IT Director · Transformation Leader
Senior technology leader with 20+ years solving business problems, driving IT strategy, digital transformation, and enterprise change across FTSE100, defence, manufacturing, and public sector.
Dale’s introduction — tap Listen for sound, or press “Talk to Chloe”.
20+ years experience
FTSE100 to Series B
UK & International
I have spent the last twenty years leading technology strategy, enterprise transformation, and high-performing teams across some of the most complex and regulated environments in the UK and internationally.
My career spans financial services regulation at FTSE100 level, advanced manufacturing for defence and aerospace, global mergers across multiple jurisdictions, and the digital reinvention of organisations that had outgrown their infrastructure. I have been accountable for programmes worth tens of millions of pounds, teams spanning multiple countries, and decisions that reach the board.
What sets me apart is the combination of deep technical credibility, commercial acumen, and governance experience. As a Fellow of the BCS, a CISSP, and a Member of CIMA, I bring a perspective that bridges technology, security, and finance — enabling me to engage credibly with C-suite, boards and staff in the same conversation.
Technology leadership is fundamentally about people, clarity, and courage: the courage to simplify what others have made complex, to say no to initiatives that do not serve the business, and to build teams that outlast any single leader.
Six programmes across financial services, manufacturing, hospitality, and public sector — each with defined scope, personal accountability, and measurable outcome.
CIMA-qualified management accountant; proven IT budget reduction (14–17%) and board-ready reporting.
Google Certified Generative IT Leader; introduced AI to £3bn portfolio; Dyson Innovation Award winner.
Board-approved multi-year technology strategies aligned to business growth, operating model, and risk appetite.
End-to-end transformation including ERP across 26 companies, digital re-platforming, M&A integration.
CISSP-qualified; delivered ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus, PCI DSS, and NIST frameworks.
Built IT functions from early-stage through enterprise scale; consistent satisfaction and SLA improvement.
NED experience (7 years); Chair of Trustees; C-suite reporting across FTSE100, PE-backed, and public sector.
Hands-on AI implementation across manufacturing, financial services, and leisure. Each deployment is in production, with a measurable outcome.
Google Certified Generative IT Leader
Google — Generative AI for IT Leadership
AI Legal & Taxation App
5 weeks → 5 daysNew Group company formation
Global investment group
AI-Driven Pricing Tools
+7%Gross margin improvement
Advanced manufacturing
Machine Learning Operations
Advanced manufacturing
+11%
Robotic Process Automation
Cross-border merger
200+
BI Geographic Dashboard
Leisure & hospitality
Automated
eSignature Platform
Independent build
Proprietary
Dementia-Assist Technology — 2025
Hardware and software solution enabling remote family support for dementia patients. Designed and built independently — no commercial brief, no budget, no team.
First elected to Swindon Borough Council in 2004, aged 24. Appointed to Cabinet in 2010. Served as Cabinet Member across Regeneration, Culture, Strategic Planning, and Organisational Excellence. Deputy Group Leader in opposition. 591 meetings. 90.5% attendance over 22 years.
22
Years served
6
Elections won
591
Meetings attended
UK's first council solar bond
Pioneered a community investment model backing a £4.8m solar farm — the first of its kind by any council in the country. National coverage across energy and local government press.
Swindon Local Plan 2026
As Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, approved a plan targeting 22,000 new homes. Annual completions more than doubled from 641 to 1,411 in the year it took effect.
Brunel's Carriage Works
Championed the regeneration of a historic site closed for 30 years into a Cultural Heritage Institute with the Royal Agricultural University. Shortlisted for national planning award.
£42m road infrastructure
Secured Government funding for a five-year road improvement programme serving thousands of new homes across East Swindon, including the Oxford Road and Commonhead link road.
£5m Health Hydro restoration
Led the Towns Fund bid that secured funding to restore Swindon's Victorian Health Hydro, built in 1891. Reopened January 2026 after decades of closure.
Nythe Parish Council
Founded the Nythe, Eldene & Liden Parish Council in 2014, delivering a £70 annual council tax saving per household and establishing community-level governance for the first time.
Fellow of the BCS, CISSP, and Member of CIMA: technology leadership, security authority, and commercial acumen in a single executive.
Fellow of the BCS (FBCS)
Chartered Institute of IT
since 2011
CISSP
ISC2
Member of CIMA
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
CIMA Advanced Diploma (MCS)
CIMA
CIMA Diploma (OCS)
CIMA
Google Generative IT Leader
MSP Foundation & Practitioner
AXELOS
PRINCE2 Foundation & Practitioner
AXELOS
ITIL Service Management
AXELOS
Pg Cert Internet Systems
University of Portsmouth
Future Leaders Academy
IDeA
22 years of public office means 22 years of accountability — to constituents, to journalists, and to the public record. Selected appearances and recognition below.
Channel 4 / Grand Designs
Kevin McCloud — Hab Housing, Swindon
Worked with Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud on sustainable residential development in Swindon. McCloud's Hab Housing and eco-builder Footstep Homes partnered with the council to deliver architecture 'of the highest order and world-beating sustainability.'
Campaign for the Arts
Hearts for the Arts Awards — Shortlisted 2021
Nominated for inventiveness and lateral thinking in keeping libraries open and getting art on tour. One of a small number of councillors nationally recognised for arts leadership.
2021
PV Magazine / Solar Power Portal / edie.net
National coverage — UK's first council solar bond
Covered across national energy, local government, and sustainability press. Featured in PV Magazine, Solar Power Portal, edie.net, Local Government Lawyer, and localgov.co.uk.
2016
Thomas Reyes, a document expert, is hired to verify ancient church records in Rome. He expected dusty files and long hours. He found a body — and a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of the Vatican.
View on Amazon →The Templar Correction
Dale Heenan
Available for pre-order. The second thriller from Dale Heenan — publishing 2 June 2026.
View on Amazon →Leadership carries more weight when you can still ship. Outside of client work I design, build, and run my own software in production — front to back, hosting included.
This website
You're looking at one. I designed the interface, wrote every component with AI assistance, and I deploy and run it in production myself — no template, no agency, no page builder. A current, hands-on proof that I still ship the things I lead.
Built with
AI communications platform for UK local councillors
A full SaaS platform helping councillors handle casework, resident correspondence, and campaign communications — with AI drafting grounded in local data. Built from first-hand experience: I served as a councillor and cabinet member, so this is software for a job I have done myself.
Built with
Proprietary e-signature platform
A DocuSign-equivalent built from scratch: upload a document, place signature fields, invite signers by email, and track every envelope through to completion. PDF processing, authentication, and audit trail all engineered in-house rather than bought.
Built with
Turn a pet photo into a buildable brick model
Upload a photo of your pet and get a buildable brick model: generative AI creates a 3D mesh, a custom engine voxelises it into real bricks, and you receive interactive 3D build instructions with printable PDFs. The most playful thing I run in production — and the most technically demanding.
Built with
I'm open to conversations about senior technology leadership roles, advisory appointments, and strategic projects. All enquiries are treated with discretion.