Wellington, New Zealand

Samuel Ward

Senior Network Engineer

I design, build, and operate secure enterprise networks across complex, high-compliance environments. My focus is SDN platforms, cloud networking, cyber resilience, and clear technical ownership.

samuel@sward.nz GitHub Wellington, New Zealand

Profile

I am a senior network engineer and technical leader with experience supporting enterprise networks in the New Zealand public service, banking, legal, and managed-services sectors. My strengths are technical ownership, structured troubleshooting, clear documentation, and working with stakeholders to turn complex requirements into supportable outcomes.

I take responsibility for the work I deliver and aim to leave teams with networks they can operate confidently. I am comfortable moving between design, implementation, escalation, governance, and mentoring when the situation requires it.

Technical Focus

Selected Experience

Network Engineer

Cello | Oct 2024 to present

  • Network engineering lead for Cisco SD-Access implementation undertaken for New Zealand public service customer.
  • Led the business case and technical implementation of a Cisco ISE cluster in a public-sector UAT environment. Co-SME for ISE at Cello.
  • Helped transition customer network management from legacy configuration practices to a DevOps-focused model using Cisco Catalyst Center/Jinja.

ICT Engineer

Dentons New Zealand | Jul 2023 to Oct 2024

  • Designed the Azure VNet and IP addressing model for a major migration from legacy on-premises infrastructure to cloud services, contributing to significant annual infrastructure savings.
  • Transitioned office networking from MPLS WAN and legacy LAN design to a modern SD-WAN and wireless-first design using Aruba and Meraki platforms.

Network Engineer

Kiwibank | Jun 2022 to Jul 2023

  • Internal SME for a Fortinet SD-WAN and SD-Branch network managed via FortiManager. The network connected ~280 retail sites, with an underlay mix of fibre and 4G across locations ranging from large branches to standalone ATMs.
  • Technical point of contact for a major vendor investigation into inter-data-centre connectivity involving MACsec, layer two WAN services, MPLS, Cisco Nexus, and Cisco ACI.

Network Engineer - Operations

Spark New Zealand | Oct 2020 to Jun 2022

  • Provided tier-three support for managed WAN, SD-WAN, access switching, and wireless services across enterprise and government customers.
  • Provisioned new distribution switching for a major New Zealand bank headquarters with no service outage.
  • Led investigation of a complex SD-WAN issue affecting a major public-service customer through to vendor patch release.

Certifications

Outside Work

I play competitive bridge online and remain connected with the New Zealand bridge community. I am a qualified tournament director with the New Zealand Contract Bridge Association, with experience running events, preparing budgets, coordinating venues, and supporting smooth play. I am also a budding runner and rock climber, and I track my running on Strava.

Contact

For professional enquiries, the best way to reach me is by email.