Michael Hogan · Data Migration Lead
Higher Horizons Ltd · Contract ERP Data Migration Lead · London
I'm Michael Hogan — a contract data migration lead with 20+ years moving finance and master data onto JDE, SAP, Oracle EBS and other ERPs for large multinationals. I own the full path: legacy-data analysis, mapping and transformation rules, dress rehearsals, cutover, and post-go-live support. Organisations bring me in when the migration is high-stakes, running late, or both.
Strengths
From first legacy-data analysis through mapping rules, rehearsal cycles, cutover planning and hypercare, one person owns the migration end to end. Nothing falls through the gap between the analysis team and the cutover team, because there isn't one.
A recurring pattern: taking over a migration after a change in leadership or a difficult data-quality review, rebuilding the plan and the delivery-partner relationship, and delivering to the original date. Used to picking up work that's already under pressure and getting it back on track.
Chart of accounts, reporting dimensions, master-data governance and ownership models. Migrated data lands aligned to the ERP design and the reporting requirements — not just copied across and reconciled later.
Alongside cutover work: chart-of-accounts and financial-dimension design, GL process optimisation, and target operating models for finance systems. The person moving the data onto the new system can also help shape the design it moves into.
Multi-region programmes for large multinationals across JD Edwards, SAP, Oracle EBS, Maconomy, Unit4 and NetSuite, coordinating onshore and offshore teams. PRINCE2; used to reporting into senior stakeholder meetings.
Process
The same five stages on every migration. The detail changes; the discipline doesn't.
Profile the source data, surface the quality problems early, and agree what's in and out of scope.
Define and document how every field moves, with the business sign-off that makes it defensible at audit.
Run the migration end to end, more than once, until the cutover is boring.
Execute to a timed plan across the go-live window, with fallback positions agreed in advance.
Own the data issues after go-live, then hand over cleanly to BAU with the trail auditors need.
Track record
Anonymised — names and figures are on the CV, available on request.
Brought in to stabilise · Lifecycle ownership · Scale
A global marketing group, mid-migration. Took over the data migration lead role after a change in leadership, with delivery teams across Asia and multiple business units. Rebuilt the rehearsal cycle into three phases, planned the cutover, and stood up post-go-live support. Delivered on the original schedule with no data-integrity issues.
Lifecycle ownership · High stakes
A global healthcare business undergoing a corporate separation. Over the cutover weekend, project-managed the migration of a production-critical lab system tied into SAP and used across several manufacturing sites — a failure would have stopped production. It moved on time and clean, using fixes proven in the rehearsal runs.
Brought in to stabilise · Finance data
A global pharma group moving from JD Edwards to SAP. After an internal review flagged data-quality problems in the early waves, brought in to profile, cleanse and translate supplier, customer and general-ledger master data from the legacy systems, and to define the mapping and transformation rules. Delivered migration-ready, audit-traceable datasets to deadline; the approach was reused for later regional waves.
Implementation · Finance data
A local-government finance-systems programme. Built the blueprint solution design and target operating models for the core finance processes — chart of accounts, general ledger, procure-to-pay, order-to-cash, fixed assets — and defined the data-ownership and governance model to hold data quality up after go-live.
M&A delivery · Deadline pressure
A multi-year M&A and divestment programme. Delivered the data ETL for a series of acquisitions, carve-outs and divestments — product, customer and pricing data — each landing to a tight, externally-driven completion date.
Feedback
"You were our go-to person in tough situations."
M&A Delivery Manager
"Expertise and a pragmatic approach to problems, always with a positive attitude."
Separation Programme Manager
"All the guidance and expertise you've so willingly shared."
Regional IT Partner
Contact
Agency or end client — send a brief and I'll reply within one working day.
Get in touch