Alan Novick
After dropping out of Northwestern University not once but twice, designing and building scenery for several Chicago theater companies, and working briefly as a commercial photographer, in 1979 Alan sold his soul and began designing discotheques. Those were dark days indeed.
In 1981 Alan began working as a partner in a small direct-marketing concern (aka mail order), but by 1987 he was again ready for a change. Thus, at the age of 30, he enrolled in the New York Institute of Technology, graduating summa cum laude in 1989 with a combined degree in Business Administration and Management of Information Systems.
The day after graduation Alan joined UBS Securities, where for five years he headed their Investment Banking Technology group. Additionally, he led a team of developers and system integrators, deploying new technology across the bank's US and UK offices. Then, as Operations Director for TrackData, he gained experience in marketing.
In 2000, Alan brought his own mix of theatrical creativity and Swiss management style to Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB), where he began working as VP and Director of Business Technology. In late 2001, shortly after the merger of TrueNorth Communications (the owner of FCB) and The Interpublic Group (IPG), Alan joined the embryonic Global Information Services group at IPG.
Alan served for almost ten years at IPG, most recently as Executive Director, Global Information Services, managing the relationship between the technology delivery organization and the key business groups comprising IPG's Corporate Headquarters and the senior management of the holding company.
There are lots of great senior IT people in the Boston market today. Alan is one of them. What separates him from his colleagues is that he has a track record of working with two of the world's most respected global companies. He has the reputation as the guy who can manage complex, global, high stakes IT projects with one hand while herding cats with the other.
If asked, Alan will tell you all about the discotheques.