Locations:
Min Investment:
Max Investment:
Target Investment:
BS in Mass Communication
(2002 - 2007)
Certificate of User Experience Training
(2015)
Certificate
(2014)
Certificate
(2014)
2017
Techstart Ventures is a seed investment partner for the best and most ambitious entrepreneurial founding teams in Northern Ireland and Scotland. We seek to be trusted peers and partners who help founders realise their vision through experienced and timely support. With our backing, founders can focus on customer development and validating their business model. If your team is raising seed capital to fund your company for up to 18 months through to a Series A funding event and beyond, then please do talk with us.
2013 - 2017
2015 - 2017
• Perform in-depth business analysis of major accounts to better understand their workflow and business needs. • Management of product lifecycle, from assessment of customer requirements, through to solution conception and ultimately acceptance testing before delivery. • Responsible for every product release, including writing user stories and communication of features benefits to sales and marketing teams. • Facilitator of workshops and focus groups with customers and industry experts to validate roadmaps. • Ownership and communication of product roadmap and prioritization of sprint backlogs to maximize revenue. • Liaise with support services and development team to ensure that customer requirements are properly understood. • Internal and External demonstrations of completed prototypes and product enhancements. • Account management for customers that have been identified as having complex or unique project needs. • Co-ordinated competitive market research for our market and adjacent markets. • Constructed customer profiles to support the re-launch and re-branding of GoReport in 2016.
2013 - 2015
• Fundamental member in product launch. • Managed the Service Team during and throughout the template creation process. • Built bespoke software solutions (templates/styles) for customers as per their requirements. • Management, recruitment and training of Customer Support Team. • Identify and develop self-help materials for customers- videos, FAQ’s, user manuals. • Provided pre and post-sales support while guaranteeing a ‘right first time’ approach. • Ensured that all customer inquiries are dealt with efficiently, promptly and within agreed timescales. • Liaised with development team on UI/UX. • Worked with the Technical Lead to define product release requirements and prioritization of sprints and product roadmap. • Developed comprehensive release notes for sales and marketing, to communicate the features, benefits and use cases to customers. • Lead product tester. • Coordinated internal/external user testing before official release of product to customers. • Presented at trade shows, exhibits and at customer’s request. • Pro-actively contacted customers making outbound sales calls to generate leads. • Tracked sales conversions and customer orders. • Ensured that the CRM system and roadmap tracking tools are up to date.
2007 - 2013
2012 - 2013
Accounts: Lowe's Foods, Nash Finch • Evaluated rates/specifications/circulation for mediums and compiled information by deadline for clients. • Assessed clients’ budget, internal benchmarks and market information to develop negotiating strategies in order to negotiate best rates. • Conducted ROI analysis. • Analysed markets; made recommendations for adjustments to advertising plans. • Mentored junior level media buyer/coordinators on day-to-day responsibilities. • Scheduled and placed print, online, radio and billboard advertising for national accounts. • Communicated with Media Account Manager regarding workflow, priorities, challenges, and successes. • Conducted competitive studies on marketing coverage and demographics and provided competitive reports to client. • Solved billing discrepancies with vendors and maintained billing adjustments. • Demonstrated a thorough understanding of print advertising including zoning methodology, circulation rules, and rate information. • Updated and maintained confidential client specific master files.
2010 - 2012
Accounts: Lowes Home Improvement, Shoe Carnival, Lowes Foods, Hamrick’s, 99 Restaurants, Cost Plus World Market, Nash Finch, Corner Bakery, Ingles and Food Lion • Performed aggressive contract negotiations: in 2011, negotiated more than 250 contracts and approximately $273K in added value, achieving excellent savings for our clients (i.e. averaged 2.5% savings for World Market). • Problem-solved to resolve customer concerns. • Managed multiple proprietary databases. • Identified cost efficiencies to provide continuous improvement for clients. • Addressed billing discrepancies, created cost scenarios, and tracked marketing material delivery. • Mentored media coordinator.
2007 - 2010
Accounts: Lowes Home Improvement, Shoe Carnival • Scheduled print advertising in the United States and Canada for Lowes Home Improvement and Shoe Carnival accounts. • Communicated daily with key stakeholders to resolve issues and ensure advertisements ran correctly. • Data entry and data management. • Reviewed and corrected contracts. • Negotiated make-goods and added value with newspapers. • Successfully implemented a new process that saved the client $100K quarterly. • Created and implemented Standard Operating Procedure.
2005 - 2007
2005 - 2007
Interacted with diverse individuals using exceptional communication skills. Applied sales strength to up-sell products. Remembered product proportions, costs, and customers on cue. Multi-tasked by providing excellent service to numerous customers at one time. Designed décor and planned menus for wedding receptions and other events.