manager

Demonstrated ability to build and lead a team, manage interpersonal relationships, ability to handle conflict, and accept accountability for team results. Managed communications in all directions in an effective and timely manner.

Responsible for SAP upgrade for Logistics, Inventory Management, Supply Chain Planning and Warehouse Distribution

Coordinated and maintained continuous communication with 12 branches across the country during SAP implementation

Improved the project governance and prioritization processes. Implemented best practices for project management and data management.

Responsible for planning and execution of software development and architecture projects

Sr. Business Analyst/Business Analyst 2001-2005

Lead role in the analysis of business problems and opportunities, including problem definition and the recommendation of process redesign and technology alternatives

Analyzed, designed, and configured “to-be” business processes – worked with all integration teams to customize ERP software to satisfy business requirements and process design

Provided functional specifications for financial, material activity movement, inventory, fill-rate reporting and managed resources across multiple initiatives through resource loading techniques

U.S. Army 1997-2001

Disbursement Officer, U.S. Army- 125th Finance Battalion, Hawaii 1999-2001

Managed $200M in military pay for eight major clients comprised of 6400 accounts

Reduced $3M from $6M cash disbursement operation saving the government over $30k/yr. in operational costs

Created a client ownership program, enhancing service quality by 35%

Managed a staff of 35 supervisors and workers

Budget Analyst, U.S. Army-513th Military Intelligence Brigade, Georgia 1997-1999

Operated and accounted for $10M in hard assets and $4M in liquid assets without a loss

Allocated current resources and estimate future requirements and inform the executives and others within the organization of status and availability of funds in different budget accounts

Monitored the budget by reviewing reports and accounting records to determine if allocated funds have been spent as specified and provided advice and technical assistance in preparation of annual budget

Education

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY – Evanston, IL - Master of Science in Computer Information Systems

Areas of Expertise

Business Planning and IT Strategic Planning

Portfolio and Project Management

Business Systems Analysis and Process Modeling

Customer Relationship Management

Resource Optimization

Interim Management and Staffing

IT Governance

Organizational and Operations Performance Management

Financial and Budget Analysis

Risk Assessment and Management

Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery

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