With over 15 years of experience in IT management, Marcin Pulkowski is a customer-focused and business-oriented Senior IT Manager. Marcin has served as a Portfolio, Programme, Project, and Service Delivery Manager, successfully overseeing more than 100 projects in the past five years. These projects encompass a wide range of areas, including infrastructure, data centres, security, network solutions, and AWS/Azure cloud platforms.
Marcin specialises in IT strategy development, operations management, and effective vendor and service provider negotiations. His expertise spans multiple industries, such as telecommunications, healthcare, and financial services.
In his previous role as Global IT Portfolio Manager, Marcin managed a global roadmap for over 160 network, data centre, workplace, and security projects across 27 countries. They have led global infrastructure modernisation, cloud transformation, and security programmes.
Marcin has designed and deployed merger and acquisition projects, including security, network, and on-prem/cloud data centre migrations for over 3,000 on-site and remote users. He has renegotiated global vendor contracts, resulting in decreased service deliverables, and supervised the IT budget of €16 million for EMEA and LATAM, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives through forecasting, approval, and tracking. Marcin developed a custom programme for global IT, handling hundreds of infrastructure project requests annually, fostering transparency and trust across the company’s 14,000 IT needs. Additionally, he has directed and provided guidance to a team of over 20 people through all project phases.
Can you tell us a bit about your background?
I come from a technical background, having completed my IT studies with a specialisation in Managing Networks at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology in Poland. Alongside my M.Sc., I earned a CCNA—Cisco Certification from Cisco Network Academy, which led to my first role as a network technician. My career progressed through positions as an IT Specialist, Field Engineer, and IT Administrator. After gaining several years of experience, I transitioned to the role of Service Desk Manager, where I built and led a team of nine IT professionals, catering to both internal and external clients. This marked the beginning of my focus on service delivery management.
Recognising that new services are often approached as projects, I pursued postgraduate studies in Project Management and became a well-rounded project manager. Over the years, I managed both waterfall and agile projects across various domains, including infrastructure, data centres, security, network solutions, and AWS/Azure cloud platforms. Since 2021, I have served as an IT Programme Manager and Global IT Portfolio Manager, overseeing a global roadmap encompassing over 160 network, data centre, and security projects across 27 countries.
Can you tell us about your role with the Project Foundry?
As a programme manager, my responsibilities include strategic planning, project governance, resource management, executive reporting, and continuous improvement. I manage a portfolio of projects, ensuring they align with organisational strategy and stay within resource constraints. I work closely with client stakeholders and internal teams, such as project managers and business analysts, to address conflicts and challenges, fostering effective resolutions and ensuring smooth project execution.
What motivates you to do what you do?
Results are my primary focus. I am a results-oriented professional, dedicated to achieving the goals set forth by the organisation. I maintain a focus on project progress, ensuring service deliverables meet their targets and milestones are completed on schedule. The progression of projects and the increasing percentage of goals accomplished drive my motivation and fuel my commitment to excellence. This unwavering focus on results not only ensures successful project completion but also continuously pushes the boundaries of performance and efficiency.
How have you evolved personally and professionally over the years?
With 15 years of professional experience, I have progressed through the junior, middle, and senior stages of my career. Throughout this journey, I have developed a mature understanding of business dynamics, strategic planning, vision development, and the necessity of making tough decisions. I excel at prioritising my work and activities to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. Additionally, I appreciate the importance of work-life balance and deeply value the time spent with my family.
What does ‘culture’ in a work environment mean to you?
Culture is a key part of who I am and how I work. It affects our daily lives and interactions. I value different cultures and enjoy seeing them come together in diverse, international teams.
Why is it important to you?
I find it truly inspiring to see people from diverse backgrounds working well together.
How do you maintain a healthy balance between your work and personal life?
As I mentioned, work-life balance is very important to me. I’m a father of two young boys, aged 2 and 4, who have grown up in a post-COVID-19 world where I’ve been working remotely and always available for them. This experience has reshaped my perspective as an employee; I deeply value the time spent with my family. With age, I’ve become more aware of how quickly time passes, and I’ve committed to never regretting the time spent with them.
Is there a particular aspect of your work that you are especially passionate about?
I’m passionate about global structures and cross-country organisations. I enjoy seeing the diverse ways people from different countries approach work. In the Project Foundry, I get to collaborate with Irish colleagues and clients from around the world, all while working from my home in Wroclaw, Poland.
How do you deliver value to clients?
By meeting expectations accurately. I’ve worked in Demand Management and observed how different people and teams can interpret initial requirements in many ways. To ensure the client sees the results and added value they expect, we must deliver precisely what they need. This requires careful listening and avoiding assumptions that we know better.
What is one thing that very few people know about you?
I have a routine where I wake up early every morning at 5:00 a.m. I start my day with a strong black coffee in my favourite mug, and then I open my terrace to watch the world transition from night to day. It’s a special time that’s just for me.
