James Bennett-Ackland - Founder, Forefront IT

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Work Background

Forefront IT Executive SolutionsFounder

May. 2023Melbourne, Victoria, Australia · HybridWe empower small and medium business owners to build scalable, secure IT infrastructure that aligns with their business objectives. Rather than letting disjointed, organic IT growth hold you back, Forefront IT partners with the business and works with the management team to implement a comprehensive IT strategy to transform your systems. Our expertise takes companies from IT platforms that merely support daily operations to ones that actively accelerate growth. We integrate fragmented technology and system islands, implement robust yet practical cybersecurity platforms that are best-of-breed and use AI along with implementing cybersecurity employee training, and overcome the pitfalls of makeshift IT. The result is an elevated foundation for your business to reach its full potential. Don't let IT bottlenecks constrain your company's possible future success. Contact us today for a complimentary IT and cybersecurity audit and a strategic proposal for advancing your infrastructure to the next level. Our customised approach overcomes the common IT challenges facing small and medium businesses as you scale.

Mac AidTechnical Director

Jul. 2021 - May. 2023Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaMac Aid supports home users through to large corporations with Apple Mac Solutions, Microsoft Solutions, Project Management, Strategic Planning, and much more. • Manage my portfolio of clients • Working with clients to develop strategic plans • Writing proposals for clients and conducting meetings until we reach project sign-off and then managing every aspect of the project until completion • Mentoring Junior Technical Staff with training plans • Working on improving internal processes with the introduction of a new PSA and automation • Recruitment

FSC SolutionsIT Manager

Aug. 2019 - Jul. 2021Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaIT Manager for start-up OH&S Workplace Safety training company to Private and ASX Listed Companies. • Design, setup and training for all core infrastructure. • Design and development of website to meet training organisation standards. • Design, development and management of user side training portal built on WordPress to have a bespoke platform for the high-profile clients that FSC was contracted to train.

Luxury EscapesIT Manager

Nov. 2018 - Jul. 2019Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaMultinational tourism company that provides international online bookings and experiences. • Directly managed IT Department and all-encompassing staff. • Worked alongside the Customer Experience team to resolve technical issues and implement new features. • Owner of company-wide business intelligence and machine learning project. • Owner of the finance migration project to Xero.

Department of Education & Training, VictoriaDET TSSP Specialist Technician

May. 2017 - Sep. 2018Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaGoverning body for education and training in the state of Victoria. • Directly oversaw strategic management and capacity planning • Responsible for all department cost analysis and budgeting • Ensured DET & Industry Best Standards were always implemented and maintained

Australian Cloud Computing & ConsultingBoard Member / Retail Solutions Director

Nov. 2014 - Apr. 2017Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaTelstra enterprise dealership that also provided professional IT consulting services. • Participated in board meetings to review company progress from all angles including financial, sales pipeline, company capacity, and future planning. • Developed solutions and proposals for the retail client portfolio. • Ownership of company finances ensuring all accounts are reconciled. • Training new staff and developing training and succession plans.

Enchanted HavenBusiness Manager

Mar. 2013 - Jul. 2016Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaFamily online retail store based on new-age items for mind, body, and soul. • Directly managed all product selection and purchase • Responsible for all site maintenance and management. • Responsible for all accounting, inventory and marketing

Hybrid Tech SolutionsBusiness Manager

Jun. 2012 - Jul. 2016Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaPremium IT consultancy firm working alongside businesses to ensure proper IT development. Achievements: Took ownership and management for multinational American retail conglomerate's data, Telephony, ERP, WMS, POS, and BI platform replacement projects over a two year period across five countries valuing over $50 million USD. Responsibilities: • Directly managed all aspects of the business from budgeting, marketing, and legal to accounting, customer service, and business planning. • Directly managed tender process and projects awarded. •Developed and delivered training to clients on changes to existing platforms and/or newly implemented platforms. •Setup Salesforce to manage hybrid client's potential opportunities and leads. •Completed comprehensive IT and telecommunication audits and compiling reports based on findings.

BusbrandNational IT Manager

Feb. 2009 - Apr. 2013Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaA retail group consisting of four international retail brands including Gap, Guess?, Aldo and Tumi. • Responsible for IT in all 62 Australian stores, retail and wholesale offices. • Responsible for IT in the New Zealand office and Hong Kong distribution centre. • Project owner for EFTPOS rollout in all 62 Australian stores. • Project owner for the migration project from Microsoft Dynamics GP to Sage X3. • Project owner for building new MPLS network with Telstra and converting all locations from multiple ISPs and hardware to one main platform. • Personally overhauled SKU script developement and saved inventory processing time by over 14 days.

Melton Secondary CollegeInformation Technology Contractor

Jan. 2008 - Apr. 2008Melton West, Victoria, AustraliaA public secondary college located in Melton, Victoria. • Project owner of Markbook rollout for reporting. • Project owner of FirstClass rollout for digital attendance reporting. • Documented all IT Infrastructure, policies, and procedures and ensured they were all up to do date. • Managed Notebook computer rollout to all faculty and staff. • Sourced, acquired, and implemented new servers and switches.

Sunbury Downs CollegeSystem Administrator

Mar. 2003 - Dec. 2007Sunbury, Victoria, AustraliaA public secondary college located in Sunbury, Victoria. • Managed Bibliotech e-library platform. • Planned and managed Capex and Opex budgets. • First, second, and third-level technical support to both Curriculum and Administration networks. • Developed a new web-based user management system to streamline new student user creation. • Implemented and managed DET-regulated wireless network security server (RADIUS).