Thalha Refaye
Verified Expert in Product Management
Product Manager
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Toptal member since January 3, 2022
Thalha is a seasoned product strategy consultant with over 10 years of experience in telecom, logistics, broadcasting, OTT, and streaming media. He has led development teams and delivered multiple products with millions of active users for companies like Verizon USA, Qantas, and ABC Australia. With 15 years of experience spanning several geographies, Thalha can ensure the best practices for planning, creating, and developing high-performance products that provide a great user experience.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Agile Product Management
- Backlog Grooming
- Certified Scrum Professional
- Mobile Product Management
- Product Management
- Product Ownership
- Project Management
- Scrum Product Owner
Work Experience
Head of Engineering
Team Global Express
- Managed the AWS cloud team to optimize the EC2 snapshots and backup plans and reduce the AWS cost by more than 40%.
- Handled the Shift Left initiative to empower the IT support desk, moving them from level 1 to level 2. Ensured the support and development worked together to deliver a better user experience.
- Reduced the product release timeline and improved the product feature throughput. Worked with the business and vendors to deliver products faster in the market.
- Established the DevOps maturity framework and ensured the team was aligned and followed DevOps best practices.
- Handled team management, vendor management, team goals, and managing the delivery of multiple mobile products.
Engineering Manager
Team Global Express
- Transitioned the team into the agile model. Set up the development team and nurtured them into following Agile.
- Trained and mentored a cross-border team across Australia and India.
- Introduced security testing and penetration testing for the app to make it more robust and avoid undesirable access.
- Guided the team to obfuscate and deliver the app to the Google Play Store. Enabled drivers to install the app directly from the Google Play Store.
- Transitioned the development environment into automation testing and ensured delivery through CI/CD pipelines.
- Took responsibility for the day-to-day management of the development teams.
- Managed cross-functional teams working across multiple technologies such as Android, webMethods, Visual Studio, PreCom, and Copilot.
Consultant | Mobile eCommerce
Coles Supermarkets
- Was in charge of managing one of the squads in the development of the Coles mobile app.
- Was instrumental in the research and helped enable the click-and-collect option for customers.
- Took responsibility for product management and backlog grooming; took ownership of the click-and-collect feature of the app.
Product Owner | LinktGo
Transurban
- Worked on the product strategy and roadmap of the Linkt and LinktGO mobile apps.
- Advised the team on the scrum and development process and moved the team to the Agile Sprint model.
- Liaised with the customer support and payments team, planned future release features, and maintained product backlog.
Product Owner
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- Worked on the ABC iview app. Was responsible for the delivery of the ABC iview App on Android and Android TV platforms.
- Trained and mentored a team of developers. Was involved in the project right from the beginning and nurtured it to delivery along with a team of engineers.
- Worked on all the major ABC apps, including ABC News, ABC Kids iview, and ABC ME.
- Established the CI/CD pipeline set up and introduced the concept of frequent delivery of the app to market.
Technical Lead
Qantas Airways
- Worked with the top management, UI/UX designers, and business analysts and was responsible for the product backlog.
- Led a team of four developers to deliver the project on time.
- Launched the first Android app for Qantas Airways.
- Oversaw the development, QA, and creation of the app's ecosystem on the Google Play Store.
Technical Lead | Mobile Apps
Verizon
- Managed a team of ten mobile developers and worked on a first-of-its-kind mobile remote app to work with Fios TV Box.
- Worked with the management team based in the USA and delivered the products using developers and testers working across different timezones.
- Worked on this product that was registered and won multiple patents under USPTO.
- Performed daily scrum process updates and managed teams across different geographies.
- Traveled to Dallas, USA, to test and deliver the mobile remote app.
Project History
Team Electronic Delivery App
Led the transition of the TED app from in-house to the Google Play Store launch. Helped deliver the app to drivers in a robust way, reducing the organization hassle.
The TED app is a delivery app for drivers to pick up and deliver parcels and packages. This app integrates with seven different business units and all the functionalities from multiple divisions, providing a one-stop app for drivers to use and interact with.
ABC iview
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.net.abc.iviewLed the team to deliver the mobile apps on Android and Android TV.
ABC iview is a video-on-demand and catch-up TV service run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Currently, iview video content can only be viewed by users in Australia.
With ABC iview, you can watch live TV and on-demand programs anywhere for free. Easy to use, commercial-free, and distinctively Australian.
• Binge the best Australian and international drama and comedy all in the one place
• Get the latest breaking ABC News live streams and catch-up programming from Australia’s most trusted news source
• Discover high quality and distinctively Australian documentaries and children’s programming
• Watch any ABC broadcast TV channel, live whenever and wherever you are—on mobile, desktop, tablet, Android TV, and other streaming devices.
LinktGo | Toll Road App
https://www.linktgo.com.au/LinktGo app had a requirement to switch to a new back end. Was responsible for the end-to-end planning, change requirements, and product roadmap.
LinktGO is a new, convenient app made especially for casual toll road users. There’s no need for a tag—everything you need to get going is right in your pocket.
LinktGO works on all Australian toll roads. It uses your phone’s GPS to log your trips in real time. Review and pay trip by trip. You’re in complete control.
ABC News (Flagship App)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=android.AbcApplicationWorked on the ABC News app and was instrumental in app redesign and delivery to the market. This app won multiple awards in the Australian Media.
News from Australia’s most trusted news source ABC News.
ABC News is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The app enables the users to stay up-to-date with the latest news and happenings in Australia. It allows the user to watch live news, issues alerts and notifications for breaking news, and helps users to catch up on day to day events
Qantas Airways
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.com.qantas.qantasWorked on the Qantas Airways app as a technical lead. Was involved in the app design, development, and delivery to the Google Play Store.
The Qantas Airways app enables users to keep track of their travel and aids them in using Qantas services.
• See your Qantas Points activity and keep track of your status credits and tier progress
• Book Qantas flights
• View your next trips with a personalized timeline
• Choose or change your seats any time
• Be reminded when check-in opens, stay up-to-date with alerts for departure gate, boarding time, baggage carousel, and more*
• Claim missing Qantas Points on eligible flights
• Know exactly what movies and TV shows will be on your flight and plan your viewing in advance
• Discover journey inspiration with places to stay, where to eat, and things to do
• When eligible, see which lounges you can access
• Get your boarding pass within the app
• Whether you’re traveling for business or a family holiday, our app gives you everything you need for a smoother journey
Education
Master's Degree in Computer Science
University of Madras - Chennai, Tamilnadu, India
Certifications
Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I)
Scrum.org
Skills
Tools
Jira, Confluence, Trello
Paradigms
Scrum, Agile, Agile Product Management, Kanban
Platforms
Android TV
Other
IT Management, Product Management, Product Owner, Product Roadmaps, Project Management, IT Product Management, Lean Product Manager, Communication, User Stories, Mobile Apps, Sprint Planning, Sprint Retrospectives, Agile Sprints, User Experience (UX), Mobile, Product Ownership, Team Management, Technical Requirements, Programming, Scrum Product Owner, Certified Scrum Professional, Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO), Android, Product Strategy, Roadmaps, News Media, Video Streaming, iOS, SDKs, Mobile Product Management, Backlog Management, Backlog Grooming, eCommerce, Mobile eCommerce, Business Analysis, Business Requirements, Data Analysis, Data Analytics, Data Science, Agile Data Science, Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Media, Feature Backlog Prioritization, Over-the-top Content (OTT), Technical Documentation, Scrum Coaching, Murals, Technical Research, Leadership, UX Design, Distributed Team Management, Mobility, Development, Engineering, Visual Studio, Amazon Web Services (AWS), IT Support, Web Methods, Project Management & Work Tracking Tools, Project Budget Management, Project Planning, Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Consulting
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