M.A.C. van der Spek

M.A.C. van der Spek started a new software development firm in February 2011, focusing on mobile application and social networking development.

 

M.A.C. van der Spek has been the Managing Director of ARS Software Engineering, a centre of excellence in developing intelligent transport systems. ARS Software Engineering was started by M.A.C. van der Spek in January 2001 as a subsidiary of ARS Traffic & Transport Technology, headquartered in The Netherlands.

Starting ARS Software Engineering with just two machines and a lot of ideas, M.A.C. van der Spek has been instrumental in realizing it’s steady growth into a specialized product development company employing over 100 software professionals. His team developed dozens of complex traffic management systems over the past years. He guided his company in the process of CMMi level 3 certification as early as 2006, and ensured that standards remained on that high level so that re-certification three years later came natural. This resulted in achieving successes such as winning the reward for the best IT project in the public sector in The Netherlands in 2009.   

M.A.C. van der Spek has a unique international experience. His strong basis, obtaining a Masters in Computer Science from Delft University, the top Technical University in The Netherlands, enables him with the skills that he used to build up software development teams across the globe. His work brought him to The Netherlands, Mozambique, Kenya, Swaziland, Pakistan and Argentina before finally settling in India. The perspective that this experience offers, whether it is in bridging cultural gaps or in approaches on how to motivate people is what delivers successes in any international venture he is involved in.

 

M.A.C. van der Spek married Esther Marker who hails from Mumbai, in 2002. They have a lovely daughter. His EU citizenship combined with PIO status gives him the option to live and work in India as well as anywhere in the European Union without restrictions.

 

M.A.C. van der Spek enjoys keeping up his technical skills and likes programming as a hobby. The study of cultures and military history fascinate him.

 

M.A.C. van der Spek

10A, Heera Vasthu Hills, Sreekaryam, Trivandrum, Kerala, India

Phone +91 9895047626 Email: mac@macvanderspek.com

 

Position: Managing Director ARS Software Engineering

Period: January 2001 – January 2011

Location: Trivandrum, India

Work description:

M.A.C. van der Spek founded ARS Software Engineering, as a subsidiary of ARS Traffic & Transport Technology, and managed the company since it’s inception. ARS Software Engineering is now a highly professional organization with over 100 high caliber software engineers at graduate level, CMMi level 3 certified. The organization focuses on end to end solutions in the field of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). During the past 10 years, over 100 projects were successfully executed. Starting a product development company in a field that requires the cutting edge in technology and a corresponding mindset, was a huge and challenge that was very satisfying to M.A.C. van der Spek. In particular at a time when there were very few pure IT companies in the state of Kerala.

 

Position: Manager offshore developments ARS

Employer: ARS Traffic & Transport Technology

Period: January 2000 – January 2001

Location: La Plata, Argentina

Work description:

Managing offshore software development for ARS Traffic & Transport Technology. Managing teams of software developers abroad, in close cooperation with the software development team of ARS in The Netherlands.

 

Position: Associate Expert Economic Information Systems

Employer: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs – NEDA

Period: August 1997 – December 2000

Location: Quetta, Pakistan

Work description:

General: supported the computer and planning studies sections of the Planning & Development Department of the Government of Balochistan

Specific:

·         Enhanced a project management information system. Guided the software development team in the migration of the FoxPro based system to a client/server environment using SQL Server and Visual Basic.

·         Produced a multimedia cd-rom with provincial district based data, including assisting in coordinating the gathering of this data in the field. The software was developed using then cutting edge tools such as Borland Delphi.

·         Network migration and –maintenance, both software and hardware: from Novell to NT Server, and from a bus topology to a distributed star network.

·         Established an intranet

·         Built up the skills of the software development team. Most of the team members quickly found employment in the US, Australia and the UK after the project was finalized.

 

Position: Software Engineer

Employer: Free University of Amsterdam – Centre for Development Coordination Services (CDCS)

Period: January 1997 – May 1997

Location: Kwaluseni, Swaziland

Work description:

The development and implementation of a personnel information system for the University of Swaziland. Using Borland Delphi to implement a system at the administration, which was previously paper based. An important activity was training the staff in the use of the system.

 

Position: Software Engineer

Employer: SIG Zorginformatie (Health Care Information Systems)

Period: January 1996 – January 1997

Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands

Work description:

As a member of the software development department, participated in the development of several medical information systems. M.A.C. van der Spek’s main involvement was with the development of a system enabling users to obtain specific medical reports by accessing Oracle databases through internet. This dynamic data approach for the internet was the first of it’s kind in the medical domain. For this, the Oracle WebServer was used in combination with a client tool developed in Borland Delphi.

 

Position: Software Consultant

Employer: Delft University of Technology

Period: September 1995 - October 1995

Location: Eldoret, Kenya

Work description:

Participated in establishing the Information Policy Plan for Moi University, as a member of an international consultancy team set up through CICAT, Delft University. Involved the academic staff on senior and medium level in the form of animated interactive workshops, and drew up the hardware infrastructure.

 

Position: Software Consultant

Employer: Delft University of Technology

Period: April 1995 – September 1995

Location: Maputo, Mozambique

Work description:

Implemented a network version of the helpdesk information system for the Eduardo Mondlane University. This system was developed as part of M.A.C. van der Spek’s Masters thesis. He also developed an invoicing system for the internet services offered by the university to consumers in Mozambique.

 

Development of Help Desk Information System

Period: Apr 94 - Oct 94

Location: Maputo, Mozambique

Employer: Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Delft University of Technology

Work description:

As his thesis project, he developed and implemented a helpdesk information system for the computer centre of the Eduardo Mondlane University. The ITIL methodology was used, the programming language was FoxPro and the working language Portuguese.

 

Research on IT costs

Period: Jan 94 - Mar 94

Location: Schiphol Airport, The Netherlands

Employer: Unit 'Terminal Information Systems', Schiphol Airport

 

Work description:

As part of a three person team, he did research on the actual costs of the production of flight data at Schiphol Airport. For this, the university team used activity based costing, using the flight data as cost carrier.

 

Development of transport support system

Period: Jun 93 - Aug 93

Location: Lage Zwaluwe, The Netherlands

Employer: Dubbelman Container Transport

 

Work description:

The development and implementation of a transport support system, keeping track of container cargo. As part of a two person team, he developed a specific data transport protocol to exchange the cargo data. They produced a basic management information system to observe the performance of specific clients and ports.

 

Organizing and translation of case documents

Period: Dec 92 - Jan 93

Location: USA, New York

Employer: Law firm 'Winston & Strawn'

 

Work description:

Selecting, organizing and translation Dutch-English of relevant case files.