Samuel Rotua
Kitchener,ON
Summary
Over 7 years of cumulative expertise coaching teams and delivering agile projects within budget and timeline across financial services industry. John Maxwell Certified Leadership Coach, Trainer and Speaker. Proven track record of managing high-visibility innovation projects with third-party vendors and significant technology components. Demonstrated strong executive presence and advanced communication, presentation, and facilitation skills. Proficient in both Agile and Waterfall project management methodologies, Scaled Agile practices and collaboration tools, including ServiceNow, JIRA, Confluence, PlanView, Trello, Mural, Figma, Ms Project, MS Planner, MS Teams, Slack. Proven experience with SDLC, from planning, requirements gathering and design to development, testing and deployment. Experience with Agile delivery methodologies, including day-to-day ceremonies, TDD, ATDD, XP, Kanban. Certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Certified Scrum Master. Certified Scaled Agile Framework Practitioner(Safe 6.0). 5 years + Project Management Professional Experience. 5 years + experience in Agile Methodologies, Scrum, Lean, and Kanban.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
6
6
Certification
Work History
Scrum Master
CIBC
05.2024 - Current
- Scrum Master for Agile pod of 10 members for CIBC's Innovation Strategy and Engagement team. driving AI-powered solutions to enhance organizational processes and efficiency.
- Improved team efficiency by implementing Agile and Scrum methodologies for project management.
- Collaborated closely with Product Owners to decompose epics into actionable user stories, refining the product backlog and ensuring alignment with business objectives.
- Led 4-week sprint cycles and facilitated all Scrum ceremonies and ensured seamless sprint planning meetings, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives
- Delivered sprint review presentations to stakeholders and business sponsors, providing transparent progress updates and showcasing AI solution capabilities.
- Fostered Continuous Improvement: Designed and facilitated the most engaging retrospectives using creative templates on Figma, Miro Boards & Mural, gathering feedback and translating it into actionable items that drove a 30% increase in efficiency.
- Developed and Refined Documentation: Created comprehensive guides and documentation for processes, ensuring knowledge sharing and reducing support requests.
- Streamlined Knowledge Management: Established a centralized repository for easy retrieval of information, enhancing team productivity and efficiency.
- Coached agile pod on Agile/Scrum principles and best practices.
- Ensured sprint deliverables and objectives were met on time, tracked and managed risks to delivery and reported financials for the Team.
- Facilitated discussions leading to collective decision-making, goal setting and conflict resolution within the team.
- Achieved release objectives and results that met LOB stakeholders' needs and expectations.
- Developed and maintained a shared vision of the product, ensuring team alignment to the goals and objectives of the project.
- Removed impediments to delivery success through the proactive management of dependencies and simple team problem-solving, considering options and selecting solutions; escalated issues through business and/IT channels where necessary.
- Proficient in both Agile and Waterfall project methodologies, scaled agile practices and collaboration tools, including JIRA, Confluence, Trello and Slack
Financial Advisor IIROC
CIBC
05.2022 - 05.2024
- Built strong relationships with clients, fostering trust and loyalty in managing their financial portfolios.
- Educated clients on various financial matters and provided professional recommendations on investment opportunities, products, and services based on each clients' individual needs.
- Developed personal rapport with each client to maintain customer loyalty and establish long-term accounts.
- Established new client relationships by conducting thorough needs assessments during initial consultations.
- Developed and executed plans, including defining scope, objectives, and deliverables, ensuring clients' projects were completed within budget and timeline.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to gather requirements, conducted regular, meetings to track progress, communicated updates, and managed expectations.
- Conducted risk analysis and developed mitigation strategies to minimize project risks.
- Coordinated activities across cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality products.
- Communicated and Engaged with Stakeholders on day to day banking advice
Financial Advisor
TD Canada Trust
05.2019 - 05.2022
Scrum Master/Project Manager
Access Bank/GTBank Plc
12.2010 - 07.2018
- Led multiple Agile teams in delivering high-priority projects, resulting in about 50% increase in team velocity 25% reduction in project timelines.
- Collaborated with Product Owners to refine requirements and ensure alignment with business goals.
- Collaborated with product owners, team members, technologists, and other scrum masters to define solutions and drive progress.
- Conducted daily stand-up meetings, sprint planning sessions, and sprint reviews, ensuring effective communication among team members.
- Managed product backlog effectively, prioritizing high-value items for faster completion.
- Coached cross-functional teams on Agile principles, leading to an increase in successful project deliveries.
- Developed custom Scrum boards for better task tracking and transparency within the team.
- Led sprint reviews and planning meetings to promote full team engagement.
- Managed product backlog and supported Scrum framework for monthly sprint releases.
- Implemented continuous improvement initiatives through regular retrospective meetings with the team.
- Worked closely and listened to team members' feedback to identify issues and resolve conflicts.
- Coached teams in Agile practices and provided necessary training to create positive mindset to Agile methodologies.
- Resolved conflicts and facilitated open communication among team members, promoting a healthy work environment.
- Planned Agile best practices and encouraged team cohesion, overcoming impediments, and hurdles to productivity.
- Streamlined and optimized workflow and communication by implementing Agile frameworks.
- Facilitated seamless integration of new team members into existing projects without compromising productivity levels.
- Mentored junior team members on Scrum best practices, fostering their professional growth within the organization.
- Identified potential risks early in the project lifecycle and implemented mitigation strategies accordingly.
- Optimized resource allocation by identifying and addressing bottlenecks in project workflows, leading to reduced time-to-market for product releases.
- Applied agile methodology to shorten cycle time and achieve target margins.
- Managed work and project responsibilities by assigning tasks to internal individuals and external teams.
- Boosted customer satisfaction scores by providing regular updates on product enhancements resulting from feedback provided during sprint review meetings.
- Implemented key performance metrics to track team progress and identify areas of improvement consistently throughout projects'' lifecycles.
- Created comprehensive user stories with clear acceptance criteria to guide development efforts.
- Assessed and reported progress to stakeholders regularly, maintaining transparency throughout the project lifecycle.
- Worked to provide continuous improvement for product development lifecycle.
- Encouraged cross-functional collaboration by organizing workshops and training sessions for different departments within the organization.
- Streamlined release processes through close coordination between development teams and operations staff.
- Evangelized Agile as strategic asset of culture and business value.
- Acted as go-to resource for engineering team, providing clarity on tasks, gathering missing assets or requirements and handling project changes.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to identify business requirements and developed solutions to meet their needs.
- Conducted business analysis to identify process improvements and implemented changes to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
- Coached team members on Agile principles and practices resulting in a 20% increase in team satisfaction and engagement.
- Developed and maintained project dashboards and reports to track progress and identify areas for improvement.
- Participated in retrospectives and facilitated continuous improvement initiatives to enhance team processes and practices.
- Led and coordinated technical projects through all phases of initiation, development, and implementation.
- Defined and managed scope, strategy, requirements, and implementation of projects in collaboration with clients.
- Ensured completion of assigned projects within budgets and schedules, while meeting client business objectives.
- Identified, analyzed, mitigated, documented, and controlled project risks.
- Provided effective and regular communication within the project team, partners, sponsors, and management.
- Identified resource needs and established roles, expectations, and goals with team members.
- Brainstorm potential fraud scenarios and vulnerabilities, and define mitigation strategies with development team.
- Assessed, managed, and mitigated project risks that impeded successful project delivery.
- Built lessons learned and implemented improvements for future project delivery.
- Conducted Gaps analysis, Collected requirements and drafted Business requirement documentation.
- Organized and coordinated project activities, including scheduling, resource allocation, and budget tracking.
- Supported the project team by preparing meeting agendas, taking meeting minutes, and maintaining project documentation.
- Conducted research and analysis to support project planning, risk assessment, and decision making.
- Liaised with internal departments and external stakeholders to gather project information and ensure timely deliverables.
- Optimized resource allocation by closely monitoring team capacity and adjusting work assignments.
- Fostered culture of continuous improvement by conducting sprint retrospectives and implementing feedback.
- Promoted learning environment by organizing workshops on Agile and Scrum practices for team.
- Navigated through complex project challenges, leveraging Agile principles to adapt plans and meet evolving business needs.
- Achieved higher quality deliverables with rigorous approach to backlog refinement and acceptance criteria definition.
- Strengthened team cohesion and morale, organizing team-building activities and maintaining open-door policy.
- Encouraged innovation and experimentation within team, leading to development of new features that enhanced product value.
- Ensured projects aligned with strategic goals by facilitating collaboration between Scrum team and senior management.
- Achieved consistent on-time delivery of project milestones by closely monitoring progress and adjusting plans as needed.
- Reduced time to market by streamlining sprint planning process, effectively balancing scope and resources.
- Improved stakeholder satisfaction with regular sprint reviews and updates on project progress.
- Reduced bottlenecks in development process by actively removing impediments and facilitating solutions.
Education
MSc - International Management
University of Liverpool
07.2017
Skills
- Agile project management
- ServiceNow administration
- AI technology expertise
- SAFe, Scrum, and Kanban expertise
- Agile project management
- Critical analysis
- Burn up and burn down chart analysis
- Change management expertise
- Coaching expertise
- Effective communication
- Conflict Resolution
- Cross-cultural awareness
- Deliverables Management
- Facilitation & Presentation
- Influencing Others
- JIRA & Confluence
- Microsoft Office
- PI Planning
- Project Management
- Refining Backlogs
- Relationship Management
- Scaled Agile Framework
- Resolving Impediments
- Scrum Development, Scrum Ceremonies, Scrum Artifacts
- Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
- Trello Boards
- User story development
- Strong Financial Domain knowledge
- Wealth Management
- Financial Products & Regulations
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
Affiliations
- Project Management Institute
- Scrum Alliance
- Scaled Agile Inc
Certification
- Licensed [SAFe 6.0 Practitioner]
- Scaled Agile Inc - [February 2023 – March 2025]
Timeline
Scrum Master
CIBC
05.2024 - Current
Financial Advisor IIROC
CIBC
05.2022 - 05.2024
Financial Advisor
TD Canada Trust
05.2019 - 05.2022
Scrum Master/Project Manager
Access Bank/GTBank Plc
12.2010 - 07.2018
MSc - International Management
University of Liverpool
Contact Details
- Toronto, Ontario
- Canada
- +15197782464
- Sammieor3@gmail.com
Links
LinkedIn
Hobbies and Interests
Connecting, Meeting People, Books, Movies, Soccer
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