Francois Engelbrecht

Senior Programme Manager and Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity specialist with a career spanning enterprise-scale programme delivery, business continuity management, and technology transformation across mining, telecommunications, and financial services. Built and delivered IT DRP capability from the ground up at multinational scale, achieving sustained audit compliance. Programme management experience covers the full delivery lifecycle — from business incubation and platform development through to large-scale ERP transformation — with consistent delivery on time and within budget.

Dual methodology capability across Agile and Waterfall environments. Led cross-functional teams and senior stakeholder engagements at executive level.

Finance ERP Project Manager at Cobalt Business Solutions (2025-08 – 2026-04)

Headhunted to lead and deliver a large-scale ERP transformation, migrating from Sage 300 to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance with full end-to-end project ownership.

• Led end-to-end Sage 300 to MS Dynamics 365 Finance migration across a multi-entity environment, delivered on time and within budget.
• Managed cross-functional teams and vendors across the full project lifecycle from design through go-live and stabilisation.
• Drove finance transformation across GL, AP, AR, and Fixed Assets, improving reporting accuracy and reducing month-end close timelines.
• Directed data migration, ensuring full integrity of financial data including historical balances and open transactions.
• Implemented integrations with banking, payroll, and third-party systems.
• Engaged CFO and Finance leadership and led change management to achieve strong user adoption.
• Established governance frameworks, risk controls, and ensured compliance with financial regulations.

IT Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Manager at Exxaro Mining Group (2018-05 – 2025-07)

Appointed to design, implement, and manage Exxaro's IT Disaster Recovery capability from the ground up, establishing a complete DR programme where none previously existed.

• Managed the full IT DRP programme across all business units of the Exxaro Mining Group, from policy design through to deployment and sustained audit compliance.
• Compiled policies, strategy, recovery objectives, recovery procedures, test plans, and reports across the full IT DRP portfolio.
• Engaged all business unit stakeholders to accumulate, assess, and construct IT-DRP artefacts for all critical systems.
• Engaged PWC internal audit to ensure IT DRP compliance with international standards — clean audits maintained since 2019.
• Managed internal teams, external service providers, and business continuity stakeholders across the group.
• Implemented a companywide IT DRP CMDB for stakeholder collaboration across all business units.

Programme Manager at Infotech (incorporating Mobile Data) (2008-03 – 2018-04)

Appointed to manage the full lifecycle of startup incubation projects, taking ventures from initial concept through to fully operational independent companies.

• Managed the full programme lifecycle for 19 business incubation projects from concept through to full deployment as independent operating companies.
• Programme managed the TradeSwitch enterprise distribution platform development at Mobile Data, including business development to all Mobile Network Operators as customers.
• Programme managed e-SIM integration on Android (with Samsung) and iOS (with Apple).
• Led the Vodacom SA programme management team for the Emerging Markets division.
• Implemented Agile methodology within the SDLC across Infotech and its subsidiary companies.
• Reported directly to the COO; responsible for general management of all projects across Infotech and its subsidiaries.

Developer / Project Manager at Introye Corporation (Pty) Ltd (2008)

Independent Consultant at Self-Employed

Senior Database Administrator / Projects Leader at Liberty Life

IT Manager at Group 5 Stocks and Stocks

Database Administrator at Old Mutual

National Service at SANDF

Short Course in Project Management Principles and Practices – University of Pretoria, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology