AKAN EKANEM
Crawley,England
Summary
Senior product owner with a robust history in delivering digital solutions across telecommunications, insurance, and financial services. Expert in defining product vision, crafting strategic roadmaps, and leading agile teams to create scalable, customer-focused solutions. Proficient in data-driven decision-making, automation, and leveraging AI to enhance customer journeys and operational efficiency. Experienced in managing stakeholder environments and aligning engineering, design, and commercial teams.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work history
Senior Product Owner
Innovation Group
London, City of London
03.2023 - Current
- Implemented AI-driven automation for underwriting, claims, and customer servicing processes, reducing manual intervention by 40%, improving decision speed by 60%, and enabling scalable digital operations.
- Led cross-functional Agile teams of 10+ across engineering, UX, data, compliance, and operations to deliver scalable customer-centric solutions across web and mobile channels.
- Translated complex regulatory and operational requirements (FCA compliance, underwriting rules, risk controls) into structured product artefacts including epics, user stories, and acceptance criteria within Jira.
- Prioritised and managed backlog of 150+ items using customer insights, analytics, and commercial impact, delivering high-value features that improved conversion and operational efficiency.
- Partnered with senior stakeholders across underwriting, claims, actuarial, compliance, and distribution to align product delivery with regulatory obligations and business objectives.
- Delivered digital transformation initiatives including policy management platforms, automated claims workflows, and customer self-service portals, reducing manual processing by 34% and improving customer response times.
- Analysed product performance using KPIs, behavioural analytics, and A/B testing, driving iterative improvements that increased digital engagement and feature adoption.
- Managed quarterly product roadmaps, sprint planning, and release cycles within Agile/Scrum frameworks, consistently delivering roadmap milestones on schedule.
- Oversaw integrations with third-party platforms including payment gateways, KYC/AML verification providers, and broker distribution systems to enable secure onboarding and transaction processing.
- Mentored 4 junior product owners and business analysts, improving backlog quality, stakeholder communication, and Agile delivery practices across teams.
Senior Product Owner
BT
London , City of London
10.2018 - 03.2023
- Owned product vision and roadmap for digital telecom services across broadband, mobile, and enterprise connectivity, delivering platform enhancements used by 1M+ customers across web and mobile channels.
- Led cross-functional Agile squads (10–15 engineers, UX, and architects) to deliver scalable digital services, improving release velocity by 30% and accelerating feature delivery.
- Managed and prioritised 200+ item product backlog in Jira, translating complex business and technical requirements into epics and user stories aligned with strategic objectives.
- Optimised broadband onboarding and provisioning journeys, increasing digital order completion by 18% and reducing service activation time by 25%.
- Delivered customer self-service capabilities (account management, diagnostics, order tracking), reducing contact centre enquiries by 20% and improving customer satisfaction.
- Collaborated with network engineering teams to integrate APIs and telecom infrastructure, improving service reliability monitoring and fault resolution time.
- Used product analytics and customer insights to optimise digital journeys, driving 22% growth in digital channel adoption.
- Coordinated releases and stakeholder alignment across multiple teams within scaled Agile environment, ensuring consistent delivery against quarterly product roadmaps.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Management
University of Northampton
Northampton09.2015
Skills
- AI and automation solutions
- Product strategy and roadmaps
- Agile delivery (Scrum / SAFe)
- JIRA project management
- Stakeholder engagement
- Data-driven decision making
- Digital transformation
- API integration
- Customer journey mapping
- Product analytics
- Backlog prioritization
- A/B testing
- Platform product management
Certification
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)\
SAFe Product Owner / Product Manager (POPM)
Ethics of AI Certification
Languages
English
Native
Dutch
Native
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Senior Product Owner
Innovation Group
03.2023 - Current
Senior Product Owner
BT
10.2018 - 03.2023
Bachelor of Science - Management
University of Northampton