Steve is available for hire
Hire SteveSteve Williams
Verified Expert in Finance
Growth Expert
Location
Calgary, Canada
Toptal Member Since
June 24, 2022
Steve is a partner at Incentica Business Plans in Calgary. He is a business school graduate, Harvard-educated, and a certified exit planner and M&A advisor with 30 years of senior management and executive experience. Steve has written over 130 business plans, succession/exit plans, and strategy engagements for companies such as General Motors, adidas, Gtech/IGT, Mosaic Capital Partners, and Wajax.
Career Highlights
Partner
Incentica Business Plans
VP of Sales and Marketing
Avanti Software Inc.
VP of Product Management
Amaya Gaming
Education Highlights
Certificate of Participation
Harvard Division of Continuing Education
Bachelor's Degree
University of New Brunswick
Certification Highlights
BEI Certified Exit Planner (CExP)
Business Enterprise Institute, Inc.
Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA)
Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors
Expertise
Work Experience
Partner
2014 - PRESENT
Incentica Business Plans
- Led the strategic planning process for a mid-sized company that resulted in greater market penetration.
- Completed a business plan for a mid-sized company that resulted in incremental sustained growth.
- Developed an exit strategy that resulted in a company's seamless transfer to multiple family members.
- Created a pitch deck that resulted in the company closing a private investment less than two weeks after the first presentation.
Focus areas: Finance, Strategy, Exit Strategy, Succession Planning, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Business Strategy, Fintech, Transformational Leadership, Business Transformation, Branding, Pitch Decks, Building & Construction, Business to Business (B2B), Fundraising, M&A Strategy, Market Sizing, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Price Positioning, Operations, Startups, Market Research & Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Market Research, Competitive Intelligence, Consulting, Digital Transformation, Operating Models
VP of Sales and Marketing
2011 - 2014
Avanti Software Inc.
- Managed and achieved a 200% growth in sales in Canada.
- Boosted the average price per sale by 40% through client satisfaction research and competitor comparison.
- Increased new leads by 200% year over year by overseeing the marketing process evolution to include customer relationship management and marketing automation.
Focus areas: Strategic Planning, Sales Management, Marketing, Sales Strategy, Software as a Service (SaaS), Branding, Product Branding, Business to Business (B2B), Software, Price Positioning, HR Tools, Competitive Analysis, Market Research, Competitive Intelligence, Digital Transformation
VP of Product Management
2009 - 2010
Amaya Gaming
- Streamlined the company by 50% by creating a product plan.
- Boosted product differentiation and relevance by establishing a stage-gate/pragmatic marketing process.
- Established an innovation and ideation process that led to new product development and patents.
Focus areas: Strategic Planning, Product Management, Partnerships, Program Management, Quality Assurance (QA), Customer Experience, Product Branding, Business to Business (B2B), Software, United States, Price Positioning, eCommerce, Competitive Analysis, Market Research, Competitive Intelligence, Digital Transformation
Senior Director of Product Management and Business Development
1998 - 2009
GTECH
- Grew the division from $20 million to $120 million as a key management team member.
- Raised the product mix by 250% to meet increased customer demand and established product management in the company.
- Led the team that successfully launched product operations into a new $6 billion market segment.
Focus areas: Strategic Planning, Product Management, Business Development, Market Opportunity Analysis, Marketing Research & Analysis, Customer Success, Customer Experience, Transformational Leadership, Product Branding, Pricing Consulting, Business to Business (B2B), Enterprise Software, Growth Strategy, Software, United States, Price Positioning, Business Models, Market Research & Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Market Research, Competitive Intelligence, Digital Transformation
Education
2014 - 2014
Certificate of Participation in Innovation and Strategy
Harvard Division of Continuing Education - Cambridge, Massachusetts
1990 - 1993
Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration
University of New Brunswick - Fredericton, Canada
Certifications
OCTOBER 2020 - PRESENT
BEI Certified Exit Planner (CExP)
Business Enterprise Institute, Inc.
MARCH 2017 - PRESENT
Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA)
Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors