Joe Daft

Heading up the robotics business within the Wise Technologies Group. My remit includes oversight of all business departments including business development, sales, engineering, partnership management, strategy and operations.

Supported the department through a period of change as part of my main role as the Internal Improvement Manager

Upon the resignation of a director I was promoted to Head of Operations which included my previous role. I was responsible for all Technical Operations, Warehousing, Manufacturing and Customer Services departments and associated staff. This included the oversight for planning, cost and operational effectiveness to improve throughput in line with business objectives set by the board of directors. I reported directly to the board and I was responsible for 60 permanent staff which rose to 120 during peak trading seasons. Working closely with my department managers gave a “hands on” approach to problem solving and improving performance.

My role as the Head of Technical Operations was to manage the IT, Development and Data departments within John Greed Jewellery. During my time in this role “TechOps” completed the development and implementation of bespoke Warehouse and Manufacturing management software to meet the unique requirements of the business. The recruitment, training and development of staff and managers was key to ensuring that we met the tight deadlines required for the business.

I worked alongside the IT Leader in Germany to manage and innovate technology systems in the UK & Ireland, including third-party contractors and internal strategies. Working with a team of roughly 40 people I was the sole manager in charge of all technology related systems, staff and processes within the business operations in the UK & Ireland. This included all retail depots and satellite offices. I lead several projects including ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) development with Microsoft Dynamics AX, SharePoint 2013 for UK & Ireland intranet and business processes, iOS mobile applications for faster sales processes (into Dynamics AX), live logistics platform for all UK warehouses using latest live stock booking and accounting with handheld PCs, rolling IT-Infrastructure upgrades for UK offices including the management and sourcing of contractors and strategic key stakeholders such as Vodafone Corporate, BT and EE.

Upon finishing two short-term contracts after returning to the UK from working in Australia, I spotted a gap in the market and decided to run my own IT outsourcing business. This managed IT outsourcing contracts for SME and multi-national clients, covering the whole of the UK & Ireland. My short time at Network Fifty-Two was due to being poached by Grimme after obtaining and running third-party contracts for them.

Giving requisite advice and support for all projects, planning prospective new projects and maintaining rolling system upgrades on existing contracts. This included consultancy services to SMB sector (organisations having upto 1000 employees) and several international companies as well as approving technical proposals prior to its execution. Ensuring effective execution of all technology operations in accordance with all brand service, global and divisional technology standards including company policies and procedures. Responsible for analysing, recommending, and implementing process improvements.

I acquired a short term contract with Australia's largest telecommunications operator to provide consultancy services and administration assistance for large data networks and telecoms solutions. This included the collation and analysis of user and business data, to provide technical solutions to the organisation resulting in cost savings. Facilitated requisite network communications support and technical guidance.