London, England, United Kingdom
I lead the product management practice of Hypergolic, a London-based AI product consultancy. We build products and support teams in data, machine learning and generative AI. Our clients span domains including finance, healthcare, telecommunications, real estate, SaaS and government agencies. We specialise in complex products and intractable strategic problems. I have worked in the technology sector for over 15 years in various roles, including leadership positions in both large enterprises and small startups. I am a coach at startup accelerators in London and internationally, and I authored the book “Product Management for Machine Learning.” I have launched award-winning products across several industries, utilising blockchain, AI and traditional software engineering. If you have a question about AI, want to talk about product management, or just want to talk about the technology industry in London, please connect and get in touch.
Partner and co-founder of Hypergolic, providing consulting services in Data, Machine Learning & Generative AI. In Nov 2020 we published "The Machine Learning Product Manual". We work with clients of all sizes and across industries to help realise data and AI ambitions using strong product design and cross-functional collaboration. You can read more about our clients on our website: https://hypergolic.ai/case-studies/ We've designed and developed data, machine learning and generative AI products for clients in sectors including digital communications, social media, physical product development, fintech SaaS and government agencies. I'm also a product expert working with Toptal and Tribe.ai.
Chairman of a charity operating nurseries in Surrey. St Johns Nursery Group provides high quality learning, development and care to young children under the EYFS framework. Children from all backgrounds are supported, and the charity maintains close links with other local services. As Chairman, I work with the board to provide strategic guidance and oversight of operational activities. In my time at St John's, I've supported the opening of a new setting (September 2019), provided support and advice to protect the charity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and overseen a range of other initiatives.
Head of Product and first product hire at Arkera, a VC-backed fintech serving Tier 1 Investment Banks, Hedge Funds, and global data providers using Machine Learning to surface financial intelligence. Arkera was acquired in Sep 2020. The Economist wrote about our work: https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2019/11/21/how-machine-learning-is-revolutionising-market-intelligence As Head of Product, I created the product and business KPIs and OKRs in coordination with senior stakeholders, and managed tracking and reporting on them; led the review of data insights and qualitative feedback from users; ensured the delivery of suitable product requirements; led design workshops and ensured a robust approach to good UX; managed the product roadmap maintaining alignment with strategic goals, and managed stakeholder communication. I worked closely with the CTO and Head of Data Science, and reported to the CEO.
Promoted to an expanded role covering new business development, strategic planning and M&A, whilst continuing to cover market-based product management needs in EMEA. I worked closely with the London-based General Manager and Broadridge International executive team. During this time, I had a particular focus on a new piece of legislation affecting the banking industry; the European Shareholder Rights Directive. After identifying the opportunity, I secured a large budget to adapt and build products and take advantage of it. In July 2018 I became the lead product manager responsible for the development of a new API-based banking platform to support compliance with the Directive. I was responsible for all aspects of product management. We launched an Alpha in January 2019, and a Beta in April 2019. I developed partnerships with a number of large European financial institutions; wrote white papers, marketing materials and supported a global marketing campaign across the US, Europe and Asia, and partnered with our global sales organisation to support sales messaging. Within six months of launch we had developed a pipeline of US$10m of annual revenue.
I led the product management function in Europe, for the International ICS division. My responsibilities included product engagement with our top tier clients' local offices, mainly tier 1 banks, working with our business development team and representing the organisation on industry & public forums. I created business cases for new products / product enhancements, developed product requirements, and worked with the engineering team to deliver against them supported by a BA and PM.
The governance / proxy voting sphere is a challenging environment to work in. It is a frequent target for legislative change, and only slightly less frequently a target for media attention. Markets are fractured in how they approach this, and despite attempts from the EU they remain just so. Asset owners (and hence asset managers, and global custodians) demand high standards for stewardship activities, led by industry initiatives and voluntary codes. Despite this, without the direct financial implications of other voluntary and mandatory corporate actions, funding is always extremely limited. These were just some of the challenges I was faced with as a business analyst, within which I was able to deliver enhancements that kept Broadridge at the head of the field as a provider of global services in this market.