Hey, I'm Farzad Nazemi.
Data & System Specialist | Digitization SME | Business Transformation | Data Automation & BI Expert
I'm a Data & System Specialist and business transformation practitioner who solves complex operational problems through better data architecture, intelligent automation, and decision-oriented analytics.
Throughout my career I have worked as a Data & System Specialist, Digitization SME, European Data Transformation Team Leader, Continuous Improvement Engineer, Production Controller, and Solutions Business Analyst. This progression across operational plants, pan-European supply chains, and technical leadership has given me a comprehensive perspective on how businesses operate, how systems mature, and how data drives measurable commercial value.
Specialising in Microsoft Power Platform (PowerApps & Power BI), SQL, KNIME, Tableau, and enterprise systems, I bridge the gap between site operations, executive management, IT teams, and developers — from mapping multi-site data and system maturity to architecting operational excellence applications that track initiatives from initial concept and cost-benefit verification through to budgeted, forecast, and actual financial realisation.
Across every mandate, my approach is grounded in structured communication, analytical curiosity, risk visibility, and continuous improvement.
Executive Impact Dashboard
Key career benchmarks spanning a decade of data engineering, process automation, and cross-functional leadership.
Years Experience
2014 – Present progression
Projects Delivered
End-to-end enterprise rollouts
Companies Worked With
UK & pan-European operations
Leadership & SME Roles
Technical, Data, Digitization & Systems
Technologies Used
SQL, Power BI, PowerApps & ETL
Business Processes Automated
Manual workflows eliminated
Career Journey Navigator
Select a milestone on the timeline or scroll through the roles to inspect the active technology cluster and quantified impact.
Data & System Specialist
Global leader in sustainable technologies with over 200 years of scientific and industrial heritage across international refining and manufacturing operations.
Spearheading multi-site data and system maturity assessments, risk identification, and the architecture of core operational excellence platforms embedded in daily business operations.
- Mapped end-to-end data and system maturity across operational sites, identifying strategic modernisation opportunities and highlighting architectural and operational risks
- Architected and delivered an enterprise Operational Excellence Tracking application using Microsoft Power Platform, PowerApps, Power BI, and SQL — now heavily embedded in daily business operations
- Engineered structured stage-gate workflows covering initiative ideation, commercial cost-benefit verification, and tactical implementation planning
- Built automated financial and operational telemetry tracking budgeted, forecast, and actual benefits realisation across active transformation initiatives
Established clear multi-site system maturity visibility and embedded a mission-critical Operational Excellence platform into daily operations to govern initiatives from ideation and cost-benefit verification through to budgeted, forecast, and actual benefits.
Digitization SME
Served as technical Subject Matter Expert on global-scale initiatives to modernise legacy business systems, automate ETL pipelines, and transform cross-functional ways of working.
- Scoped, architected, and delivered bespoke Microsoft PowerApps solutions across multiple global business units to replace fragmented manual workflows
- Pioneered the implementation of enterprise KNIME workflows within the business to centralise and automate complex ETL pipelines
- Supported and integrated legacy platforms—including IBM DB2 databases—exposing core operational data to BI reporting and business applications to eliminate duplicated effort
- Executed full application rewrites for the Product Enquiry platform across sales and production teams, streamlining stakeholder user experience and response times
Accelerated global operational modernisation by unifying legacy IBM DB2 systems with scalable Power Platform applications and automated KNIME ETL workflows.
Continuous Improvement Engineer
Delivered targeted continuous improvement and digital workflow engineering initiatives for the plant Continuous Improvement team.
- Engineered structured SQL reporting views to transform raw data from a newly implemented inventory tracking system into actionable Business Intelligence datasets
- Completed a full architectural rewrite of the Daily Management application to centralise operational governance and plant-floor checklists
- Digitised and standardised 5S workplace audits, EHS safety inspections, shift handovers, and floor inspections
Unlocked actionable BI insights from newly deployed inventory systems and centralised plant-floor 5S, EHS, and shift handover management.
PGMR Production Controller
Managed daily, weekly, monthly, and 3-month refinery targets and priorities while modernising material tracking tools and executive performance reporting.
- Developed operational forecasting models used by internal stakeholders to drive informed scheduling and commercial decision-making
- Defined the functional scope and technical requirements for Johnson Matthey’s new 3rd Century Refining (3CR) plant inventory management systems
- Designed and evolved executive Tableau KPI dashboards to streamline refinery ways of working and performance reviews
- Automated the StockTake reconciliation process, eliminating manual bottlenecks and significantly reducing human error
Strengthened operational decision-making across PGMR refining, established the functional scope for 3rd Century Refining inventory systems, and automated stock reconciliation.
European Data Transformation Team Leader
Specialised European healthcare and pharmaceutical supply chain logistics provider within the Fortune 500 Owens & Minor group.
Led a team of 4 business analysts and data transformation testing specialists across European hubs and external consultancies, serving as primary lead for risk management and pre-cutover data sign-off.
- Managed a specialist team of 4 business analysts and testing specialists delivering large-scale pan-European data migration programmes
- Automated Master Data onboarding workflows enabling mass loading through simplified, validated user forms
- Directed data cleansing, transformation, and verification across European systems covering 4,000+ Item records, 1,000+ Customer accounts, and 6,000+ customer pricelist records
- Built SQL validation reports and Excel reconciliation templates to verify item attributes, prevent customer duplication, and safeguard customer pricing accuracy
- Developed financial-to-warehouse interface reconciliation reporting to verify shipped-versus-billed accuracy across European business units
European Data Migration Programme
Delivered zero-defect master data migrations and automated financial-to-warehouse billing reconciliation across multiple European pharmaceutical logistics hubs.
Solutions Business Analyst
Partnered with operational and commercial stakeholders to define requirements, develop business cases, measure performance, and engineer automated data solutions.
- Executed a comprehensive data cleanse across 100,000+ customer records, retiring redundant site locations and merging duplicate accounts
- Transformed annual customer master data reconciliation from a manual task into an automated SQL and Excel workflow cross-referencing registration numbers and percentage address matches against external regulatory databases
- Reconciled high-volume transactional order data between external client platforms and internal warehouse management systems
- Built automated Customer Data Import pipelines for major healthcare clients using Data Loaders alongside bespoke MS Access tools and Excel VBA macros
Delivered substantial efficiency gains through automated regulatory database fuzzy-matching, 100k+ customer record cleansing, and streamlined client data onboarding.
Technical Manager
UK commercial digital signage provider delivering bespoke hardware and embedded software solutions for tier-1 retail and banking clients including IKEA, John Lewis, HSBC, and Dixons.
Managed hardware and software R&D, technical support, refurbishment workflows, and onsite enterprise deployments.
- Led product R&D for emerging 4K digital signage markets, evaluating System-on-Chip (SoC) architectures to upgrade media players for 4K playback
- Delivered onsite engineering support and live commercial demonstrations for major enterprise accounts including IKEA, John Lewis, HSBC, and Dixons
- Directed hardware diagnostics, firmware testing, and structured refurbishment operations
Established reliable 4K SoC hardware testing standards and supported flagship digital signage rollouts for tier-1 UK retail and banking brands.
Skills Evolution & Ecosystem Matrix
Filter by domain or hover over any capability node to highlight cross-functional relationships across the stack.
Data Analysis
Multi-site data maturity mapping, root-cause diagnostics, cost-benefit verification, and translating complex operational datasets into commercial clarity.
SQL & DB2
Relational backend design for Operational Excellence applications, reporting views, legacy IBM DB2 integration, and financial-to-warehouse reconciliation.
ETL Processes
Designing resilient extraction, cleansing, and transformation pipelines across legacy DB2, ERP, and modern cloud analytics platforms.
Data Migration
Pan-European master data cutovers (Items, Customers, Pricelists), automated Data Loaders, and pre-cutover risk sign-off.
Data Governance
Site data & system maturity assessments, operational risk identification, master data management (MDM), and 100k+ record deduplication.
Advanced MS Excel & Access
VBA macro automation, relational MS Access applications, automated reconciliation templates, and financial cost-benefit modelling.
Power Platform (PowerApps & Power BI)
Architecting enterprise Operational Excellence & Benefits Realisation platforms, Daily Management (5S/EHS) apps, and global legacy system replacements.
KNIME Analytics
Pioneered enterprise KNIME workflows at Johnson Matthey to centralise and automate repeatable business ETL pipelines.
Tableau BI
Executive KPI telemetry, PGMR refinery production tracking, and interactive visual analytics suites.
Automation
Eliminating manual bottlenecks across 50+ business processes via Power Platform, KNIME, SQL, Data Loaders, and Excel VBA.
Dashboard Development & MIS
Power BI benefits realisation telemetry (Budgeted, Forecast & Actuals) and decision-oriented Management Information Systems (MIS).
Business Analysis
Mapping site system maturity, verifying commercial cost-benefit cases, scoping 3CR inventory systems, and translating user needs into functional specs.
Project Management
Tactical implementation planning, benefit realisation governance, risk management, and delivering 25+ multi-disciplinary programmes.
Team Leadership & Management
Leading cross-functional teams of analysts and testing specialists across UK and pan-European transformation programmes.
Lean Management, Six Sigma & CI
Operational Excellence tracking from idea to actuals, Lean & Six Sigma methodologies, 5S/EHS digitalisation, and bottleneck removal.
Academic Credentials
Analytical foundations in mathematical modelling, numerical methods, and computational engineering simulation.
MSc Mechanical Engineering
De Montfort University, Leicester · Postgraduate Master of Science
Dissertation on the application of MatLab for illustrations, calculations, and analysis of mathematical models using numerical methods.
BEng Mechanical Engineering
De Montfort University, Leicester · Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)
Dissertation on simulation of a compression ignition engine using ANSYS, analysing changes in structural mesh, compression ratio, and use of different fuels.
Beyond the Data
Interests and disciplines that fuel curiosity, mechanical precision, and continuous learning outside of enterprise work.
Technology
Love to tinker with both emerging hardware and software systems
PC Hardware (SFX Builds)
Building compact SFX small-form-factor rigs & thermal tuning
Science & Engineering
Fascinated by how the world works — studied engineering to feed that curiosity
3D Printing & CAD
Going from concept to CAD to a real physical object
Cycling
Road & gravel rides, endurance routes & outdoor fitness
Climbing
Bouldering & sport climbing — physical puzzle solving on the wall
Mechanical Keyboards
Fan of tactile Blue switches at home & Red/Brown switches for the office
Movies & Sci-Fi
Great storytelling & world-building — Alien still holds up
Gaming
Interactive storytelling, strategy & simulation worlds
Comics & Manga
Spider-Man, Spider-Gwen, The Mighty Thor & My Hero Academia
Music
Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, Adele & focus playlists