Ashton Williams
York
Summary
An individual who can identify, initiate, and deliver the analysis that can leverage the data and information needed to generate increased business value. Accomplished and dedicated business professional with significant experience in the provision of digital solutions in the financial services, Ed-Tech and IT consulting sectors. Quick to familiarise himself with the latest technologies and industry developments while demonstrating a logical and analytical approach to solving complex problems. Employs excellent interpersonal and communication skills to ensure the delivery of an optimal level of service to clients. Enjoys leading and training a successful and productive team and excels in complex working environments.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work history
PROJECT OWNER / SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
MOHARA
London
11.2022 - Current
- As a Senior Product Manager at MOHARA, I lead the delivery and success of digital products, blending expertise in Product Management, Commercial Strategy, and Project Management
- I collaborate with startup founders, scale-up leaders, and senior executives to launch, scale, and enhance digital products that aim to validate key assumptions and guide the product direction towards market fit
- Additionally, I ensure appropriate product quality given the business risks and lead the global customer engagement function, which includes product, commercial, and project management frameworks and strategies.
SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER
2U, edX Parent Company
01.2020 - 01.2022
- Independently identify, analyse and manage the delivery of products and all its features and enhancements through collaboration with key stakeholders across the organisation
- Leveraged expertise in agile processes to support effective resource allocation.
- Lead a portfolio of products that enables the post student enrolment support teams to operate effectively
- Lead and mentor a team of two business analysts and 6 engineers to consistently deliver business value.
- Aligned comprehensive product roadmap with market trends to drive established objectives.
- Tracked performance and user engagement, reporting performance KPIs to stakeholders.
- Identified growth opportunities through expert competitor analysis and market research.
- Trained and mentored junior product teams to deliver on stringent timelines and exceptional quality standards.
- Uncovered challenges and issues prior to release, identifying and proactively resolving bugs and bottlenecks.
- Worked with cross-functional teams to address engineering and manufacturing requirements.
- Utilised data-driven strategies to enhance acquisition, retention and engagement.
- Optimised product lifecycle, overseeing progress and mitigating issues from conception to post-launch follow-up.
- Secured resources for product execution, overcoming objections with compelling presentations.
- Developed product documentation to communicate and align key components of upcoming features and products to internal teams.
- Collaborated with sales, marketing and support teams to launch products on time and within budget.
- Monitored market trends and competitor performance and analysed gaps to update promotional strategies and maximise sales.
- Formulated and evolved customer propositions to meet needs, deliver value and achieve growth targets.
- Presented and gained approval for product propositions from stakeholders and senior management.
- Collaborated with finance to develop robust business cases for product viability and profitability.
- Championed customer experience throughout product development process.
- Prioritised product backlog to achieve goals and targets.
- Assessed potential in new market sectors and emerging technology for growth opportunities.
- Addressed challenges and mitigated risks proactively throughout product lifecycle.
- Acted as key liaison between technical and non-technical stakeholders for alignment.
- Created delivery plans and project-managed change initiatives for new products.
- Led cross-functional teams in developing, testing and launching new products.
- Increased revenue by launching new product lines.
- Monitored and reported on KPIs, leveraging data for continuous improvement.
- Managed product development cycle, prototyping designs and coordinating mass production.
SENIOR BUSINESS ANALYST
2U
01.2019 - 01.2020
- Envision, plan, design and coordinate the implementation of Post Enrollment Support Services systems and processes that provide strategically aligned business value.
BUSINESS ANALYST
CAPITEC BANK
01.2018 - 01.2019
- Liaise with business to formulate business specifications and functional descriptions to meet the business requirements.
SYSTEMS ANALYST
CAPITEC BANK
Stellenbosch
01.2016 - 01.2019
- Interpret specifications to build systems solutions supporting business processes, aligned with relevant internal and external governance.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT ENGINEER
CAPITEC BANK
01.2010 - 01.2016
- Providing comprehensive technical support across IT infrastructure and telecommunications, including the leadership and deployment of new system implementations.
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration - POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
University of Cape Town
01.2015 - 12.2016
Bachelor of Business Administration - ASSOCIATE IN MANAGEMENT
University of Cape Town
01.2013 - 12.2014
Certificate of Higher Education - PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Stellenbosch University
/2012 -
Certificate of Higher Education - MBA ESSENTIALS
London School of Economics and Political Science
/2020 -
Certificate of Higher Education - BUSINESS PROCESS DESIGN FOR STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
MIT Sloan School of Management
/2021 -
Certificate of Higher Education - BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES: BUSINESS INNOVATION AND APPLICATION
MIT Sloan School of Management
/2022 -
Skills
- Technical project management
- Product lifecycle management
- Product roadmap planning
- Product launchesFinancial oversight
- Employee performance management
- Commercial awareness
- Training and development
- Agile project management
- Strategic thinking
- Engaging leadership style
- Change management
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Technical documentation management
- Complex problem resolution
- Budget governance
- Process improvement strategies
- Contract management
- Quality compliance procedures
- Resource planning and allocation
- Global and strategic sourcing
- Profit and loss analysis
- High-pressure environments
- Business process re-engineering
- Communication improvements
- Productivity improvement specialist
- Kaizen
- Policies and procedures implementation
- Relationship building
- Solutions development
- Lean methodologies
- SQL
- Software applications
- Agile
- Leadership
- Google Workspace
- Problem-solving
- Communication skills
- Quality Assurance and Control
- Contingency planning methods
- Jira
- Project tracking tools
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
PROJECT OWNER / SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
MOHARA
11.2022 - Current
SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER
2U, edX Parent Company
01.2020 - 01.2022
SENIOR BUSINESS ANALYST
2U
01.2019 - 01.2020
BUSINESS ANALYST
CAPITEC BANK
01.2018 - 01.2019
SYSTEMS ANALYST
CAPITEC BANK
01.2016 - 01.2019
Bachelor of Business Administration - POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
University of Cape Town
01.2015 - 12.2016
Bachelor of Business Administration - ASSOCIATE IN MANAGEMENT
University of Cape Town
01.2013 - 12.2014
TECHNICAL SUPPORT ENGINEER
CAPITEC BANK
01.2010 - 01.2016
Certificate of Higher Education - PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Stellenbosch University
/2012 -
Certificate of Higher Education - MBA ESSENTIALS
London School of Economics and Political Science
/2020 -
Certificate of Higher Education - BUSINESS PROCESS DESIGN FOR STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
MIT Sloan School of Management
/2021 -
Certificate of Higher Education - BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES: BUSINESS INNOVATION AND APPLICATION
MIT Sloan School of Management
/2022 -
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