Gökhan Canpolat - IT Program Manager in Regulated Pharma

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Bartenheim, France

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Experience

Jan 2025 - Present

1 year 10 months

Switzerland

Program Manager

Pharma

Leading a multi-year eight-figure budgeted infrastructure modernization program, delivering a resilient, scalable and future-ready IT/OT foundation for a production-critical environment. The program strengthens business continuity, improves operational independence and establishes a standardized infrastructure architecture designed to support long-term growth, stability in the regulated production area.
Design and implement network and server systems strategy to ensure long-term operational support for the production facility.
Implement per-building server rooms with dedicated hardware to ensure isolation, fault tolerance and building independence
Replace outdated network and server infrastructure and migrate production systems to new modern high-availability clusters.
Establish a qualified Azure Landing Zone and define the cloud service operating model, incl. governance, security controls and cost management, and make it ready to onboard critical business workloads (i.e. Data & IA Platform).

Jan 2024 - Dec 2025

2 years

Switzerland

Senior Project Manager

Pharma

Central point of contact between Business, OT and IT within the context of the build of a new production facility. Responsible for early identification, planning and coordination of all IT-relevant activities supporting business-led projects, including infrastructure, system integration, compliance and operational readiness.
Led a site-wide, controlled core network upgrade and system migration across whole site, including shutdown of ~400 production systems; coordinated and communicated the change across all business functions for 500+ users following six months of preparation, successfully executed between Christmas and New Year
Defined and executed the IT strategy for a new production facility (PLC/MES/Pi), ensuring operational readiness, governance and compliance.
Led the build of two redundant local data centers critical to the production facility, aiming isolation from and independence of central IT services.
Directed the global upgrade of 3,000+ client systems from Windows 10 to Windows 11, aligning workplace modernization with corporate strategy.
Integrated laboratory IT (LIMS) into secure virtual environments (VDI) ensuring validated and compliant operations.

Apr 2023 - Dec 2023

9 months

Switzerland

Senior Project Manager

Pharma

Overall project responsibility for three initiatives spanning design, qualification/validation and handover to operations.
Spearheaded the foundation of an enterprise IT/OT security and infrastructure transformation, defining the target operating model and driving key initiatives such as the segregation of IT and OT domains to strengthen cyber resilience in regulated environments
Led audit-driven security remediation and risk reduction initiative, closing critical compliance gaps and strengthening control effectiveness through coordinated execution and stakeholder alignment
Stepped in to lead two complex initiatives already underway, executing a structured turnaround by resetting governance, priorities and delivery cadence to bring both projects back on track
Acted as a subject matter expert, supporting the design, establishment and maturation of a Project Management Office (PMO), including its governance model, standards and operating principles

Mar 2022 - Mar 2023

1 year 1 month

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Workstream Lead

Finance

Led three IT workstreams as part of a larger carve-out of a digital investment platform from a major German bank, supporting the creation of a new company and the establishment of a cloud-native Azure and M365 foundation aligned with BAIT regulatory standards.
Led three of eight work streams for the transformation of a digital investment platform from on-premise to Microsoft Azure and the build of a SoC service, enabling scalability, agility, and regulatory alignment.
Drove the RFI/RFP and selection of two MSPs (Modern Workplace, Azure Landing Zone) and managed their integration and transition into operations.
Directed the redesign of end-user environments across multiple locations, implementing modern workplace solutions (O365, network) to enhance productivity and security.
Oversaw migration strategy and execution, aligning cloud platform adoption with business growth and operational efficiency goals.

Apr 2020 - Feb 2022

1 year 11 months

Basel, Switzerland

Senior Project Manager & Scrum Master

Roche

Executed the development of a Clinical Trials Platform enabling innovation and global collaboration in a regulated environment.
Led a global project to design and deliver a clinical trials platform in collaboration with an external vendor
Managed third-party vendors, including RFI/RFP processes and contract governance (MSA, SoW), and was accountable for cost and resource management across the project
Scrum Mastered a global organizational change for 7000+ users.
Supported a major organizational and ways-of-working transformation, including the transition from a traditional hierarchical structure to flat, network-based teams and chapter models
Facilitated the adoption of new collaboration and productivity tools, enabling the shift away from a legacy office environment toward a modern, cloud-based digital workplace
Coached teams and stakeholders through organizational change, fostering agile mindset adoption and cross-functional collaboration, while establishing a global champions network to actively support and embed the transformation across business units

Oct 2018 - Feb 2020

1 year 5 months

Hamburg, Germany

Head of Business IT (ad interim)

Pantoon-Adecco Group

Dual role as head of Business IT and Project Lead; held functional and disciplinary responsibility for leading a newly formed team of eight across three locations.
Led and transformed the Business IT function with responsibility for people, budget and services across multiple locations, establishing a scalable and performance-oriented IT organization
Defined and executed the company’s Business IT strategy, aligning applications, platforms, and services with strategic and operational business priorities
Held end-to-end responsibility for business-critical applications and service delivery, ensuring stability and continuous improvement

Jun 2013 - Aug 2018

5 years 3 months

Basel, Switzerland

Multi-Project Manager & Stream Lead

Pharma Companies (mainly Novartis & Roche)

Employed by former Redtoo AG (merged with Axians), as a senior project manager, provided services to pharma companies.
Planned, designed and executed the rollout and cutover of network segmentation into multiple layers according to the Purdue model to reduce vulnerabilities and improve the security posture
Qualified and rolled out a passive network monitoring solution to detect anomalies across production environments, and established the associated security service with integration into the Security Operations Center (SOC)
Led the design of a temporary asset management solution for production and control systems in a regulated environment and defined the data migration strategy for transition to a new asset management platform
Led a proof of concept and planning for the harmonization of the global WLAN backend and frontend infrastructure across 110+ locations worldwide and established the associated services, including SLAs and an operational handbook
Stream Lead supporting global data center migrations and the deployment of enterprise monitoring tools, ensuring scalability, compliance and resilience.
Led an infrastructure upgrade project for a building access control system used daily by more than 30,000 registered users, ensuring reliability, scalability and uninterrupted operations.

Aug 2012 - Apr 2013

9 months

Berlin, Germany

Head of IT (ad interim) & Project Lead

Gazprom Germany

Held a dual role as Interim Head of IT and Project Lead, leading the IT integration and stabilization following the acquisition of a smaller oil company
Took end-to-end responsibility for the renewal and integration of the ICT landscape, ensuring business continuity, security and alignment with group standards
Managed the project from strategic concept and planning through implementation and operational handover
Built and established a new IT service organization to support the merged entity

Aug 2008 - Jul 2012

4 years

Brussels, Belgium

IT Manager & Key Expert

GIZ GmbH

Contracted by GIZ GmbH, provided direct services to the EU Program Support Office in Cyprus & Brussels
Dual role in a €259 million EU development aid program supporting economic development in the Northern part of Cyprus.
Responsible for the effective and efficient delivery of all IT services, with a primary focus on high system availability, proactive risk management and sustainable solution design. Oversaw IT service delivery within defined budget constraints and ensured compliance with EU procurement and governance requirements.
Served as the primary point of contact and trusted advisor to clients and beneficiaries (European Commission, local schools, government ministries), delivering solution-driven IT to the European Commission across the full IT lifecycle.
Led requirements analysis and defined target architectures to deliver optimal IT infrastructure solutions within approved project budgets
Led a small IT team and supported local IT services in the EU Program Support Office

Industry experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.

Experienced in Pharmaceutical, Education, Government and Administration, Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Professional Services.

Pharmaceutical

Education

Government and Administration

Manufacturing

Healthcare

Professional Services

Business area experience

See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.

Experienced in Information Technology, Project Management, Procurement, Product Development, and Strategy.

Information Technology

Project Management

Procurement

Product Development

Strategy

Summary

Business-oriented IT leader with more than 15 years of experience shaping IT strategy, leading multimillion-euro digital transformations and managing enterprise technology projects in regulated industries. Trusted advisor to executive leadership with strong expertise in IT/OT infrastructures, cloud, cybersecurity, governance and service delivery. Experienced in building teams and ensuring that IT creates measurable business value.

Skills

Strategic It Leadership: Definition And Execution Of It Strategies, Roadmaps, Target Operating Models.
People Leadership: Building And Managing Teams While Fostering A Servant-Leadership Culture.
Business-It Alignment: Partnering With Business To Translate Objectives Into Tangible Technology Outcomes.
Governance & Compliance: Ensuring Compliance And Governance; Gamp/Csv, Itil And Regulatory Frameworks, It/Ot Convergence.
It Operations & Service Delivery: Optimization Of It Services, Vendor And Contract Management, Rfi/Rfp.
Financial Management: Budget Ownership, Cost Control And Resource Allocation For Large-Scale Programs.
Cybersecurity & Risk Management: Enterprise Security Strategy And Vulnerability Remediation.
Digital Transformation: Cloud-First Strategies, Data Center Modernization, And Enterprise Collaboration Platforms.
Change & Transformation Management: Driving Cultural Change, Agile Transformation And Organizational Development.
Program & Project Lead: Leadership Of Large-Scale Rollouts And Complex Transitions Across Network And Cloud Platforms, As Well As Laboratory And Manufacturing It Environments.

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

French

Advanced

Education

BTS (Brevet de Technicien Supérieur) · BTS · France

Business Management · Germany

Electronics Engineering · Germany

Certifications & licenses

CMS (Certified Agile Scrum Master)

PMI/PMBOK

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 9

Experience in Pharmaceutical 10.5 y

Avg length 2 y

Longest experience 5 y 2 m

Global experience

Countries worked in 3 (Switzerland, Germany, Belgium)

Primary country Switzerland

Expertise

Recent roles Program Manager, Senior Project Manager, Workstream Lead

Main industries Pharmaceutical, Education, Government and Administration

Main business areas Information Technology, Project Management, Procurement

Qualifications

Certifications earned 4

Profile

Member since

September 2026

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Frequently asked questions

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Gökhan is based in Bartenheim, France.

Gökhan speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Advanced).

Gökhan has at least 18 years of experience. During this time, Gökhan has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 7 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years. Note that Gökhan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Based on recent experience, Gökhan would be well-suited for roles such as: Program Manager, Senior Project Manager, Workstream Lead.

Gökhan's most recent position is Program Manager at Pharma.

In recent years, Gökhan has worked for Pharma, Finance, and Roche.

Gökhan is most experienced in industries like Pharmaceutical, Education, and Government and Administration. Gökhan also has some experience in Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Professional Services.

Gökhan is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology, Project Management, and Procurement. Gökhan also has some experience in Product Development and Strategy.

Gökhan has recently worked in industries like Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, and Healthcare.

Gökhan has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology, Project Management, and Procurement.

Gökhan attended education in BTS.

Gökhan has 4 certificates. Among them, these include: CMS (Certified Agile Scrum Master), ITIL v3 Foundation, and PMP (Project Management Professional).

Gökhan will be available full-time from December 2026.

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Daily rate avg. 707 €

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Median rate 800 €

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Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 5 Oct 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.