Karl Merckel

Industry: Travel

I managed the global delivery and support of key business applications, including Reservation, Financial, Data & Analytics, CRM, and E-commerce systems. I developed and implemented strategies to improve efficiency, scalability, and innovation while overseeing a multi-million annual budget to optimize resources and ensure smooth operations.

Key Achievements

• Led AI enablement, driving Microsoft AI adoption across Technology Operations. Implemented Copilot for GitHub, Azure, and DevOps, enhancing testing and QA, increasing velocity and quality by 20%.
• Established a scalable, secure data platform with Azure, Microsoft Fabric, and Purview, enhancing data management, governance, and analytics for Dynamics CE and future applications.
• Successfully implemented the Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CE) Suite, enhancing CRM and operational efficiency across Customer Insights, Sales, Marketing, and Service.
• Unified regional sales offices onto global systems, consolidating Reservation, Financial, Reporting, and Infrastructure to streamline operations and boost efficiency.
• Led the consolidation of regional Sitecore instances into a global platform with 24/7 managed services, enhancing digital capabilities.
• Successfully led technology budget consolidation efforts, optimizing costs and increasing efficiency, resulting in a 3.5% of revenue allocation.

Industry: Travel

I led regional IT operations, managing infrastructure, cybersecurity, and business applications. I aligned IT strategy with business goals, ensured system reliability, mitigated risks, and optimized resources.

Key Achievements

• Directed the implementation of Dynamics Sales and Service modules, optimizing B2B and B2C sales processes and enhancing customer engagement.
• Utilized Power BI and Azure analytics to streamline insights, consolidate over 200 Crystal reports into 5 departmental report packs, and enhance data-driven decision-making.
• Successfully orchestrated the migration of Sitecore CMS to cloud infrastructure, enhancing performance and cost-effectiveness.
• Managed the upgrade and relocation of the data centre, improving infrastructure resilience and security.
• Led the deployment of cybersecurity measures across multiple regions, fortifying our digital infrastructure and ensuring industry compliance.
• Executed a comprehensive PC upgrade across the organization, improving system performance and security.

Industry: Local Government

I led the management of the City of Sydney’s application portfolio and associated technologies, ensuring optimal performance, security, and alignment with business objectives.

Key Activities

• Delivery of internal IT application projects.
• IT support and operational maintenance of Business Applications.
• Vendor management
• Managed 3 technical teams.

Industry: Medical Association, Education

Managed the College’s application portfolio, ensuring performance, security, and alignment with medical education and professional development needs.

Key Activities

• Delivery of internal IT application projects.
• IT support and operational maintenance of Business Applications.
• Vendor management
• Managed a cross function team of 10.

Industry: ICT Distribution

Managed IT operations, applications and infrastructure, ensuring system reliability, security, and alignment with business objectives.

Key Activities

• Delivery of internal IT application projects.
• IT support and operational maintenance of applications and infrastructure.
• Vendor & contract management
• Managed 4 technical teams.

Industry: Systems Integrator

Led a team managing the development, maintenance, and support of internal business applications, ensuring alignment with organizational needs.

Key Activities

• Delivery of internal IT application projects.
• IT support and operational maintenance of Business Applications.
• Vendor management
• Managed a cross functional team of 5.

Industry: Software

Led the development of a SaaS security product at this startup, managing architecture, development, and release cycles. Oversaw a cross-functional team, implemented Agile and CI/CD, and ensured secure coding and system scalability.

Key Activities

• Led the development of a SaaS security product, overseeing architecture, development, and release cycles.
• Directed a cross-functional team, implementing Agile methodologies and CI/CD pipelines.
• Defined the technology roadmap, aligning product strategy with business goals.
• Ensured secure coding practices and optimized system performance for scalability.