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Cynthia L. Simeone

Cynthia Simeone
Business Continuity Consultant
New York, NY

Cynthia is a management consultant who brings over twenty years of experience in information technology management, technology service delivery and business process management.  She is an experienced manager, certified in business continuity and project management disciplines with strong capabilities in program management, business continuity and disaster recovery.  She has a proven ability to achieve business goals through the application of technology, exceptional leadership and project execution capabilities.  Cynthia has extensive financial and operational management skills, has proven expertise in regulatory compliance management and detailed experience of quality and risk management.

Representative experiences include:
  • Developed and managed corporate-wide business/disaster recovery program for one of the nation's leading mutual fund companies.  Ensured corporate compliance for legal and regulatory testing, auditing and documentation requirements.
    • Managed all business continuity tests (table top exercises, drills, functional and comprehensive) for critical businesses, including successful “live” contingency tests.
  • Identified corporate strategy for disaster recovery program and produced corporate-wide evacuation and business-specific recovery plans; negotiated and contracted with external business continuity vendors to provide back-up facilities for comprehensive, cost efficient contingency solutions.
    • Evaluated corporate aggregate business requirements to determine cross functional dependencies and identified the greatest common denominators for corporate business continuity functional requirements and solutions.
  • Developed and implemented pandemic planning policies and tactical solutions for the Corporate Wellness group of a major global financial services institution.
  • Developed and facilitated executive management Table Top Exercise for Corporate Business Resumption Team, leveraging and enhancing organization’s emergency response and crisis response capabilities for a major insurance company.
  • Directed a major global financial services corporation to develop and improve their corporate business continuity quality assurance program focusing on corporate governance, policy, standards, procedures and guides, and the global implementation of an upgraded business resiliency program.
  • Assisted a major global financial services corporation develop and establish their corporate Business Continuity Awareness Program.
  • Led the delivery of key business and IT risk management consulting services for a "big five" consulting firm with a focus in Business Continuity for the financial services industry.
    • Provided business continuity subject matter expertise for the development of a national file transfer system
    • Provided business continuity subject matter expertise to enhance business resumption programs for several major financial institutions 
  • Developed several project management structures and process improvement initiatives for major financial institutions.
  • Managed technical solutions to business concerns and operating services for Human Resources, Tax, Audit, Legal and Corporate Accounting.  Managed the application quality assurance, financial and administrative teams and acted as Compliance Officer for IT department.
    Managed allocation of resources for on-time and on-budget delivery of business specific technology projects and production support efforts within specified service level agreements.
  • Provided technology service account management of desktop and server operations for the Fixed Income business of a major global financial services organization including market data and trader voice technology, voice and applications infrastructure technology, application development, business continuity/disaster recovery, and multiple projects.
  • Managed multiple cross-business technology gap and transformation projects including network analysis to accommodate consolidation of corporate file and print service offering as well as business-specific PROD/UAT/DR/DEV server consolidation efforts.
  • Led delivery of several critical projects (Sarbanes Oxley, IPO, program implementation) for major financial services organizations.
  • Turned desktop services function from a cost-center to a profit-center, restoring profitability in four months; increased revenues and improved efficiencies by developing and implementing an ad hoc work flow process.
  • Built and implemented call center and desktop support tier level processes and responsibilities (Level 2 Help Desk Process), migrating call center from “catch/dispatch” to “customer support center”; improved efficiencies and reduced expenses by alleviating basic service calls from skilled technicians; improved targeted first time call resolution rates of 30%, averaged over 50% resolution.
  • Worked with global not-for-profit pharmaceutical organization to assess PMO requirements and develop PMO framework for executive sponsorship.
Cynthia's prior experience includes work at Deloitte & Touche LLP, JPMorgan / Chase, The J.P. Morgan Pinnacle Alliance, and Nextera Interactive and the Dreyfus Corporation.

Cynthia is an elected member of the board currently serving as immediate past-president of the Project Management Institute, New York City Chapter.  She has been an advocate for and has implemented Community, Corporate and Educational Outreach Programs focused on Project Management and holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.  She is also a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), and is a member of the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII).  She is also a recognized speaker at both Project Management Global Leadership and Continuity Insights Conferences.