Sola Babalola
Verified Expert in Product Management
Product Manager
Bristol, United Kingdom
Toptal member since July 19, 2021
Sola is a product and project manager with 15+ years of experience in IT and telecommunications, spanning product management, Agile methodologies, strategic partnerships, go-to-market planning and execution, and consulting. Sola has led cross-functional teams to build new products and services, from concepts to successful commercial launches. His industry experience and professional passion are backed by a master's degree in telecommunications and a bachelor's degree in computer engineering.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Agile Product Management
- Customer Journeys
- Go-to-market Strategy
- New Product Development
- Product Development
- Product Ownership
- Strategic Partnerships
- User Experience (UX)
Work Experience
Head of Strategic Partnerships
9mobile (Formerly Etisalat)
- Developed and implemented a novel framework for mobile broadband and digital services coverage expansion in partnership with 3rd-party service providers.
- Led a cross-functional endeavor to design and operationalize the monetization and service delivery model for international application-to-person (A2P) SMS services.
- Spearheaded the redesign and implementation of the company's strategic partnership evaluation structure.
- Coordinated and led company representation at the cross-industry working group to develop a regulatory framework for active infrastructure sharing and national roaming services.
- Closed and successfully implemented the first-in-market commercial national roaming trial deal with a major mobile network operator.
- Served as a member of the strategic planning and program management office (PMO), the "midwife" of the successful launch of a mobile-first payment service as part of a banking service.
Head of Products
Airtel Networks
- Took a cloud-based, mobile private branch exchange (PBX) service proposition from concept to successful market launch.
- Developed and launched a mobile virtual number service for individual and business users.
- Launched a cloud-based SaaS proposition for business customers across multiple markets.
- Launched a cloud-based teleconferencing service for B2B customers across multiple markets.
- Led the redesign and relaunch of an enterprise-focused bouquet of traditional telecommunications services.
- Owned and led B2B product strategy development and execution, product development, in-life management of a suite of mobility and connectivity products, value-added digital services, and converged and customized ICT solutions.
- Drove diversification and growth of the enterprise product and services portfolio for mobility, connectivity, and value-added service.
Product and Propositions Manager
MTN
- Developed and launched IPConnect, a resilient internet protocol/multiprotocol label switching (IP/MPLS) connectivity solution for business.
- Built and launched ePresence, an enterprise video conferencing solution.
- Produced mobile voice and data propositions for corporates and SMEs.
- Developed and instituted a new, robust pricing model for leased circuit and IP-VPN connectivity services.
- Repositioned and enhanced the leased circuit connectivity service, resulting in revenue growth of over 66% in one year.
- Led the development of service uptake and revenue forecasts in support of the overall business planning and (re-)forecasting process based on existing performance trends and product roadmap.
- Led and tracked the growth of a diversified B2B product and service portfolio comprising leased lines, VSAT, IP-VPN, fixed internet, mobile and fixed voice propositions, and audio/video conferencing products and services.
Intelligent Network Specialist
Globacom
- Planned and implemented service features and configurations for new mobile voice, data, and digital services.
- Implemented real-time and subscription charging configurations for new products and services.
- Managed the provisioning of pre-paid charging vouchers of different denominations on a voucher management system.
Project History
Smart Number Service
Led the design, development, and commercial launch of a cloud-based smart number solution currently generating around $86,000 in MRR.
Mobile Switchboard Service
Led the design, development, delivery, and commercial launch of a hosted, cloud-based, PBX solution for small, medium, and large enterprises.
Cloud Enablement Platform (CLEP) for SaaS and IaaS
Led the localization, integration, and launch of the Cloud Enablement Platform (CLEP) that functioned as a service management and usage platform for hosted SaaS and IaaS services for small and medium-sized business customers.
Network as a Service (NaaS) Partnership
Led the operating model design, solution and partner evaluation, deal negotiation, and process definition, resulting in the successful introduction and integration of the new NaaS model for expanding the company's mobile and digital service coverage.
Hosted Conferencing Solution
Led the proposition design, requirements definition, financial justification, platform integration, and QA effort in two organizations to launch commercial, hosted audio conferencing services for business.
I delivered the product concept and requirements documentation, business case justification, platform evaluation, installation and testing, service fulfilment and support process definitions, and go-to-market plans required to launch the service successfully. I also led the successful commercial launch of the service and in-life product management after the launch.
IPConnect Launch | An IP/MPLS Connectivity Solution
Developed and launched the pioneer IP/MPLS connectivity service for the company, which now constitutes the core of the group company's expanded service offering covering 15+ countries.
Education
Master's Degree in Telecommunications
University College London - London, England, UK
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering
Obafemi Awolowo University - Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, West Africa
Skills
Tools
Microsoft Word, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Visio, Slack, Zoom, Provisioning Tools
Industry Expertise
Telecommunications
Paradigms
Agile Product Management, Agile Project Management, Testing, Real-time Systems, Hosting, Service-oriented Architecture (SOA)
Other
Information Technology, Product Ownership, Product Management, New Product Development, Process Design, Product Development, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Business to Business (B2B), Strategic Partnerships, Strategic Planning & Execution, Service Design, Software, P&L Management, Financial Modeling, Market Research & Analysis, Product Marketing, User Experience (UX), UX Process, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Business Requirements, Business Cases, Reporting, Operating Models, Operating & Service Model Improvement, In-life Product Management, Product Design, Technical Product Management, Product Growth, Decision Support, Feature Prioritization, Project Management, Business Systems Analysis, Business Consulting, Microsoft Teams, BlueJeans, Google Meet, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Software Development, Hardware Development, IP Networks, Big Data, Data Science, Agile Program Management, New Business Development, Management Consulting, Business to Consumer (B2C), Performance Analysis, Quality Assurance (QA), User Acceptance Testing (UAT), User Research, Business Analysis, Customer Journeys, Service Delivery Management (SDM), Customer Success, Customer Support, Presales, Business Solutions, Solution Design, Price Analysis, Pricing, Pricing Strategy, Marketing, Marketing Mix, Marketing Communications (MarCom), Copywriting, Wireframing, Prototyping, Mockups, Proof of Concept (POC), Product Conceptualization, SaaS Product Management, Platform as a Service (PaaS), Cloud Services, Value Proposition, Digital Services, Functional Requirements, User Requirements, Client Relationship Management, Relationship Management, Distributed Team Management, Team Management, Databases, Operations & Business Support Systems (OSS/BSS), Middleware, Prepaid Cards, Charging Systems, Configuration Management, Subscription Pricing, Online Charging Systems (OCS), Cloud, Go-to-market Strategy, App Integration, APIs, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Data Analysis, Analytics, Contract Negotiation, Client Relations, Business Modeling, Vendor Selection, Vendor Management, B2B Partnerships, Matrix Management, IP/MPLS, Connectivity, Cross-functional Collaboration, Agile Product Delivery, Content Creation
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