Aymii Couzelis
Verified Expert in Product Management
Product Manager
Denver, CO, United States
Toptal member since September 24, 2021
Aymii is a passionate leader with a technical background as a coder, large systems engineer, and database designer. She excels at bridging the gap between strategic, financial, and analytical teams and helps businesses thrive by leveraging strengths to achieve purposeful focus. Aymii has been successful across numerous industries and has deep experience in behavioral and organizational change methodologies, is financially savvy, and has outstanding communication skills.
Project Highlights
Expertise
Work Experience
Chief Information Officer
Flagship Biosciences
- Developed and oversaw fast-moving cross-functional teams from different parts of the organization to experiment and innovate together and to deliver digital products and capabilities at an aggressive pace.
- Executed a data-driven operating model, integrating the entire enterprise into a unified architecture to run the business, drive predictive data insights, and deliver personalization.
- Empowered the IT organization to create a digital backbone accelerating the move toward a hybrid cloud environment and new operating model.
- Directed the software development department, assuring the alignment between feature priorities and future business needs and that processes were in place to deliver quality software in a heavily regulated environment.
- Led and developed the technology organization into a fully-integrated, business-centric team that understands the impact of their roles and decisions.
- Developed an executable strategy to assemble disparate services to function as a cohesive whole.
- Identified ways for technology to drive new revenue opportunities and accelerate company growth by leveraging high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and automation capabilities.
- Led, managed, and communicated inclusive, technology-driven change throughout the organization.
- Optimized and streamlined processes to train employees to be productive with technology and get their jobs done more efficiently.
- Operationalized and maintained a solid security posture in alignment with compliance standards.
VP of Technology
Point Solutions Group
- Developed and led the technology consulting division while also managing internal technology needs, including training high-performing recruitment staff on technical hiring skills.
- Provided strategic leadership for numerous technology consulting clients in a wide array of industries.
- Designed standards and best practices for regulatory compliance projects.
- Took over, improved, and led the information technology division for an artificial intelligence-based, high-performance computing biotech company, with only a 3-week transition time.
- Created and implemented a short and long-term strategy for GDPR and infosec compliance for a rapidly growing international software company, including a full architecture review and recommendations.
- Managed vulnerability and penetration testing for several projects for both government and private sector clients.
- Established and executed an infosec assessment and compliance strategy for an international like-kind exchange financial company.
- Took over mid-project and successfully ran a failing high-risk managed service provider transition for a well-known Manhattan-based venture capital firm.
Chief Executive Officer
ENSOMA
- Combined business savvy with a deep understanding of organizational psychology to coach clients through professional transitions and to reveal and resolve organizational barriers.
- Lectured at the Xero National Conference, WeWork, Koelbel Library (Arapahoe Libraries), Members of PSA Virtual Summit, and various networking groups.
- Developed and executed successful consumer monthly subscription service (box and online) to educate and empower individual behavior change skills.
Chief Information Officer
MediFit Corporate Services
- Developed white branded, scalable wellness and behavior change software solutions that seamlessly integrated into client culture and systems. Met rigid Fortune 500 security and audit compliance standards.
- Established the technical infrastructure, security strategy, and practices to collect biometric data fully compliant with HIPAA and ADA regulations, biometric privacy statutes, and data-breach laws.
- Streamlined and standardized client services processes, increasing capacity without increasing staff and raising satisfaction levels for the end user.
- Championed and guided the company through a 3-year full migration from Microsoft Office to Google for Business—built excitement, turned resistors into champions, and improved agility while reducing costs.
- Created a collaborative and cooperative, cross-disciplinary, technical culture throughout the company. Boosted employee engagement and retention, achieving practically zero turnovers. Developed and led annual departmental retreats.
- Hired the software development team and instituted enterprise-wide Agile with ICONIX standards and SDLC framework. Consistently delivered software releases on time to the delight of clients and users.
- Defined and implemented enterprise and mobile architecture and infrastructure.
- Built and led the IT division, establishing and overseeing software development, project management, networking and security engineering, user experience, and help desk functions.
- Brought a fresh perspective, galvanized the team, and was instrumental in negotiating the sale of the company for a significant valuation in 2014—as part of the six original members in the executive team.
- Tripled the revenue and transformed a leading corporate wellness management company into a world-class provider of innovative performance platforms that integrated with client benefits platforms.
Network Management Systems QA Lead
Turin Networks
- Designed, architected, and developed an artificial intelligence-based quality assurance suite of automated tools that performed baseline testing and analyzed the impact of changes in the release.
- Patented artificial intelligence algorithms and architecture.
- Developed, integrated, administered, and maintained change management tracking software into all company systems.
- Created and led the system verification and test department.
Project History
Migration from Microsoft Office to Google for Business
Streamlined the communication, consistency, and cost-effective collaboration at MediFit Corporate Services by ushering it through a 3-year full migration from Microsoft Office to Google for Business.
STRATEGY (the "why")
Primary drivers were eliminating disparate systems and platform-specific dependencies, along with reducing licensing costs. Additionally, it was critical to improve remote-working and collaboration because MediFit was geographically dispersed.
PROCESSES
Leadership set the tone by understanding and embracing the change. Next, the most resistant employees were identified, and their concerns were understood and addressed, both emotional and technical. Finally, "power users" were identified as G-Guides, with a digital badge, to help others.
As a pilot, 10% of the employees were migrated, generated excitement for others, and allowed six weeks of troubleshooting. Then, the next 40% moved, soon followed by the remainder.
REWARDS
Individualized devices, improved sources of truth, and streamlined collaboration led to a more cohesive culture, efficiency gains, and better employee retention, which positively impacted the bottom line.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Management Information Systems
University of Colorado - Boulder, CO, USA
Certifications
Master of Influence
World Class Speaker Program
Fundamentals of Accounting for the Technical Executive
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Skills
Tools
Google Workspace
Paradigms
Change Management, HIPAA Compliance, High-performance Computing (HPC), Database Design
Other
Hive Productivity Management, IT Projects, Project Rescue, Project Scoping, Technical Product Management, Leadership, IT Strategy, Project Management, Communication, Senior Executive Management, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Management, Project Management Office (PMO), Client Relations, Public Speaking, Executive Coaching, Business Coaching, Artificial Intelligence Product Manager, Product Management, Budgeting, Presentations, Training, Organizational Leadership, User Empathy, Employee Training, Employee Engagement, Helpdesk, Technical Project Management, International Projects, Microsoft, System Design, Finance, Network Engineering, Quality Assurance (QA), Artificial Intelligence (AI), QA Automation, User Experience (UX), IT Security, Budget Management, GDPR, Networks, Request for Proposal (RFP), Coding, FPGA, ASIC, WAN, Telephony, Hardware Development, Mobile UX, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Business Development, Fulfillment, eCommerce, Government Contracting, FDA Audit, Validation, Accounting, Sales, Persuasion, Change Leadership, Verification
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