
Tony Separovic
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Toptal member since September 24, 2024
Tony has 19 years of experience as a senior project manager and 4.5 years of program management experience. He has managed and delivered technology, digital, and data projects to high-profile clients, including Coca-Cola, Adobe, News Corp, Telstra, Optus, the Australian government, and banking and insurance clients. Most recently, Tony received an award at the Adobe Summit 2024 for implementing the Adobe Experience Platform for News Corp Australia.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Budget Management
- Change Management
- Problem Management
- Project Management
- Resource Management
- Schedule Management
- Stakeholder Management
- Vendor Management
Work Experience
Senior Project Manager
News Corp Australia
- Managed the CX digital transformation implementation for the News Corp Intent Connect key audience and data segmentation platform and integrated the Genesis chatbot with the Intent Connect platform.
- Delivered and managed the News Corp customer data platform (CDP) project, for which I was awarded the 2024 Adobe Experience Maker of the Year Award for the APAC region at the Adobe Summit in Las Vegas.
- Implemented News Corp's Adobe customer experience data platform into production powered by Adobe Experience Platform. I supported 15 million data profiles and attributes from 150 brands across print, digital, social, and audio channels.
- Handled CX, UX redesign, customer journey redesign, and back-end platform transition for various News Corp's mobile apps, including The Australian, News.com.au, Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, The Advertiser, and The Courier Mail.
- Oversaw the implementation of the Adobe Experience Platform CDP into production with 12 data sources ingested covering News Corp, REA, Foxtel, and 1st-party and 3rd-party data.
Senior Project Manager
Coca-Cola
- Managed, executed, and completed the request for information (RFI) and request for proposal (RFP) tender process for a new digital asset management (DAM) platform.
- Produced and completed the business case for the new DAM platform.
- Submitted and presented the business case for the new DAM platform, which was approved in May 2021.
Senior Project Manager
Adobe
- Led and managed multi-faceted virtual onshore and offshore teams to deliver Adobe Experience Cloud and Adobe Marketing Cloud products to high-profile clients in the APAC region.
- Delivered Adobe products, including Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), Adobe Campaign, Adobe Analytics, Adobe Target, and Adobe Audience Manager.
- Implemented and delivered Adobe solutions for various clients, including ANZ Bank, BUPA, Foxtel, Streamotion, Accent Group, Credit Union Australia, NSW Department of Justice, Tourism Australia, and Sydney Opera House.
Senior Project Manager
Telstra
- Managed the delivery and support for Telstra's media and marketing Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) and its content management system (CMS), supporting Telstra's key entertainment sites.
- Oversaw two Agile teams and delivered many enhancements to the Telstra Foxtel self-service portal.
- Delivered and managed the AEM 6.2 to 6.4 upgrade for Telstra Foxtel's self-service portal.
- Handled the delivery and implementation of test automation to reduce QA regression overhead and testing costs.
Program and Project Manager
Singtel Optus
- Program-managed the E2E delivery of the digital apps program within the consumer digital sales team, managing a $6.95 million annual CAPEX budget to fund the Optus app and product and marketing initiatives.
- Led and mentored a dedicated app team of 75 digital PMs, BAs, CX and UX designers, architects, developers, and testers, working closely with product managers to execute various programs.
- Managed stakeholder engagement and communications at the director and VP level. I also vendor-managed six key vendors for development and testing onshore and offshore.
- Delivered 13 enhancement releases of the My Optus App, including personalization features, analytics, payment gateway integration, and SDK implementations with various 3rd-party providers.s.
- Established and implemented test automation for mobile app testing within the My Optus App.
- Handled the migration delivery of the My Optus App infrastructure from the Mascot data center to AWS.
- Supervised and delivered AI personalization user profiling for targeted marketing and content relevance utilizing Pega on the My Optus App.
- Oversaw 11 new feature releases for the My Optus App and refactored the app to enable universal support and reduce the number of My Optus apps from four to two.
- Managed and delivered the CMS migration from Vignette to AEM and the My Optus App digital transformation from a legacy system to a new business support system stack.
- Implemented and chaired the new initiatives and prioritization forum for new app initiatives and moved My Optus App release frequency from quarterly to monthly.
Senior Project Manager
Singtel Optus
- Handled the delivery of Optus Fixed products and business support system (BSS) integration on the Optus website. I managed an E2E online digital Agile team to deliver content and BSS integration of products.
- Leveraged my very technical project management skills due to heavy back-end integration with Optus BSS systems and the Optus website.
- Managed and delivered Optus Fixed service enhancements, features, and products on the Optus website.
Video Program Manager
News Corp Australia
- Managed the News Corp video program, which impacted various news-limited online websites, masthead sites, and channels such as The Telegraph, The Australian, Courier Mail, Herald Sun, Vogue, and 17 other news-life media sites.
- Handled the overall E2E delivery of the video roadmap and executed development practices based on Agile and Scrum methodologies.
- Performed external vendor management, including Fox Sports and Ooyala.
- Implemented new infrastructure on AWS to support the latest video platform.
- Delivered a major video platform migration to Ooyala's video platform.
- Directed and delivered the launch of a video subscription service for News Corp metro online websites, driving content monetization.
Senior Project Manager
Telstra
- Handled the E2E delivery of high-profile Telstra media content, IPTV, and 3G mobile applications and product initiatives.
- Managed high-level vendors, including Massive Interactive, Net Ventures, Hyro, DWS, O2 Networks, Netgem, HWW, Rove, YouTube, Samsung, and Accedo.
- Project-managed the datacenter infrastructure migration for BigPond's online, mobile, and IPTV screens and devices.
- Oversaw the E2E delivery implementation and GTM product launch of Telstra's T-Box, for which I received a certificate of appreciation from Telstra's managing director.
- Implemented and delivered the BP Movies Widget on Samsung devices, focusing on IPTV services.
- Delivered and managed the E2E product launch of the BigPond sports footy phone pack offering for Telstra Mobile customers.
Senior Project Manager
Singtel Optus
- Managed and delivered a web access management solution based on the Netegrity product solution.
- Handled a team of 11 colleagues from project kick-off to the website launch in production.
- Achieved operational acceptance of the web security solution implemented.
Senior Project Manager
Telstra
- Project-managed the delivery of the existing BigPond movie and music download websites onto the Intel Viiv and Windows Media Center platforms.
- Handled the delivery and launch of the Australian Idol 2006 website.
- Managed the E2E launch of both projects mentioned above, including change management, sales and marketing strategies, and GTM and operational components.
Senior Project Manager
3G
- Project-managed the E2E delivery of numerous initiatives for 3 Mobile's launch in Australia and the ongoing 3G mobile network expansion.
- Handled the launch of a customer mobile experience measuring application for 3G products from business requirements, design, infrastructure implementation, testing, and operational readiness through to launch.
- Oversaw the launch of international 3G MMS roaming with 20 international 3G Mobile carriers from start to finish, including handling requirements, legal compliance, design, infrastructure setup, interconnect implementation, and testing.
- Delivered and launched AAPT National Interconnect for 3G voice and SMS services.
- Obtained the ACIF C518 compliance certification from Australia's regulatory body. It was the 1st 3G carrier to receive this compliance certification.
Project Manager
3G
- Project-managed the E2E implementation and delivery of the address book via messaging product as part of the 3 Mobile launch in Australia.
- Handled the E2E implementation and delivery of the 3G entertainment product, "ShowBuzz," on the device and web portal as part of the 3 Mobile launch in Australia.
- Implemented and delivered the 3G "Gameday" product on the device and web portal as part of the 3 Mobile launch in Australia.
IT Planning Project Manager
Telstra
- Managed IT planning for the Telstra retail business unit, handling $12 million in IT capital budget.
- Established an IT governance committee to enable stakeholders to prioritize initiatives. I also helped guide the allocation of capital for IT development.
- Defined and implemented business sign-off processes for unplanned new IT initiatives impacting the customer care unit.
IT Endorsement Manager
Telstra
- Managed and endorsed IT deliverables to support new product initiatives through launch.
- Handled the IT sign-off of all IT-impacted areas from service activation, service assurance, billing, and infrastructure operation readiness for new products launching to market.
- Oversaw various product initiatives simultaneously, coordinating between multiple IT and business stakeholders affected by these projects.
Project History
CX Transformation of News Corp Intent Connect
https://intentconnect.com.au/Managed the UI/CX digital transformation and redesign for the News Corp Intent Connect ad platform.
Intent Connect is News Corp’s key audience and data segmentation platform for digital marketing. It collects 25 billion audience signals from 16.5 million Australians across News Corp digital mastheads and brands. News Corp clients use the platform to connect their brand with their audience for digital marketing by identifying audience segmentation, booking ads, and monitoring the performance of their digital advertising.
The project’s objective was to improve the platform’s customer experience, identify further areas of commercialization, and increase the platform’s adoption by internal and external users.
News Corp CDP Implementation
Managed the implementation of the News Corp customer data platform (CDP) powered by Adobe Experience Platform, for which I was awarded the 2024 Adobe Experience Maker of the Year Award for the APAC region at the Adobe Summit in Las Vegas.
This project involved managing and executing the RFP vendor selection process through the E2E implementation of a brand new CDP that supported a unified database of anonymous customer data and identities across News Corp. The project introduced an anonymous ID stitching solution enabling the organization to scale up from their current known audiences for sales and targeted marketing. The project was funded by an approved business case detailing a $4 million CAPEX budget.
The new CDP platform enabled deeper insights and a more accurate and personalized targeted advertising solution for ad tech marketing teams. The other key driver for the project was to provide a new innovative cookie-less driven solution to mitigate the risks of a future demise in 3rd-party web cookies, which Google is planning to phase out in 2024. Adobe Experience Platform was the selected vendor platform requiring customized functionality and integration of multiple vendors, business systems data, and 3rd-party data feeds.
Telstra's T-Box IPTV Product Launch
Managed and delivered the Telstra T-Box product to the Australian market, impacting every part of Telstra's business. It was the 1st Australian telecommunications company to launch an IPTV product.
I managed a project team of 90 colleagues to implement and launch the Telstra T-box IPTV set-top box, which had a project budget of $11 million. Due to its high profile, the project involved managing high-level stakeholders and vendors. The vendors I managed included Massive Interactive, Net Ventures, Hyro, DWS, O2 Networks, Netgem, HWW, Rove, YouTube, Samsung, and Accedo. I handled the E2E delivery of the project from business case through launch, impacting every part of Telstra’s business, including customer experience, devices, business support systems, operations support systems, infrastructure, sales, marketing, and training.
My Optus App Program
Managed and delivered the My Optus App roadmap and program with a budget of $6.5 million. I also launched and managed 13 app enhancement releases as part of a significant digital transformation impacting 2.1 million users.
My Optus App is the customer self-service mobile iOS and Android app for Optus, Australia’s 2nd largest telecommunications network and mobile carrier. It allows its customers to manage their mobile and internet products and services effectively.
I program-managed the E2E delivery of the digital apps program within Optus’s consumer digital sales and service business unit, which supports 2.1 million active My Optus App users. In addition, I managed a $6.95 million CAPEX budget to fund app digital and product and marketing initiatives.
Leading and mentoring a dedicated app team of 75 members comprising digital PMs, BAs, CX and UX designers, architects, developers, and testers, I worked in close collaboration with the business product managers to establish, manage, and execute program governance strategies for the delivery of 20 planned and inflight initiatives as part of the digital apps program. I ensured seamless support and continuous improvement within the team based on an Agile execution.
Adobe Professional Services Product Delivery
Delivered 20 successful project implementations of Adobe Experience Cloud and Adobe Marketing Cloud enterprise products and solutions to over 14 key Adobe clients.
As part of the Adobe professional service delivery team in Australia, I implemented Adobe Experience Cloud and Adobe Marketing Cloud enterprise products and solutions for various customers. I worked and collaborated closely with Adobe client project teams to deliver Adobe products efficiently.
This project involved full E2E project management accountability in implementing various Adobe products, including Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Assets, Adobe Campaign, Adobe Analytics, Adobe Target, and Adobe Audience Manager. I worked and delivered for high-profile Adobe clients, including RACQ, Bank Of Queensland, Sydney Opera House, Tourism Australia, BMW, Kayo Sports, Streamotion, Bupa, Credit Union Australia, NSW Department of Justice, Virtual Gaming World, and Accent Group.
Certifications
Agile Management and Leadership in an Agile Environment
Telstra Learning
Agile Practice Advanced
Telstra Learning
Certificate in Project Management
Australian Institute of Project Management
Skills
Tools
Jira, Trello, Slack, Zoom, Skype, Adobe, Salesforce, Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), Adobe Analytics, Adobe Target, Asana, Confluence
Paradigms
Scrum, Agile, Change Management, Agile Software Development, Agile Project Management, Agile Delivery, Waterfall Delivery
Platforms
Adobe Audience Manager, Adobe Marketing Cloud, Adobe Experience Cloud
Industry Expertise
Higher Education
Other
Microsoft Teams, Project Management, Customer Experience Strategy, Stakeholder Management, Digital Transformation, Digital, Problem Management, Governance, Financials, Resource Management, IT Contracts, Vendor Management, RFPs, RFQs, ITTs, Responses, Proposals & Quotes, RFP Negotiation, PMO Governance, Client Delivery Management, IT Project Management, IT Governance, Schedule Management, Leadership, Complex Program Management, Product Launch, UI Development, App Development, Budgeting, Project Scheduling, Team Leadership, Reporting, Development, Design, Budget Management, PMO Processes, Stage-Gate Process, Google, Microsoft 365, Data Migration, Mobile Apps, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business & Digital Transformation, Analytics, Negotiation, Data, Customer Data Platform (CDP), Business Cases, Digital Asset Management, Personalization, Test Automation, Innovation, Professional Agile Leadership (PAL), Data Integration, Privacy Compliance, Regulatory Compliance, Technical Design, Web Development, IT Infrastructure, Complex Problem Solving, Contract Review, IT Program Management, Roadmaps, New Product Business Cases, Advertising Technology (Adtech), Chatbots, Customer Experience, Cloud Infrastructure, App UX, B2B Partnerships, Adobe Campaign, Feature Roadmaps, Agile Product Delivery, Adobe Experience Platform, New Product Rollout, IT Security, QA Testing, Web Security, Telecom Equipment & Solutions, Mobile Networks, Web Content, Mobile, 3G, IT Projects
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