Rate My Professor Craig Stephens

Craig Stephens serves as the Senior Manager of the IT Projects Unit within Information Technology Services at the University of Otago. He joined the university in 2019, bringing extensive global experience in managing complex, multinational IT projects across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, the USA, and India. Prior to Otago, Stephens led critical IT initiatives for Barclays Bank during its withdrawal from African markets after nearly a century of operations. He was instrumental in the IT separation process, creating a new standalone IT environment for a business serving approximately 55,000 people across Africa. His career emphasizes leading strategic IT efforts, coordinating cross-functional teams, and achieving consistent project outcomes through structured governance and processes. Stephens holds professional certifications in PRINCE2, PMBOK, Scrum, and MSP, which have strengthened project delivery maturity and effectiveness at the university.

Under Stephens' leadership, the IT Projects Unit manages the full lifecycle of medium to large-scale IT projects, ensuring alignment with time, cost, quality, scope, risk, and benefits objectives while meeting client expectations and business goals. Key projects include the rollout of Office 365 to foster collaboration in teaching and student interactions, the implementation of a new CRM portal for rapid responses to inquiries, trend identification, and proactive student engagement, as well as broader IT roadmaps targeting foundational infrastructure refresh, modernization and consolidation, enhanced user experiences, and dedicated support for research and teaching. Stephens highlights ongoing behind-the-scenes work that empowers staff and students to utilize IT resources more smartly and efficiently, positioning the university to adopt emerging technologies. Relocating from South Africa with his wife Nichelle and two young children, Stephens was drawn to New Zealand for its unique culture and community interactions.