ANTHONY DALE
Summary
Accomplished strategic leader with 15 years of experience in leading multi-disciplinary delivery teams on agile transformation projects, utilising different frameworks and methodologies. Experienced across a range of functions including product development, delivery and operational management, creating self-managing teams to deliver agile projects, via an effective target operating model. Responsible for strategic planning and governance, aligning business strategies with organisational goals. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills including data-driven decision-making to identify and implement transformational change and deliver operational value. Exceptional communicator and team leader, committed to fostering a blameless culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
Overview
36
36
years of professional experience
Work history
Director of Product & Delivery
Keoghs LLP/Davies Group
2024.11 - 2026.01
- Responsible for all elements of product development and delivery across UKI, including management of the IT budget of £20 million.
- Oversight of delivery of all transformation projects, currently including multi-million pound system consolidation programme and replacement of core finance platform, including resourcing, budget, risk management and benefit realisation, supported by a team of Business Analysts and Agile Coaches/Delivery Managers.
- Oversight of agile practices, seeking to apply the most appropriate frameworks for each team/project.
- Ownership of overall product vision and roadmaps, to ensure there is clear shared understanding of the objectives and benefits.
- Reporting to multiple programme boards including C-Suite executives.
- Continuous improvement of practices and processes, creating a blameless, self-reflective culture, including introducing and overseeing a blameless post-mortem process and facilitating a continuous improvement team to regularly review processes.
Director of Technology Operations
Keoghs LLP/Davies Group
2020.04 - 2024.11
- Responsible for the operational management of a divisional IT department of c150 people across 10 delivery teams, together with enabling teams, managing a substantial IT budget of approximately £17 million, in close collaboration with the CEO, CFO, and CIO.
- Oversaw a portfolio of IT investments that have collectively realised over £5 million annually in increased revenue and cost savings, while also reducing the business risk profile.
- Strategic input on key steering boards, guiding and reporting on in-flight investments.
- Responsible for all processes and agile practices across the department, applying solutions to meet specific challenges. This included coaching and providing training on different methods and frameworks, and implementing continuous improvement practices.
Head of Operational Products
Keoghs LLP/Davies Group
2017.04 - 2020.04
- Responsible for the delivery of multiple transformational projects designed to enhance the operational efficiency of a prominent law firm.
- Coordinating multiple delivery teams, roadmaps and backlogs.
- Delivered business transformation by enabling a shift to paperless operations through implementation of technological solutions and best practice training.
- Implemented a comprehensive data transformation programme, establishing a strategic approach to data capture and reporting, which included the creation of a new data warehouse and reporting tools, leading to improved data quality and heightened client satisfaction.
- Directed the IT aspect of a major integration project, successfully acquiring, migrating, and assimilating three departments from a rival law firm.
Product Owner
Keoghs LLP
2011.05 - 2017.04
- Led development of bespoke case management system, driving digital transformation for a law firm with over 1500 lawyers.
- Facilitated workshops to gather critical requirements and prioritised product backlog and roadmaps.
- Implemented scrum practices, collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams and guiding sprint reviews and ceremonies.
- Reported progress to Executive Board, ensuring alignment on budget and resourcing.
Legal Executive
Other
1990.01 - 2011.05
- Worked in various roles in the legal sector as a Legal Executive, and subsequently Partner, handling a caseload of complex claims, with specialism in counter-fraud, demonstrating key strategic, analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Supervising teams of lawyers and providing governance and best practice frameworks for case handling.
- ‘Head-hunted’ by leading law firm to be their Technical Director of counter-fraud.
- Asked by CEO to take on the strategic role of Product Owner for the development of a new, transformational case management system, recognising my transferable skills in problem solving and analysis.
Education
6 O’ Levels - English Language (A), English Literature (A) and Mathematics (C)
3 A’ Levels - undefined
Chartered Legal Executive - undefined
Skills
- Strategic management and delivery of IT programmes
- IT governance and operational management
- Budget and resource management
- Leadership skills
- Senior stakeholder management
- Product management
- Delivery management
- Agile practices & DevOps
- Process re-engineering
- Excellent communication skills
- First class problem solving skills
- Roadmap and backlog management
- Data strategy
- Customer relationship management
TOOLS
- Azure DevOps
- MS Teams
- MS SharePoint
- Confluence
INTERESTS
I enjoy spending time with my family. I play tennis on a regular basis, representing my local club in the East Cheshire league. I also play snooker and am a member of the local gym., I like most sports, and when not playing, am often watching sport. I also enjoy going to concerts, going to live sporting events and eating out with my family and friends
Accomplishments
- Manage a substantial c£20 million budget, overseeing staffing and third-party costs.
- Successful development and implementation of a new case management system, delivering significant business benefits.
- Delivery of multiple transformation projects, achieving significant benefits, including digitisation of a law firm, driving user efficiencies increasing profit by £5 million p.a., and delivering acquisition and integration of another law firm.
- Responsible for delivery of a £10 million project focused on system consolidation with target savings of £2 million p.a. over 3 years, as well as a project to replace a core finance platform.
- Integrating 2 IT structures into 1, creating a division with 18 delivery teams on and off-shore, applying DevOps principles, with different agile practices inc Scrum, Kanban, LeSS, Nexus Scrum and shaping.
- Owner of product roadmaps and product vision to deliver AI first technologies to improve efficiencies, together with identifying and delivering project benefits.
Timeline
Director of Product & Delivery
Keoghs LLP/Davies Group
2024.11 - 2026.01
Director of Technology Operations
Keoghs LLP/Davies Group
2020.04 - 2024.11
Head of Operational Products
Keoghs LLP/Davies Group
2017.04 - 2020.04
Product Owner
Keoghs LLP
2011.05 - 2017.04
Legal Executive
Other
1990.01 - 2011.05