Muhammad Usman Rana

Award-Winning ICT Project Lead | Driving Excellence In Luxury

Hospitality & IT | Expert In Pre-Opening Operations, Digital
Transformation, And Risk Management

Address Abu Dhabi AZ LinkedIn

Phone (+971) 563639033 https://www.linkedin.com/in/muham
E-mail usman-rana@live.com mad-usman-r/

I am a seasoned ICT Project Leader with a track record of excellence and accolades spanning 17
years. My career has been marked by a progressive journey of spearheading IT endeavors in the realm
of luxury hotels and resorts and IT companies. My expertise lies in orchestrating successful pre-opening
operations, executing digital transformations, overseeing risk management initiatives, and managing
technology infrastructure projects, all of which have spanned across the vibrant landscapes of the
UAE and Pakistan.
During my tenure as a Cluster Director and IT Manager at Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, distinguished
myself by achieving operational brilliance, substantial cost savings, regulatory compliance, and
fostering innovation. Successfully managed multimillion-dollar budgets and collaborated seamlessly
with cross-functional teams to drive impactful outcomes. My professional network includes influential
figures in the industry and excels at cultivating trust-based relationships at every echelon within
organizations.
My passion revolves around harnessing the power of cutting-edge IT solutions to automate processes,
enhance operational efficiency, and elevate customer satisfaction. Hold a combination of soft and
technical skills, attesting to my commitment to professional development, and a Bachelor of Science
degree in Computer Sciences.

Work History
2022-12 - Business Development Consultant
Current Theta Tech Consultancy LLC, Abu Dhabi
• Liaised with customers, management, and sales team to better understand
customer needs and recommend appropriate solutions.
• Delivered outstanding service to clients to maintain and extend relationship for
future business opportunities.
• Renegotiated outsourcing contracts to save considerable costs.
• Managed multiple deadlines across several businesses to meet dynamic needs of
multiple clients.
• Aligned closely with business owners and employees to gather information and
gain operational insight.
• Created and developed detailed work plans to meet business priorities and
deadlines.
• Onboarded and managed new client accounts to boost retention rates.
• Integrated technology and business operations to identify targeted solutions to
customer issues.
 • Cultivated positive relationships with vendors to deliver timely and cost-effective
supply of services and materials.
• Provided reporting for forecast analysis and ad-hoc reporting in support of
decision-making.

2020-01 - Consultant ICT Project Leads – UAE & Pakistan

2022-06 Agrius IT, Abu Dhabi
POSITION HIGHLIGHTS:
• Managed projects with System Integrators and Enterprises in the UAE & Pakistan
region, including developing service level agreements, analyzing business
requirements, forecasting operational costs, tracking project progress and
updates, and resolving issues that impacted project delivery.
• Established and maintained internal project management systems and
communications to facilitate successful operations.
• Negotiated with material vendors to lower costs and diversify capabilities.
Scheduled and participated in meetings to discuss progress, identify solutions to
bottlenecks, and solicit client feedback.
• Proactively assessed and corrected problems at all stages, while also targeting
and delivering opportunities to meet strategic business objectives.
• Managed and supervised junior project consultants, delegated tasks, and
achieved project deadlines by coordinating with contractors.
• Orchestrated projects with strict timeframes and budget constraints by solving
complex problems and working with senior leaders.

2018-09 - Cluster Director of IT

2019-12 Jumeirah, Abu Dhabi

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS:
• Successfully Opened the Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Hotel & Resort, overseeing
26+ large-scale projects with an average cost of 18+ million USD, including IT and
security infrastructure, applications, point of sales solutions, building management
solutions, and guest-facing technology.
• Successfully Opened Jumeirah at Etihad Towers Hotel, managing 36 large-scale
projects with average cost of 32+ million USD, including IT and security
infrastructure, applications, point of sales solutions, building management
solutions, and guest-facing technology.
• Awarded IT Person of Year by Hotelier Middle East in 2015
(https://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/events/hotelier-awards/25118-it-prodigy-
crowned-from-jumeirah-at-etihad-towers)
KEY PROJECTS:
• Managed, design and commissioning of Data Centres, Wired, and Wireless
Networks (HPE, HPE-Aruba, Brocade, Avaya, Alcatel), Property Management
Systems (Opera powered by Oracle) and Point of Sales Solutions (Micros powered
by Oracle).
• Oversaw Building Management System (VDA), Telephony and Reservations
Management Solutions (Avaya, Alcatel), Facial Recognition Technology
(Group24), Smart Energy Management System (Etisalat, IBM), Predictive
Maintenance (Etisalat), Mobile Room Keys (Miditec), House Keeping
 Management System and In-Room Technology Automation (HotSOS, Etisalat,
IBM), and Push Notification using Beacon Technology (Aruba).
POSITION HIGHLIGHTS:
• Demonstrated success in leading and managing SBU IT portfolio's delivery, utilizing
Agile delivery methodologies with focus on continuous improvement.
• Created and managed service level agreements (SLAs) and internal quality
controls to ensure vertical alignment with Group IT and horizontal integration with
SBU.
• Managed end user and customer support, ensuring all business services were
available and uptime was increased.
• Ensured compliance with Group IT Enterprise Architecture Standards, Security
Standards, Change Management and Data Protection Policies
• Effectively managed overall operations for executing projects within cost & time
norms • Led service delivery functions to ensure end-to-end ownership of
incidents and service requests, meeting deadlines and Turn-Around-Time
• Responsible for materials planning and developing vendors for cost-effective
procurement of materials and equipment.
• Mentored, monitored and motivated field functionaries to ensure sales and
operational efficiency.
• Created and sustained dynamic environment that fosters development
opportunities and motivates high performance amongst team members

2013-03 - Manager Information Technology

2018-09 Jumeirah, Abu Dhabi
POSITION HIGHLIGHTS:
• Developed and maintained $1.25M IT department operational budget.
• Negotiated annual support contracts and introduced Improve initiatives to drive
$0.43M in cost savings.
• Actively led training, mentoring, and continuous development for 8-person
department
• Researched and recommended innovative and automated approaches to
routine tasks.
• Managed teams of contractors and full-time staff through coaching, mentoring,
and driving efficiency
• Managed and reduced IT spending to support budgeting processes and TCO
modeling procedures.
• Interviewed, hired, and trained staff, leading performance reviews and offering
constructive feedback.
• Established cost-saving measures and alleviated compliance risk through
software license audits
• Guided implementation of SBU-wide enterprise security strategy for network and
hardware, disaster recovery, and endpoint protection
• Analyzed network security and current infrastructure to assess areas in need of
improvement and develop solutions.
• Authored service-level agreements for help desk operations
 • Reviewed and assessed architecture design, implementation, testing, and
deployment needs to identify project requirements and costs.
• Analyzed department and job-related functionality requirements to align
technology priorities with business needs.
• Prioritized framework to evaluate technology and regulate communication with
business stakeholders.
• Developed, tracked, and controlled information technology operating budgets
and cost and benefit analyses for IT spending initiatives.

Education
1998-08 - Bachelor of Science: Computer Sciences
2001-02 Cybernetics College of Information Technology - Lahore, Pakistan

Certifications | Trainings
PMP (Project Management Professional Training, HP Centre, Dubai, UAE)

Project Management Fundamentals (HP Education Services, Dubai, UAE)

Certified IT Manager (Exin Holding B.V. The Netherlands)

CHBA (Certified Hospitality Business Acumen Training)

Cybersecurity Foundations: Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)

Finance for Non-Finance Professionals from Emirates Academy of Hospitality

Management

Behavioral Based Interviewing training by Jumeirah

OCP DBA 8.0 Track, Informatics, Lahore, Pakistan

MCSE 2003 Track, Corvit Systems, Lahore, Pakistan

Accomplishments
IT Person of the year Winner by Hotelier Middle East 2015
(https://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/events/hotelier-awards/25118-it-prodigy-
crowned-from-jumeirah-at-etihad-towers)