Investec Bank · 2000 - 2006
A headquarters, a data center, and a DR site
I project managed the ground-up development of Investec's flagship Cape Town headquarters and commissioned its critical internal data center, delivering a secure, high-availability environment for continuous trading on time and within budget.
On time
and within budget
01
The context
A bank's headquarters is more than an office. For Investec's flagship Cape Town building it also meant a critical internal data center supporting continuous trading operations, where availability and security are non-negotiable. Earlier, at Barclays, I had project managed the design and build-out of the bank's disaster recovery site, and I did the same for Investec.
Capital projects reward the same discipline as technology programs: clear ownership, early risk visibility, and no heroics at the end.
02
The challenge
Coordinate construction, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work with technology requirements from day one.
Deliver a secure, high-availability data center that could support continuous trading.
Hold schedule and budget on a complex, multi-contractor capital project.
03
My role
I project managed and directed the development of the headquarters and commissioned its data center, and served as project manager for the design and build-out of the bank's disaster recovery site.
04
How I approached it
Bring technology into the design early
Data center and resilience requirements were built into the building design rather than retrofitted.
Mobilize the right partners
I mobilized top-tier MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) contractors and held them to a single integrated plan.
Commission for resilience
The data center was commissioned as a secure, high-availability environment for continuous trading operations.
Build the safety net
The disaster recovery site gave critical banking operations a tested business continuity capability.
05
What changed
Delivered on time and within budget
The flagship Cape Town headquarters and its internal data center.
Continuous trading supported
A secure, high-availability technology environment.
Business continuity in place
A purpose-built disaster recovery site for critical operations.
06
What I carry forward
Resilience is designed in, not bolted on.
The cheapest time to get availability right is on the drawing board.
One plan, many contractors.
Complex capital projects fail at the interfaces, so manage the interfaces.
