Stuart Kirkwood
St. Leonards-on-Sea,East Sussex
Summary
Accomplished IT professional with expertise in IT project management, specialising in network, infrastructure and digital transformation project delivery. Demonstrates proficiency in third-party and vendor management, risk management and mitigation, as well as budgeting and cost control. Adept at problem solving often with innovative solutions. Proven track record in remote and matrix team coordination, change and stakeholder management. Practical knowledge of network architectures, systems integration, software and database development informs decision making. Committed to delivering successful projects through cross-functional leadership with a friendly, approachable, collaborative can-do attitude.
Overview
39
39
years of professional experience
9999
9999
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Director IT, Finance and Project Management
1066 Sales Limited - Zest Clothing
Rye, East Sussex
02.2009 - 05.2025
- Co-founded e-commerce company selling clothing and accessories.
- Responsible for IT, finance, administration and supply chain.
- Managed all projects including: IT development; product purchase; business improvement; and warehouse logistics.
- Designed and built on LAMP stack a custom warehouse and order fulfilment system, improving efficiency by 95% and reducing shipping costs by £50k+ annually.
- Implemented third-party API integrations (Amazon, eBay, Royal Mail, Stripe, Xero), increasing operational efficiency between our systems and external platforms.
- Visited China to purchase products, oversaw the shipping and import to the UK.
- Streamlined financial management using Xero accounting and automated postings.
- Managed the registration of UK trademarks and protection of Intellectual Property.
- Implementation and integration of a new Prestashop website.
- Designed and built multi-site, resilient, cloud, virtual server and SAN infrastructure with strong cyber security.
- On-site SIP VoIP telephony with email and collaboration.
IT Project Manager (Contract)
British Telecom PLC - BT Operate
Home worker
04.2003 - 02.2009
- Managed delivery of infrastructure deployments for BT's flagship 21st Century Network (21CN) programme, supporting converged communications and next-generation services.
- Delivered multiple large-scale infrastructure projects, managing 5-10 concurrent initiatives remotely with full responsibility from planning to implementation.
- Successfully deployed 21CN infrastructure and vendor element managers in complex security environments, overcoming critical technical challenges.
- Managed vendor relationships with third-party suppliers including HP, Fujitsu and Huawei ensuring compliance with design and integration standards.
- Directed multiple upgrades to the UK national DNS servers and ISP authentication platforms, all delivered with zero service outages.
- Upgraded critical RADIUS Mediation server to very tight timescales to ensure compliance with the Emergency Anti-Terrorism legislation.
- Received six BT Recognition Awards for delivering high-impact projects under tight time constraints with no customer disruption.
IT Infrastructure Project Manager (Contract)
Barclays Bank PLC - Sales Financing
Hastings / Reigate
08.1994 - 11.2002
- Managed projects and advised on IT architecture as part of the core technical team for a strategic digital transformation programme, modernising infrastructure and applications.
- Transitioned business operations from VT terminals to secure, browser-based systems with integrated workflow and document imaging.
- Designed and implemented infrastructure solutions for a business-critical document printing and mailing outsourcing project.
- Managed major office refurbishment project, implementing high-speed LANs and advanced telephony systems. Commended by BT for exemplary project delivery.
- Led full lifecycle development of a customer audit application, cutting audit time by 50% and generating significant cost savings.
- Designed and implemented business wide standardised PC platforms.
- Developed and mentored a new internal PC help desk and support team.
PC and Network Consultant (Contract)
Banque Paribas - Trading Floor and Back Office
London
11.1993 - 08.1994
- Provided end-user and network support in a high pressure environment.
- Led projects including server upgrades and disaster recovery planning.
IT Management Roles
Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency
Hastings / London
09.1986 - 11.1993
- Managed IT support and administrative teams and a national infrastructure rollout project.
- Core team member for a major government IT procurement project.
Education
Postgraduate Course - Project Management
Open University
PRINCE2 Managing Successful Projects -
Office of Government Commerce
BTEC Intermediate Award - Customs Export and Import Procedures
British International Freight Association
A-Levels - Computer Studies, Physics, Electronics
Bexhill Sixth Form College
O-Levels - Ten subjects
Claverham Community College
Skills
- IT project management
- Network and Infrastructure project delivery
- Cross-functional leadership
- Remote and matrix team coordination
- Third-party and vendor management
- Change and stakeholder management
- Risk management and mitigation
- Budgeting and cost control
- Technical problem solving and innovative solutions
- IT security risk management
- Cyber security special interest
- Networking architecture expertise
- Systems integration experience
- Knowledge of programming languages and SQL databases
- Experience across e-commerce, telecoms, finance, and public sectors
Affiliations
- Passionate online cycle racer on Zwift, helping and mentoring new riders, developing racing teams.
- Former competitive equestrian with national-level achievements.
Professional Testimonials
Previous comments on my work include:
“The standard of your work throughout the course has been exceptional.” – Chris Deery, Open University Tutor
“Thank you for your terrific customer focus.” – Simon Newman, Director at Barclays
Timeline
Director IT, Finance and Project Management
1066 Sales Limited - Zest Clothing
02.2009 - 05.2025
IT Project Manager (Contract)
British Telecom PLC - BT Operate
04.2003 - 02.2009
IT Infrastructure Project Manager (Contract)
Barclays Bank PLC - Sales Financing
08.1994 - 11.2002
PC and Network Consultant (Contract)
Banque Paribas - Trading Floor and Back Office
11.1993 - 08.1994
IT Management Roles
Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency
09.1986 - 11.1993
Postgraduate Course - Project Management
Open University
PRINCE2 Managing Successful Projects -
Office of Government Commerce
BTEC Intermediate Award - Customs Export and Import Procedures
British International Freight Association
A-Levels - Computer Studies, Physics, Electronics
Bexhill Sixth Form College
O-Levels - Ten subjects
Claverham Community College
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