Ian Hamilton
Verified Expert in Product Management
Product Manager
Ian is a product-management leader of B2B/B2C cloud platforms and end-user applications with a record of building Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions to rapid growth and category leadership. He has led two enterprise learning technology startups from scratch to lucrative financial exits; grew three big-brand HCM vendors to renewed growth, twice to number one; and consulted with many Global 2000 to create next-generation SaaS solutions aimed at user knowledge, performance, and productivity.
Project Highlights
Expertise
Work Experience
Product Management Leadership – Independent Consultant
Consulting
- Designed digital learning and LMS solution strategies for GP Strategies' Global 1000 clients.
- Architected long-term engagements to implement a game-changing LXP for EdCast.
- Product managed the startup of a sales training e-learning business for an elite B2B trainer, Decker Communications.
- Provided ADP's clients with a "whole product" by designing and building an LMS for SMB.
- Led the entry into the education market as a product manager for several K-12 teaching modules for Microsoft.
- Designed, created, and marketed a new media intelligence cloud product as a lead product manager for LexisNexis.
- Designed and delivered a new online campus experience and online teaching toolset for Kaplan University.
- Boosted retail sales by creating an in-store “product finder” kiosk for Deere & Company.
- Expanded the call center solution suite by creating a new e-learning product line for Verint Systems.
- Delivered more impactful HR and training by facilitating the selection of a learning management system (LMS) and talent management system (TMS) for Robert Half International.
Senior Director, Talent Management Solutions
Yahoo! Inc.
- Created a new talent management system (TMS) and learning management system (LMS) for all 15,000 employees.
- Brought best practices to 2,500 managers with a knowledge portal of how-to guides, collaboration, and e-learning; the product was praised as the best intranet for managers in Silicon Valley.
- Led the implementation of new technologies and processes for company-wide performance management, goals, feedback, rewards, recognition, compensation and calibration, and succession planning.
Head of Product
GlobalEnglish, Corp.
- Owned and executed the end-to-end product vision and roadmap as a member of CEO staff to reinvigorate this SaaS e-learning vendor of business English skills to fuel 35% YoY growth after years of stagnation.
- Enhanced a flagship SaaS e-learning platform to grow the customer base from 160,000 to 300,000 concurrently active subscribers.
- Added a mobile solution, social learning, video podcast, and recommendation engine.
- Enhanced vocabulary training, the toolbar, and analytics. Began the migration to the next-generation platform with personalization, simulations, and speech recognition.
- Added a speaking e-test and 1-on-1 coaching at a distance to expand the product portfolio from one to three products.
Vice President of Product Management
Thomson NETg
- Drove 50% AGR and 65% gross margins as the leader of product management and learning design for what was then the #1 global portfolio of e-learning business simulations for management, sales, supervision, and CX skills.
- Played a key role in NETg’s high-valuation sale to SkillSoft by delivering premier, multi-award-winning status products.
- Doubled the existing portfolio to over 25 simulations and migrated to the cloud. Enhanced with customer-specific customization, video characters, AI logic, multiplayer modes, and gamification. Redesigned our LMS.
Senior Product Manager
PeopleSoft, Inc.
- Led product design and development for the first full release of the company's enterprise learning management system (ELMS).
- Saw the ELMS leap to PeopleSoft's fastest-growing product category within the first six months of its release.
- Rated as a market leader by several industry analysts at the initial LMS release, particularly in its functionality for compliance and certification.
Executive Vice President of Products and Services
Avaltus, Inc.
- Built this e-learning courseware and enterprise learning technology startup from scratch into a high-profile $25 million business acquired after 3½ years for $105 million cash by IAC/InterActiveCorp (Barry Diller).
- Assembled a team of 125 best-in-class professionals, including product managers, software engineers, QA, client project managers, instructional designers, graphic artists, tech support, and IT. Served as GM of the company’s largest office.
- Partnered with leading trainers in service-industry verticals to create and go to market with e-learning libraries of their best-of-breed content. Rapidly came to dominate supermarket, hospitality, food service, and call centers.
- Conceived, built, and commercialized the industry’s original learning content management system (LCMS). Built a retail-industry-focused LMS and resold it to leading third-party enterprise LMSs.
Project History
EdCast learning experience platform (LXP)
http://spark.edcast.comEnhanced an enterprise learning technology vendor's flagship LXP platform with new, high-precision AI, machine learning, and an upgraded UX.
Video-based e-coaching App
Conceived, built, launched, and delivered the go-to-market for a new B2B video-based e-coaching app for Decker Communications.
I did so, and in the process, I had the opportunity to interact with many Decker customers. Based on their input, I conceived a new online Decker product, this time an e-coaching product that would follow-up with learners who had previously completed the workshop training or the eLearning.
I sold the idea as an experiment to the Decker executive team and worked with the head of sales to identify a first (pilot) customer for the new product. I served as a product manager, project manager, and account manager and used an external development team to build V1 of the product.
Learners record video of themselves on their phone, tablet, or laptop making a 1- to 3-minute presentation, emphasizing key presentation skills, and send the video to a coach. The coach inserts text/audio feedback at specific timestamps in the video and returns it to the learner. This back-and-forth cycles many times over a 1- to 3-month period or practice and reinforcement.
Content Production System for NASA
Created and deployed an internal content authoring, management, and publishing system for NASA.
I acquired a 3rd-party CMS and built a new content/eLearning/video authoring system inside it to enable this process and allow rapid development of high-end learning, from articles to videos to interactive exercises to Q&A assessments to games to simulations. I also created a front-end learning experience platform (LXP) for NASA users to interact with the content and discover it in a personalized fashion via AI-based algorithms.
Note: Lockheed Martin soon hired me to conduct essentially the same engagement, creating a similar system for them.
AI/ML Product Manager for Personalized Customer Journey
http://www.maisonette.comConceptualized, led, planned, recruited, organized, designed, and began executing a project using AI/ML to personalize the customer journey for this eCommerce retailer of premium children's products.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Ideas and Methods
University of Chicago - Chicago, Illinois, USA
Skills
Tools
Zoom, Jira, Atlassian, Git
Industry Expertise
Education Technology (Edtech)
Paradigms
Scrum, Agile, B2C, Design Thinking, Instructional Design, Change Management, Gamification, Key Performance Metrics, Agile Product Management, Data Product Management
Platforms
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Other
Product Management, Leadership, Management, Human Capital Management, Enterprise SaaS, Strategy, Go-to-market Plans, Consulting, Learning Management Systems (LMS), Talent Management, Performance Management, E-learning, Product Requirements Documentation (PRD), Backlog Management, User Requirements, User Stories, Product Owner, Estimation & Planning, Roadmaps, Vendor Management, Vendor Selection, Team Leadership, B2B, Agile Practices, Product Strategy, Feature Planning, Business Process Automation, Startups, Content Management, Content Management Systems (CMS), Writing & Editing, Learning & Development, Coaching, Needs Analysis, Budgeting, Scope, Ideation, Conceptualization, Mentorship, Technical Product Management, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Content Production, Head of Product, End-to-end Implementation (E2E), Engagement Strategy, Microsoft Office, Google, Bitbucket, APIs, ITSM, Mobile, Vertical Markets, Analytics, Machine Learning, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Partnerships, Portals, Digital Media, Personalization, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), IT, User Experience (UX), Market Strategy and Research Product Manager, eCommerce, Mobile Apps, Data Analytics, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Pricing, Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS), Microsoft Excel, Subscription Box Service, Social Media, Profit & Loss (P&L), User-centered Design (UCD), UX Design, Business Operations, Simulations, Business Process Re-engineering, Product Operations, Portfolio Management, Productivity Improvement, A/B Testing, Customer Journeys, Market Research, Market Entry, Go-to-market Strategy, Learning, Digital Video, Stakeholder Management, Project Management, Applicant Tracking Systems, Requirements, Product Roadmaps, Feature Backlog Prioritization, Digital Product Management, Data Product Manager, Requirements & Specifications, Project Timelines, User Interviews, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Cross-functional Collaboration, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Interviews, Cross-departmental Collaboration, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Fashion, Retail & Wholesale, Kids, Ruby, React, New Products, New Product Development, Product Design, Data Products, Data Modeling
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