Toby Treacher, Product Manager in London, United Kingdom
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Toby Treacher

Verified Expert  in Product Management

Product Manager

London, United Kingdom

Toptal member since March 23, 2020

Bio

With an abundance of hands-on experience, Toby is a seasoned product leader who puts the customer first and hits the ground running while adding value quickly. He's equally comfortable working on visions and roadmaps as well as refining backlogs and launching products/features—delivering clarity at the interface between the business and technology. Using feedback and data, Toby initiates, designs, implements, and delivers digital products and services across the web and mobile platforms.

Project Highlights

Agile Transformation: Scrum Pilot
Worked with a large enterprise to build the first scrum teams and test new ways of working—leading to dramatically improved outcomes and higher team satisfaction/engagement.
Free Public WiFi
Worked for the national rail operator to build the MVP WiFi service at two of the UK's busiest stations with more than 80 million annual footfall.
eCommerce Startup: Just Provisions
Built the technology behind the first eCommerce business that targeted owners and crew of super yachts.

Expertise

  • Agile Coaching
  • Agile Product Management
  • Digital Product Management
  • Go-to-market Plans
  • Mobile Web
  • Product Strategy
  • Product-market Fit
  • User Experience (UX)

Work Experience

Founder

2012 - 2023
Just Provisions
  • Worked as a founder and raised seed capital to create an innovative online eCommerce platform.
  • Acted as a product owner by conducting extensive primary and secondary marketing research, including interviewing target customers.
  • Created a product vision and roadmap for the delivery of consumable products (food and beverages) to owners and crew of super yachts.
  • Built, refined, and delivered the feature backlog, including working with a UK 3rd-party partner to build a custom technology platform based on Drupal.
  • Used design thinking to build an innovative mobile-optimized user experience.
  • Built dashboards using Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) and Microsoft Power BI to provide sales, financial, and operations data to identify new opportunities, efficiencies, and plan capacity.
  • Built and optimized end-to-end business processes from ordering to payments using a variety of platforms, including HubSpot, Podio, Slack, and Xero.
  • Moved the original technology platform to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and rearchitected it for microservices.
  • Deployed AI using TensorFlow libraries to expedite order entry and predict organizational utilization.

Product Coach

2020 - 2021
GlaxoSmithKline
  • Embedded agile ways of working across nine high-profile teams on three continents.
  • Built customized team agile assessment tooling to help all teams make improvements.
  • Shortened time to market and accelerated value delivery by 30%.

Chief Product Owner

2018 - 2020
Oxford University Press
  • Led and coached a high performing team of five product owners.
  • Deployed an Azure-based publishing platform to more than 1,000 editors.
  • Delivered across multiple business divisions on three continents.
  • Oversaw and was responsible for global backlog using Jira, throughout a phased rollout.
  • Mentored the delivery team on SAFe agile working practices.
  • Responsible for business user acceptance testing (UAT) sprints and planning.
  • Created data analytics reporting capability using MS Power BI and Tableau.

Service Delivery Manager

2017 - 2018
Virgin Media
  • Served as a proxy business product manager and was responsible for the successful deployment of Pega (AI), a type of call center software with approximately 3,500 agents.
  • Performed risk management, quality management, resource management, and communications for the launch program.
  • Managed the business readiness backlog including the definition of the target operating model and operational handovers.
  • Accepted working increments, working with on-and-offshore technology partners to perform business UAT testing and bug fixing.

Digital Change Lead

2015 - 2017
Vodafone
  • Worked with the digital ExCo on an Agile transformation for a team of 100.
  • Created a business/benefits case for reorganization and change.
  • Helped HR business partners to identify the best candidates and facilitate the transition.
  • Coached initial (seed) teams on Scrum ceremonies and Agile practices.
  • Implemented a variety of tools—including Targetprocess and Trello—and implemented online sales dashboards in PowerBI to inform product backlog prioritization and support value-based delivery.
  • Served as the product lead for online customer self-care and billing (Oracle-based) capabilities with 6 million monthly users.
  • Managed a product backlog refinement and offshore agile delivery including the coordination of feature-releasing iOS and Android apps.
  • Optimized the online billing customer journey to reduce monthly contact by 5%.
  • Responsible for the online launch of the Samsung Galaxy 8.

Program Lead

2013 - 2015
Network Rail
  • Delivered the first commercial high-density station-wide passenger WiFi solution in a major UK station available to 2 million users.
  • Served as the key SME on the public sector (OJEU) procurement of passenger connectivity on the rail corridor.
  • Supported a £300 million competitive bid by coordinating stakeholders including train operating companies, UK government departments, and mobile network operators.
  • Built the business case and financial model for nationwide terminal station WiFi coverage.
  • Followed the procurement process and worked with winners to design, build, and maintain the public network.
  • Defined the commercial model and passenger experience.
  • Delivered the first commercial high-density station-wide passenger WiFi solution in a major UK station available to 2 million users.
  • Worked with the GDS and Department for Transport while using successful project management public sector methodologies.

Associate Consultant

2009 - 2011
CGI, Inc.
  • Assessed the viability of a £10 million eCommerce platform investment in South Africa.
  • Built the commercial blueprint for UK mobile telecoms that shared a real-time advertising platform which later became Weve.
  • Consolidated a fragmented international mobile app strategy into a single centralized iOS and Android technology platform.
  • Acted as the digital SME on a range of different engagements.

Project History

Agile Transformation: Scrum Pilot

Worked with a large enterprise to build the first scrum teams and test new ways of working—leading to dramatically improved outcomes and higher team satisfaction/engagement.

Working transparently and openly with senior leaders, we built a series of experimental teams to address a spiraling backlog of digital work. Over a three-month period, we regularly reviewed the performace and outcomes and adjusted the teams to improve flow. These experiments laid the foundations of a two-year organization-wide transformation program.

Free Public WiFi

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/passengers/station-improvements/free-wifi-at-our-stations

Worked for the national rail operator to build the MVP WiFi service at two of the UK's busiest stations with more than 80 million annual footfall.

From conception to commissioning, I built the business case, managed the vendor selection (public sector procurement), signed-off on the network design, and worked with UX on the passenger experience. The MVP involved two of London's largest terminal stations (LBG and EUS) and created the blueprint of the national rollout.

eCommerce Startup: Just Provisions

http://www.just-provisions.com

Built the technology behind the first eCommerce business that targeted owners and crew of super yachts.

Having raised venture capital, I then built a small team to deliver the first online and mobile commerce platform aimed at the owners and crew of superyachts. Articulating a compelling business vision, I managed the definition and delivery of all aspects of the technology needed to operate internationally at scale, with a diverse product portfolio including temperature-controlled fresh produce. I continue to work with the business, investigating new technologies and testing concepts in the real world.

Product Vision: National Data Networking Strategy

https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/key/G479RuhROt5U6n

Worked with the UK rail industry for a government consultation on the future of digital products and services in the UK .

Over ten weeks, while working with a partner, we conducted over 20 industry telephone interviews and held two public workshops to help the RSSB submit a digital vision for a government consultation. Resulting in a 78-page report, looking at customer demand, use cases, technology, and economics.

Product Strategy: Municipal WiFi

http://bit.ly/2CcKxDR

Worked with Stockport Business Improvement Districts to highlight the opportunities around the provision of public (municipal) WiFi.

Collaborating with a variety of private and public sector partners, I developed this project to guide non-technical decision-makers and help them understand the need for base-level free connectivity to underpin their digital strategies.

Education

2008 - 2008

Diploma in Blue Ocean Strategy

INSEAD - Paris, France

1991 - 1995

Master's Degree in Business and Languages

Heriot Watt University - Edinburgh, Scotland

Certifications

APRIL 2024 - PRESENT

Advanced Certificate in Executive Coaching

Institute of Leadership and Management

FEBRUARY 2020 - FEBRUARY 2025

SAFe Program Consultant

Scaled Agile, Inc.

FEBRUARY 2020 - FEBRUARY 2025

Agile Product Manager

Scaled Agile, Inc.

OCTOBER 2016 - PRESENT

Certified Scrum Product Owner

Scrum Alliance

Skills

Tools

Jira, Trello, Microsoft Power BI, Google Data Studio, Google Docs, Slack, Confluence, HubSpot, GitHub, Rally, TargetProcess, Siebel CRM

Paradigms

Agile Product Management, Agile, Microservices

Industry Expertise

Telecommunications, Food & Beverage, Education Technology (Edtech)

Platforms

Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Monday.com

Other

Business to Business (B2B), Product-market Fit, Product Vision, Mobile Web, Product Management, Product Strategy, Product Roadmaps, Go-to-market Plans, Business Models, Business Model Canvas, Product Marketing, Product Delivery, Digital Product Management, Agile Certified Practitioner, WordPress, Microsoft Office, User Experience (UX), Business Analysis, User Requirements, Feature Backlog Prioritization, Feature Roadmaps, Agile Coaching, Airtable, Data Analysis, Dashboard Design, Stakeholder Management, Backlog Management, Customer Insights, Data Analytics, MySQL, Dashboards, Strategy, New Products, Competitive Strategy, Competitive Analysis, Business, Languages, Human Resources (HR), Marketing, Market Fit, Sales, French-English Translation, Executive Coaching, Product Coach, MVP Design, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Objectives & Key Results (OKRs), Metrics, Value Modeling, Feature Prioritization, PI Planning, ClickUp, Leadership, Active Listening

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