OLA OLALERE
Ottawa,ON
Summary
Ola has extensive years of experience in various business and technical roles such as product management, product financial analysis, business analysis and program management, business development, strategic implementation, and relationship management. With my diverse skill set, I understand what it takes to succeed in the business world. I have been rated severally as an innovative, energetic, and proactive player with proven ability to develop best-in-class products and processes and increase product/service uptake and customer loyalty.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Product Marketing Support and Insights
First Bank Limited
03.2021 - Current
- EBusiness & Retail Products Directorate, As the Product marketing and insights manager I was responsible for providing product information, tips, visibility, training, enhancements and performance monitoring for the Retail Business Team in the Bank
- We collect and review product and industry statistics to help the strategic business units make better business decisions
- Please see details of the role belo
- Drove business development focused on active Agent expansion across African Subsidiaries
- Planned, developed, and implemented growth strategies for a vibrant Agent network portfolio in Lagos
- Built business architecture for performance management and revenue drive
- Prospected, identified, and cultivated relationship with partners (aggregators) to grow an active agent base
- Coordinated series of activities involved in identifying, onboarding, training, and support of Agents
- Coordinated branding initiatives and effort to project visibility and accessibility of Firstmonie Agents
- Coordinated business development initiatives such as market storms, community activation, Agent forums, working with relevant stakeholder departments and units
- Supervised development of training programs for the retail sales team and agents
- Coordinated business intelligence, peer review and reporting for top management decision making
- Built reporting and analytics to support sales activity while providing recommendations to improve the sales process
- Ensured stored data is easily accessible to internal and external teams
- Respond to inquiries and requests for information from staff in a timely manner
- Work closely with leadership teams to create data strategies that support data modeling
- Assist in creating a strategy that helps to increase the company’s customer base
- Identify opportunities to work cross-functionally
- Built strong and influential internal relationships to help ensure business objectives are being met
- Remove corrupted data and review through root cause analysis
Business Analyst and Program Manager, Licensing Coordinator
First Bank Limited
04.2017 - 03.2021
- I was responsible for the strategy, planning and execution of the product roadmap for the Bank’s African Subsidiaries
- The team provides expertise in user research, strategic business analysis, requirements elicitation and facilitation
- We motivate and organize teams to ensure product vision alignment and a thorough understanding of the deliverables
- I work closely with Software Development, Quality Assurance, Dev Ops, Experience Design and cross-functional teams to deliver products that best fit the aspirations of the Subsidiaries and the markets where they operate
- Championed and launched cards and channels products in African Subsidiaries
- Built a compelling multi-year roadmap for electronic & retail banking business
- Created channel strategies for Customer segments to achieve effective channel use and operational efficiency
- Ensured international best practice and compliance with local policies and regulations
- Ensures the team's lines of communication remain open and actively seek feedback to continuously improve team dynamics
- Product development cost and benefit analysis, financial projection, and obtaining group management approval for implementation
- Developed the backlog and roadmap for a specific product in collaboration with cross-functional teams across the various programs
- Assisted with the development and identification of product synergies to ensure swift delivery across multiple product portfolios within the organization
- Developed the best user experiences possible
- Jointly accountable for the quality of the products and services that are delivered to the customer
- Designed, developed, and led user research to gain a deeper understanding of the client's needs
- Championed changes across the team's product management processes to improve the team's lead time
- Anticipates project bottlenecks and blockers in short term and long-term product roadmaps
- Independently engaging and actively participating in team discussion with other internal product management teams to recommend product features and changes to product features to improve the user experience, operation, and maintainability of the product
- Transfers knowledge to the product and business team
- Collaborates with external stakeholders and regulatory authorities governing proposed products/services in the target markets
- Created new business paradigms including new processes that are unique in the markets
- Led by example, demonstrating integrity, creativity, and enthusiasm in achieving results directly
- Synthesized the product vision and high-level business requirements into functional user requirements
- Conducts User Research to identify and validate customer needs to reduce product development time and costly rework
- Led sprint planning sessions to clarify the details of the sprint items and provide clear and concise acceptance criteria for user stories
- Acted as the authoritative source for all requirements
- Elicited requirements using a variety of formats and techniques including interviews, document analysis, workshops, storyboards, surveys, site visits, business process descriptions, use cases, scenarios, event lists and competitive product analysis
- Led requirements analysis and verification ensuring that requirement statements are complete, consistent, concise, comprehensible, feasible, unambiguous, and verifiable
- Documented Non-Functional requirements such as security, privacy, legal and maintainability
- Conducted impact analysis for the product in development to determine impact on internal and external stakeholders and systems
- Collaborates closely with the Software Development, Quality Assurance, DevOps, and Experience Design teams in an agile fashion
- Conducted stakeholder analysis and develops communications plan for stakeholders to ensure buy-in and awareness of the product release
- Managed enterprise purchase orders while accounting for pricing, rebate structures, re-order levels, fees, and terms for return of goods/services;
- Manage and follow up with backorders and or shortages, substitutions and communicate/update with requestors;
- RFP management when necessary as per Company Procurement Policy;
- Quotation management and Price monitoring committee engagement;
- Work with companies to resolve issues of supply, demand and cost;
- Provide supply and cost analysis to management and the operations team;
- Administer and manage procurement documents while recording anomalies and deficiencies within the organization procurement system;
- Research possible substitutions for cost savings opportunities;
- Handle requests regarding source of supply, delivery scheduling and availability of products and service;
- Ensure that all procurement activity follows appropriate local guidelines and policies.
Product Manager
Firstbank Limited
04.2014 - 04.2017
- Premium Credit & Debit Card product management
- Competition profiling and benchmark of pricing, processes, turnaround time and profitability
- Product life cycle management and performance monitoring
- Marketing Calls with SBUs to prospect clusters Corporate and Affiliate relationship
- Development and deployment of card solutions for corporate organisations
- Key account management of premium cardholders
- Mastered various customer acquisition models and support in process re-engineering
- Mastered all products features and unique selling points in order to be able to sell, cross sell, upsell, and answer all enquiries from both internal and external stakeholders
- Drove the development and uptake of corporate solutions
- Ensured international best practice and compliance with local policies and regulations
- Product development cost and benefit analysis, financial projection, and obtaining group management approval for implementation
- Championed the development and identification of product synergies to ensure swift delivery across digital product portfolios within the organization
- Developed the best user experiences possible
- Accountable for the quality of the products and services that are delivered to the customer
Business Development Manager
Digital Products
03.2011 - 04.2014
- I was responsible for growing the Bank Digital Products, by facilitating new business growth and onboarding new customers through the actions of prospecting and strategic sales planning
- My key areas of focus and responsibility involve the research of industry, market, and territory trends combined with continued development and execution of sales plan strategies
- I serve as the primary contact for the customer decision-makers and lead all functions of the sales process and experience for new and potential customers
- Please see key highlights below
- Drove the carding of Bank accounts in the Region with 3 awards and a major contributor to the Banks achieving 10m card base
- Drove the Bank’s mobile money scheme in the North
- Business development and supporting corporate solutions in the North Directorate
- Communicating and monitoring e-Business target/actual performance of all North Central Groups
- Business intelligence and products awareness
- Mastered various customer acquisition models and support in process re-engineering
- Developing new business in the Region
- Subject Matter Expert (SME) and member of implementation committee for Organisation’s eLearning
- Understand and articulate Organisation’s value Proposition to customers, providing solutions to grow profitable sales
- Established, maintained, and developed relationships with potential customers who have been identified as target clients to meet corporate objectives of maximum profitability and sales growth
- Responsible for research, analyze, and identify new potential customers, and develop targeted sales plans to increase customer base in a variety of industries and territories
- Responsible for prospecting and qualifying new business leads for potential new customers and convert them into increased business opportunities
- Achieve overall gross margin profits sales targets and maintain a healthy sales pipeline for new business
- Achieve overall gross margin profits sales targets and maintain a healthy sales pipeline for new business
- Support vendor programs as well as internal marketing initiatives
- Mastered customer profiling in order to recommend the appropriate product or service
- Mastered and trained colleagues on the software systems used by the Bank to be able to communicate effectively with incoming inquiries
- Mastered various customer acquisition models and support in process re-engineering
- Provided insights and feedbacks to internal stakeholders to help improve sales, marketing, and business processes
- Mastered all digital products and unique selling points in order to be able to sell and answer customer enquiries
Customer Support and EProduct Services
Cards & Channel
01.2008 - 03.2011
- EOperations, Card operations and settlement
- Payment processing and customer support
- Handled customer complaints by providing solutions, often within a time limit to ensure the customer is satisfied
- Mastered customer profiling in order to recommend the appropriate product or service
- Mastered and trained colleagues on the software systems used by the Bank to be able to communicate effectively with incoming inquiries
- Mastered various customer acquisition models and support in process re-engineering
- Record management for incoming inquiries to be able to reference at a later date
- Processing client orders, forms, applications, or requests
- Provided insights and feedbacks to internal stakeholders to help improve sales, marketing, and business processes
- Mastered all digital products and unique selling points in order to be able to sell and answer customer enquiries
EOperations and Customer Support Representative
Guaranty Trust Bank plc, MasterCard
09.2005 - 01.2008
- EBusiness & Retail Products – African Subsidiaries, Player in the implementation of GTBank MasterCard Project
- Player in the building of GTBank MasterCard cardholder base to 25,000
- Reconciliation of MasterCard accounts against applications processed
- Billing account management & product analytics
Education
Executive Diploma - Business Analytics
Harvard Business School
01.2022
Advanced Certificate in Project Management -
University of Lagos
01.2017
Master’s - Business Administration
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology
01.2015
Bsc. - Accounting
University of Lagos
01.2011
HND - Accountancy
Rufus Giwa Polytechnic
01.2005
Skills
- Business Analysis
- Product Management
- Product financial budgeting
- Data analysis
- Business development & Strategy analysis
- Relationship Management
- Customer Service
- Procurement and inventory management
- Payment cards and channels
Accomplishments
- Master’s in Digital Marketing – eScils USA
- Effective Networking – Google Digital Garage
- Artificial Intelligence – IBM
- Business Analysis: Business Benefits Realization - LinkedIn/IIBA
- Product Management: Building a Product Roadmap – LinkedIn/PMI
- Agile Project Leadership - LinkedIn/PMI
- Line Manager Capability Certification – Acustrat Resources
- Detecting & Reporting Money Laundering – FirstAcademy
- High-Impact Strategic Marketing for Digital Transformation – The Fourth P Lagos
- Digital Payments and Convergence - MasterCard Academy Dubai
- Contactless payment – MasterCard Academy Dubai
- National Fraud Service Training – MasterCard Academy Lagos
- Card Management Program – Visa Business School London
- Card Profitability Course – Visa Business School, Lagos
- Global Clearing Management System Training – MasterCard Worldwide
- Chargeback Workshop - MasterCard Worldwide
References
Referees: Available on request
Timeline
Product Marketing Support and Insights
First Bank Limited
03.2021 - Current
Business Analyst and Program Manager, Licensing Coordinator
First Bank Limited
04.2017 - 03.2021
Product Manager
Firstbank Limited
04.2014 - 04.2017
Business Development Manager
Digital Products
03.2011 - 04.2014
Customer Support and EProduct Services
Cards & Channel
01.2008 - 03.2011
EOperations and Customer Support Representative
Guaranty Trust Bank plc, MasterCard
09.2005 - 01.2008
Executive Diploma - Business Analytics
Harvard Business School
Advanced Certificate in Project Management -
University of Lagos
Master’s - Business Administration
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology
Bsc. - Accounting
University of Lagos
HND - Accountancy
Rufus Giwa Polytechnic
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