DIEGO PONS
Burnaby,BC
Summary
Strategic, project-driven leader with 15+ years of experience managing multimillion-dollar programs across defence, maritime systems, construction/infrastructure, and government sectors. Proven ability to deliver complex projects on time and within budget while optimizing scope, leading structured change management, and driving operational excellence. Recognized for building strong executive-level stakeholder relationships, protecting 8–15% margins, resolving delivery challenges, and enabling sustainable program growth across North America, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Known for a high level of ownership, accountability, and a solutions-focused mindset committed to achieving results.
Overview
2027
2027
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Project Coordinator
OSI Maritime Systems
01.2024 - Current
- Support execution of $50M+ naval and coast guard programs, influencing scope, cost, and schedule alignment across international defence customers.
- Partner with Business Development and Sales to convert delivery insight into capture strategy, increasing proposal competitiveness and improving win probability by ~15%.
- Identified commercial scope clarifications generating 12–18% contract value expansion through system enhancements and lifecycle upgrades.
- Collaborate with Finance and Contracts to structure milestone billing and revenue forecasting, protecting 10%+ projected margin.
- Strengthen executive-level trust with naval authorities and prime contractors, positioning follow-on modernization programs. Act as a senior client-facing representative for international naval and coast guard programs, strengthening long-term customer relationships and trust.
- Support Business Development and Sales teams by providing delivery-driven input into proposals, change orders, and contract amendments
- Identify commercial opportunities through scope clarification, configuration changes, and customer-driven enhancements during program execution
- Translate operational performance, risks, and constraints into executable commercial commitments, protecting margin and delivery credibility
- Collaborate with Finance and Contracts to support revenue forecasting, milestone billing, and change management
- Leverage program success and customer satisfaction to position follow-on opportunities and future system upgrades
Project Coordinator
OSI Maritime Systems
01.2022 - 01.2024
- Supported a $30M+ project portfolio across Europe, Africa, and North America, ensuring disciplined cost, schedule, and performance governance.
- Validated technical scope, resource requirements, and cost drivers during pre-award and planning phases, reducing downstream execution variance by 25%.
- Improved milestone forecasting accuracy by 20%, strengthening revenue predictability, resource planning, and cash flow management.
- Acted as a key interface between Engineering, Contracts, Finance, and Commercial teams to ensure delivery commitments aligned with execution capability.
- Contributed to margin protection strategies, preserving 8–12% of planned gross margin through disciplined controls and scope management.
- Supported international projects by maintaining strong working relationships with naval authorities, government stakeholders, and prime contractors.
- Assisted in contract negotiations, change management, and scope alignment with international government customers.
- Bridged operational delivery teams and executive stakeholders to ensure commitments were realistic, achievable, and successfully delivered.
Project Administrator
Integral Group
Vancouver
01.2022 - 01.2022
- Led commercial and operational coordination across 30+ large-scale infrastructure projects throughout North America, aligning scope, cost, and schedule to protect multimillion-dollar program budgets and drive account expansion opportunities.
- Partnered with Finance and Contracts to implement disciplined change management and cost tracking processes, protecting 10–15% of projected margins while identifying scope optimization opportunities that contributed to 12% incremental revenue growth across active accounts.
- Redesigned reporting and performance tracking frameworks, accelerating project delivery timelines by 30% within the Project Administration function, increasing client satisfaction and directly contributing to 20% growth in repeat business and follow-on contract awards.
- Supported commercial and operational aspects of infrastructure projects, ensuring scope, cost, and schedule alignment over more than 30 major projects across North America.
- Assisted in change documentation and cost tracking, contributing to revenue protection and margin control. Improving delivery speed in a accountable 30% over the PA department.
- Provided structured reporting that supported client confidence and repeat business opportunities.
Operations Manager
Platinum Leaf
Vancouver
01.2021 - 01.2022
- Managed 60+ strategic customer accounts with annual operating budgets exceeding $10M.
- Increased customer retention by 22% through proactive engagement, performance tracking, and issue resolution.
- Identified upsell and cross-sell opportunities driving 15% year-over-year revenue growth.
- Improved operational KPIs by 20%+, accelerating service delivery speed and strengthening renewal positioning.
- Implemented cost-efficiency initiatives improving contribution margins by 10%.
- Strengthened client retention and account stability through proactive operational leadership and issue resolution
- Identified service improvement and upsell opportunities by analyzing client usage patterns and operational gaps
- Improved delivery KPIs by over 20%, directly supporting contract renewals and long-term customer relationships
Public & Government Relations
Consulate General of Mexico
01.2021 - 01.2021
- Promoted bilateral infrastructure and investment opportunities exceeding $100M+ in pipeline discussions.
- Facilitated strategic meetings between government officials and private investors to accelerate cross-border partnerships, increasing a 15% annual partnership growth.
- Provided regulatory and institutional advisory insights supporting foreign investment positioning.
- Supported international business development by promoting Mexican infrastructure and investment opportunities in Canada
- Facilitated meetings and strategic discussions between government entities, private investors, and industry leaders
- Provided insight into regulatory, institutional, and commercial frameworks impacting cross-border projects
- Strengthened government-to-business relationships critical to long-term investment pipelines
Senior Commercial Manager
Toluca International Airport
Toluca, Mexico.
01.2017 - 01.2021
- Championed alignment with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, positioning the airport as a forward-looking, environmentally responsible hub; led commercial initiatives promoting green infrastructure adoption and stakeholder engagement, contributing to a 15% increase in sustainability-driven partnerships and strengthening the airport’s value proposition as an ecological aviation gateway.
- Coordinated infrastructure and public-private initiatives exceeding $200M in development value.
- Strengthened cross-sector investment pipelines contributing to 18% increase in private-sector participation.
- Led negotiations and stakeholder alignment efforts reducing project approval timelines by 30%.
- Supported strategic commercial positioning enabling multi-year government program continuity, leading to a 8% annual passenger growth.
- Led commercial and strategic coordination for municipal governments and airport authorities to promote new customers arrivals and increasing passenger flow in a 40%.
- Supported development and execution of public-private partnerships and infrastructure initiatives.
- Engaged with private sector partners, investors, and federal authorities to align commercial interests and public objectives.
- Built durable institutional relationships that enabled multi-year programs and follow-on initiatives.
- Built durable institutional relationships that enabled multi-year programs and follow-on initiatives.
Chieff of Staff
Toluca City Hall
Toluca, Mexico
2015 - 2017
- As Chief of Staff, led strategic alignment of municipal development initiatives with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, embedding sustainability targets into urban infrastructure, mobility, and public-private investment programs; strengthened partnerships with private sector stakeholders and international institutions, contributing to an 18% increase in sustainable investment participation and positioning Toluca as a competitive, environmentally responsible regional capital.
- Served as primary strategic advisor to the Mayor, synthesizing complex information and providing actionable recommendations that accelerated executive decision-making by 30–40% and supported $300 million in key initiatives.
- Orchestrated company-wide strategic planning processes, aligning cross-functional teams on priorities and delivering a multi-year roadmap that secured 400+M in additional funding/board.
- Optimized executive operations and workflow, redesigning communication protocols and schedules to reduce meeting time by 20–35%, free up 8–12 hours weekly for high-priority strategic work, and improve cross-departmental alignment.
- Led cross-functional projects and special initiatives involving 5–10+ departments, resulting in 15% reduction in turnover public petitions.
- Designed strategies to pursue the mayors objectives and goals as needed.
Education
MBA - Project Management
Latinoamerican University
Mexico02-2017
BBA - Business
Latinoamerican University
Mexico04-2014
Skills
- System Delivery Profesional
- Client & Stakeholder Relationship Management
- Capture Support & Proposal Development
- Contract Negotiation & Scope Definition
- Program-to-Sales Transition
- Revenue Protection & Margin Management
- International Government & Defence Markets
- Cross-Functional Commercial Alignment
- Administrative management
- Project tracking
- Project scheduling
- Reporting skills
- Creative solutions
- Business analysis
Websites
Accomplishments
Senior Systems Delivery and Project Management professional with over 20 years of experience leading complex programs across defence, infrastructure, public administration, and highly regulated environments. Proven track record of delivering growth and operational success through strategic stakeholder engagement, cross-functional leadership, and effective collaboration across public and private sector organizations. Recognized for successfully managing multi-disciplinary projects, aligning delivery objectives with contractual, regulatory, and governance requirements, and translating technical and operational challenges into scalable, results-driven solutions. Strong background in contracts, procurement, international coordination, and executive engagement, with a reputation for building trust with government authorities, clients, and senior leadership to achieve measurable outcomes.
• Influenced and supported over $280M+ in cumulative program and infrastructure budgets throughout career.
• Delivered 12–20% contract value expansion through structured change management and scope optimization.
• Improved forecast accuracy by 20%+ through alignment of Finance, Contracts, and Delivery teams.
• Reduced execution risk exposure by up to 30% through early-stage scope validation and disciplined project controls.
• Strengthened account retention rates by 22%+ through proactive executive engagement and service delivery excellence.
LANGUAGES
Spanish — Native
English — Fluent
Certification
- MBA — Project Management
- PMP — Project Management Institute
- Construction Project Management — Columbia University
- Advanced Transportation Systems — ITAAero
Timeline
Senior Project Coordinator
OSI Maritime Systems
01.2024 - Current
Project Coordinator
OSI Maritime Systems
01.2022 - 01.2024
Project Administrator
Integral Group
01.2022 - 01.2022
Operations Manager
Platinum Leaf
01.2021 - 01.2022
Public & Government Relations
Consulate General of Mexico
01.2021 - 01.2021
Senior Commercial Manager
Toluca International Airport
01.2017 - 01.2021
Chieff of Staff
Toluca City Hall
2015 - 2017
MBA - Project Management
Latinoamerican University
BBA - Business
Latinoamerican University
Volunteer
Served as City Counselor Member (Planning Commission) for the City of New Westminster, BC. 2021 - 2024