Mark Verdegaal
Verified Expert in Product Management
Product Manager
San Roque, Spain
Toptal member since June 25, 2019
Mark is a seasoned digital product manager, technologist, leader, and strategist with over a decade of experience. He has a knack for building high performing Agile teams, quickly assimilating the ins and outs of new products, and creating a simple and straightforward marketing strategy. Mark has broad international experience and speaks three languages fluently, likes to understand and shape the big picture, and wants execution lightning fast.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Agile
- Architecture
- Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
- Digital Transformation
- Financial Services
- Mobile
- Scrum
- Telecommunications
Work Experience
Chief Product Officer
Cash Converters España
- Implemented Agile and Scrum IT delivery and business structure methodologies.
- Was responsible for digital transformation of sales and service channels of financial services.
- Trained and coached product owners, managers, and scrum masters.
- Introduced new digital revenue lines and channels.
- Launched two new jewelry brands and product lines: Ashera & Kilate.
Head of Mobile Product Management
Lloyds Banking Group
- Led more than 60 people through a digital transformation towards Agile practices and data-driven decision-making.
- Launched a brand new intelligent chat tool able to deal with a significant percentage of common queries to offload our call center and reduce cost.
- Digitized our communication channels to save costs on paper mail and SMS in favor of email and push notifications.
- Achieved 4.5-to-5 app ratings as well as world-class NPS scores (70+).
- Tripled mobile payments through the implementation of a new payment hub.
Principle Product Manager
Vodafone Spain
- Created and delivered a turnaround TV strategy for Vodafone Spain to compete against the over-the-top content providers as well as the cable providers using the Vodafone fiber network.
- Achieved the greatest Vodafone app penetration (cloud services, backup, and protection) of any Vodafone country by bundling premium services together with voice and data tariffs.
- Set up deals with Waze and Napster with the aim to increase data usage, Vodafone branding in third-party domains, and customer NPS.
- Led a team of five, including junior product manager, business analysts, and QA to implement numerous changes.
Product Manager (Mobile)
Vodafone Netherlands
- Implemented a new mobile advertising platform (MADS) and initiated an ad-sales partnership to drive revenue from the Vodafone mobile internet portal.
- Set up a developer marketing program to generate content (games and apps) for the Vodafone store.
- Launched Vodafone Music to drive customer loyalty.
- Led a small team of developers and agency partners, including designers, software engineers, and QA.
Management Trainee (Strategy and Digital)
Vodafone Netherlands
- Recommended and kickstarted a strategy for identifying and acting on opportunities outside the direct focus area of Vodafone.
- Provided hands-on product and specialist experience with e-CRM, online analytics, online services, and mobile advertising.
- Completed a young high potential and business management program.
Project History
Mobile Payment Hub
Tripled mobile payments and introduced new customer focussed and iterative (Agile/Scrum) methodologies.
Following customer feedback—identified through testing—that customers did not understand the difference between different payment options and lagging use (compared to desktop) of international payments and standing orders (the most profitable payment types), we embarked on a journey to revamp the payments customer experience.
This process was done step by step while also using new methodologies such as OKRs and Agile/Scrum to set ourselves up to reach outcomes rather than deliver a predetermined (and potentially useless) project.
Digital Transformation
Led 60+ people through a digital transformation towards agile practices and data-driven decision making
I led a working and people transformation aimed at modern, Agile, and data-driven decision making.
I successfully adapted and implemented practices from a lean startup, Agile, Scrum Kanban, OKRs, and more to ensure faster delivery of value to customers while increasing employee engagement and satisfaction at the same time.
Smart Mobile Chatbot
Reduced calls to the call center and increased customer satisfaction by reducing resolution time in a channel of choice
This was the most challenging product I’ve launched and it centered around inserting a smart chatbot into a bank’s app. It was the first customer-facing AI and cloud integration for the company and it required company-wide planning and collaboration to launch and a combination of vendors.
Education
Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Science
Eindhoven University of Technology - Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Certifications
AI in Finance Certification
CFTE
Skills
Tools
Trello, Confluence, Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Jira
Paradigms
Scrum, Agile, Kanban, Agile Product Management, Agile Workflow
Platforms
MacOS
Industry Expertise
Financial Services, Consumer Finance, Banking & Finance, Telecommunications, Music, Startup Accelerators
Other
Product Operations, Finance, Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Microsoft Office, Mobile, Mobile Apps, Digital Transformation, Product Management, Business Analysis, Requirements, Product Strategy, Product Roadmaps, Go-to-market Plans, User Research, Business Models, Product Design, Product Marketing, Product Frameworks, Innovation, Product Ownership, Product Discovery, Product Delivery, Product Owner, App Product Management, Android, iOS, Windows, Leadership, Management, Fintech, Chatbots, Technical Product Management, Web Trends, Waterfall Delivery, Web, Architecture, Waterfall Methodology
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