Adam De Fries
Sydney,NSW
Summary
Throughout my career, I have demonstrated proficiency in establishing scalable growth businesses and teams within various sections of an organization, including Cloud, SaaS, Customer Success, Services, and Delivery.
With a strong background in program management, I have led large programs of work across multiple industry sectors, with budgets exceeding $100 million. My ability to manage stakeholders at all levels, coupled with exceptional communication skills, enables me to effectively liaise with Senior Business Leaders and C-Level Stakeholders to ensure alignment with project goals and successful delivery of initiatives.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
Work History
CEO / Owner
Merrinology Pty LTD
01.2023 - Current
- Merrinology Pty Ltd is a cloud consulting company that helps businesses of all sizes leverage the power of cloud computing to improve their efficiency, agility, and scalability
- Merrinology's team of experienced cloud consultants has a deep understanding of the latest cloud technologies and trends, and they are committed to helping their clients get the most out of their cloud investment
- At Merrinology I provide services including Program Management, Executive Advisory, Cloud Consulting, Customer Success Advisory
- Specialist in Transformation activities covering Business, Organisational, Digital and Technology Transformations
- Program & Project Management advisory, ensuring that programs and projects are setup up for success
- Including hands on delivery and leadership
- Board Advisory services – ensuring that companies are adhering to corporate governance & risk best practices
- Technologies covered include (but not limited to): SAP (S/4HANA, CX, BTP, Ariba, HXM, Concur etc), Dayforce, Workday, Oracle, Salesforce, AWS, Microsoft Azure
- Along with other platforms and technologies
- End to End project lifecycle management and delivery
- Audit and Quality Assurance for transformation, change management and Program / Projects
- Outcome Success Planning
- I pioneered the formulation of the Outcome Success Planning, an exercise that aims to ensure customers business goals are mapped to tangible benefits and achievable outcomes
- Working closely with vendors and partners to provide an all-in-one roadmap for success.
Vice President – Head of Enterprise Services & Customer Success
SAP ANZ
02.2022 - 01.2023
- Govern delivery of programmes; Resolve any issues and instigate corrective action as appropriate (Issues management and analysis).
- Executive Project lead for Digital Transformation, APJ Regional Program leader accountable for formulation of business case, scope and project team to transform the Services and Customer Success business units across the region
- Manage, coach and mentor project managers within program and ensuring they are on the right path in terms of S/4HANA process and methodologies.
- Ensure the delivery of new capability and/or services from the projects is to the appropriate level of quality, on time and within budget, according to the programme plan
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders. Lead steer-co stakeholder discussions at program level, facilitation, consultation, negotiation and reporting/presentation skills, including the ability to influence people at all levels, and foster and maintain collaborative working relationships both within and outside the organisation.
- Drive Customer implementation, sales targets, usage of the adoption framework and oversight as the Business Owner for the S/4HANA & RISE with SAP Products and strategy
- Lead a diverse team of delivery professionals, creating a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
- Cloud Success Services Executive responsible for SAP Program Delivery of major projects
- Member of Global change control board focussed on engagement methodologies and driving change to the SAP Delivery model.
Head of APJ Premium Cloud Customer Success
SAP Global
07.2018 - 02.2022
- Program Director and Leader for CE&X Cloud Transformation project, this Project encompassed the transformation of the CE&X Business including systems, platforms, processes and policies
- Leading a team of 100+ project team members through all aspects of the project
- Program Executive representative for the APJ Region to the Global Project team / Change Board
- Developed project plans, identified risks, set objectives and monitored progress towards completion.
- Oversaw program compliance with requirements, schedule and budget.
- Communicated regularly with external partners to ensure alignment of strategies and goals.
- Provided guidance and support to team members in order to achieve targets within defined deadlines.
- Executive Program Sponsor for major customers across the region, advising and guiding C Suite and Steering Committee on Project standards, cloud transformation, adoption and implementation of their ERP & Cloud products
- Providing expert project governance and leadership advisory to the regions largest customers embarking on their cloud transformation
- Working with Customer C-level customer executives to ensure delivery expectations and product expectations are being met, regularly gathering feedback on how to improve service offerings
- Member of the Global Transformation team and Leader of the APJ regional Specialised Customer Success team
- Head of regional Preferred Success business for APJ (Asia, Pacific, Japan) and GCR (Greater China Region (50+ colleagues)
- Member of the CE&X Senior leadership team and Preferred Success Senior leadership team, focussed on Customer Success quality globally.
Delivery Executive, Digital Business Solutions
SAP ANZ
01.2017 - 07.2018
- Sydney Water / Industry Solution Utilities Cloud migration
• Manage the delivery of Industry Solution Utilities (ISU), Customer Data Rights/Customer Billing programs, and Core Utilities Platform Cloud Migration.
• Successfully delivered Utilities Program – Utilities Cloud migration
• Developed Utilities roadmap to deliver remaining Regulatory compliance
• Responsible for leading program teams, technology partners and vendors engagement.
• Responsible for steering group and stakeholder engagements.
• Responsible for program financials.
• Responsible for engagement with Utilities industry groups (ACCC, Treasury, Consumer Data Standards). - Endeavor Energy Utilities Transformation Program
• Managed and led the delivery of Endeavour Energy S/4HANA ISU Transformation program
• Successfully delivered this program on track and on budget with uplift in data quality, migration of data systems/assets to cloud, reporting automation and transition to new Ways of Working (Agile)
• Developed Utilities roadmap to deliver remaining Regulatory compliance
• Developed approved business case; led workshops to gain business case endorsement from all business stakeholders, Board members & CxO Executives
• Responsible for leading internal and vendor teams, steering group and stakeholder engagement.
• Responsible for program financials and benefit realisation. - P&L accountability for concurrent programmes (+$100M each) currently in delivery for top tier natural resources and utilities clients, rallying execution across multi-party implementations
- Provide leadership and direction to project teams of >20, introducing performance metrics and benchmarks for management consultants and architects to optimise client experience
Director, ICT Delivery Services, Snr Program Director APJ
HCL Axon
10.2013 - 12.2016
- Appointed to deliver the industry’s largest SAP Cloud ERP deployment in APJ for Woolworths,
- Promoted to Director Of Professional Services to spearhead the expansion of delivery capabilities South East Asia and Japan
- Program Director for ANSTO ECC6 & HXM Implementation
- Led the recovery of the program, re-established the program governance, scope and outcome
- Saw the program through to successful Go-Live Accountable for all cloud advisory programmes within the region, facilitating sales and leading programme management and evaluation activities to ensure industry best practice standards
- Managed P&L performance for the SEA cloud practice, actively supporting strategic initiatives e.g
- Target client engagement to achieve regional financial stability and innovation goals
- Led, managed and mentored 40 direct reports across Australia, India, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and the UK, undertaking strategic recruitment activities to meet contract demands
- Forged consultative relationships with client-side stakeholders up to C-level, supporting project bids, scoping and strategic delivery to ensure optimal value return and continued partnership.
General Manager, Professional Services
APA Management Services
03.2012 - 01.2014
- Tasked to define and implement an operating model for business development evolving APA into a fully diversified professional services company, providing SME guidance across SAP system analysis, programme management methodologies and Government tender submissions
- Contributed to the win of 4 high-value, high-profile tenders in 12 months, having established a best practice framework for all tender processes to support consistency in approach
- Facilitated the achievement of safety and process targets set by Northwest Rail Link, designing and implementing effective programme and risk management methodologies
- Continue to provide C-level consultancy on a wide range of business issues.
Programme Director
RailCorp NSW
07.2012 - 10.2013
- Rail Corp is a state-owned corporation under the control of Transport for NSW, with a $26BN portfolio of railway property that operates passenger train services across the State
- Engaged to lead the largest transformation programme in the NSW portfolio, the set-up and separation of Sydney Trains and NSW Trains from existing RailCorp structures and processes
- Programme figurehead, directing 85 projects across 9 work streams, shaping requirements and delivery plans to deliver transformational solutions to time, budget and quality targets
- Managed allocation of a $90M budget with a management impact of $40BN in company assets, controlling costs to ensure the delivery of complex logistical exercises spanning 14K staff
- Led 9 reporting programme managers and provided direction to project teams totalling +250 staff, driving the delivery of work streams including HR, legal, risk, IT, finance and branding
- Drove complex C-level and ministerial engagement as a member of the Governance Board, guiding cultural change processes in consultation with managers, unions and employee reps
- Developed corporate restructuring, HR processes and new policies in line with State legislation, engaging relevant stakeholders and guiding implementation to ensure benefits realisation.
Programme Manager
Dimension Data
12.2010 - 02.2012
- Appointed to lead the data centre build and replacement of existing Woolworths IT infrastructure with an overarching budget control of +$90M, managing a team of 10 direct reports across project streams utilising technologies including Cisco, UCS Call Manager, VOIP, HP Server, SCCM and SAP
- Delivered the design and implementation of the largest Cisco call manager centre in Australia, leading project teams and vendors in incorporating 70 offices over an 18-month period
- Simultaneously implemented network infrastructure for Woolworths, coordinating disaster recovery activities to an ambitious 7-month timeframe and $6M budget.
SAP Programme Manager & Senior Project Manager
NSW Road & Transit Authority
02.2008 - 11.2010
- Strategic leadership role with the NSW Government agency, responsible for a portfolio of high-risk projects valued between $3M and $35M, developing frameworks and advising on best practice
- Managed NSW RTA’s SAP project portfolio to ensure timely completion, negotiating a license agreement for SAP Views that realised savings of $US3.8M
- Established a project services office for tolling operations department sub-projects, managing industrial relations activities during the restructure to drive engagement and prevent strikes.
Programme Manager
Transfield Services
01.2006 - 01.2008
Senior Software Engineer & Project Manager
Carel Australia
01.2003 - 01.2006
Internal Sales & IT Support
Kirby Refrigeration Australia
01.1999 - 01.2003
Internal Sales & Warehouse Manager
Eurotred Australia
01.1997 - 01.1999
Skills
- Financial Management
- Strategic leadership
- Program Leadership
- Strategic Planning
- Utilization Management
- Enterprise Resource Planning
- Program performance analysis
- P&L Management
- Resource Management
- Vendor Relationship Management
- Regulatory Compliance
- Project Management
- Scope Management
- Budget Preparation
- Remote Team Management
- Vendor Management
- Scheduling and Planning
- Vendor Sourcing
- Project Lifecycle
- Change Management
- Agile Projects
- Decision-Making
- Project Coordination
- Program Reviews
Education And Professional Development
- Member, Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD)
- Certified PRINCE2 Practitioner (AIM)
Key Assets
- Influential business ‘enabler’, defining next-generation solutions roadmaps across Cloud, IoT and emerging technologies, balancing risk/return to translate strategy into business outcomes.
- Dynamic Programme & Change Director, directing $100M+ enterprise-level transformations including a first-of-its-kind, global HCM ERP harmonisation programme for Singtel (29 entities).
- Trusted CxO advisor, strategist and partner, creating true value-add relationships with major blue-chip organisations at a global level, through a dedicated ‘sales-by-delivery’ approach.
- Advanced commercial acumen, skilled in managing multimillion-dollar P&Ls, revenue targets and benefit realisation initiatives, streamlining operations to return $ value to the bottom line.
- Engaging people leader, committed to building and continuously developing teams into high performance capabilities, ensuring optimal delivery quality across multiple work streams.
Executive Snapshot
- CEO / Owner, Merrinology Pty LTD, 01/01/23, Present
- Vice President – Head of Enterprise Services & Customer Success, SAP ANZ, 02/01/22, 01/01/23
- VP & Head of APJ – Premium Cloud Customer Success, SAP ANZ, 07/01/18, 02/01/22
- Senior Delivery Executive, Digital Business Solutions, SAP ANZ, 01/01/17, 07/01/18
- Director, ICT Delivery Services, Snr Program Director APJ, HCL Axon, 10/01/13, 12/01/16
- Programme Director, RailCorp NSW, 07/01/12, 10/01/13
- General Manager, Professional Services, APA Management Services, 03/01/12, 01/01/14
- Programme Manager, Dimension Data, 12/01/10, 02/01/12
- SAP Programme Manager & Senior Project Manager, NSW Road & Transit Authority, 02/01/08, 11/01/10
References
Available on request
Timeline
CEO / Owner
Merrinology Pty LTD
01.2023 - Current
Vice President – Head of Enterprise Services & Customer Success
SAP ANZ
02.2022 - 01.2023
Head of APJ Premium Cloud Customer Success
SAP Global
07.2018 - 02.2022
Delivery Executive, Digital Business Solutions
SAP ANZ
01.2017 - 07.2018
Director, ICT Delivery Services, Snr Program Director APJ
HCL Axon
10.2013 - 12.2016
Programme Director
RailCorp NSW
07.2012 - 10.2013
General Manager, Professional Services
APA Management Services
03.2012 - 01.2014
Programme Manager
Dimension Data
12.2010 - 02.2012
SAP Programme Manager & Senior Project Manager
NSW Road & Transit Authority
02.2008 - 11.2010
Programme Manager
Transfield Services
01.2006 - 01.2008
Senior Software Engineer & Project Manager
Carel Australia
01.2003 - 01.2006
Internal Sales & IT Support
Kirby Refrigeration Australia
01.1999 - 01.2003
Internal Sales & Warehouse Manager
Eurotred Australia
01.1997 - 01.1999
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