Chief Architect Cv

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Chief Architect Cv George Bennett Chief Architect 07700 90XXXX george.bennett@example.com georgebennett London, Greater London, SW11 3XX STRENGTHS Architecture direction Connect business priorities with practical architecture choices, giving teams a clear route through complex modernisation decisions. Pragmatic governance Bring design review, standards and risk assessment together early, helping teams address control concerns without needless delay. Executive influence Translate technical constraints into investment and delivery choices that executives can assess against customer and operational needs. Cross-functional partnership Bring product, security, engineering and data leaders into design decisions, aligning different perspectives around deliverable roadmaps. Developing architects Use practical design reviews and development discussions to help solution architects and senior engineers grow their architecture judgement. SKILLS Enterprise architecture Architecture strategy Technology transformation Application architecture Solution architecture Cloud-native architecture Platform strategy Architecture governance Technology standards Architecture risk management Architectural control Organisational change Executive stakeholder influence AI-enabled engineering Financial services LANGUAGES English Native 40 French Intermediate 20 MY CAREER 25.8 Years Chief Architect at Harbourstone Financial Group (5.8 Years) Enterprise Architecture Director at Cedarwell Payments (4.6 Years) Head of Solution Architecture at Westbridge Lending (5.2 Years) Lead Solutions Architect at Meridian Mutual Finance (4.6 Years) Solutions Architect at Ashdown Banking Group (5.6 Years) SUMMARY Chief Architect with 25 years of experience guiding enterprise architecture and technology transformation across complex financial services organisations. Set architecture strategy that connects modernisation priorities with application and solution architecture, cloud-native platforms and technology standards. Balance governance, risk and architectural control with innovation, helping executive stakeholders make informed decisions about change and investment. Bring product, security, engineering and data leaders together to shape practical roadmaps, challenge legacy approaches and promote modern engineering practices . Recent contributions include architecture guidance for AI-enabled engineering and automation, including emerging agentic engineering capabilities . Translate enterprise direction into approaches delivery teams can apply across programmes, keeping customer experience, operational resilience and sustainable technology delivery in view. EXPERIENCE Chief Architect Harbourstone Financial Group Jan 2021 – Present London, UK Set the enterprise architecture strategy for a multi-product financial services business, connecting modernisation priorities with customer experience, technology delivery and operational resilience plans. Introduced reusable cloud-native architecture patterns and platform standards across transformation programmes, giving product and engineering teams clearer design choices and reducing avoidable variation between solutions. Established architecture governance that joined design review, technology standards and risk assessment, allowing teams to address security and control concerns early without slowing well-evidenced innovation. From 2024, shaped architecture guidance for AI-enabled engineering and automation roadmaps , including appropriate patterns and controls for emerging agentic engineering capabilities. Worked with executive, product, security, engineering and data leaders to resolve cross-programme design decisions and align application and solution architecture with strategic objectives. Challenged legacy designs and promoted modern engineering practices, supporting delivery teams through architecture decisions and helping prioritise changes with the greatest customer and organisational value. Enterprise Architecture Director Cedarwell Payments Jun 2016 – Dec 2020 Reading, UK Led enterprise architecture planning during a complex platform transformation, aligning business capabilities, application architecture and delivery sequencing across customer and operational services. Developed cloud platform strategy and target-state designs with engineering and security leads, providing scalable patterns for new services while making dependencies and risk visible to programme executives. Reworked architecture governance and technology standards so design decisions were documented consistently and reviewed in step with programme delivery, strengthening control without creating unnecessary process. Advised senior stakeholders on competing transformation options, translating technical constraints into investment, delivery and customer-impact considerations. Supported product and data leaders in modernising service journeys, challenging inherited application boundaries and encouraging teams to adopt maintainable engineering practices. Head of Solution Architecture Westbridge Lending Mar 2011 – May 2016 Birmingham, UK Directed solution architecture for lending and customer-service change initiatives, translating business needs into application designs that could be delivered across interconnected systems. Established design principles and review practices for programme teams, improving consistency in integration decisions, non-functional requirements and operational handover. Partnered with security, technology operations and product teams to assess delivery risks and resolve design issues before they affected implementation plans. Produced transition architectures for legacy modernisation, enabling incremental change while maintaining continuity for customers and business operations. Lead Solutions Architect Meridian Mutual Finance Aug 2006 – Feb 2011 Manchester, UK Designed application and solution architectures for financial services initiatives, balancing customer and operational requirements with existing platform constraints. Guided delivery teams through architecture decisions and documented technology standards that supported more consistent implementation across concurrent projects. Worked with business and technology stakeholders to assess change proposals, clarify dependencies and surface risks early enough to inform programme planning. Helped modernise legacy services through phased designs, giving delivery teams a practical route to introduce change without disrupting established operations. Solutions Architect Ashdown Banking Group Jan 2001 – Jul 2006 Bristol, UK Turned business requirements into application designs for banking service improvements, working with analysts and developers to clarify interfaces and delivery constraints. Prepared architecture documentation and solution options that helped project teams assess dependencies and make informed design choices. Contributed to early technology governance practices by recording design decisions and checking proposed solutions against agreed standards. LEADERSHIP, AWARDS & RECOGNITION Recognised by Harbourstone Financial Group executive sponsors in 2024 for clear architecture guidance during a major modernisation planning cycle. Mentored solution architects and senior engineers through design reviews and development discussions, helping strengthen architecture capability across programme teams. Invited speaker at the 2022 UK Financial Services Architecture Forum, discussing the balance between transformation governance and delivery needs. EDUCATION BSc Computer Science University of Bristol 2000 Bristol, UK CERTIFICATIONS TOGAF Certification 2014 AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional 2023 TECHNICAL SKILLS Cloud Platforms: Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform Infrastructure as Code: Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, Azure Resource Manager Container Platforms: Docker, Kubernetes, Amazon ECS API Technologies: REST, OpenAPI, GraphQL Integration Technologies: Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ, Amazon SNS Data Stores: Amazon Aurora, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server Programming Languages: Java, Python, SQL Identity and Security: OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, AWS IAM Architecture Modelling: ArchiMate, UML, C4 Model Delivery Tooling: Git, Jenkins, GitHub Actions SKILLS Enterprise architecture Architecture strategy Technology transformation Application architecture Solution architecture Cloud-native architecture Platform strategy Architecture governance Technology standards Architecture risk management Architectural control Organisational change Executive stakeholder influence AI-enabled engineering Financial services PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS Member, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, engaging with the UK technology and architecture community. Member, The Open Group, participating in a professional community focused on enterprise architecture. LANGUAGES English (Native) French (Intermediate)

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