Ingrid Vorster Email and Phone Number

SPAN is a software solution and product development firm headquartered in San Francisco, California. Combining veterans of the industry with a talented team of developers, SPAN strategizes, designs, and develops software solutions for clients ranging from startups to global brands. We help our clients design and develop everything from proof-of-concept and prototypes to product enhancements, and new features. Weaving strategy, software development, and design together in an iterative, interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes engineering excellence and predictable delivery of tangible value. Established in 2013; with an engineering team operating from Cape Town, South Africa; SPAN’s approach comes with the benefit of years of experience innovating and disrupting in a variety of markets.

Vula is a medical referral app and online platform that makes it easy for primary healthcare workers to get advice from and refer patients to specialists. Vula connects clinicians to each other and their patients, with a seamless, integrated, secure platform, in order to deliver high quality, cost effective, accessible healthcare. Vula began in 2014 to connect healthcare professionals so they could send and receive the right information about a patient’s condition and chat securely. Today, we have helped hundreds of thousands of patients receive specialist guided healthcare in a secure and efficient environment. Additionally, previously unrecordable communication data is aggregated and made available to healthcare workers to optimise their practices and identify opportunities.

- Oversaw local team that delivered an airline crew application on 300+ aircraft accessed by 100 million passengers.- Established a new business footprint by doubling the size of the SA team in three months. Accountable in collaboration with Department Heads for analysis of the talent market and outsourcing feasibility; Organisational design and talent recognition; Integration of team members towards a synergistic whole; Measurement of and delivery on success metrics- Maximised delivery by collaborating and resourcing across global offices (US, UK, HUN) to share best practice SDLC and Agile software development practices- Headed the Cape Town office and rest of South Africa team - formed part of the Leadership team successfully navigating significant challenges in operations and morale throughout the pandemic- Influenced the Fethr Product SteerCo set on developing new products including a SaaS solution to provide insights to customers in the aviation industry

- Commercialised and advanced an omnichannel customer engagement SaaS solution by joining forces with the engineering, product and executive team- Secured the start-up's first Enterprise client on an ARR basis. Prepared pitch decks representing the company to customers and investors, obtaining continued funding- Defined business landscape including competitor research, industry trends and customer surveys to design and refine the go-to-market plan, associated feature set and pricing- Headed up Marketing - defining brand strategy, overseeing execution of digital and social media campaigns, as well as PR and Events - Orchestrated innovation, integrating measurement and AI and in product functionality and expansion through novel applications, e.g. in-seat-ordering, chatbot prospect screening, credit default follow-up system - Continuously drove effective execution in line with Agile development principles - Fostered and maintained an effective management team, collaborating with teams in the US and Europe

- Set-up a new marketing function including attracting talent, software selection, marketing & social media strategy plans, lead management system and professional marketing collateral- Invited as speaker to the AI Summit in London (The worlds leading AI Summit forbusiness with more than 20 000 attendees)

- Consulted to CEO of technology venture focused on the digital transformation of client-partners- Designed solutions in the field of Digital Lifestyle and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies- Formulated an integrated marketing communication plan for mobile app offering and authored thought leadership pieces for customer acquisition

- Guided the creation of engaging online community portals for conducting market research as well as the building of online portals for enterprise clients to access real-time market research results, i.e. converting high-touch market research into low-touch technology solutions- Consulted and served 8+ of SA's largest financial services businesses; Drove business development, scoped business solutions and designed customer journeys- Managed strategic client- and other stakeholder relationships and made recommendations to company strategic thinking and direction- Lead communication and marketing strategy and managed Brand Identity and reputation through the creative execution of all external and communication

- Co-pioneered a new BU, responsible to create online platforms for individuals to connect easily and regularly for the purpose of market research- Specialised in content engagement through copywriting and selection of visuals, experimenting and monitoring input and output metrics- Delivered results at high speed and optimum quality by defining and implementing policies and operating procedures for the new team- Operationalised strategy for the business unit, and managed day-to-day projects and operations

Founded a business providing market research, learning and personal development- AAA School of Advertising - Advertising Research - Marketing and Research Strategy at the Consumer Psychology Lab- Communication Science for UNISA students at Varsity College - Management development program in Marketing, Research Methodology and Business Law

- Enabled new-product launches and achievement of sales-targets by collaborating with product marketers through initiating and managing of research projects covering future product planning; target market setting; marketing campaigns and advertising; brand image and pricing- Selected as a high performer to participate in the Six Sigma program. Lead cross-functional teams in challenging business processes to ensure optimal efficiencies in specific areas related to the marketing function.

- Propelled Nissan to the top of the competitive Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) to achieve 4 gold medals in the industry benchmark research.- Mobilised dealership network to roll out a consistent customer experience across 120+ outlets- Advised on research-related issues such as sampling, questionnaire design and interpretation of research results.

- Directed a research team and projects spanning automotive, financial and telecommunication industries- Delivered end-to-end market research involving questionnaire design, analysis, statistical modeling, reporting and presenting of customer and business insights- Programmed interviewing software, administrated deployment and ensured quality