NOWELL ASHFORD BCS, MBA, (CFA*)

Strategic. Visionary. Driven to Succeed.

An Individual with a Track Record of Business Success and Vision.
Leveraged leadership and cutting-edge strategies to achieve business goals. Weig
hed risk versus reward when analyzing new ventures and projects. Managed, traine
d and worked efficiently with cohesive, world class teams in globally diverse en
vironments. Implemented innovative solutions to challenging problems expeditious
ly. Reliable, motivated and highly perceptive.
~ Orchestrated project planning and management, managing on average five to ten
critical projects annually. ~
Executive Summary
Spearheaded numerous initiatives and projects to achieve strategic business goal
s. Hands-on leadership experience in developing streamlined, cost-efficient orga
nizations. Lead all aspects of organizational information management, strategic
and tactical planning, business continuity, IT governance and administration. Co
llaborated with senior management to define strategic goals and set appropriate
project budgets. Spearheaded million plus dollar projects; managed critical chan
ges. Valuable experience in Sarbanes Oxley compliance, change & project manageme
nt methodologies compliant with PMI/PMBOK, service level agreements, root cause
analysis, internal time and cost tracking methods, structured HR systems etc. Ex
posure to highly organized methods of business , technology management and stric
t ITIL concepts and practices. 12 years plus of cumulative experience in Microso
ft/Cisco administration, design and operations. Vast expertise in the areas of S
harepoint, Windows Server, SQL Server, Symantec Enterprise Products, AD (Manipul
ation, design, implementation, scripting and more), Citrix: Presentation Server
,Access Gateways & Netscalers, VMWARE, RMS, AIR, EQE, MS Exchange 2007, RIM Blac
kberry Server, IPSWITCH monitoring, SCOM Monitoring, HP Insight Monitoring, HP S
ervers, Cisco Switches, routers, firewall and VoIP (AVAYA & Cisco), Storage conc
erns (SAN & Fabric), System Monitoring, PKI, and many more enterprise level solu
tions.
Management Experience
INFRASTRUCTURE IT MANAGER , Endurance Specialty Insurance (NYSE: ENH) 2007-Pre
sent
Collaborate with senior management to identify and report strategic areas of imp
rovement, cost efficiency and to evaluate cutting-edge strategies. Key resource
responsible for problem solving and technology oversight. Create efficient and c
ost optimized network methodologies. Ensure compliance with in house SLA and PLA
levels - working under pressure daily; create Root Cause Analysis (RCA) documen
tation per regulatory SOX compliance. Tracking of true project and infrastructur
e cost calculations to determine a more accurate cost & ROI. Accountable for var
ious analytical reporting, process flow identification and documentation, contro
ls methods and performance metrics.
* Leveraged training in structured project management methodology to provide ha
nds-on leadership for large-scale, global projects fostering organizational grow
th, productivity, and efficiency while communicating and all aspects of a projec
t succinctly to upper management.
* Delivery of strategy and vision for a globally diverse IT infrastructure.
* Oversight and Implementation for global virtualization project. Ensure compli
ance with strict timelines and budgets; risk mitigation. Leverage technology exp
ertise to create cost-effective and "greener" server rooms, saving vast amounts
of money on maintenance, extended warrantees, and power and cooling costs via de
creasing the physical technological footprint.
* Management of a major DR project to overhaul, expand and replace all DR infra
structure inclusive of the Design of a more resource efficient and innovative DR
isolation strategy for annual SOX compliance testing purposes.
 * Information Lifecycle Management design and implementation concerns for all c
ompany file systems and email systems.
* Key resource for Web Application Infrastructure; IBM Webspere, IIS, Tomcat, i
n-house solutions and others.
* Primary Resource for all Mail Related Concerns inclusive of long term capacit
y planning, archive, clustering, dedicated Netapp SAN storage, Disaster Recovery
etc.
* For all implemented and managed systems, Design, implementation and maintenan
ce of IT security policy, procedures and best practice methodology.
* Managing external consultants and a team of highly skilled and technically di
verse professionals
* Be on point with licensing concerns and related vendor management relations.
* Tasked with Strategic growth planning, scalable solution designs and more.
* Coordinated large-scale global security project for global RSA deployment.
* Facilitate global meetings on varying concerns, projects, product choice dete
rmination and more often aimed at proving & steering opinions as to why a given
product or solution is or is not a best fit for the company.
* The maintenance, design and assurance of 'High Availability ' solutions for a
ll infrastructure concerns.
* Provided critical support to Underwriting, Analysis and Actuarial departments
' workbenches.
* Tasked with planning and Implementation for globally integrated telephony for
one of the major branches in order to increase cost efficiency and productivity
.
* Key resource for various Data Management and Warehousing concerns as a SQL ad
ministrator.
* Primary resource for all Enterprise storage solutions; SAN and Fibre network
topologies.
* Revamping technological reporting infrastructure for enhanced proactive repor
ting globally.
* Responsible for Risk Modeling Systems inclusive of RMS, AIR and EQE.
* Oversaw technical documentation for administration, security, and emergency m
anagement.
* Operating in a large and global production environment.
* Maintained strict change control procedures.
* Maintained complete compliance with regulations (SOX, etc.) and in-house chec
ks.
IT MANAGER, BHS - Bermuda 2001-200
7
Spearheaded IT management, budgeting, future requirements analysis and staff man
agement (including recruitment and termination). Led various expansion efforts a
nd related planning, including layout, RFPs, and cost oversight. Redesigned IT t
o better serve increased capacity requirements. Conducted long and short term pr
oactive planning.
* Served for many months after leaving as an expert resource and consultant to
oversee large projects, such as cost streamlining virtualization efforts, produc
tivity increasing remote access and a full review of disaster recovery strategy
to ensure business continuity.
* Orchestrated project planning and management Managing on average five to ten
critical projects annually-budgets exceeding hundreds of thousands of dollars.
* Single-handedly steered departmental vision and direction and raised awarenes
s of its mission.
* Successfully researched and designed a new infrastructure-serving over 800+ u
sers.
* Catapulted the business from a low technology footprint in 2001 to a cutting-
edge and cost-efficient infrastructure.
* Researched industry best practices and implemented them accordingly.
* Improved in-house capabilities and talent while eliminating heavy reliance on
external vendors to cut costs.
 * Successfully streamlined company telephony making use of existing systems and
merging them for greatly increased productivity and cost savings.
* Strategically planned related concerns during business expansion; two large b
uildings in 2002 and 2006; ensuring strict deadlines and cost control during the
expansion.
* Hands-on leadership for initiatives, improving departmental efficiency often
via the analysis of cumbersome procedures and related intelligent solutions.
* Recommended to management and implemented the use of new web technologies and
appropriate budgets to increase PR efforts and external communication.
* Deployed secure and accountable Internet usage to uphold the company's public
image at all times.
* Designed a secure wireless infrastructure to increase user mobility and effic
iency.
* Established strict departmental documentation policies to ensure business con
tinuity via knowledge transfer.
CHAIRMAN, SMITHS REGIONAL/NORTH - DISTRICT # 10, United Bermuda Party 2006-200
8
Provided highly effective leadership and planned and conducted both Smiths North
and Smiths regional meetings. Orchestrated all regional functions, including me
et and greets, legal workshops, canvassing preparation, technology concerns and
finance procurement. Oversaw election planning, organization, and preparation fo
r all three districts. Ran regional and district AGM's; invited general public t
o events for input. Accountable for data manipulation and parliamentary registra
r reconciliation. Oversaw door-to-door canvassing on behalf of party. Senior boa
rd member of Central Executive Committee and Tech Committee. Delivered presentat
ions to members of parliament and the Campaign and Central Executive committees.
PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT HISTORY 2001& Previous
* Zurich Insurance Bermuda Branch (1997 - 2001) - Accomplishments available upo
n Request
Educational Qualifications & Affiliations
*CFA Institute (CFA), In Progress
Certifications: CCNA & MCSE, Both in Progress- I am considered Expert level in b
oth topics regardless
Masters of Business Administration in Technology Management (MBA/TM), University
of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, 2006
Bachelors of Computer Science (BCS), Acadia University, Wolfville, Canada, 2001
Boarding School, Kings-Edgehill School, Windsor, NS, Canada, 1994
Saltus Grammar School, Pembroke, Bermuda
Proficiencies
Financial: Budgeting, Cost efficiency, formula/algorithm design, investment and
ROI calculations
Math: Adept at analyzing mathematical problems
Analysis: I am very strong at analyzing, determining areas of improvement and pr
oblem solving
Education: Capable of learning new skills and talents very quickly and pride mys
elf in my desire to learn
Programming: C/C++, VB, .NET, PERL, J2EE and others
Networking (Expert Level): Cisco, SAN, NAS, Fibre, Citrix, VMWARE, DNS, Routing,
DHCP, TCP/IP, AD, GPO, Scripting, MOM/SCOM, IIS, PKI, All AV Enterprise Product
s, EXCHANGE, Enterprise Vault, Clustering/HA Solutions - All Major Concepts
OS: Unix/Linux, Windows Server (2003 & 2008), OSX
Databases: SQL Design, Maintenance and Implementation; DBA Work.
Risk Modeling Systems: RMS, AIR & EQE Knowledge
Hardware Design: Satellite Hardware; the design of a Complex Band-Stacker unit
Software Packages: All major Insurance, enterprise and HR/administrative applica
tions - Please enquire
Nationality
Bermudian
Canadian (Also allows for work within the US under NAFTA)
UK / EU
References
Available upon request