Kedar P.
CIO / Vice President of Information Technology at Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago- Claim this Profile
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Topline Score
Bio
Chris Ortiz
I've been fortunate enough to work with Kedar twice. He is a rare individual and technologist. He brings to the table a combination not frequently seen. Kedar is an outstanding technologist and architect and an easy going fun individual. He beings a calm relaxed joy wherever he goes. That is a combination hard to beat. If you get a chance to work with him, I wholly recommend doing so. You'll have a good time and get a ton of work done.
Dorathea Peters
Kedar is professional, efficient, extremely intelligent and highly proficient. He helped turn around our software development team. Would be happy to work with him again.
Chris Ortiz
I've been fortunate enough to work with Kedar twice. He is a rare individual and technologist. He brings to the table a combination not frequently seen. Kedar is an outstanding technologist and architect and an easy going fun individual. He beings a calm relaxed joy wherever he goes. That is a combination hard to beat. If you get a chance to work with him, I wholly recommend doing so. You'll have a good time and get a ton of work done.
Dorathea Peters
Kedar is professional, efficient, extremely intelligent and highly proficient. He helped turn around our software development team. Would be happy to work with him again.
Chris Ortiz
I've been fortunate enough to work with Kedar twice. He is a rare individual and technologist. He brings to the table a combination not frequently seen. Kedar is an outstanding technologist and architect and an easy going fun individual. He beings a calm relaxed joy wherever he goes. That is a combination hard to beat. If you get a chance to work with him, I wholly recommend doing so. You'll have a good time and get a ton of work done.
Dorathea Peters
Kedar is professional, efficient, extremely intelligent and highly proficient. He helped turn around our software development team. Would be happy to work with him again.
Chris Ortiz
I've been fortunate enough to work with Kedar twice. He is a rare individual and technologist. He brings to the table a combination not frequently seen. Kedar is an outstanding technologist and architect and an easy going fun individual. He beings a calm relaxed joy wherever he goes. That is a combination hard to beat. If you get a chance to work with him, I wholly recommend doing so. You'll have a good time and get a ton of work done.
Dorathea Peters
Kedar is professional, efficient, extremely intelligent and highly proficient. He helped turn around our software development team. Would be happy to work with him again.
Credentials
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Certified Lead Systems Architect
Pegasystems -
Certified Methodology Black Belt - SmartBPM
Pegasystems -
Certified Non-Profit Cloud Consultant
Salesforce -
Certified Sr. Systems Architect
Pegasystems -
Certified System Administrator
Salesforce -
Certified Systems Architect
Pegasystems -
Microsoft Certified Solution Developer - .Net
Microsoft -
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist - Data Platform
Microsoft -
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist - SharePoint Application Architecture
Microsoft
Experience
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Jewish United Fund
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United States
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Non-profit Organizations
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200 - 300 Employee
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CIO / Vice President of Information Technology
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Jul 2015 - Present
Initially recruited as Director of IT and promoted within 6 months to CIO of this 120-year-old non-profit entity, tasked by the Board of Directors with serving as a change agent and leading a massive transformation of the organization’s technology infrastructure, IT culture, scalability, and service delivery capabilities. • Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, manage a 40-member technical team across three locations, and oversee planning/delivery of all corporate IT functions including infrastructure, cybersecurity, application development, project management, data analytics, network/telephony administration, and technical support • Allocate the annual IT budget and recommend key strategic technology investments to the CEO, CFO, and Board in order to improve organizational performance, delivery quality, speed, and cost-effectiveness • Led successful planning/execution of a multi-faceted digital transformation program that has reduced the total cost of operations by 37% YOY while simultaneously driving dramatic gains in user experience and satisfaction • Spearheaded multiple technical innovations to increase revenue and help the organization navigate difficult challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic • Champion a culture of data-driven decision-making and established the foundation of the first inter-agency, inter-departmental data sharing agreement/platform to create an agency-wide Data Hub across all services • Chair the Board’s IT Governance Committee, reviewing planned /current IT projects to ensure compliance with requirements and security protocols, mitigate risk, and facilitate on-time, on-budget performance
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Synechron
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United States
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Financial Services
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700 & Above Employee
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Director - Business Process Management (BPM) Practice
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Nov 2011 - Jul 2015
Successfully launched a new $15M annual consulting practice in the area of Business Process Management, working closely with the COO to build out all needed strategy, product/service offerings, pricing, and resources. • Recruited over 120 FTE staff and 100+ contractors to serve this new niche market facing limited talent supply and massive demand; leveraged capacity and scaling potential even further via cross-training and development • Spearheaded development of 3 patent-pending products in the Enterprise Software Development Governance space that took the organization to the next level—and provided a significant competitive advantage CAREER HISTORY & HIGHLIGHTS (CONT’D) • Built, mentored, and managed a team of 200+ employees across 3 continents, working with other managers to set clear goals, build a highly engaged work culture, and maximize the retention/growth of top talent • Launched a new offshore delivery team in India to increase 24x7x365 service and provide customers with extra cost advantage, while simultaneously reducing the TCO of the company by $760K per year • Established a BPM Center of Excellence, building out specialized Horizontal and Vertical capabilities and continuously improving team performance via training, knowledge sharing, and best practices adoption
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Pegasystems
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United States
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Software Development
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700 & Above Employee
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Business Process Management Consultant
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Dec 2009 - Dec 2011
Hired as an SME in the Business Process Management (BPM) space, managing complex digital transformation, automation, and process improvement initiatives for Fortune 100 clients in the Financial Services Industry. • Partnered with the account team on selling/negotiating/delivering large software licensing and service deals, handling everything from initial proposal and proof-of-concept development to final project signoff • Established superior “trusted advisor” relationships with VP-level client leaders and stakeholder groups, diagnosing their organizational pain points and developing elegant solutions to meet their requirements • Generated a pipeline of new leads for Pega technology licenses, as well as numerous new opportunities for the company’s Professional Services team—in addition to stepping in to “rescue” troubled deals and restore high-risk accounts to profitable, mutually-satisfactory relationships that exceeded revenue expectations. • Engaged in extensive public speaking and presentation delivery to both technical and non-technical audiences, demonstrating product value propositions and the potential ROI represented by proposed investments
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Microsoft
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United States
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Software Development
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700 & Above Employee
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Global Technology Strategist / Consultant
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May 2008 - Dec 2009
Based on extensive familiarity with Microsoft technologies, and prior partnership engagements, joined the company on a full-time basis as a senior-level consultant—forging relationships with CIO’s and IT Leaders throughout the country in order to generate business opportunities and close multi-million dollar sales deals. • Conducted Strategic Technology Briefings, Quarterly Business Reviews, and Roadmap Planning Sessions with top global customers—helping shape their future IT strategy for 36-, 48- and 60-month periods • Consistently attained a $15.6M annual sales target working closely with the Account Executive, Strategic Business Manager, and various V-Team (vendor) resources to exceed the account’s revenue target • Vigorously drove deployment and usage of various Microsoft Technologies within customer accounts, receiving a performance award for successful efforts to evangelize MS Office, Client, MOSS and Visual Studio 2008
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CES
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United States
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IT Services and IT Consulting
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700 & Above Employee
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Sr. Manager, Consulting - Custom Software Development
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Jan 2004 - Apr 2008
Joined this custom software development firm to manage a portfolio of key projects for top financial services clients, in addition to providing leadership and direction to the company’s internal product development group. • Led efforts to set up an Offshore Development Team, shifting all financial service pre-trade management technology operations to India in order to enhance firm profitability and improve cost-effectiveness for clients • Gained recognition as an SME on .Net Applications Architecture and Development and jointly managed the architecture/development efforts of 25+ in-house resources developing a new app for securities traders • Grew the firm’s Microsoft Practice from under 5 consultants to over 30 FTE’s—dedicated to supporting key accounts such as Countrywide Securities, Countrywide Bank, Capital Markets, and Franklin Templeton • Partnered with senior management to clarify the firm’s strategic objectives and vision, lead internal change management projects, identify investment opportunities, and deliver sales presentations to potential clients
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Chicago Systems Group
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Greater Chicago Area
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Technology Consultant
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May 2002 - Jan 2004
Joined this fast-growing IT consultancy, assisting with a mix of software design, development, training, and post-production (customer success) support responsibilities—as well as internal training/development needs. • Managed the on-time, on-budget delivery of dozens of large client IT projects, in addition to utilizing strong relationship-building and communications skills to drive additional revenue via technical support engagements • Played key role in building the firm’s new Microsoft Practice—contributing to the knowledgebase, assisting customers with Microsoft stack projects, and soliciting customer references to support the new business line • Conducted training and mentoring sessions with in-house teams to improve their understanding of Microsoft tools, technologies, and best practices—in addition to participating in code reviews and troubleshooting Actively participated in the building of a competency for the Microsoft Practice by contributing to the knowledgebase, assisting customers as and when needed and getting customer references on complex projects. Conducted training and mentoring sessions with in-house teams to grow the Microsoft Skills among colleagues. Researched about various trainings and suggested appropriate trainings for team members. Participated in code reviews with peers and advised as and when needed. Conducted Technical training of Production support personnel to empower them to support the application daily.
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Webidesk Technologies
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Greater Chicago Area
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Software Engineer
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May 1998 - Apr 2002
Gained an extensive early-career foundation of skills in end-to-end software development, working as part of an IT consulting team to translate complex requirements into elegant new system designs and applications. • Configured/maintained a SQL Server 7 Database to provide complete backend data integration for developing web pages to access the SQL Server Database and provide convenient web-based user interface Gained an extensive early-career foundation of skills in end-to-end software development, working as part of an IT consulting team to translate complex requirements into elegant new system designs and applications. • Configured/maintained a SQL Server 7 Database to provide complete backend data integration for developing web pages to access the SQL Server Database and provide convenient web-based user interface
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Education
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Kellogg Executive Education
Executive Program, Finance and Financial Management Services -
2000 - 2000
Elmhurst College
Bachelor of Science (BS), Computer Science -
1993 - 1997
Maharashtra State Board of Education
Diploma (3-Year Degree), Computer Technology
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