Programme Delivery Leader with Transformation Expertise

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Ahtaf Akram

Programme Director Programme Delivery Manager

Programme Leadership & Delivery, PMO, Data, Lean, MI Design & Transformation Expertise Security Clearance: Active SC Clearance

Ilford, Essex, UK +44 (0-798*-***-*** *****.*****@*****.*** www.linkedin.com/in/ahtaf-akram-95197044

Professional Overview

Delivery-focused, analytical & commercially-astute, with a proven track record of project and programme success within B2B, B2C, banking, financial services, government, public, regulatory, and corporate markets. Impressive interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate and negotiate concisely at all levels, able to engage between programme and business audiences, bringing clarity to maintain senior stakeholder buy-in. Positive and inspiring, passionate about mobilising empowered teams, setting clear goals and enabling businesses to succeed by energising staff. Specialises in Business Intelligence, MI & process re-engineering. Client-facing and problem solving, capable of working across complex organisations in highly-dynamic, ambiguous and evolving scenarios, leveraging best practice approaches and governance to ensure success. Career Highlights

Data Migration Manager/Data Tracking & Reporting Lead - Worked with highly-sensitive Covid-19 data from Colleges, Universities and Schools, creating dashboards to highlight to ministerial audiences.

Barclays - Operational Risk & Control Monitoring Framework Project Manager – Appointed during Barclays’ LIBOR crisis to establish a new business unit—Private Banking & Overseas Services (PBOS). Led the redesign of legacy processes and implemented robust control frameworks to restore trust and ensure operational integrity.

HSBC - Finance Transformation Programme – Transitioned to a new online reporting system across front, middle and back office. Managed an overseas team in Manilla of 15 dedicated resources.

FCA Portfolio Manager - Created a view of all projects within the FCA, enabling a detailed view of status, risks, stage gates of projects, enabling sound ExCo and Executive-level decision making. Key Skills & Expertise

Leadership & Programme Delivery Business Intelligence (BI) Expertise Change & Transformation Portfolio PMO Establishment & Governance MI Reporting Design & Visualisation SMCR Implementation & Training Effective Stakeholder Management Data Management & Data Migration Risk Management & Risk Controls Establishing Priorities & Resources Building & Leading Strong Teams Regulatory Priorities & Compliance Career Experience

FCA Financial Services

Senior PMO Manager Nov 2024 to Present

Responsible for all elements of PMO leadership, acting as the primary point of contact for project & programme stakeholders, overseeing schedule updates, communicating, analysing project delays, and major changes. Full remit for spearheading continuous improvement (CI) in change management practices, defining PMO strategies, overseeing the portfolio, ensuring resource management& facilitating executive-level reporting. Took the lead in facilitating trusted communication & collaboration between project teams and stakeholders. End-to-end project and PMO lifecycle management, encompassing planning, scope, budget, risk & issues. Provided training and support to Project Managers and team members on PMO processes and related tools. Key contributions and successes:

• Implemented and ensured adherence to project change control, quality and stage gate processes

• Conducted regular performance reviews, providing constructive feedback& driving improvements

• Monitored project health across the portfolio, proactively addressing risks, issues& dependencies

• Pivotal role in delivery of projects, including change management activities to drive project success

• Implemented quality assurance processes to ensure project deliverables meet required standards 2

FCA Financial Services

Change Directorate Operations – Senior Operations Analyst Aug 2023 to May 2024 Responsible for collaborating with internal colleagues to develop and enhance operational services and processes for the Change Directorate.

Ownership of relevant operational processes, providing change supply planning and performance reporting. Additionally, worked closely with the Change Director and Senior Leadership team on a series of workforce initiatives such as resourcing, retention, and engagement.

Key contributions and successes:

• Established and delivered key services to support proactive and dynamic pipeline management

• Identified resource channels across London, Leeds & other regions, balancing financial constraints

• Pivotal role in the FCA’s transformational change, including prioritisation & resourcing interventions

• Instrumental in shaping and driving the strategic and operational workforce plans for the division FCA Financial Services

Portfolio Management Unit – Portfolio Manager Aug 2022 to Aug 2023 Responsible for identifying, creating, and documenting a single view of new change demand initiatives across the FCA to support the PMU in managing the portfolio of changes, projects, and programmes. Key role in enabling and delivering programmes necessary to achieve FCA strategic business objectives. Managed the evaluation of benefits, stage gate reviews, achievements, and risks against expected spend to facilitate financial draw-down review and approvals from committees such as EFDC. Set up and managed proposals for the pipeline of changes, engaging with delivery staff and stakeholders to understand planning, activity, benefits, risks, and resource considerations. Key contributions and successes:

• Undertook& facilitated resource capacity assessments, in conjunction with key delivery stakeholders

• Championed planned and ad/hoc communication between the divisional leadership teams& leads

• Effectively leveraged a single portfolio view of FCA changes, enabling properly co-ordinated change

• Key role in preparation of ExCo and Executive Finance and Delivery Committee (EFDC) materials

• Gathered and developed insights from Clarizen (FCA planning management tool) and from Tableau

• Facilitated wider discussions between different FCA divisions, ensuring alignment with FCA goals J.P. Morgan Financial Services

CIB Operations Controls Governance – Operational Risk Mar 2022 to Jul 2022 Responsible for coordinating and preparing monthly Operational Risk and control management meetings for Operations Executives. Tasked with creating agendas, meeting packs, briefing notes, and actionable plans. Direct interaction with Senior Operational Executives, working across product lines and collaborating with key partners, working with product, technology, 2nd line of defence, and firm-wide governance teams. Proactively drove opportunities to improve visualisation and automation of reporting leveraging digital tooling. Key contributions and successes:

• Supported Operational Risk projects that look to streamline the wider risk and controls landscape

• Built and maintained trusted relationships with Operations, Business, Compliance and Audit Teams

• Evidenced adherence to SMCR oversight requirements, including documentation and submissions

• Identify and implement improvements in reporting visualization and automation using digital tools. 3

DHSC – Covid 19 Test & Trace HEI Civil Service

Data Migration Manager/Data Tracking & Reporting Lead May 2021 to Mar 2022 Responsible for data analysis, presenting findings to senior stakeholders, managing relationships with government bodies, handling urgent data queries, collaborating with internal and external partners, and ensuring data quality, including senior ministerial requests.

Key successes include developing analytics functionality, migrating commercial pipeline data, defining process changes, owning the use case master tracker of HEI data, and liaising to maintain data accuracy. Key contributions and successes:

• Developed analytics functionality into the team via a step-change in systems & offline reporting

• Migrated the commercial pipeline data onto a new software related reporting tool during roll out

• Owned and maintained the use case master tracker of HEI data, such as SRO contact details

• Liaison across user case to maintain the single source of truth for HEI data, enabling MI reporting Aon Financial Services

Risk & Compliance Manager – SMCR Implementation Sep 2019 to Mar 2020 Responsible for building and maintaining effective relationships with Leaders, Senior Managers, Functional SMEs, and the line management community to ensure compliant operation of SM&CR. Oversaw collation and ongoing maintenance of the Entity, Solution Line, or Function’s Certified population, and ensured local SM&CR control points were closely adhered to. Liaised with Risk & Compliance, HR, and Entity, Solution Line or Function on SM&CR related issues. Key contributions and successes:

• Identified compliance training resources and tools available centrally to support compliance

• Facilitated the escalation processes in accordance with the enterprise risk management policy

• Provided support to projects and/or initiatives to ensure appropriate risk assessment was completed

• Coordinated and provided effective, timely and succinct reporting to Division’s senior management Daiwa Financial Services

Operational Risk – Front Office Controls, SMCR & Capital Modelling Mar 2019 to Sep 2019 Responsible for providing Daiwa Business Units and Support Functions with a clear and consistent OR framework and supporting policies for monitoring, evaluating and responding to Operational Risks. Drove the enhancement of the Front Office risk and control framework, both regionally and globally. Operated the risk incident management process for Fixed Income, Equities and Multi Asset teams, ensuring incidents are raised as appropriate, investigated, remediated, communicated, and closed upon resolution. Collaborated with the BU/SF 1LoD Risk and Control Managers providing comprehensive knowledge of the operational risk & control framework design and application across the organisation. Successfully managed the delivery of RCSA with timely output and recording of control weaknesses, addressing actions and related BU/SF attestations.

Key contributions and successes:

• Redrafted procedures to reflect new business, as well as identifying compliance implications

• Analysed operational risk issues and loss event data to provide an opinion on lessons learnt

• Provided advice, guidance and training to both first and second line of defence colleagues on OR

• Led the S166 review into calculating economic capital for all portfolios, updating regulatory reports

• Supported successful completion of the Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP) 4

Barclays Financial Services

Operational Risk & Control Monitoring Framework Project Manager Oct 2017 to Jan 2019 Responsible for redrafting procedures to reflect new Business and identifying compliance implications. Took the lead on engagements with Financial Services clients on various areas, including risk management. Effectively supported line management in discharging their responsibilities relating to regulatory compliance. Engaged stakeholders in determining necessary control remediation through thematic risk assessments. Led Structural Reform engagements, providing input on areas such as Legal Entity Change Programmes, Capital, Liquidity, Risk Management, Booking Model Analysis, and Target Model Design Optimisation. Key contributions and successes:

• Provided leadership for assurance over the operational risk and control environment

• Led risk assessments and thematic risk assessments for the financial services business

• Worked with stakeholders in control remediation and compliance with emerging regulations

• Provided advice on conduct risk and control matters to stakeholders across all three lines of defence

• Assisted in development of MI/KRI reporting consistent with the requirements of senior leadership Early Career

Apr 2016 to Dec 2016 SMCR Project Manager Deutsche Bank Apr 2015 to Jan 2016 NFR Reporting Project Manager Deutsche Bank Feb 2014 to Feb 2015 Senior Business Intelligence Analyst HSBC Mar 2012 to Sep 2012 Global Reporting Manager Renaissance Capital Sep 2011 to Feb 2012 GCT Management Reporting & Accounting Deutsche Bank Aug 2010 to Jul 2011 Senior Analyst – Emerging Markets Deutsche Bank Nov 2009 to Aug 2010 Technical Analyst – Global Banking & Markets RBS Aug 2007 to Jan 2009 Pipeline Manager – Transaction Banking ABN AMRO / RBS Feb 2007 to Mar 2007 Finance Analyst – Finance & Operations Standard & Poor’s Nov 2006 to Feb 2007 SEO Accountant / Analyst DfES Aug 2006 to Oct 2006 Assistant Accountant / Analyst Transport for London Apr 2004 to Jul 2006 Eurasia Resource Co-Coordinator / Analyst BBC World Services Sep 2003 to May 2004 Assistant Accountant Sthree

Aug 2003 to Sep 2003 Assistant Accountant Hemscott Group Ltd Oct 2002 to Mar 2003 Finance Officer / Accounts Assistant Cambridge Education Associates Education & Qualifications

London Guildhall University BA (Hons) Accounting with Accounting Systems AXELOS Global Best Practice PRINCE2 Registered Practitioner Technical Proficiencies

SIMS, SAP, Sage 50, Sage 100, MS Word, MS Excel, MS Visio, PowerPoint, Access, Hyperion, QlikView, Bloomberg, FCA Connect, Corporater, Tableau, Clarizen

Additional Information

UK Citizen Excellent references available Flexible on location for the right opportunity

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