Monica Ugalde Email & Phone Number

Product Owner Contracted out to GSK via Cprime, driving product discovery to ensure strategic alignment, value delivery to customers, stakeholder management, backlog management, team building, ensuring delivery of committed features in time and budget, coordinating dependencies amongst teams, and compliance to GxP norms and safeguards). Supported the team navigating critical risks and coordinating delivery of features with 4 critically dependent teams to deliver the solution, in a train with 11 interdependent teams. Set up weekly training sessions to upskill fellow PO’s and the wider team to enhance collaboration and focus on value, customer needs and desired outcomes.Scrum Master Contracted out to GSK via Cprime (Team-level Agile coaching, building up Agile skills, team building, managing stakeholders, driving product delivery to ensure software delivery on time and within budget). Coached team to achieve 80% + predictability and turned around delivery of a critical replacement of Equalum (a real-time data integration system) with Azure Data Factory in just 6 months, triaging live issues, dealing with technical debt, and orienteering the team on balancing the need for immediate enhancements vs cost of delay.

United Kingdom

Supported businesses using human-centred design approaches to discover customer needs.Developed value propositions for digital product MVPs.Building teams and keeping a focus on delivering to timelines and agreed scope, stakeholder management.Training teams to develop product management skills.Organizing meetups and events to promote Agile skills development.Directed cross-functional Agile teams in developing and launching three product iterations ahead of schedule, enhancing user engagement by 25% through user-centered design and iterative feedback loops.

Carried out data analysis projects for small businesses.Advised on product development and service design to entrepreneurs and small businesses.Consulting with small businesses on service and operational workflows to implement Lean strategies and reduce costs.Consulting with small businesses to analyse and develop business models and value propositions to maximise income and profit.Conducted workshops for small businesses and entrepreneurs to identify and translate customer needs into profitable products and services.Product launches organized on behalf of clients.Digital advertising, email marketing and print communications and advertising for clients.CRM databases setup and management in compliance to GDPR norms.Managed an annual awards programme on behalf of a client for 7 years.Directed the end-to-end lifecycle of product development projects, increasing client revenue by 25% through market analysis, iterative prototyping, and leveraging tools like JIRA and Trello for project management.

Glasgow, United Kingdom

Advised and provided feedback on new product development to startups and entrepreneurs.Provided guidance on launching products.Provided design thinking and human-centred design training and resources.Spearheaded mentorship programs for early-stage startups, leveraging industry connections and providing strategic business insights.

Responsible for developing a website and online networking communities for new staff relocating for jobs with the university.Organised events and created marketing materials in support of these initiatives.Developed programme to increase new international hires' retention by 80% by supporting engagement and inclusion.

London, United Kingdom

Responsible for governance and coordination of developing LSE's alumni relations strategy across 46 countries.Built regional groups in Europe and Latin America, including marketing, events, PR, and communications (on and off-line).Responsible for a multi-channel communications strategy, including e-communications and social media.Manager of the LSE Alumni Professional Mentoring Network, CRM DB platform and service programme.Contributed to the founding committee of LSE's startup incubator.Advised and conducted workshops to gather alumni input on the procurement of new Alumni database.Launched and managed alumni engagement initiatives, increasing event attendance by 30% and enhancing donation contributions by 25% through strategic outreach and targeted communication campaigns.

United Kingdom

Led the transition to a new IT platform to transform the operations of the Society. This included CRM DB and website to support News Publishing (Content Management engine); membership renewals; publication of 4 scientific journals in coordination with Wiley; applications and vetting for scholarships and bursaries; award nominations; peer review of scientific papers; promotion of conferences and ticket sales.Designed workflows, customer journeys and user experience testing, managing internal and external stakeholders.Led re-branding effort and embedded new visual identity and tone of voice, ensuring its development, application and promotion across the organisation.Designed and implemented digital marketing strategy including e-mail alerts, newsletters, web content management, social media, advertising and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO); continuous learning and measurement of results, incl. £25K cost reduction in first 6 months going digital.Developed partnerships and collaborations with certifying bodies and industry partners, multiplying reach of advertising by 300%.Optimised budgeting and dispersion of funds via regional and technical interest groups, awards and scholarships. Implemented governance and transparent reporting to advise Board of Trustees regarding state of trust funds, balancing expenditure and investments in coordination with Finance Department.Created a College of Scholars including support services, career development events and a mentoring programme.Created a programme to support career development for PhD and Post-Doc scientists.Increased member retention rate by 25% through the development and implementation of targeted marketing campaigns, data-driven engagement strategies, and personalized communication initiatives.

Mexico City Area, Mexico

Developed and executed marketing strategies for Corporate Card and Retail Travel Services. Accountable for market penetration increase of 60% and growth of 'Corporate Card' in the SME sector nationally. Developed strategic partnerships with other multinational companies; developed back office processes to support these projects. Negotiated deals to cross-promote products and services, doubling my marketing budget.Led training and development programme to embed corporate culture and develop skills of a 200+ member salesforce, including event coordination, internal communications campaigns, train-the-trainer sessions, workshops and learning packs.In Travel Services, developed the first Travel Services e-commerce website for American Express in Latin America and started targeted e-mail marketing with data analysis capabilities. Also Supported retail travel (89 shops and franchisees).

I designed and implemented marketing and communications strategies, including the launch of online customer community applications, where professional users of the specialist software and IT equipment sold by the company would share best practices and mentor each other. This was organised via events, online forums, a multi-channel communication strategy, and account management. The implementation of this programme resulted in enhanced customer loyalty, brand appreciation, and increased sales by $2m USD.

Mba, Business Administration / Distinction

AlBan Scholar

Ba, Communication Science

Activities and Societies: Communication Sciences Society memberBA Communication Science / Honorable Mention • ITESM Academic Excellence.