Neil Byers
Digital Strategy || Product Management || Data Management
I believe in the power of technology to enrich people’s lives, and I’m passionate about shaping a better experience for customers and organisations.
To do this I lead cross-functional, agile teams to create and grow innovative digital products. I provide strategy, leadership and technical expertise to develop products that solve user’s problems.
Having taken on various roles in multiple industry sectors since 2001, I have a wealth of experience to help organisations shape, develop and grow their products.
Years experience
Organisations
Industries
Awards & Certifications
Key Skills
Digital Strategy
I like to think about the “big picture”, and what the future might bring:
- Developing long-term vision and objectives for digital products and services
- Creating and launching complex digital ventures
- Implementing digital transformation and organisational change programmes
Product Management
Building products, being creative and driving innovation is my passion:
- Vast experience in Product Management, User Experience, Design and Development
- Agile and operational expertise
- Experience with integrating websites, apps, and APIs to create powerful applications
Data Management
Understanding the user and utilise data to build better products:
- Creating “data-driven” infrastructures for analytics and testing
- Identifying data integrations to provide unique opportunities
- Data visualisation and reporting for better communication
Behavioural
Embed me in a development team or in the boardroom; I work across an organisation:
- Natural leader, with excellent communication skills
- Ability to bridge technical, operational and c-suite personnel
- Strong relationships skills, influencing, challenging and coaching others to achieve operational excellence
Experience
Aug 2018 – Present
Data & Technology Manager
Skills Development Scotland
Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is the national skills body supporting the people and businesses of Scotland to develop and apply their skills.
I created and lead the Data & Technology team and provide the strategic direction for utilising data, analytics and emerging technology to create innovative solutions to our customer’s needs across 3 areas:
Data as a Service:
- Creating and utilising open data sets
- Providing standardised, accurate data
- Automating data collection and distribution
Technology as an Enabler:
- Creating new channels for delivery
- Building flexible technology infrastructures
- Reducing operational costs
Data as Insights:
- Measuring product success
- Delivering actionable insights
- Ensuring user focused development
Oct 2015 – Aug 2018
Digital Development Manager
Skills Development Scotland
I founded and led the team responsible for the design, development and measurement of multiple products, serving over 2.5 million users per year.
Key Achievements:
- Leading the development of multiple digital products. Including the relaunch of My World of Work, the creation of the “Ican” offer for primary schools, and launching the Course Management Tool to administer the ITA scheme.
- Overseeing a 17% year on year growth of users and increasing engagement across the products.
- Creating and growing the internal development team from 2 to 8 developers across multiple technology stacks (PHP and .Net), implementing an agile, continuous improvement process and culture.
Mar 2015 – Aug 2015
Product Manager
Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a global travel search engine. As Product Manager I led a team developing 3 products.
Key Achievements:
- Improved mobile conversion rate through Agile A/B testing of numerous UI improvements
- Creation and launch of a new flights map, resulting in an increase in booking conversions by 73%
Jan 2013 – Mar 2015
User Experience Manager
Scottish Power
As the User Experience Manager I managed the digital customer experience. Undertaking research, user journey definition and wireframe creation across the website and mobile apps.
Key Achievements:
- Reduced website bounce rate by 52% by utilising user research and analytics to create a new site structure and user focused content
- Increased online sales conversions by 150% through the delivery of A/B user tests
Previous experience
- Jul 2011 – Dec 2012 | Digital Product Manager | STV
- Dec 2007 – Jul 2011 | Web Producer | S1
- Jun 2006 – Dec 2007 | Senior Consultant | Vision Consulting
- Mar 2005 – Mar 2006 | Career Break | Australia & New Zealand
- Apr 2001 – Feb 2005 | Consultant | Accenture
Certifications & Education
2018 : Google Analytics Individual Qualification
2011 : PRINCE2 Practitioner
1996 – 2000 : BA (Hons) in Management Science
Upper Second Class Honours
University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
Testimonials
I really enjoyed working alongside Neil as one of my clients. He had a real enthusiasm and drive for any job in hand and could be always be trusted to brief projects with detail, intelligence and clear direction. He has a great collaborative approach to work and, as a result, our project management, technical and design teams loved working with him. Neil is a talented product and user experience manager and manages to cut through the nonsense to keep things on track!
Neil is a skilled technical project manager and team leader,experienced in delivering both small and large-scale projects. He also demonstrates a real understanding of the needs and demands of other areas of the business, making him a valuable member of the overall management team.
I worked with Neil as part of the management team at s1 and was very impressed by his knowledge of digital trends and strong management skills. His ability to work across technical,sales & marketing teams made him an extremely effective contributor to a successful business unit.
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