Danny Polaine is an experienced Senior IT/Operations Director with over 30 years of experience leading teams and delivering technology projects and solutions. He has a track record of transforming operations to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Most recently, he led a global IT transformation program at Interactive Data Ltd that stabilized operations and prepared the company for growth. He excels at building high-performing teams, managing complex projects, and improving customer satisfaction. References note his strong leadership, management, and customer skills.

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Danny Polaine
295 Thundersley Park Road, Benfleet, Essex, SS7 1AH
Mobile: 07432733252 ● Email: danny.polaine@gmail.com
Results-focused and innovative Senior IT/Operations Director with successful experience in leading delivery
of cost efficient operational processes and solutions within complex and dynamic technical international
environments. Demonstrated ability to build, manage and motivate cohesive global teams that produce
exceptional results. Excels in planning, managing and delivering high profile projects with strong detail,
problem-solving and follow-through capabilities. A natural leader with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and a
special talent for transitioning strategy into action and achievement. Successful experience in leading the
smooth integration of acquired businesses within the corporate infrastructure. Well-developed communication,
presentation, and negotiation skills with the ability to influence decisions across all business hierarchies up to
board level. Areas of demonstrated value include:
 Operations Management  Relationship Building/Maintenance
 Technology Needs Assessment/Solutions  Budget Creation and Management
 Project Planning & Management  Staffing & Management Development
 Business and Programme Transformation  Talent Identification and Mentoring
 Team Building & Leadership  Departmental Restructuring
‘Danny is an incredibly well organised and professional operations IT Director. He has extensive knowledge
of IT systems and processes – but is pragmatic and sensible in his approach. He is a great team builder and
manager, instilling confidence in his staff and colleagues. He also has great customer-facing skills and is
fully at home in pre- and post-sale scenarios. Both a safe pair of hands and a proactive contributor, Danny
would be a great asset to any board!’ Colin Smith, President of Textura Europe.
Career Highlights
 Led a complete Business Transformation program for Global internal IT Technology & Infrastructure teams
at Interactive Data Ltd that stabilised and enhanced global operational performance and provided a robust
platform for business growth
 Reduced overall Global Voice spend by 10% ($500k) through effective review of communications spend in
liaison with relevant stakeholders and vendors to maximise resource and technology use
 Project Managing the implementation of a Global Citrix/VDI infrastructure and migration of Desktop strategy
to VDI that enhanced support of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity objectives
 Created and implemented a centralised Global Service Desk Team to replace existing regionalised support
service that significantly improved customer service and satisfaction globally
 Managed a tender process to replace the existing company Webinar, Video conferencing, IM & telephone
conference bridge infrastructures with a single solution using Office365 to negotiate best value, quality and
service
 Managed department restructure as European IT Director that introduced team leaders, SLAs and
improved processes, enhanced management reporting, and increased change control efficiency, quality
and productivity
 Managed European low latency Backbone expansion project across Europe including creation of 7 new
PoPs, implementation of 10Gb mesh network within $2m Capex and $5.5m yearly Opex budget

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 Recognised by senior management at Interactive Data Ltd for consistently exceeding business
expectations and achieving top assessment marks in all performance reviews
 As member of the Board of Directors, presenting and negotiating operational strategy and reporting on
performance progress within managed business sectors
 Delivering world class projects in line with corporate strategies and sales growth targets that successfully
maintained BIW as the number one SaaS provider within the construction industry
Professional Experience
Interactive Data Ltd, www.interactivedata.com, 2011 to Present
Global Workplace Infrastructure Senior Director, 2014 to Present
Reporting Directlyto Managing Director & CIO Technical Infrastructure
Areas of Responsibility
Global Corporate IT (Inc. AD, Exchange, DNS, AV & Windows Infrastructure)
Global IT Service Desk
Global Voice, Video & Mobile Technologies
 Promoted to this position, creating and actively managing the set-up of a new department with 4 direct
reports and over 70 Global personnel supporting approx. 3000 staff and an annual Global Internal IT
Budget of £4m ($6.2m)
 Recruiting, identifying, and mentoring management talent to maximise performance, and leading and
developing staff to ensure achievement of departmental objectives and targets consistently
 Creating a 3-year internal IT technology transformation program roadmap and monitoring progress against
target
 Integral member of Business acquisition team responsible for integration of technologies & infrastructures
 Managing the implementation of a companywide internal IT assetmanagement and patching infrastructure
to coordinate desktop software licenses, hardware assets and desktop patching
 Successfullymanaging external licensing audits by Microsoft, VMWare & Attachmate in liaison with internal
and external parties to ensure adherence to company and regulatory standards
 Implementing a team responsible for Global, Regional and Office Video Conference Town Hall
presentations that achieved CEO’s standards of TV production quality
European IT Director, 2011 to 2014
Areas of Responsibility:
European Backbone (Production WAN) support/expansion/capacity management
European Corporate Office IT Support (10 offices across Europe) including Desktops, Telephony, Video
Conference System, Corporate Email, Corporate File Management/Backups
 Managing a European IT budget of £1.5m ($2.3m) and leading a team of 4 direct reports and 40 staff
 Reducing the average turnaround times for service centre enquiries from 6 weeks to 1 day within 3 months
through review and implementation of effective processes, procedures and SLAs
 Establishing a new follow-the-sun Global Network Operations Centre that involved recruitment and training
of 3 technical engineering teams, implementation of support/monitoring processes and systems for
Production & Corporate Global Network, and successful transition to Production go-live
 Project managing the successful roll-out of a company-standard VOIP telephony system to all European
Corporate offices with minimal disruption to business operations that adhered to budget and deadlines
 Leading the roll-out and migration of 800 users across Europe from existing Lotus Notes system to new
corporate email system (Exchange) to agreed deadlines and budgets
BIW Technologies Ltd, www.biw.com, 2000 to 2011

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Operations Director (Board Position)
 Promoted through the ranks to this position, managing the Operational Services including internal IT
Technical Department, Global Helpdesk, Software Testing Team, Software Release Team, Production
Infrastructure Management, and Premises
 Designing, implementing and managing a complete technology refresh of BIW’s UK hosting infrastructure
involving the migration of 200k users and data to strict deadline and budget
 Transforming an underperforming 15 man UK helpdesk to an efficiently performing 8 man Global Helpdesk
through more effective utilisation and management of resources and infrastructure
 Managing the establishment of 3 Global Data Centres in UK, US, and Dubai including contract negotiation,
implementation and migration of hosting structures
 Designing and managing the development of a client portal that significantly improved channels of
communication and relationships between clients and BIW’s Global Helpdesk
 Managing international office premises and outsourced hosting infrastructures across 4 countries in order
to provide first-class frontline SaaS services to 300k users across UK, US and Dubai
 Sourcing, planning and managing the fit out of new company headquarters that supported the rapid
business expansion and attendant increase in human and technology resources.
Operations Manager, 2005 to 2009
IT Manager, 2000 to 2005
National Westminster Bank, NatWest Online, Technical Lead, 1988 to 2000
IT Skills: MS Office Suite, server infrastructure, networking, firewall, DNS, virtualisation, AD, Exchange
Personal Interests: play golf; keep fit/gym