As a Strategic Product Director and Business Partner, you can count on me to drive product innovation and revenue growth. With expertise in business design, I find the “diamond in the rough” for new products or services using lean startup innovation methodology, customer empathy, assumption-based experimentation, and business model validation.I spent 5+ years mastering project management for construction, nonprofit, and IT consulting early in my career. I gained a reputation for operational excellence, streamlining processes, mobilizing resources, and delivering stellar results.►BUSINESS DESIGN & PRODUCT MANAGEMENT LEADERMy entrepreneurial spirit led me to pivot from project management into product and operations management. I rapidly advanced to a Business Design and Development Product Manager for a $12.2B independent insurance company.It’s been rewarding to lead business growth by analyzing competitive landscapes, defining target marketing strategies, designing, and validating business models, forming alliances with new business partners, overseeing the due diligence process, integrating recent acquisitions, and operationalizing new businesses.►TRANSFORMATIONAL BUSINESS STRATEGISTAs an advocate for innovation and transformational change, I am willing to tackle any project, no matter how complex, to move the business forward.For example, during the pandemic, I was the product owner and business consultant for a newly acquired company named “Hedge." Within 30 days, I led a team to transform the services operations from an in-home service to virtual delivery.The result? Using Zoom, the business team successfully consulted with 1,800 customers in two states over six months. We sustained a scalable, desirable business during extraordinary business challenges.►ENERGIZING PEOPLE LEADER What’s the thread running through my career? Being resilient and adaptable to serve the customers and the organization well.Senior leaders tell me my leadership style makes a difference in accelerating change:✔ Mobilize teams using diverse strengths: innovative, analytical, authentic, curious.✔ Take calculated risks, try new ideas, and bring solutions to life rapidly.✔ Empower every employee to create breakthrough ideas to improve products or operations.Let's connect and have a conversation if you are interested in developing business models to grow your business during these unprecedented times.Laura Portzlaura.r.portz@gmail.com