BAZEED SHAIK

Spearheaded a Gen AI initiative for Pepkor & John Lewis & Partners, achieving a 15% increase in sales and a 13% reduction in operational costs.

Developed and executed a comprehensive Gen AI strategy, integrating advanced models for product descriptions and content generation.

Built and led a high-performing team of data scientists, engineers, and AI experts, fostering innovation and successful project delivery.

Launched multiple AI-powered products/services, including AI-generated images that reduced product photography costs by up to 60%.

Drove personalized customer engagement through Gen AI, enhancing overall customer experience and increasing average basket value.

Optimized e-commerce content for search engines using Generative AI, improving SEO visibility and marketing effectiveness.

Implemented Gen AI-powered virtual assistants, transforming customer service and resolving dissatisfaction with legacy rule-based chatbots.

Provided strategic consultation for business process optimization, developing roadmaps and implementing technical solutions to align with strategic vision.

Researched, tested, and evaluated emerging technologies (AI, Automation, Cloud), delivering POCs and product implementation guidelines.

Defined and defended robust Solution Architectures, overseeing technology selection and establishing product standards and implementation patterns.

Matrix-managed multidisciplinary teams, utilizing Agile methodologies to capture business requirements and build a modern IT organization.

Developed and enforced security, compliance, and management policies through reusable deployment packages and maintained a functional Azure platform.

Standardized and automated cloud platform components, establishing governance policies for financial and risk management with cross-functional teams.

Elevated organizational cloud knowledge through a knowledge base, source code repository, and training, fostering best practice dissemination.

Guided stakeholders in cloud provider selection and solution architecture, collaborating on contract negotiation and vendor management.

Delivered strategic multi-cloud architectural consultation across the APAC region, driving business process optimization through rapid prototyping and technical solutions.

Evaluated emerging AI, Automation, and Cloud technologies, providing POCs and implementation guidelines to ensure optimal productivity and fit-for-purpose solutions.

Assessed current multi-cloud environments, identified critical gaps, and recommended innovative technology solutions for strategic business execution improvements.

Led the evaluation and selection of multi-cloud technologies, establishing product standards and defining robust solution architectures across diverse client environments.

Matrix-managed global multidisciplinary teams, ensuring high-quality product delivery across alpha, beta, and production stages, consistently meeting client expectations.

Owned product delivery, managing project scope, costs, and timelines to ensure predictable and successful outcomes, while mentoring engineering teams.

Collaborated with chief architects to establish enterprise-wide architectural standards, design patterns, and best practices, enhancing architectural governance.

Bridged the gap between business and technology, communicating digital workplace solutions to address key business challenges and leading dynamic planning processes.

Leveraged PMP framework and expert stakeholder management to deliver complex technology projects and business change programs, balancing business and IT needs.

Provided critical escalation support, resolving high-impact customer incidents and major outages across global video, voice, and product issues.

Led end-to-end Cisco Collaboration cloud network projects, including design, implementation, configuration, testing, and managed on-site/remote support services.

Managed ongoing engagements with High Touch Technical Support, ensuring timely resolution of escalated Video Conferencing issues.

Collaborated with global teams on project execution, infrastructure upgrades, and design document reviews for future infrastructure phases.

Proactively engaged with Service Owners and Project Management teams to ensure successful rollout of new services and contribute to IT service roadmap development.

Served as a key team representative, reviewing and approving weekly change requests for Voicemail and Video systems.

Managed and monitored critical Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM), Cisco VCS, Cisco Expressway, MCU, Telepresence Servers, and TMS infrastructure components.

Contributed to the deployment of a global IP Telephony solution for 20,000 users across 100 locations, providing technical analysis and support.

Managed the installation, configuration, administration, and troubleshooting of Cisco Unified Communication Manager (CUCM) versions 9.1, 8.6.2, 7.x, and 4.x.

Implemented CUCM Dial plans, Route Patterns, Dial Peers, and Translation Patterns, and prepared network infrastructure for Cisco VoIP deployment.

Configured SRST & E1/T1 integration in Cisco Voice Gateways and administered Cisco TelePresence Management Suite and endpoint configurations.

Executed migration and upgrade of physical VC infrastructure appliances to Virtual Machines, including LDAP integration for Cisco Jabber Video profiles.

Developed comprehensive project plans, including pre- and post-implementation strategies and disaster recovery plans, for site migrations and upgrades.

Authored Low-Level and High-Level Design documents and project documentation for future implementation sites.

Established production environments in lab setups, executing pre- and post-implementation activities for system upgrades.

Reviewed and implemented new architectural designs across remote sites, managing migration activities including configuration backup and upgrade to CUCM 7.x.

Configured Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging 2007 with Dial Plans, IP Gateways, Mail Box Policies, and Auto Attends, enabling unified messaging features for users.

Provided daily activity reports and conducted service review calls, ensuring transparency and monitoring incident, problem, and change management statuses.

Maintained an Error Log Database, documenting issues and resolutions during site migrations to enhance future support operations.

Performed comprehensive project audits prior to customer handover, ensuring quality and compliance.