CHRIS WILLEMS
PERSONAL DETAILS
Nationality : Belgium
Post Code : London, WC2H 7AS
Linkedin : http://uk.linkedin.com/in/chwillems
E-mail: willems.ch@gmail.com
Mobile: 07766 007 167
Other : 020 7766 5209
EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS
Dec 2014
Jan 2013
Apr 2011
Jul 1997
Windows System / Server Administration
CSCS Health & Safety
CCNA Routing & Switching
Advertising & Photography Degree
VDAB Wevelgem. Belgium
Self Study
St. Luke College (Ghent, Belgium)
PROFILE
Technical Service Engineer with over 10 years commercial experience in multi-vendor LAN / WAN
environments for UK as well as European based service providers. Successfully worked with financial
services, media and retail customers. Specialised at providing field services and customer support involving
network troubleshooting, equipment deployment and maintenance. Also has experience with project
rollouts, incident management, site surveying and technical support in pre-sales environments.
Strong team player with a passion for networking and consumer technology. Excellent written and verbal
communication skills, enabling effective client facing capabilities. Able to work on own initiative as well
as part of a team. Committed to ensuring any task is completed to high standards.
Seeks contract work and is immediately available for interviews and starts throughout London and
across the UK or other European locations.
SKILL SUMMARY:
Network Protocols:
TCP/IP, Ethernet, VLAN (802.1Q), STP/RSTP, CDP, VTP, DTP,
PVST/PVST+, DHCP, DNS, SNMP, PPP, RIP, EIGRP, OSPF, BGP,
MPLS, DHCP, DNS.
Network Equipment:
Cisco 800, 1800, 1900, 2800, 2900, 3900, 7200 Series Routers, Cisco
2940, 2950, 3550, 3560, 3750, 6509 Catalyst and IE3000 (Industrial
Ethernet) Switches, Cisco IOS, HP ProCurve, Huawei Quidway Routers &
Switches, Huawei MSAN and DSLAM, Exposure to Cisco ASA &
PFSense Firewalls, Exposure to Ciena 3916 Service Delivery Switches.
Actelis ML628 and ML2300 Aggregation Switches.
Desktop Operating systems:
Windows 10 / 8 / 7, XP, Basic Linux.
Server Operating Systems:
Exposure to Windows Server 2012, 2008 & Active Directory
Software / Network Tools:
MS Office, MS Visio, Remedy, Wireshark, Iperf, Solarwinds, Nagios
Languages:
English, Dutch / Flemish (Mother Tongue), French, German (Basic)
,
REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST; RECOMMENDATIONS AVAILABLE VIA LINKEDIN
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CHRIS WILLEMS
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Apr 2014 – Jan 2015
VDAB, Wevelgem - Belgium
Study; attended daytime course for entry level Windows System / Server Administrators
Sep 2013 – Apr 2014
Career break in order to take care of family overseas.
Mar 2013 – Sep 2013
MDSi Inc., London - UK
MDSi Inc. is a supplier of tailored technology solutions for telecom providers, specialising in inventory
management, equipment staging and field engineer services.
Field Service Engineer:
Dedicated field engineer for problems relating to Easynet services provided to the Sky Networks head
office in Osterley. This role involved I&C of Easynet rack builds in BT Exchanges and performing UK
wide trial installations of Ciena 3916 service delivery switches at Vaioni customer premises.
Responsibilities:
 Installed and maintained Cisco CPE equipment for Easynet customers as part of a 4 man field service
team within London and as a single field service engineer covering the Thames Valley area. This
involved physical installation, network troubleshooting using Cisco IOS and traffic analysing with
Wireshark when required.
 Completed the trial installations of Ciena 3916 service delivery switches which involved physical
installation and bandwidth measuring using Iperf.
 Carried out I&C according to predetermined SoW of Easynet rack builds in BT Exchanges
 Installed Cisco 1921 series routers and Actelis ML628 aggregation switches inside TFL cabinets to
provide uplink for IPCCTV, CC and Low Emission Zone camera’s in London.
Achievements:
 Successfully completed installation trials for Vaioni resulting in obtaining a long term installation and
maintenance contract for their CPE equipment across the UK.
Skill Snapshot:
Ciena Service Delivery Switches, Actelis Aggregation Switches, Cisco Routers & Catalyst Switches, Cisco
IOS, TCP/IP, VLAN, DHCP, DNS, BGP, OSPF, Ethernet, Iperf, Wireshark, Hardware Configuration,
Deployment & Troubleshooting.
Jan 2013 – Mar 2013
KFP Comms Ltd., Reading - UK
KFP Comms Ltd. specialises in the installation and maintenance of structured cabling, network and IT
infrastructure and cash registry systems for retail customers.
Infrastructure Engineer
KFP required an additional person with Cisco experience and additional language skills to strengthen an
existing team of IT and structured cabling engineers. The main focus was to provide technical services for
Abercrombie & Fitch flagship stores and Hard Rock Café sites in Continental Europe.
Responsibilities:
 Implemented change management procedures for hardware maintenance and replacement.
 Installed and maintained Cisco routers / switches, WiFi access points and IP phones for European
Hard Rock Cafe sites.
 Installed and maintained CPE Catalyst switches, IP phones and cash register systems for Abercrombie
& Fitch, Hollister and Gilly Hicks stores around Europe.
Skill Snapshot:
Cisco Routers, Cisco Catalyst Switches, Cisco IOS, Cisco IP Phones, DHCP, DNS, TCP/IP, VLAN,
Ethernet, Wireshark, Hardware Configuration, Deployment & Troubleshooting.
Oct 2011 – Jan 2013
MDSi Inc., London - UK
MDSi Inc. Is a supplier of tailored technology solutions for telecom providers, specialising in inventory
management, equipment staging and deployment and field engineer services.
Field Service Engineer
Employed to perform UK wide trial installations of Cisco CPE’s for Easynet customers, as well as
deployement of rack builds for Easynet in BT Exchanges within the M25 area.
Responsibilities:
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CHRIS WILLEMS
Installed and maintained Cisco CPE equipment for Easynet customers. This involved physical
installation, troubleshooting using Cisco IOS and traffic analysing with Wireshark when required.
Carried out I&C according to predetermined SoW of Easynet rack builds, in BT Exchanges.
Performed site surveys for rack deployments in various data centres in the Glasgow area.
Achievements:

Successfully managed to complete both the Easynet installation and maintenance trails, helping MDSi
in securing long term contracts for UK wide CPE installation and maintenance.
Skill Snapshot:
Cisco Routers. Cisco Catalyst Switches, Cisco IOS, TCP/IP, VLAN, DHCP, DNS, BGP, OSPF, Ethernet,
Iperf, Wireshark, Hardware Configuration, Deployment & Troubleshooting.
May 2011 – Oct 2011
NSC Global, France / UK
NSC Global is an international technology service, infrastructure and provider of contractor services for
the telecommunications industry.
Network Consultant
Employed as a consultant to perform an audit of three COLT data centres in and around Paris. Was later
offered a second contract by NSC Global as a site team lead for a project involving the installation of 120
Cisco 3750 switches and 80 Catalyst 6509 switches at the BBC New Broadcast house in London.
Responsibilities:
 Supervised a six man audit team and co-ordinated with the project manager in Spain during an audit of
three COLT data centres in Paris.
 Supervised a four man installation team, including work scheduling and co-ordination between the
project management team and 3rdparties (Overbury, BBC, Atos). Ensured all equipment was installed
according to specified requirements and according to site regulations.
 Built, installed and commissioned Cisco switches for the BBC New Broadcast house project in
London
Achievements:
 Used initiative and got all the engineers involved in completely redoing the survey while collating all
information and coordinating with the project manager, as one site did not hit audit requirements. The
project was completed on time and the company was paid for the work.
 Due to operational issues, initial deployment of the Cat-6509 switches at New Broadcast house was
being delayed. Convinced the project manager that we could do the builds on site alongside
installations, meaning the project completed two days ahead of schedule.
Skill snapshot:
Cisco Catalyst switches, Cisco IOS, Team Management, Onsite Supervision, Auditing, Hardware
Deployment.
Nov 2009 – Mar 2010
Huawei Technologies, Bern – CH
Huawei Technologies is one of the largest telecomm equipment manufacturers and solutions providers in
the world and is headquartered in Shenzhen.
Broadband & Access Network Technical Services Engineer
Requested to act as consultant at a new Huawei office in Bern to help implement company procedures for
installation and QA’s of DSLAMS. The role involved training local partners on equipment installation and
training local Huawei engineers on QA processes. Contract was offered based on previous experience as a
Huawei UK Technical Service Engineer along with both French and German language skills.
Responsibilities:
 Trained and supervised partners during the installation of Huawei MA5600T DSLAM’s in Swisscom
Exchanges in Bern, Zurich, Basel, Geneva and Lausanne.
 Ensured partner I&C work was measured for quality according to Huawei standards by training local
engineers on established Huawei QA practices and requirements.
 Provided pre-sale technical support for customer engineers on Broadband Access Products
(MA5600T, UA5000).
Skill snapshot:
Huawei MA5600-T DSLAM, Huawei UA5000 MSAN, Q&A, Technical support, Training, Pre-Sales.
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CHRIS WILLEMS
Jul 2007 – Nov 2009
COLT Telecom, London - UK
COLT Telecom is a telecommunications, IT managed services and data centre services company, providing
managed data, voice and IT solutions for business customers worldwide.
NOC Analyst
This was a long term contract for a new team of 8 network engineers to provide 2nd Line technical support
for COLT’s top-tier (T1SE) customer helpdesk. Was later moved to become part of another 8 man team to
provide 24/7 technical support and customer management services for top-tier customers who signed up for
COLT’s DNA (Direct Network Access) service. This involved acting as a single point of contact to resolve
technical faults or direct issues to the project management team or CSM’s where appropriate.
Responsibilities:
 Network troubleshooting and fault resolution on customer edge connections for COLT’s NOC-toNOC customer base (Swift, Jones Day, etc…).
 Monitoring alarms on customer leased lines, MPLS-VPN links and other managed services.
 Diagnostic level on Cisco and Huawei Quidway routers and switches.
 Liaising with relevant fixing parties such as Transmission & Core Backbone, project management
team or CSM where and when required.
Achievements:
 Volunteered to run extended nightshifts for a month so COLT implemented the T1SE before they
recruited all 8 required engineers, allowing them to start the project a week ahead of schedule
 DNA Team managed to achieve a 20% reduction in penalty fees chargeable by Swift when closing
faults outside of SLA’s.
Skill snapshot:
Cisco Routers & Switches, Cisco IOS, Huawei Quidway Routers & Switches, Remedy, Netcool, Network
Troubleshooting, Customer Management.
Apr 2007 – Jul 2007
Tiscali, Milton Keynes - UK
Tiscali UK (now part of TalkTalk Communications) is a telecommunications, and data centre services
provider of triple play services to residential customers and broadband solutions to 3rdparty ISP’s.
Technical Management Centre Engineer
This role was a short term contract to help improve the technical documentation on Tiscali’s internal Wiki
regarding Huawei MSAN and DSLAM products which were deployed around BT LLU Exchanges around
the UK. Contract was offered due to previous experience as a Huawei TSE and previous dealings with
Tiscali as a Huawei customer.
Responsibilities:
 Update information in the internal Wiki regarding configuration and troubleshooting specific to
Huawei MA5300 DSLAM’s and UA5000 MSAN’s.
 Providing technical guidance and support for 1st and 2nd level Technical Support Group agents on
Broadband related faults specific to Huawei DSLAM and MSAN products and services.
 Management of the Tiscali LLU backbone.
Skill snapshot:
Huawei MA5300 DSLAM, Huawei UA5000 MSAN, Technical support, Training, Documentation.
EARLY CAREER HISTORY
Oct 2006 – Apr 2007 Customer Service Manager
IZR SolutionsOct 2005 – Oct 2006
Principal Engineer
C&W Global Project Huawei Technologies
Aug 2004 – Jul 2005 2nd Level SMC Analyst
COLT Telecom
Dec 2000 – Jul 2004 2nd Level Support Specialist Equant
Mar 2000 – Dec 2000 1st& 2nd Level Line Helpdesk 3Dfx
Sep 1997 – Jan 2000 Interviewer/Team Leader
GFK/NOP
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