Michael Mihai Diaconescu

• Led the company-wide digital transformation to scale and streamline Culture Trip’s content research, production, and publishing capabilities during the startup high-growth phase.
• Conducted in-depth business discovery to define strategic OKRs and identify key operational gaps.
• Implemented machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for market sentiment analysis, predictive content ideation and production, and AI-powered searching, auto-tagging, and text-to-image generation.
• Directed a multi-vendor selection process, including RFP, assessment, and contract negotiation, to implement an AWS-based OpenText Media Management DAM and IPV Curator for cloud-native video editing and post-production processing, and OpenText Content Aviator for AI and ML capabilities.
• Designed the target operating model and oversaw automation and systems integration across the entire content ecosystem: OpenText DAM, AWS cloud computing and storage, IPV Curator video production tools, OpenText Content Aviator AI, stock libraries (Getty, Alamy), project management (Monday.com), AI tools (OpenText Magellan), CMS (WordPress), CDN (CloudFront, JW Player), social platforms (FB, Instagram, YouTube).

• Led the development of an AI-driven client triage system to assess client needs and urgency levels using NLP and decision trees. Built in Agile sprints, we rapidly validated risk flags and referral logic with clinical experts, ensuring compliance and accuracy.
• An LLM-based session summarizer was integrated into the therapist dashboard, generating structured overviews post-session. We fine-tuned the model on anonymized transcripts and iterated weekly with therapist feedback to refine tone, structure, and usefulness.
• Clinical documentation was automated using transformer models, reducing admin time by 40%. Scoped MVPs in 2-week sprints, managed scope creep, and ensured GDPR compliance, with active stakeholder engagement throughout.
• The project was delivered on time and 12% under budget. Employed Azure Cognitive Services, Python, and OpenAI APIs. Risks like data sensitivity and model bias were mitigated via strict access controls, human review, and ongoing stakeholder engagement.

• Implemented an ML and AI platform to monitor, analyze, and automate corrective actions across production support processes and applications as part of BNP Paribas’s service management transformation program in the Risk Management division, aimed to enhance operational efficiency and reliability.
• Explored and tested cutting-edge technologies such as Azure Automation, Azure Machine Learning, and Azure Cognitive Services. Developed MVPs and iteratively refined solutions based on user feedback.
• The solution automated key cross-system interconnectivity processes and production operation procedures, resulting in service availability improvement to 98% and a significant reduction in support efforts.
• The engine monitored over 200 critical systems and data feeds across global bank divisions in London, Paris, New York, Brussels, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Mumbai, ensuring comprehensive coverage and consistent service performance worldwide.
• Enabled rapid delivery and frequent refinements aligned with stakeholder needs by leveraging Agile and Extreme Programming (XP) methodologies, fostering iterative development, continuous feedback, and close cross-functional team collaboration.

• Led the development of the AI-driven personalized content recommendation engine aimed at boosting user engagement by 30%+. Aligned product, data, and engineering teams under a shared agile roadmap with clear scope, sprint goals, and KPIs.
• Adopted advanced technologies including Azure ML, TensorFlow Recommenders, Python, and Azure Synapse Analytics to develop the platform and integrate it with the existing streaming and data infrastructure.
• Coordinated data collection, model training, and A/B testing, ensuring user privacy and relevance. By integrating collaborative and content-based filtering, the engine delivered tailored suggestions across platforms.
• Managed stakeholder expectations with weekly demos and reports, adapting the scope based on feedback. His agile leadership kept the team on track and delivered the MVP two weeks early.

• Successfully led the end-to-end redesign of the Thrive Mental Healthcare client-facing, admin, and therapist website and mobile apps to streamline therapy processes, improve user experience, and optimize operations.
• The new digital platform enhanced appointment scheduling, reduced administrative workload, and ensured more accurate and timely patient data capture.
• Spearheaded the agile development of AI tools for mental health triage, session summarization, and automated clinical documentation, reducing admin time and ensuring GDPR compliance.
• Designed and implemented a new target operating model and automated workflows across clinical and operational teams, cutting processing time by up to 40%.
• Collaborated with engineers, clinicians, and support staff using Agile practices and Asana, delivering results four weeks ahead of schedule.

• Successfully led the development of an integrated, scalable dashboard platform for client and agency-facing digital marketing and direct mail services at Bodega Solutions Marketing Agency.
• Facilitated discovery sessions, defined objectives, and developed a clear roadmap aligned with budget and skill requirements.
• Managed Agile delivery using Jira, facilitating daily stand-ups, sprints, and continuous feedback to ensure adaptability and collaboration.
• Managed the translation of business needs into a structured, prioritized product backlog, leading all scrum ceremonies and managing risks, issues, and change requests.
• The web platform provided real-time campaign insights, interactive geospatial maps (ArcGIS, Placer.ai), and advanced analytics, delivered on time and within budget.

• Restructured and led the end-to-end delivery of a $12 million industry-first loyalty program, enabling AMEX cardholders to redeem rewards across fashion, airline, and hotel partners via a newly developed web platform.
• Championed Agile adoption across the software development lifecycle to accelerate delivery and improve cross-team collaboration.
• Renegotiated vendor and consultancy contracts to eliminate inefficiencies and reduce operational costs.
• Designed the target operating model and partner onboarding processes for scaling to new airlines, hotels, and merchandise partners.
• Established a comprehensive operations support model and service management framework to ensure long-term sustainability.
• Managed 11 project managers and 17 delivery teams (140+ people), across 15+ vendors, three consulting firms, and seven business partners spanning the US, Canada, UK, Italy, and France.

• Directed a cloud-based £6.5 million Digital Asset Management (DAM) platform and digitized 3+ million media assets at Kingfisher PLC, scattered across 20+ legacy systems, now used in 1,000+ stores and offices in nine countries.
• Remodeled and optimized E2E process workflows and the operating model (TOM) to support the full integration of finance, S2P, P2P, product management (SAP BS HANA), product information (Riversand PIM), digital asset management (OpenText Media Manager DAM), eCommerce platform (ATG), all Kingfisher suppliers, marketing agencies, and digital media agencies.
• Implemented Agile and DevOps, enabling software development, configuration, and release at accelerated speeds with best-in-class application flows with a focus on UX-centric customer journeys.

• Helped the company overcome historical struggles in expanding the business due to operational bottlenecks, as the amount of overhead required to manage the expansion was unsustainable and eroded profits.
• Successfully conducted extensive business and operations discovery and designed a target operating model (TOM) based on new tools that would enable digitization and automation for field engineers at the warehouse and head office.
• Managed the end-to-end development and integration of Microsoft Dynamics Business Central (CRM, finance, and HR), custom PowerApps applications (mobile and desktop), and Microsoft Power BI for business intelligence reporting and analytics.
• Effectively managed a cross-divisional team of internal and vendor resources, budget, consultancies, risks, issues, quality, and quality assurance and control (QA/QC).

• Restructured and managed to successful completion a $22 million fixed income troubled acquisition program at BMO Financial Group, developing and delivering a platform that integrated 20+ systems for bond underwriting, financial asset portfolio management, and regulatory reporting.
• Managed 60+ resources, two Big Four consultancies, and 10+ vendors in NY, Chicago, and Toronto.
• Implemented front-, mid-, and back-office STP integration in compliance with strict FINRA regulations.
• Implemented a complex $1.2 million Business Intelligence (BI) suite based on SAP Business Objects for reporting and analytics on underwriting, client deals, P&L, and portfolios.

• Revived a struggling $17 million merger program for a client-facing global asset management portal at Royal Bank Capital Markets by restructuring scope, development, and QA processes
• Reorganized 10+ teams (40+ resources), seven vendors, and three consultancies (including a Big Four) in Toronto, Montreal, and Luxembourg. Implemented Disciplined Agile in a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) to unify agile, waterfall, and iterative workstreams under a hybrid program delivery model.
• Implemented complex business intelligence reporting, analytics, and dashboards using IBM Cognos, enabling clients to assess and analyze their portfolios and the company to optimize portfolio balances and meet regulatory requirements (BASEL).
• Roadmapped and spearheaded the delivery of the end-to-end solution using Scrum and Extreme Programming (XP) software development for designing, developing, and integrating front-, mid-, and back-office applications.

• Delivered six weeks early and saved $150,000 by adopting Agile methodology and employing user experience optimizations (UX and CE tuning) on a $1.5 million project, enabling BMO Financial Corporate Lending to provide automobile dealership financing to 20+ car manufacturers in the US after the 2008 market crash, accessible via a dedicated web platform.
• Rolled out Agile methodologies to a traditionally waterfall team by training and coaching the new framework and tools across all team roles, fostering collaboration and accountability, which led to improved efficiency and successful project delivery two sprints ahead of schedule.
• Implemented a custom-built SAP Business Objects business intelligence (BI) solution integrated into the web platform, allowing clients to view their data and optimize business decisions.

• Streamlined due diligence and day-one operations integration at Reward Gateway for a recent corporate acquisition across business, operations, and technology (Salesforce CRM Sales and Marketing, Oracle NetSuite Finance and HR, and custom platforms), establishing governance and a structured roadmap across 10+ departments.
• Streamlined due diligence and day-one operations, accelerating project delivery by 30% through strategic agility and optimized risk management across project management, software development, and operations.
• Developed and implemented tools and procedures for continuous improvement, creating blueprints for future initiatives and embedding lessons learned.
• Trained and coached teams on Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid methodologies, implementing and rolling out Jira BigPicture and Deep Clone to enhance project management capabilities, and integrated with Zendesk for IT Service Management.

Remodeled and optimized development, BAU, and ITIL service management processes through global Agile, DevOps, and ITSM/ITIL process transformation and a new operating model (TOM) rolled out to 500+ users in the risk management division of BNP Paribas Bank in London, Paris, New York, Brussels, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Mumbai.

I digitized service management tickets and process flows and implemented a versatile SAP Business Objects Business Intelligence-based reporting and analytics solution, bringing cohesion to data-driven decisions and generating +30% efficiencies in IT and operations.

Deployed new policies, procedures, tools, and organizational structures for a global IT and operations process framework transformation to 1,500+ corporate and investment banking users at BNP Paribas Bank in London, Paris, Brussels, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Mumbai.

I successfully defined the process and coordinated the creation of a £150+ million Global Markets ITO budget. I implemented Clarity PPM for portfolio management and SAP Business Objects business intelligence for reporting and analyzing financial forecasts, effort, headcount, offshoring, vendors, and P&L.

I successfully managed the vendor selection process for a new ERP system for finance and expense management, procurement and inventory, offices and associates, HR, payroll, workflow management, and systems integration.

• Engaged in creating the business plan, target operating model, financial, legal, and HR for a wellness startup.
• Effectively employed lean startup techniques like creating incremental MVPs, split-testing, and validated learning. Selected, hired, and managed local and offshore IT providers, copywriters, legal and financial advisers, suppliers, and digital marketing agencies required to launch the company.
• Successfully delivered the UX design and agile development of a responsive digital application with complex booking and account management, coupons, rewards scheme, loyalty tiers, API integration with SMS, address lookup, and geolocation.

Coordinated and deployed a UX-driven, cloud-based ServiceNow platform to 500+ users in five countries as part of the service management transformation program at BNP Paribas Bank.

Enabled the digitalization of development and operations activities through full integration with the Jira system, bringing cohesion to data-driven decisions while optimizing performance and the UX/client experience.

The program was mandated by a dramatic series of car failures and accidents followed by federal investigations. I worked with business and operations experts across North America, Europe, and Asia. I conducted deep discovery and developed a complex business intelligence platform based on a centralized data warehouse and custom ETL processes that imported data from across the globe. I worked with a team of 40+ business and operations experts across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Managed a $3.7 million program that delivered a business intelligence platform (business objects) for reporting, analysis, and dashboard capabilities on project management, software development, ITIL/operational support processes, call center/service desk, and automated banking machines (ATM) across all BMO Financial Services Bank offices and branches in Canada.

Managed 11 internal teams (40+ resources), six vendors, and two consulting firms (including Big Four) in a cross-functional/matrix environment in Toronto and Montreal.

Met regulatory mandates and avoided significant penalties for the bank by delivering on a very aggressive timeline a $9 million program that implemented user access management processes and supporting technologies required by Sarbanes-Oxley regulatory legislation at American Express.

Developed and implemented security controls for access rights to 130+ American Express and Ameriprise Financial systems distributed in 40+ countries on five continents worldwide.

I successfully delivered a flagship business intelligence suite for Knowledge4You Corporation and positioned it as a niche market leader against established competitive platforms.

I played a key role in defining sales plans and marketing strategies specific to the company’s target niche market segment.