Tonkean

Head of Managed Services and Partner Success

Cencora

- Liaised with stakeholders and development teams to diagnose enterprise systems issues
- Produced documentation for enterprise systems
- Designed and delivered systems improvements and related documentation
- Coordinated efforts on key systems integrations with colleagues and stakeholders
- Provided expert guidance and advice on the direction of technical projects
- Conducted forward-looking analyses of existing systems and solutions
- Provided recommendations for process and solution enhancements
- Proactively reviewed and proposed process, tool, and vendor enhancements

Enterprise Systems Architect

CVS Health

In my role, I facilitated collaborative efforts to identify and address process challenges across our enterprise, with a keen focus on enhancing the colleague experience. My primary areas of concentration encompassed the entire colleague journey within CVS Health, covering aspects such as onboarding, transitions, and departures. Additionally, I championed the user experience for macOS users and worked to improve the process for colleagues requiring reasonable accommodations to maximize their contributions.

Throughout this endeavor, I engaged with a diverse spectrum of leaders and subject matter experts, representing various technical domains and disciplines. I also liaised with colleagues spanning all roles within CVS Health and Aetna, ranging from retail personnel to nurses, administrative assistants, managers, and executive leadership.

This role presented daily opportunities to uncover fresh insights and address unique challenges, offering a distinctive chance to create a positive impact within a Fortune 4 company. CVS Health, one of America's most renowned retail and healthcare brands, provided a dynamic backdrop for my work.

My skill set was instrumental in this role, encompassing active listening, empathetic leadership, technical and solutions architecture, business process design, diagramming, design thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and effective executive-level communication, including presentations. These competencies were pivotal in driving improvements and enhancing the colleague experience across our organization.

Sr Manager, Process Architect

Tea-Guy.com

I am the founder, writer, and blogger with a dedicated focus on the tea industry and its associated products and services. My work centers on the evaluation and assessment of various types of tea, employing a structured approach based on three primary criteria: Flavor, Aroma, and Boldness, abbreviated as FAB.

Within this realm, my activities encompass comprehensive reviews of teas, irrespective of their packaging, including loose leaves, bagged varieties, and sachets. I also extend my evaluations to tea accessories, such as infusers and containers, along with teahouses and tea rooms. Furthermore, I conduct in-depth assessments of tea-related products like teapots, cozies, mugs, and kettles, scrutinizing their quality and performance.

In addition to these reviews, I engage with and interview tea entrepreneurs and blenders, offering insights into their innovations and contributions to the tea industry. My commitment to this domain leads to the creation of exclusive tea-related content, presented through a variety of mediums, including the written word, graphical representations, and video formats. Through these endeavors, I aim to provide valuable and informed perspectives on the ever-evolving world of tea.

Owner

EVERSANA

I lead a multifunctional, geographically diverse Center of Excellence (CoE) team, which specializes in crafting tailored, scalable solutions to address distinctive business challenges. Our approach leverages cutting-edge technologies, including automation, artificial intelligence, custom digital products, and integrations across various communication channels.

In addition to our hands-on work, I contribute valuable thought leadership across the entire spectrum of experience design within our organization. This encompasses everything from enhancing call center user experiences to addressing the needs of developers, patients, and providers. Our goal is to facilitate a fully satisfying value stream that optimizes every interaction.

Our core areas of focus include robotic process automation (RPA) and internal workflow automation (IWA) using the Tonkean platform. We've also implemented conversational solutions through chatbots, harnessing the capabilities of Google Dialogflow and Google Cloud APIs. Moreover, I take pride in mentoring a diverse range of team members, from junior to senior levels, both locally and internationally. Lastly, I serve as the acting product owner for an internal automation solution designed to address unique workflow scenarios, further contributing to our organization's operational efficiency and innovation.

Manager, Digital Automation & Intelligent Systems

I served as a technical leader responsible for designing scalable and reusable solutions for both internal and external product/platform consumers within our organization. My role involved critical decisions regarding the use of vendor solutions versus custom development, with a primary focus on creating a modern API-native ecosystem to enhance project velocity.

Throughout my tenure, I consistently drove internal technology improvements aligned with key business objectives. I managed the implementation of cutting-edge technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA), chatbots, artificial intelligence, and neural networks. Additionally, I led the redesign of core technologies, resulting in increased operational efficiency and reduced system complexity. I also played a pivotal role in the creation of industry-first integrated web solutions.

One of my significant achievements was the design and leadership of a new internal platform, which yielded substantial annual man-hour savings. I provided both high-level and detailed designs to ensure the realization of end-to-end solution visions. My approach included considerations for capacity planning, high availability, horizontal scalability (including elasticity), and code performance.

I actively led evaluations of established and emerging technologies and collaborated closely with user feedback, business operations, and technical teams to define parameters for new and improved solutions. Furthermore, I contributed to talent acquisition efforts, participating in the hiring of full-time employees, contract resources, and offshore talent. Throughout my tenure, I provided valuable thought leadership to business stakeholders, technical teams, and solutions architects.

Senior Solutions Architect

Triplefin was acquired by EVERSANA in March 2018. During my tenure, I held various responsibilities aimed at enhancing the organization's technology landscape.

My role involved the development of infrastructure automation, ensuring that our systems operated efficiently and securely. I also played a key role in designing and implementing continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) processes for our Java stack, utilizing Jenkins CI to streamline development workflows.

Furthermore, I contributed to solidifying open-source server system implementations, optimizing their performance and reliability. Legacy application code was a focus area, where I engaged in development and refactoring efforts to modernize our software systems.

I also took charge of Ubuntu Server support and maintenance, ensuring the stability of our server infrastructure. Extensive automation was a key part of my work, accomplished through the creation and management of BASH shell scripts.

Additionally, I provided thought leadership in the realms of cloud computing and application architectures, particularly emphasizing the adoption of microservices to enhance our development processes. My overarching goal was to empower Java development using the Spring application frameworks, driving innovation and efficiency within the organization.

Senior Product Development Engineer

Teaity

As the customer-facing Founder of Teaity, a distinctive web property targeting tea enthusiasts, my mission was to both expand knowledge among tea aficionados and offer post-purchase insights to tea industry brands.

Teaity's core objective was to educate tea drinkers, enabling them to enhance their experiences with full-leaf tea products they had already purchased while transforming enthusiasts into dedicated tea advocates.

I played a pivotal role in the platform's creation, architecting the web application using Ruby on Rails. This platform incorporated a PostgreSQL database and leveraged geo-diverse cloud storage to ensure optimal performance.

Teaity offered engaging functionality for tea enthusiasts, and it was designed with a specific focus on enhancing brand exposure for tea companies. The platform prominently featured tea brand names, logos, and product photography, effectively extending their reach and impact within the tea-loving community.

Founder

iTalent

During my tenure, I undertook several key initiatives aimed at enhancing our organization's IT infrastructure and operational efficiency.

One significant accomplishment involved the development of a custom Perl merge system, which facilitated the seamless conversion of CA Service Desk tickets to BMC Remedy tickets. This initiative was instrumental in ensuring the continuity of IT support service records when transitioning between IT service management (ITSM) platforms.

Another critical project involved the implementation of a Tomcat 7 upgrade for our core project management platform, a system widely utilized throughout the organization. This upgrade contributed to improved performance and reliability of our project management processes.

Furthermore, I played a vital role in the setup and implementation of the Automic deployment automation system, streamlining our deployment processes and enhancing overall system efficiency. My expertise in automation and application platform administration was instrumental in optimizing various aspects of our IT operations.

Additionally, I scripted various activities for RedHat JBoss and automated SSL certificate generation and renewal for both self-signed and publicly trusted certificates. My efforts in automating various processes using Perl on RedHat Enterprise Linux significantly contributed to the overall efficiency and reliability of our IT systems and processes.

Senior Web Administrator

Ripple, LLC

As the co-founder of a specialized web development studio, our primary focus was on assisting small and medium-sized IT houses with their unique challenges in serving their businesses effectively with limited staffing resources.

During this period, I oversaw the creation of a range of client-centric utility applications tailored to small organizations. These applications were developed in Cocoa for Mac OS X, aligning with our clients' specific needs and constraints.

Furthermore, I provided branding and marketing expertise to various Japanese entertainment-oriented websites. This involved introducing new features to enhance user engagement and establishing connections with organizations licensing Japanese entertainment products, such as TV shows, movies, and music, which subsequently became primary sponsors for these websites.

Additionally, I offered low-level SEO services to Hello-Online.org, a membership-based Japanese pop-music fan website. These services resulted in substantial increases in website traffic and membership counts, demonstrating our ability to drive tangible results.

In the realm of web-based applications, I developed tailored solutions in PHP, utilizing MySQL or PostgreSQL databases to meet the unique needs of corporate clients. While I took charge of application design, database development and design were entrusted to sub-contractors, ensuring a comprehensive and specialized approach.

I also provided user interface reviews and ensured 508 usability compliance for several clients, aiding them in enhancing the end-user experience through human-centric design principles. Moreover, I engaged in contract-based UI design for various platforms, including web, iOS, OS X, and Windows, catering to diverse client requirements and contributing to their product's visual appeal and usability.

Co-Founder

Resolvit

As an internal-facing solutions architect placed with the Kroger Company, my focus was on enhancing operational efficiency and system reliability through automated continuous integration solutions, cloud-integrated environment refresh processes, and meticulous solution planning.

I played a crucial role in managing and troubleshooting the installation of the Oracle Fusion Middleware (RMS) system and oversaw the installation and administration of the Oracle Enterprise Data Quality (OEDQ) product, strengthening our data management capabilities.

In the infrastructure domain, I developed requirements for environment refreshes and designed infrastructure-as-code environment builds using Puppet and Chef, streamlining deployment processes. Custom BASH automation reduced manual intervention.

I provided expertise in middleware environments and security best practices, facilitated continuous integration through TeamCity, and coordinated a diverse team for complex automation projects. My contributions also extended to developing BASH scripting libraries for secure application and data deployments and automating Windows-based tasks using PowerShell. Additionally, I collaborated on establishing a DevOps structure to enhance relationships with business units and expedite issue resolution, aligning IT practices with strategic business goals.

Independent Systems Automation Consultant

GE Cloud Services (via ResolvIT)

In my role as an internal business unit-facing middleware and cloud engineer, my primary responsibilities centered around designing and implementing OpenStack cloud solutions, evaluating integration vendors, and selecting effective Application Performance Management (APM) tools.

One of my key contributions was spearheading the scoping and implementation of DevOps processes tailored specifically for our OpenStack cloud environment. This initiative played a pivotal role in streamlining our operations and enhancing efficiency.

Additionally, I provided crucial support for JBoss-based middleware environments, which were integral to several customer-facing applications. My expertise was instrumental in troubleshooting message tier issues related to IBM MQ and database-related challenges involving PostgreSQL, ensuring the smooth operation of our application stacks.

Furthermore, I played a consultative role in vendor selection for APM tools, overseeing proof-of-concept evaluations for solutions like AppDynamics and NewRelic. Additionally, I was actively involved in the selection of a multi-cloud management solutions provider, ServiceMesh, to optimize our cloud management capabilities across various platforms.

My approach was driven by a commitment to documentation-driven systems process design, ensuring clarity and consistency in our operations. I executed best-practice infrastructure automation and high-availability configuration management, contributing to the reliability and resilience of our systems. Moreover, I collaborated closely with team members in root cause analysis, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and efficient issue resolution.

Independent Systems Consultant

I am Chris Giddings, commonly known as "Giddy." I possess a fervent enthusiasm for technology and a penchant for ingeniously addressing intricate business dilemmas using the tools at hand. My leadership style thrives in collaborative team environments and is characterized by interactive engagement.

Over the course of my career, I have assumed diverse roles, presently holding the position of Senior Manager of Process Architecture at CVS Health. In this capacity, I spearheaded a substantial overhaul of the Colleague Journey experience, influencing the lives of 350,000 employees. Prior to this, my roles as Manager of Digital Automation and Senior Solution Architect at EVERSANA Life Science Services underscored my aptitude for delivering significant value through the implementation of automation and innovative frameworks, culminating in cost savings and heightened operational efficiency.

My career narrative includes notable achievements such as the rapid development of COVID-19 patient-facing solutions, the successful execution of automation initiatives, and the recognition I've received for my adeptness in problem-solving and leadership. My professional prowess in solution architecture, technical documentation, and adept stakeholder communication positions me as an invaluable asset within the technology industry.

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