Stephen Repton
Profile:
A highly committed and capable ICT professional with experience gained working across both public and private
sectors both in the UK and Europe. Possessing excellent strategic, corporate planning and leadership skills,
supported by a broad all round technical awareness; a member of the executive leadership team, comfortable
working at director and board level. Having a direct impact on business transformation activities, that shape and
grow the business to achieve its corporate objectives through innovative thinking and technology in a challenging
and ever changing environment. Directly responsible for developing and implementing the ICT strategy whilst
ensuring the day to day operational effectiveness of the ICT function. Experienced in managing a varied portfolio of
projects incorporating infrastructure, development, and business change and service improvement.
Key Skills:
 Driven, effective and confident leadership style.
 An excellent communicator with the ability to deal with a wide range of audiences.
 Enthusiastic, creative and innovative.
 Passionate about providing excellent customer service.
 Exceptional relationship management and influencing skills.
 Ability to build and lead diverse teams.
 Pro-active and results orientated.
 Ability to lead and oversee multiple complex ICT programs.
 Commercially astute with the ability to extract value driven outcomes.
 Able to identify and manage risk.
Recent Achievements:
 Part of a team that has worked to identify and implement £16m of efficiency savings (staffing and none
staffing) to be realised over a four-year period.
 Reviewed, designed and implemented a new ICT team structure to meet the future needs of the business.
 Specified and procured a hybrid cloud infrastructure comprising CISCO UC FlexPod, VM Ware and NetApp.
Technologies; enhanced by ‘As A Service’ platforms for back up, resilience and security (1.4m).
 Procured a new 3rd party IT 5 year managed service contract (2.3m).
 Procured a new cloud based Mitel IP Telephony system (164k).
 Procured a 5 year telephony maintenance and support contract (386k).
 IT lead on the relocation to a new build corporate head office.
 IT lead on implementation of newly procured infrastructure and telephony projects.
 IT lead on migration from outsourced infrastructure service provider to newly appointed managed service.
provider and in-house IT team.
 Developed and implemented a 3 year IT strategy, aligned to operational and corporate plans.
 Developed and implemented a 3 year digital strategy to aid channel shift.
 Transformed an underperforming team into a highly capable ICT service delivery function.
Career History:
Employer: First Choice Homes Oldham
Role: Assistant Director Business Transformation (ICT)
Nature of Business: Registered Social Landlord
Duration: May 2013 - Present
First Choice Homes (FCHO) is a registered housing provider that owns and manages 12,000 properties in the borough
of Oldham. I am responsible for the delivery of all ICT services and aligning them with business objectives and the
corporate plan, with the aim of working together to improve homes and communities, to make them places where
people want to live.
As a member of the executive leadership team I am responsible for ensuring that ICT is a business “enabler” and a
strategic business partner and that the team deliver excellent services to 400+ colleagues, which in turn improve the
lives of our customers. Within the corporate structure ICT sits under the business transformation directorate and I
am a key stakeholder in leading business transformation activities. I am a trusted advisor to my peers within the
leadership team and to the independent board with regard to strategic and business planning and I am responsible
for all key stakeholder and supplier relationships.
Key Achievements:
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Restructured the IS team to ensure that it was equipped for future challenges and fit for purpose and to
bring services back in-house.
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I created new job role profiles and responsibilities, creating two distinct functions with a “one team
approach” based around ICT service delivery and innovation.
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Developed technical requirements for infrastructure, telephony and managed support service. Procured the
new technologies and services through supplier selection and contract negotiations.
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Led a project to transition an infrastructure support service and hosted data centre service to a new
provider.
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Negotiated and re-procured a three-year housing management system contract with Northgate Housing
realising, £90k savings over previous contract.
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Overseen the implementation of new policies and procedures that focus on incident, change, and problem
and transition management, security and acceptable use.
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I selected and procured a new ITIL compliant service desk system, implemented project management and
security frameworks as well as appropriate ICT governance to ensure accurate ICT budget forecasting within
the organisation.
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I chair the FCHO ICT program board, this group is responsible for reviewing and approving new ICT business
cases submitted to board with a focus on value for money and anticipated business outcomes.
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Overseen the delivery of all strategic ICT projects. I take responsibility for understanding business
requirements to enable the delivery of innovative ICT solutions.
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Delivered agile working solutions that focus on taking front line services to customers. These projects have
resulted in a channel shift in the way the business interacts with its customers, improved productivity,
reduced manual processes and duplication of effort, improved customer satisfaction and KPI’s.
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Played a lead role in the implementation of a highly resilient and highly available cloud ICT infrastructure and
virtual desktop environment. Resulting in reduced carbon footprint making an overall saving of approx. 15k.
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Renationalisation of printing devices across the business and a focus on “less paper”. This has resulted in a
saving of approx. 12k.
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Lead for ICT business continuity, risk management and security, I also advise other business areas on service
continuity whilst ensuring key ICT partners have adequate plans in place to recover FCHO services in the
event of a disaster
Employer: Your Housing Group
Role: Group ICT Infrastructure Manager
Nature of Business: Registered Social Landlord
Duration: April 2012 – May 2013 (Merger)
Key Achievements:
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Development of two separate ICT teams into a single collaborative ICT function.
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Restructure of the technical team as part of a merger process.
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Development of a consolidated “private cloud” virtual infrastructure.
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Migration of the Group’s ICT infrastructure to a high-availability hosted data center environment.
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Delivery of a new Group MPLS wide area network for data and voice.
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Delivery of security solutions ensuring confidentiality, availability and integrity YHG data and systems.
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Successful disaster recovery planning, testing and implementation of business continuity solutions.
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Expansion and development of the Group’s contact center VOIP telephony solution.
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Implementation and development of several service improvement plans to enhance systems availability.
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Delivery of group wide office rationalization and office refurbishment projects.
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Provided leadership and direction to the ICT technical team.
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Planed and delivered technical ICT projects in-line with the Groups key business objectives.
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Provided high-level expertise to the business with regard to the data and voice infrastructure.
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Responsible for the Groups ICT infrastructure comprising 120+ sites and 1400+ staff.
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Managed and maintained relationships with key stakeholders, partners and suppliers.
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Responsible for the specification, supplier selection, procurement and implementation of ICT solutions.
Employer: Harvest Housing
Role: Group ICT Infrastructure Manager
Nature of Business: Registered Social Landlord
Duration: Dec 2009 – April 2012 (Merger)
Key Achievements:
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Successfully led a Group project to replace the entire ICT infrastructure, which included server virtualisation,
centralised data storage and replication, implementation of thin client technologies, implementation of an
in-house disaster recovery solution.
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Successfully implemented customer service strategy within the ICT department, further developing.
procedures through a continuous improvement plan.

Successfully managed a team through a period of significant business change.
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Implemented change management and disaster recovery procedures within the ICT function.
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Played a lead role in a Group wide business continuity project.
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Overall responsibility for the management, development and integrity of the Group ICT infrastructure,
comprising 60+ UK sites and 800 ICT customers.
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Responsible for effective management and resource planning for large scale Group wide projects.
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Ownership several large-scale ICT related projects including new office installations and moves.
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Responsible for 3rd party supplier relationship management.
Employer: Guinness Northern Counties
Role: ICT Systems Manager
Nature of Business: Registered Social Landlord
Duration: July 2006 – December 2009
Key Achievements:
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High level involvement in mergers of business partners to form a single group ICT function.
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Played a key role in the integration of major business functions operating disparate ICT systems.
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Overseen large scale office moves across a wide geographical area.
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Created and implemented change management, problem management and transition management policies
and procedures working towards ITIL standards.
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Played a key role in the selection, design and implementation of ICT systems and solutions e.g. Mitel VOIP
Telephony solutions, Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network infrastructure solution, desktop design
and roll-outs across the UK.
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Successfully selected and managed 3rd party support partners to work in tandem with the ICT support
function.
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Successfully built relationships with business critical departments, e.g. worked with the customer service
function to raise the profile of ICT and foster improved working practices between teams.
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Successfully Managed a team through a period of significant organisational change and restructure.
Employer: Plan-IT Solutions Ltd
Role: Self Employed
Nature of Business: ICT Solutions Provider
Duration: Jan 2005 - July 2006
Key Achievements:

Self-employed ICT consultant with overall responsibility for Plan-IT Solutions as a business.

The business successfully delivered a profit in its first operating year.

I provided a bespoke customer focused ICT service for small/medium enterprises across the north west of
England. Services ranged from strategic consultancy to technical implementation work, risk management
and business continuity.
Employer: Pilkington’s Tiles Limited
Role: Group IT Systems Manager
Nature of Business: Manufacturing
Duration: May 2002 – Jan 2005
Key Achievements:

Responsible for the group IT functions, supporting over 150 users across three UK sites.

Leadership and management the ICT function both technically and in terms of man management, including
staff appraisals, meeting training needs and personal development requirements.

I took a lead role in the recruitment and selection process of IT staff.

During my time at Pilkington’s I successfully replaced the entire ICT infrastructure and took a lead role in
specifying and selecting a new ERP system for the Group.
Employer: ITNET /Exxon Mobil
Role: IT LAN Analyst / Project Team
Nature of Business: Oil/Petrol
Duration: Jan 2000 – May 2002
Key Achievements:

Project team member working on the computer infrastructure implementation and installation for Esso
Serve Europe.

Project managed the roll out of both hardware and software across the Exxon Mobil contract.

Successfully implemented a complete IT network solution for the Esso Manchester site.
Employer: Caradon Friedland Limited
Role: IT Support Analyst / Deputy to IT Services Manager
Nature of Business: European Manufacturing
Duration: May 1997 – Dec 1999
Key Achievements:

Supported 150 users on the UK site and also had sole responsibility for the IT support of five European
offices.

Successfully completed several key projects throughout Europe including an information security
management audit, hardware roll-out, co-ordination and implementation of a Y2K project.

Provided written reports to the Board focusing upon both current IT status and the future strategic direction
of the IT function.
Employer: North Manchester NHS Trust
Role: Technical Services Officer – Computer Services
Nature of Business: Health Care
Duration: 1990 – 1997
Key Achievements:

Provided ICT support to over 3000 NHS staff.

Assisted the Technical Services Manager with large-scale NHS network upgrade and maintenance work.

Completed a large scale desktop roll-out (600 Desktops).

Implemented a new fibre and CAT 5 infrastructure.
Education:
1990 - 1992
1998 – 1990
1985 – 1990
MANCAT BTECH
Xavarian Sixth Form College 5 GCSE’s C & above
North Manchester High School for Boys
Professional Qualifications & Course attended:
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CISSP & CISMP
Prince 2 Practitioner.
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UCI Project management.
ITIL Foundation.
Microsoft Certified Professional.
FAST Accredited Software Manager.
FAST Accredited Software Auditor.
Microsoft SQL Server Administration.
CISCO CCNA.
CITRIX PS4 Administration.
Leadership Courses attended
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Mary Gober Service Excellence.
Management Development (Conflict Management, Managing Attendance, Performance Management,
Recruitment and Selection).
Leading for the Future.
GO-Mad techniques.
Presentation skills
Personal Details:
Stephen Repton
18 Mayfair Crescent
Failsworth
Manchester
M35 9HY
Interests:
Travel, Skiing, Football, Music, Socialising, Current Affairs, Technology, Fund Raising