Joe has developed strong collaborative relationships not only within BTS (Business Technology Services) but also with other functional areas including Professional Services as well as Hershey. Specifically, Joe does not operate in a "siloed" mindset. Numerous times for his Custom Report accountability with Hershey he took it upon himself to to work with AF (Analytic Framework), CDS (Client Data Services), Report Services and others to implement cross-functional improvement between the database and downstream report deliverables to ensure Hershey had a better integrated solution in terms of capabilities as well as quality and reliability; to say it another way Joe understood that Hershey expected a totally integrated solution that worked end-to-end, versus "siloed" deliverables with less than optimal interoperability.
Joe has worked on my team for a number of years, in a couple different capacities and I highly recommend him. I would describe Joe as passionate about data/information. He is relentless in his pursuit of data quality through the development of tools and methodologies. He has a solid understanding of both the technical aspects of data management as well as the business application of the information, making him an impactful team player.
Since my joining Nielsen recently, it has become even more apparent that Joe provides service levels and solutions that are only possible given his creativity and dedication to our client base. This further confirms my initial view of Joe Rapier's profession integrity, intellectual capabilities and professional skill as a strong IT professional.
[Joe] was instrumental in many of the projects leading up to the Market Enhancement Event and received much positive feedback for his role and work there. His willingness to jump in, listen to the users, blend in with the technical team and provide results is commendable. Joe has a great professionalism about him, is eager to learn and participate and builds relationships with our associates across multiple organizations - within and outside of GBS (Global Business Services).
I have known Joe Rapier for several years in my capacity as Director of Sales Systems at the Campbell Soup Company. Joe Rapier has been instrumental in providing Campbell Soup world class information capabilities through both Information Resources and ACNielsen. His skills in information technology, while excellent, were far surpassed by his ability to quickly understand and analyze significant business problems as they occurred while transitioning information suppliers from Information Resources to ACNielsen. While with ACNielsen, Joe Rapier continued to provide outstanding service in support of Campbell Soup.
I have had the opportunity to work with Joe in a number of different areas. We were able to work on daily basis on a major company initiative. Joe had great organizational and time management skills. He devised a solution for the monitoring and tracking of all the company milestone dates to ensure a quality delivery to each client. Some of Joe's major strengths are: Client and Quality Focus, Detail Orientated, Time Management, and Technical Skills.
Joe and I worked closely together on transitioning Hershey from IRI to Nielsen. This was a complex transition with many challenges and Joe was instrumental to its success. Joe developed good relationships with Hershey IT and business contacts, led the development and delivery of complex data extracts and tools to satisfy unique Hershey requirements, and was a valuable member of the transition team. Joe is detailed oriented, is able to work with clients to understand their business needs, and applies his technical and business skills to ensure that client needs are met efficiently and with quality.
Joe is a detail-oriented and focused individual that brings not only business, but also technical experience to the table. He is a team player that is always willing to lend a hand and strives to help people think out of the box. Together all of these attributes make him a valuable asset to any team.
Joe is a detail oriented person who strives to understand the strategic reasons behind his work and who will work hard to engage the right people in decision making.