Ioana-cristina Ognibeni - Senior Product Lead

Recommended expert

Augsburg, Germany

Experience

Jan 2023 - Present

3 years 1 month

Senior Product Lead

Freelance

Coached product managers and engineers across multiple organizations, shaping team structures and ways of working to improve product outcomes.
Conducted market research for an AI-agentic library product idea in automotive, identified key assumptions, delivered a detailed Lean Canvas with product definition and a prototype in Lovable for validation with potential customers.
Facilitated the definition of the omnichannel vision for a German retail chain, created the opportunity–solution tree based on research and feedback, and collaborated with a cross-functional team to connect the vision to architectural principles.
Ensured successful product management transitions in several companies during interim periods, hitting the ground running with minimal handover time.
Delivered multiple trainings and workshops on product discovery best practices.

Oct 2021 - Dec 2023

2 years 3 months

Munich, Germany

Senior Product Manager/Product Lead for a counselling app

Virtual Identity AG

Led the company’s product initiative through MVP, go-to-market readiness, shaping value proposition, target segments, and success metrics while working towards product–market fit.
Partnered with top management on P&L-related analyses and product team recruiting decisions.
Successfully led client projects in the pharma and energy sectors, focusing on outcomes rather than output.
Mentored, trained, and supported teams in transitioning to product thinking within the project world.

Jan 2021 - Sep 2021

9 months

Augsburg, Germany

Senior Product Manager new User Experience Xentral ERP

Xentral ERP Software GmbH

Led the end-to-end redesign of the Xentral ERP user experience with a distributed team of four UX designers and multiple developers.
Conducted user interviews, performed competitive analysis, analyzed usage metrics and complex business processes, and designed TO-BE processes with UML diagrams.
Drove product development using Scrum.
Consulted top management on team topologies and agile implementation.

Jul 2020 - Present

5 years 7 months

Certified Personal, Leadership and Executive Coach

Feb 2019 - Jul 2020

1 year 6 months

Karlsruhe, Germany

Product Owner new abas ERP Web Client

abas software ag

Led a distributed team of developers and UX across Germany, Bulgaria, and the US to adapt and implement existing ERP functionalities, leveraging web advantages for client benefit.
Led internal and external adoption efforts of the new web UI.
Aligned efforts of multiple development teams in a complex organizational setup.
Hosted webinars to demo the product, delivered detailed user documentation, FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and provided direct support for partners and customers.

Mar 2018 - Jan 2019

11 months

Language-study year

Studied German from scratch to reach B2 level (certified B2 TELC).

Sep 2016 - Feb 2018

1 year 6 months

Boston, United States

Product Manager GoToMeeting/GoToAssist

LogMeIn, Inc.

Provided input for defining strategic product direction in collaboration with multiple product managers.
Defined and assessed new product initiatives using Lean Canvas, working with UX and architects to frame problem and solution spaces, and data analysts to understand adoption and retention drivers.
Coordinated multiple distributed teams across time zones to deliver new value to customers in a timely manner.
Acted as single point of contact for go-to-market activities, aligning product, technical writers, care, sales, marketing, product marketing, and customer engagement to ensure GTM readiness.

Sep 2014 - Oct 2016

2 years 2 months

International Project Manager – eCommerce, ERPs, HRIS implementations

Various Clients

Implemented a Magento-based eCommerce solution for a Switzerland-based food industry client, leading a distributed team of up to 18 members across Romania, the US, and Argentina for China and Hong Kong markets.
Implemented a Magento-based eCommerce solution for a Portuguese fashion industry client using agile methodology with a distributed team across four time zones.
Localized and implemented a NAVISION-based ERP application for the tire industry, deploying in 14 stores.
Implemented a new retail ERP system for 3,000 stores and migrated 120 stores to the new platform (modules: Retail POS and BOS, Purchase, Stock, Sales, Analytics).
Implemented HRIS modules including Payroll, Personnel, and Time & Attendance for a Romanian client with over 8,000 employees.

Sep 2014 - Aug 2016

2 years

Montabaur, Germany

Product Owner & Scrum Master Internal Customer Care Tooling

1&1 Internet Development

Defined business value for new functionality and product ideas.
Conducted extensive business analysis sessions with stakeholders, analyzed existing documentation and tools, and delivered detailed process analysis and designs in Signavio for abuse and fraud operations.
Led the development team to deliver new features based on the prioritized backlog.

Skills

Product Management

B2b And B2c
Product/feature Definition: Lean Canvas, Business Model Canvas
Discovery: Conduct Effective Customer/user Interviews, Data Analysis, Customer Journey Mapping, User Story Mapping
Delivery: Ability To Drive A Product/feature From Ideation To Market Release; Plan And Drive Go-to-market Readiness, Analytics To Measure Success
Ability To Collaborate Across Disciplines And To Coagulate The Teams’ Efforts Towards Achieving The Goal
Ability To Navigate Complex Competitive, Partner, And Stakeholder Ecosystems.

Project Management

Project Management Experience In Both Waterfall And Agile Environments
Know-how And Proven Experience In All Process Groups And All Project Knowledge Areas, According To Pmi Standard
Contract Negotiation, Budget Monitoring.

Soft Skills And Competencies