John Pitman

Curriculum vitae

Personal profile:

Creative, results oriented, and commercially astute DIGITAL PUBLISHING CONSULTANT with an outstanding record of achievement in developing innovative and successful online product solutions for various blue-chips, central and local government, and start-ups. Strong leadership and people management skills and exceptional stakeholder relationship skills.

Key skills and experience:

General experience:

Programme and project management.

Business case management.

Editorial and content management.

Graphic design and IA development.

Supplier management.

Stakeholder relationship management.

Video and e-learning production.

Development of social media applications.

Taxonomy and metadata management.

SEO and accessibility compliance.

Technical skills:

DSDM Agile Project Management Practitioner.

Working knowledge of Adobe Suite software (particularly proficient in Photoshop).

Hands on experience of content management systems (TeamSite SitePublisher, Seahorse, Drupal).

Familiarity with learning management systems and virtual learning environments (VLEs).

Understanding of multimedia technologies and streaming media.

Outstanding Microsoft Office skills.

Key achievements:

Carried out the end-end product management process for a series of award winning B2B web solutions from ideation to delivery, including market analysis, strategy and business case development, product roadmap management, user centred design, product specification and wireframing, project management, content management, supplier management, process development, user testing, analysing metrics, and sales and marketing.

Carried out effective handover of a major online transactional framework from project into BAU balancing the requirements of central and local government stakeholders against the needs and capability of the business.

Project managed the migration of content from over 50 external websites in a transformational government context, developing an exceptional rapport with numerous cross-government stakeholders and third party suppliers.

Conceived and implemented a full devolved publishing solution to enable third party content creation on a major government portal and project managed the successful migration of an established magazine publishing CMS to a completely new platform.

Built and led a series of creative and cohesive delivery teams, successfully motivating them to continually deliver complex programmes of work against challenging cost and schedule targets.

Instrumental in securing a number of central government contracts for the provision of interactive educational products and services via competitive tender (total value over £4m).

Negotiated a number of major strategic alliances with leading industry players leveraging shared knowledge and expertise, shared expenses, and shared risk to develop and release new products.

Instrumental in the development of the world’s first internet law school and other multimedia training and e-learning products.

Employment history:

Dec 2011 – Present: Digital Publishing Consultant

Providing the essential expertise to enable businesses to create innovative and exciting digital publishing solutions.
Assisted a number of small businesses to establish an initial online presence and to leverage social media and technology to maximise lead generation. Also engaged on the Lloyds Banking Group Digital Transformation project to re-engineer content delivery processes enabling greater efficiency through the use of Agile methodologies and the IBM Rational Team Concert collaboration tool.

Nov 2013 – Aug 2020: Web Manager, Hackney Learning Trust

Responsible for the maintenance and development of the Hackney Learning Trust websites and the delivery of the Trust's traded digital services offering. Hackney Learning Trust is now known as Hackney Education and is a department within Hackney Council’s Children and Young People’s Service responsible for Hackney’s children’s centres, schools, early years and adult education.

July 2010 – Dec 2011: Web Product Manager, Serco (Businesslink)

Responsible for the management of the UK Point of Single Contact (PSC), a free online business advice and support service provided by the UK Government for overseas businesses wishing to expand their operations into the UK.

July 2007 – June 2010: Portal Development Manager, Serco

Responsible for the management and development of the LSIS Excellence Gateway, the definitive online portal for everyone working in the post-16 learning and skills sector in England.

September 2006 – July 2007: Category Manager, Serco (Businesslink)

Initially responsible for the maintenance and development of the ‘Health, Safety and Premises’ and ‘Buy or Sell a Business’ content on Businesslink.gov.uk. Thereafter responsible for the maintenance and development of content and services for the LSIS Excellence Gateway.

April 2004 – Sept 2006: Online Development Manager, Reed Business Information, Construction Group

Responsible for the development of two major construction industry websites (contractjournal.com and constructionjobsuk.com).

Jan 2002 – April 2004: Publishing Director, Semple Piggot Rochez

Responsible for the implementation of publishing initiatives across the SPR group of multimedia training companies.

Jan 1998 – Dec 2001: Online Publisher, Butterworths Tolley

Responsible for maintaining design standards across the Butterworths LexisNexis Direct website, for the management of Law Direct and News Direct, and for new online product development in general.

Feb 1997 - Dec 1997: Publishing Manager, Butterworths Tolley

Responsible for relaunching the Butterworths website.

June 1994 - Jan 1997: Managing Editor, Butterworths

Responsible for the management of two of Butterworths' flagship encyclopeadias: The Digest and Halsbury's Laws Service.

Education:

North East London Polytechnic - BA (Hons) Law

University College London - LLM