Amsterdam · Independent Consultant · Since 2013
Senior IT strategist and service integrator helping organisations turn complex technology landscapes into coherent, business-aligned services — with accountability from vision to delivery.
About
ContextIQ is the independent practice of Eric Westrus — a senior IT strategist, service integrator, and programme manager based in Amsterdam. Norwegian by birth, Dutch by choice, and international by nature.
Over three decades Eric has led large-scale IT transformations across telecoms, central government, financial services, and enterprise technology. His hallmark is the ability to operate across every layer — from strategic direction to hands-on delivery — without ever losing sight of the human side of change.
The ContextIQ philosophy is simple: technology only delivers value when the full context is understood. That means the organisation, its people, its processes, and the ecosystem in which all of them must function together.
Eric is a natural leader who believes in straight talk, genuine collaboration, and solutions that stick. He brings the same multicultural ease to a government boardroom as to an international developer team.
Services
Each engagement is shaped around the actual challenge — below are the domains where Eric's expertise delivers the sharpest results.
Establishing governance that makes multiple IT providers operate as a single business-aligned service. RACI design, SIAM frameworks, and service handbooks — so the ecosystem serves the organisation, not the reverse.
Full-scope programme ownership from initiation to aftercare — managing cross-functional teams, stakeholder networks, budgets, and roadmaps. Agile, Prince2, and hybrid methods across government and corporate environments.
Designing ITSM processes that actually work — incident, problem, change, configuration, and SLA management. Tooling setup (ServiceNow, Remedy, TopDesk) and continual improvement grounded in Six Sigma.
Advising leadership on IT strategy, organisational redesign, and vendor transitions. From multi-vendor outsourcing models to digital identity programmes — translating policy into workable architecture and people-first change.
Stepping in as IT manager, service delivery lead, or product manager when an organisation needs senior capability without a permanent hire. Full operational accountability — infrastructure, teams, budgets, and suppliers.
Certified manager coach with a track record of building high-performing teams through clarity and accountability. Workshops on IT process literacy, leadership, and stakeholder communication.
Expertise
Decades of hands-on practice across frameworks, platforms, and environments — always deployed in service of a concrete business outcome.
Intelligence only becomes useful when you understand the context in which it must act.— The ContextIQ principle
Approach
Every engagement begins with genuine listening. Understanding the actual problem — not just the presenting symptoms — before any framework or solution is proposed.
Situating the challenge in its real environment: the people, processes, technology stack, vendor landscape, governance gaps, and the ambitions the organisation is trying to realise.
Translating insight into a clear, prioritised plan. Not a shelf report — a working design that teams understand, sponsors commit to, and stakeholders can hold against real results.
Staying through to measurable outcomes. Strategy without delivery is just decoration — Eric remains a partner from kickoff to stabilisation, and beyond if needed.
Contact
Whether you have a detailed brief or a challenge you haven't been able to crack — reach out. The first conversation is always exploratory and without obligation.