Gabriella Martins
Verified Expert in Product Management
Product Manager
With 15+ years of product experience, Gabriella has guided products from ideation to market launch. Known for her strategic vision and innovative approach, she excels in merging UX/UI design with agile development to drive growth. Her strong design and innovation background and data-driven methodologies have pioneered transformative solutions across many industries, constantly turning challenges into successful market entries. Her expertise makes her a leader in product strategy and innovation.
Expertise
Work Experience
CEO, Founder, and Head of Product
Werkbund Innovation
- Crafted the strategic product vision and innovation plan for enterprises like Kimberly-Clark, governmental institutions like SEBRAE, and fast-growing startups, contributing to a $30 million exit.
- Led multiple projects from the preliminary research for ideas' validation until the very end to help put new products successfully in the market—managed projects and their needed team, like devs, designers, business agents, etc.
- Worked as a fractional CPO alongside the C-level to create complete product offerings, including market positioning, product lining, pricing strategy, and revenue model.
- Enhanced business strategies through product frameworks, design management, and data analysis, resulting in successful solutions and new business models.
- Facilitated the adoption of innovative processes and policies across public and private institutions by actively involving their teams in disruptive projects.
- Directed cross-functional teams from market research to full product development across sectors like SaaS, healthcare, professional service, edtech, banking, etc.
- Created and executed successful business strategies using product frameworks, design, and data analysis to drive innovation and deliver successful software solutions, products, services, and new business models.
- Identified growth and innovation opportunities for B2B, B2C, and B2B2C through comprehensive research using quantitative and qualitative market and user analysis methods.
- Specialized, for more than a decade, in transforming ideas into innovative market offerings through strategic design, business modeling, and the management and articulation of executive assets in agile environments with clients around the world.
Conceptualization Product Manager and Head of Product (via Toptal)
WriteMyCV
- Spearheaded the conceptualization of an AI-based resume builder, conducting thorough user and market research to validate the idea and guide the discovery phase.
- Designed a robust business model to ensure market viability and profitability, aligning product capabilities with market demands.
- Created intuitive user experiences for B2C, B2B, and B2B2C interfaces, enhancing accessibility and usability.
- Led the product design team, aligning UI/UX strategies across multiple market segments.
- Guided the product development process, overseeing technical and design teams to ensure seamless execution.
- Defined and implemented the go-to-market strategy, including pricing, to maximize market penetration and revenue growth.
Senior Growth Product Manager (via Toptal)
Toptal (Core)
- Contributed to hypergrowth initiatives for Toptal Core Products, a marketplace scale-up of top freelancers, collaborating fully remotely with interdepartmental teams around the globe.
- Led a growth team's goals in creating product vision and strategic plans, crafting data-driven product strategies to build and optimize high-traffic portfolios.
- Defined the product strategy and roadmap for complex and strategic products focused on SEO optimization and SEM intelligence through solutions.
- Guided the design of new products and features, materializing strategic goals and plans.
- Expanded and scaled a high-traffic portfolio using data-driven product frameworks, directly leading to a 3-point boost in domain rating in record time for Toptal.
- Contributed to high management for cross-squad strategies, multiteam product visions, pipeline definition, squad operation, and product team hiring and coaching.
- Conceptualized and led the execution of external growth products and internal tools, including the use of AI/ML, BI, and complex data integrations.
- Led the design of innovative products and features, translating strategic goals into actionable plans, ensuring alignment with growth business objectives, and enhancing market competitiveness.
Principal Product Manager
Locus The Digital Transformation Factory
- Oversaw the conceptualization and roadmap definition, guided the prototyping process, and provided ongoing support to ensure the solution was market-ready.
- Led the product team through the entire development cycle, starting with initial briefings and comprehensive research, progressing through detailed design sprints, and effectively collaborating with the development team.
- Defined and implemented a whole new design process and product framework, leading to client satisfaction and, as a result, higher retention and repurchases from B2B clients.
- Directed the successful delivery of projects across multiple sectors, like POS (embarked software), financial BPO, banking experience, membership management, and other desktop and mobile experiences.
- Developed and implemented a new product-service offering strategy by elevating design and innovation processes. This increased competitiveness and contributed to international expansion, resulting in 30% market growth.
- Assisted the CEO in client negotiations, defining project scopes and product goals, and driving sales efforts to secure and onboard new web and mobile software projects.
Innovation Director
Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism BR-PT
- Contributed to shaping innovation programs and initiatives for cross-country integration as a board member of the Brazil-Portugal Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism.
- Developed an innovation network in Brazil and Portugal to create international cooperative projects.
- Mapped, contacted, and engaged institutional players to create new projects and solutions by the Chamber of Commerce.
- Led the creation of projects to foment business relationships between companies from Brazil and Portugal through innovation.
Innovation, Product Consultant, and Researcher
CESAR Lab - Innovation and Tech R&D Center
- Defined innovation process methods and tools for the CESAR Labs' open innovation solutions.
- Researched and specified the problems' briefings to the open innovation challenges focused on industry 4.0.
- Assisted with the startups in CESAR Labs incubation and acceleration using my fabrication experience and design/innovation expertise.
- Contributed to the CESAR Labs, a business acceleration branch of the CESAR R&D Tech Institute.
- Served as a product expert, helping and guiding startups with innovation and tech challenges in Industry 4.0, healthtech, and other sectors.
Innovation Director and Lead Product Designer
Fab Lab Recife
- Crafted the initial business model and organizational structure, strategically focusing on ensuring the long-term economic sustainability and viability of the initiative.
- Defined the initial equipment, structural layout, spatial requirements, and operational frameworks essential for launching the Maker Space & Innovation Lab initiative.
- Directed the development of the product-service offering, encompassing educational products, key event coordination, and strategic lab usage to enhance service delivery.
- Led a product design team specializing in digital fabrication and electronic prototyping, overseeing the creation of innovative products using technologies such as 3D printing, laser cutting, and Arduino integration.
Product Designer
O-I Glass
- Designed successful products for global brands like Coca-Cola, Diageo, Pernod Ricard, and AB InBev by gathering and negotiating business, marketing, and engineering requirements.
- Facilitated collaboration between marketing and engineering teams during new product development, managing design tasks and ensuring seamless team integration to optimize product outcomes.
- Secured a patent for an innovative industrial design of a thermal bottle that reduces the use of plastic in its production while maintaining high efficiency.
- Leveraged both traditional and digital manufacturing techniques to transform designs from initial concepts to final products, efficiently coordinating the handover to the engineering team.
- Developed and implemented a user-centered design process aligned with ISO standards to ensure that all products met stakeholder expectations, significantly enhancing market-entry success.
Project History
JunT | Smart Membership Management Solution
https://slides.com/werkbund/junt_youTransformed a promising idea into a complete tech solution with a market-ready strategy, managing both product and business development end-to-end.
Oraculli | Business Coach and Mentor Marketplace
https://oraculli.ms.sebrae.com.br/Spearheaded a team from ideation through to delivery, overseeing business modeling, design sprints, product strategy, and development, ensuring the project progressed efficiently and met its objectives.
This innovative platform enables clients to select and buy consulting hours from a vetted selection of business consultants and coaches. It incorporates integrated video chat for seamless peer-to-peer interactions. I utilized advanced payment gateways and integrated video and ticket management technologies to enhance the platform's functionality and ensure streamlined, efficient product delivery to the client.
MVP-as-a-Service and Innovation Squads
Co-founded and led a strategic team for an MVP-as-a-service and innovation platform, streamlining the way startups and spinoffs design and develop new products, services, and systems to achieve faster, more efficient, and goal-driven outcomes.
As a leader, I orchestrated a joint venture between Locus custom software and Werkbund innovation and strategic design company, creating a synergistic partnership that addressed the full spectrum of digital business development needs.
This collaboration offered a robust portfolio of services, including MVP-as-a-service and complete innovation squad solutions, tailored to accelerate the development and market entry of new products and services. Under my guidance, this venture successfully empowered emerging businesses to navigate the complexities of the market with strategic and technical support, significantly enhancing their potential for success.
Open Finance Accelerator | Product-led Growth Platform
https://linker.com.br/Spearheaded the development and launch of an innovative open banking solution for a B2B fintech, which successfully sold for $30 million shortly after its introduction.
The platform, built on Open Finance APIs, incorporated a gamification element that motivated partners, mainly accountants, to onboard clients in exchange for commissions. It also enabled consultants to offer financial BPO services. This strategic enhancement significantly boosted user engagement and operational efficiency.
The startup achieved a successful exit, selling to a major private bank for $30 million shortly after the launch.
WriteMyCV - AI powered CV builder
http://www.writemycv.ukLed since initial conceptualization, the MVP creation of an innovative AI-powered CV builder, including road mapping, user stories, and strategy definition for B2C, B2B, and B2B2C business models.
Bringing to life the concept of being people's career path companions, overpassing the value proposition of being only a CV builder, and becoming the support for every crucial moment of the user's career. From understanding their own academic and professional trajectory to crafting and holding compelling CV pieces to empower all the job-hunting moments of their life.
I helped from the starting moment to transform an initial idea into a concept and a concept into an MVP plan. Finally, into the materialization of a new digital product, including UI/UX design, branding, business model, and go-to-market strategy.
Toptal Utilities Development and Portfolio Expansion
Led Toptal Utilities' product expansion, increasing users by 23%, returning users by 122%, and session times by 36.5% while reducing bounce rates by 89.7%.
I managed the entire product development lifecycle, from concept creation through launch. My strategic direction resulted in the development of new products and features tailored to enhance user engagement and retention. I also implemented a new product and design process that streamlined product launches across the portfolio, making my team one of the most efficient within the Growth Squad.
This initiative led to a 23% increase in average users, a 122% rise in returning users, a decrease in bounce rate by 89.7%, and an increase in average session time by 36.5%. Additionally, my efforts contributed to a 9% overall increase in total traffic. My hands-on leadership and deep understanding of user needs were instrumental in achieving these impressive outcomes, showcasing my ability to effectively drive product growth and enhance user experience in a competitive market.
Conceptualization of SEM Intelligence and Optimization Platform
Led the creation of an SEM intelligence and optimization platform, identifying SEM as a key cost area, steering solution conceptualization, and delivering the MVP, which significantly optimized marketing spend.
After a deep dive into the business strategy and existing issues, I identified SEM as a critical area for cost optimization. I led the collaboration with stakeholders, including direct SEM professionals, marketing strategists, and the engineering team, to ensure the solution met diverse needs. I guided the initial research, design iterations, and the development of proof of concepts, culminating in the successful delivery of the first MVP.
I was also instrumental in crafting a comprehensive year-long roadmap that outlined potential product evolutions, incorporating regular user testing and feedback mechanisms to refine the platform continuously. My strategic and hands-on approach not only streamlined SEM processes but also set the stage for ongoing enhancements, ensuring the platform remained aligned with user needs and business goals.
Education
Master's Degree in Design
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - Recife, Brazil
Master's Degree in Business Innovation and Product-Service System Design
Politecnico di Milano - Milan, Italy
Bachelor's Degree in Design
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - Recife, Brazil
Skills
Tools
Atlassian Suite, Jira, Slack, Figma
Industry Expertise
Banking & Finance, Marketplaces, Education Technology (Edtech), Open Innovation, Hospitality
Paradigms
Agile, Agile Product Management, Design Thinking, B2C, B2B2C, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C), Team Development, Scrum, Kanban, Requirements Analysis, Agile Project Management, Key Performance Metrics, Gamification
Platforms
Blockchain
Other
Innovation, Product Design, Innovation Strategy, Business Design, New Business Development, Product Planning, Innovation Management, Design Research, Business Model Canvas, Business Modeling, Design Management, Product Management, New Products & Services, Digital Product Design, Digital Product Management, Strategic Design, Design, Strategy, Product Delivery, Product Roadmaps, User Needs, User Flows, Design Requirements, Feature Backlog Prioritization, Feature Roadmaps, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Minimum Marketable Product (MMP), Business Analysis, Product Strategy, B2B, Product Vision, New Products, Market Research, Positioning, Product Positioning, Storytelling, Roadmaps, Planning, User Journeys, User Personas, Business Strategy, Backlog Management, Feature Planning, New Product Development, Product Discovery, Business Models, UX Strategy, Design Strategy, Feature Prioritization, Product Research, MVP Design, Conceptualization, Ideation, Business, Business to Consumer (B2C), User Interface (UI), Growth, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Cross-functional Collaboration, Continuous Discovery, Research, Service Design, Digital Design, Management, Digital Fabrication, Analysis, Agile Product Delivery, SaaS Product Management, Lean Product Management, Backlog Grooming, Mobile Apps, Startups, Enterprise, Discovery Workshops, Web Platforms, Product Coach, Fintech, Prototyping, Product-market Fit, Early-stage Startups, Mobile Applications, Web Applications, Negotiation, Product Owner, Enterprise SaaS, SaaS, User Experience (UX), Mobile Platforms, Go-to-market Strategy, Product Growth, Direct to Consumer (D2C), Requirements & Specifications, Business Plan Consulting, Go-to-market Plans, User Stories, Process Innovation, Team Leadership, Design Sprints, Agile Sprints, Project Planning, Requirements, Software as a Service (SaaS), Use Cases, Discovery, User Research, Scope of Work, Project Timelines, Technical Product Management, Web App Development, Competitive Analysis, Monetization Models, Chief Product Officer (CPO), Human Resources (HR), Conversational AI, Data Products, Notion, Discord, Industrial Design, 3D CAD, CAD, Innovation Labs, Innovation Games, Industry 4.0, Policy Development, Networking, 3D Printing, Two-sided Marketplaces, Market Fit, Internet of Things (IoT), Fitness, Fashion & Beauty, Manufacturing, Cryptocurrency, Travel & Leisure, Contract Negotiation, Project Management, Process Design, Dashboard Design, Data Analytics, Open Banking APIs, Product Launch, Marketing Research & Analysis, Voice of the Customer (VoC), ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analysis, Marketing Strategy, Market Entry, Proof of Concept (POC), Best Practices, Edtech Design, Machine Learning, Multi-sided Marketplaces, Software Engineering, Websites, Tools, Design Tools, Big Data, Data Quality Analysis, APIs, Data-driven Marketing, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Language Learning
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