• Core capability in product and service idea-generation, assessment and development for the consumer market addressing existing and emergent customer needs and communication channels
• Successful track record of partner/ business development and integration
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with an emphasis on group facilitation of cross functional teams for problem-solving, leadership and team building to achieve business objectives

Career Experience

Brandsential, Toronto, Ontario    2008-

Partner

Brandsential provides Innovation, Strategy and Customer Experience leadership with a track record of delivering successful products and innovative services in three practice areas:

• Technology and Social Media – We leverage our relationships with leading service providers to help companies use technology and social media to engage their customers more effectively.
• Stakeholder Needs and Concept generation for growth – We bring companies closer to customers by giving them a sense of internal/external needs that provides them a sustainable advantage over their competitors.
• Business Model Construction and Analysis – With any new initiative, a clear focus on objectives must be kept to satisfy stakeholder needs. With our team, we provide due diligence on financial business models.

Bell Canada, Toronto, Ontario    2002 – 2008

Associate Director, Innovation and Strategy, Consumer Services Development    2006 – 2008

Primary mandate to fill consumer product funnel with concepts from a wide variety of sources after detailed assessment and validation, including conducting primary research and market analysis, business case (financial) modeling and strategic fit analysis.

• Built entire value proposition, business case for innovative, next-generation consumer broadband service (with wireless component) and continued process through to development approval from Senior Executives with cumulative revenue target of over $250MM.
• Identified a strategic opportunity to source and build business development relationship with a Web 2.0 start-up resulting in implementation of recommendation engine on Sympatico.msn.ca portal to add value and improve customer engagement.
• Part of team investigating entry into new line of business within financial services sector for company
• Championed commissioning of Ethnographic (in-home) research on media sharing to gain insight into attach rate for new service resulting in a complete redesign of the entire customer experience
• Delivered new interactive customer-facing platform to gather feedback for product trials, saving at least $1.1MM over alternative solution from established vendor. (http://belltrial.ca).
• Spearheaded initiative to understand stakeholder needs for “security” and its’ impact on the portfolio through an innovative research methodology. Developed partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to build findings into product roadmap.

Manager, Innovation and Strategy, Consumer Services Development     2005 – 2006

Primary mandate to research, build business cases, and distribute new and potentially disruptive business ideas through the marketing and product development teams to increase innovation.

• Initiated a low capital-intensity initiative to maximize revenues from Bell Canada’s outside plant infrastructure with forecast top-line revenues of $5M.
• Provided research and concept development to leverage and bring together applications across the Bell Canada Consumer Division in an elegant, easy-to-use single interface.
• Launched the technical trial of an innovative next-generation consumer broadband device including vendor negotiation, terms, and application requirements, as well as objectives development and methodology.
• Completed all planning, execution and relationship building on first Bell Canada Student Design Competition, to design a next-generation consumer device and raise Bell’s profile as an innovative company.  (http://www.bce.ca/en/news/releases/comspon/2005/12/08/73100.html)

Manager, Business Planning, Consumer Services Development    2004 – 2005

Primary mandate to manage development opportunities that added incremental value to the company as well as opportunities for potentially disruptive technologies.

• Provided strategic focus on planning and budgeting of current portfolio and reporting to Senior Management.
  • Developed annual plan / roadmap for the business unit.

Solution Prime, Managed Networks and Security    2002 – 2004

Primary mandate to lead product development and new product introduction through the business assessment process within the Marketing Program Management Office for Broadband and Managed Security product areas.

• Launched a project to drive productivity savings on a complex, innovative Point of Sale (POS) initiative that will potentially save approximately $5M/year in delivering this service to large financial institutions. This project lasted approximately 11 months and drew on a diverse cross-functional team of domain experts and external vendors.
• Conducted research and analysis for presentation of material to executive groups regarding revenue forecasting and tracking for New Product Introductions.

Excite Canada / @Home Canada, Toronto, Ontario    1999 – 2001

Technical Specialist     2000 – 2001

Primary mandate to manage start-up of streaming media solution, including hardware procurement, coordination and network deployment for this $75M partnership between Rogers, Shaw and Excite@Home resulting from the merger of @Home Canada and excite.ca

• Promoted to Technical Specialist after five months with the company, the exclusive provider of broadband content to high-speed cable subscribers of Canada’s major cable companies, Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco and Videotron.
• Managed digital media encoders in a production environment as well as a broadband breaking-news segment.
  • Evaluated and recommended new content deals and partnerships as they related to the streaming media segment of the business.

Technical Producer    1999

• Worked with executive group, responsible for establishing strategic direction of broadband multimedia within @Home Canada environment.

Multimedia Editor, Discovery Channel Canada Toronto, Ontario     1997 – 1999

Primary mandate to coordinate multimedia content from the broadcast property to ensure that the site accurately and consistently reflected the programming and promotions of the Discovery Channel.

• Planned and deployed live events such as a webcast with @discovery.ca host Jay Ingram increasing awareness of broadcast and web site.
• Conceptualized, designed and coded web pages using HTML, JavaScript, and ColdFusion 4.0.

Intern Architect, Montgomery Sisam Architects Toronto, Ontario    1995 – 1997

• Managed online office systems and network troubleshooting.
• Successfully transitioned to internet/multimedia industry through self-study.

Education

MBA, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON    2002

Bachelor of Architecture, University of Waterloo, Waterloo ON    1995

Bachelor of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo ON    1991

Bachelor of Science, University of Toronto, Toronto ON    1988

Additional Information

• Awarded Derek Russell Award for Excellence in Leadership and Academic Achievement for Highest Standing in Operations & Information Technology, Queen’s MBA Class of ‘02
• Faculty Liaison, Technology and Marketing Concentration, Queen’s MBA program
• Completed Canadian Investment Funds Course, Investment Funds Institute of Canada.
• Interests include golf, sailing, skiing, running and home renovation
• Holder of valid EC (Dutch) passport

No related posts.

I completed my MBA at Queen’s Universty in Kingston, Ontario, graduating in May 2002. 

No related posts.

No related posts.