Ashwin Harish
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
With 17+ years of experience, Ashwin is adept in product ownership, leading digital and agile transformations across B2B/B2C, fintech, and airline sectors. His expertise spans developing IT strategies, operations, digital transformation, agile product development, and management, along with running innovation labs that leverage AI/ML and custom-built IoT solutions. Additionally, Ashwin specializes in M&A deal negotiation as well as post-merger integrations for F1000 companies.
Project Highlights
Expertise
Work Experience
Head of Innovation and PMO
TruGreen
- Led IT strategy and digital transformation at TruGreen, enhancing digital offerings for a $1.8 billion revenue company.
- Revolutionized TruGreen's customer journey by integrating IoT, AI, ML, and chatbot technologies and creating a seamless 360 omnichannel experience. Directed the innovation lab, implementing IoT devices for real-time tracking of performance and CX.
- Overhauled the omnichannel experience with customer-centric digital products, enhancing NPS by 30%.
- Created innovative GTM products for customer retention and engagement using AI, IoT, and CV technologies to track real-time safety, machinery, and wastage prevention while providing additional metrics and predictive analytics across domains.
- Spearheaded the development of a new mobile app and AI-driven technologies for real-time customer interaction and a modern customer journey, including the integration of AI/ML for precise lawn measurement and personalized customer treatment plans.
- Drove technological innovations, significantly improving service safety and customer experience.
- Focused on strategic product innovations, directly impacting customer satisfaction and operational excellence.
- Championed digital transformation, resulting in significant improvements in customer engagement and efficiency.
- Handled mergers and acquisitions for the company, including post-merger integrations, tuck-ins, franchise buybacks, and divestments.
- Led the transformation and migration of the whole sales and care org to a new CRM tool, along with ERP augmentation and modernization to make the platform modern, providing state-of-the-art features to our agents to improve conversions, AHT, and NPS.
Global Director, IT PMO
Gategroup
- Pioneered retail onboarding for airlines, developing a comprehensive product including hardware, software, and analytics for in-flight services, introducing store and forward mechanisms, and setting a first-to-market standard in airline retail ops.
- Developed and commercialized a custom-built ERP system, creating $5 million in annual revenue through B2B SaaS subscriptions.
- Spearheaded technology and product commercialization, ensuring competitive advantage and operational improvements.
- Orchestrated scalable solutions to navigate gategroup through the pandemic, ensuring continuous operation and growth.
- Championed IT strategy and digital transformation, markedly improving gategroup's service offerings and financial performance.
- Ran point on M&A activity, including a 1 billion acquisition of LSG Skychefs Europe, and handled the post-merger integration effort for the company, including operational excellence, cultural integration, carve-outs, people, and technology integration.
Director, Treasury PMO
Manulife Global
- Created PMO guidelines and methodologies specific to the treasury department with a focus on transforming the IT team.
- Spearheaded a people transformation including the hiring of multiple PMs, business analysts, and QA resources to allow for more robust software delivery for a $100+ million portfolio.
- Executed a GTM strategy for a treasury AP application across Asia, with future usage in NA.
Manager, PMO
Symcor
- Created a PMO for operations and eventually rolled IT into the organization.
- Drove execution of people transformation, mixed with the digital transformation of operations, including a technology refresh at back-office operations and operational efficiency programs being executed.
- Handled most legal and commercial negotiations with vendors and partners.
Project History
TruGreen
Revolutionized TruGreen's customer journey, integrating IoT, AI, ML, and chatbot technologies, creating a seamless 360 experience across all channels.
• Directed the innovation lab, implementing IoT devices for real-time tracking of technician performance and customer interactions, enhancing service quality while predictively maintaining fleet and heavy machinery health.
• Spearheaded the adoption of AI/ML for precise lawn measurement and identification, enabling personalized customer treatment plans.
• Modernized the door-to-door sales experience with tablet-friendly CRM and AI tools, significantly improving sales efficiency and customer engagement.
Retail Onboard Technology
Launched retail onboard technology for airlines to use for all onboard sales.
Custom ERP
Completed the re-tooling and strategy definition of our custom in-house ERP solution, which included the execution of a staffing turnaround, Agile transformation, and, ultimately, a GTM strategy to generate cash flow.
Digital Transformation
6-year digital transformation strategy identified and defined per the IT strategy at gategroup, completed in four years with a lean team.
M&A Post-merger Integration
Ran point on managing multiple post-merger integrations for one of the largest organizations in the large building material industry, including people, process, technology integration, and modernizing infrastructure and systems.
PPM and ALM Tools Champion
Identified, configured, and launched multiple PPM and ALM tools across various industries and clients to help identify the right tool to fit the organization's requirements. Identified and delivered the solution iteratively.
M&A and PMI for Airline Services Company
Ran point on negotiating and closing out deals to purchase billion-dollar entities from competitors while also defining the post-merger integration program across all functions in both organizations.
Education
Executive MBA in Business Administration
Quantic School of Business and Technology - Washington DC
Bachelor of Technology Degree in Mechanical Engineering
Vellore Institute of Technology University - Vellore, India
Certifications
CGEIT
ISACA
Certified Scrum Master
Scrum Alliance
PMP
PMI
ITIL Foundation
Axelos
Skills
Tools
Atlassian, Jira, Confluence, Asana, Wrike, Celoxis, Visio, Microsoft Excel, Project Management & Work Tracking Tools, Slack, Office 365, Zoom, Skype, UberConference
Platforms
Monday.com, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Dialpad, SharePoint, WordPress
Paradigms
Agile Project Management, Requirements Analysis, Kanban, Change Management, Agile, Azure DevOps
Other
IT Program Management, IT Strategy, Project Management Professional (PMP), Digital Transformation, Business Cases, Software as a Service (SaaS), Microsoft 365, Waterfall Methodology, Executive Presentations, Client Presentations, Budget Modeling, Complex Problem Solving, Outsourcing, Agile Transformation, Demand Management, Project Management Office (PMO), Clarizen, ServiceNow, Smartsheet, Consulting, Project Management, Coaching, Flowcharts, Technical Project Management, Management Consulting, IT Management, Project Timelines, Feature Backlog Prioritization, Project Planning, IT Project Management, Budgeting, Vendor Selection, Accounting, Cost Analysis, Databases, Workflow, Process Flows, Cost-benefit Analysis, Software Implementation, Enterprise, Legal, Commerce, ClickUp, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Dashboards, IT Infrastructure, Program Management, Lean Portfolio Management, Portfolio Management, Enterprise Product Portfolios, COE, Innovation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Product Ownership, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Process Improvement, Strategic Planning, Operational Excellence, PI Planning, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Go-to-market Plans, Product Management, P&L Management, P&L Forecasting, POS, Cloud Migration, Request for Proposal (RFP), Automation Tools, Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS), Teams, Cisco Webex Meetings Server, Google Apps, Workday, PMO, PMO Development, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), IT Service Management (ITSM), CI/CD Pipelines, QA Leadership, Product Owner, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Digital Transformation Program Management, Business Administration, Dynamics CRM 365, Customer Journeys, Organizational Design, Mechanical Engineering, Internet of Things (IoT), IT Governance, Project Management Infrastructure, Enterprise Project Management, Post-merger Integration, ITIL, Resource Management, Ideation, IoT Security, MLM, Event Storming, Machine Learning
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