Chris Spalding - commercially grounded product management
Product
Definition - Delivery - Growth

For commercial success, a product needs to grow beyond the innovation hype and enter the main stream target market. This requires a tangible value proposition for the customer and a sustainable commercial model for the business.

How can I help?

I have over 14 years of experience in the strategic planning and tactical delivery of products and service. Typically I roll up my sleeves to tackle the following:

  • Researching and capturing customer and commercial requirements
  • Defining the product strategy, proposition and commercial proposal
  • Overseeing the technical development and operational delivery
  • Guiding sales, marketing and customer support on proposition and messages
  • Monitoring and reporting KPIs for in-market enhancement and growth.

My approach

I regard collaboration across business functions, customers and strategic partners as essential for success. In addition to marshalling the subject matter experts, my own expertise includes the following:

Product Definition – producing the proposal, proposition and business case 

  • Insight – customer research, market research, strategic partners and competitors
  • Data analysis – performance data, transaction profiles, fraud and supply costs
  • Modelling – volume, value, costs, pricing, market share and P&L
  • Business case owner – production and communication to stakeholders

Product Delivery – recognising that Agile is bigger than just technical development

  • Product lead – process management,
  • Business support – voice of the customer, user stories, use cases
  • Roadmap management – features and prioritisation

Product Growth – achieving the commercial targets and addressing any needs for product revision

  • Reporting – KPI capture and reporting
  • Roadmap and backlog management – enhancements and prioritisation
  • P&L management

What drives me?

Simply, I enjoy making stuff people want.

With an engineering and marketing background, I have an active interest in improving customers' experience through applied  technology.  The rate of technology and regulatory changes has pushed the payments industry to a point of inflection; Open Banking, Request to Pay,  Confirmation of Payee, SWIFT gpi, Ripple, real time payments,  PSD2, SEPAInst to name but a few.  We have payments-as-a-service, banking-as-a-service and APIs for just about everything; where the Shoreditch fintechs once talked about disruption and dis-intermediation, the conversation is now of collaboration.  And with the demand for digital and cross-border commerce booming there really could not be a better time to be engaged in payments.

For further information please contact me via LinkedIn.

My experience

Through working with a range of companies I have direct knowledge of a broad range of payment ecosystems applied to consumer and business transactions, with particular expertise in currency and cross-border payments.  

Product experience

  • Prepaid cards
  • Virtual cards
  • Cross-border payments
  • Currency cash
  • Dynamic currency conversion 
  • E-commerce implementations
  • Travel products and services
  • Mobile apps (cardholder)

Market experience

  • UK consumers
  • SME
  • Retail and corporate travel 

Past employers

  • Caxton FX - Head of New Product Development
  • Travelport - Head of Hospitality Payments
  • Worldpay - DCC Proposition Manager (interim)
  • Access Prepaid Worldwide (Mastercard) - Product Manager (contract)
  • IMX Software - Director of Product & Business Development
  • First Rate Exchange Services (UK Post Office & Bank of Ireland) - Head of Prepaid Products

For further information please contact me via LinkedIn.
 

Head of New Product Development (2016-2018)

Provider of currency cards and international payment services for consumers and corporates.

 My role was to grow revenue through new fx products and market opportunities and to actively contribute as a senior member of the team.  This NPD role was terminated as the business focused on looking for a buyer.

Head of Hospitality Payments (2014-2016)

Travelport’s GDSs represent the world’s 4th largest distribution channel for hotel bookings.

 As a senior product owner in the Hospitality (hotel & car) team, my remit was to develop a product strategy that gave Travelport a value-adding role in the payment flows between travel suppliers (650k hotels) and their bookers (60k agencies).

 

Proposition Manager, DCC (contract 2013-2014)

Worldpay is the UK’s leading payment acquirer.

Interim business owner of the myCurrency proposition for merchants with overseas consumers, generating income over £5m and winning 2 industry awards in 2014.

Product Manager (contract 2012-2013)

Access Prepaid (MasterCard group) is a global leader in prepaid card programme management with clients around the world.

 I undertook two contracts; to define the standard and configurable multi-currency prepaid card and its global variants and; to review the programme delivery process.

Business Development Director (2010-2012)

IMX develops solutions for currency cash and precious metal businesses worldwide; including Credit Suisse, American Express, ANZ, CommerzBank, M&S, UK Post Office.

 A strategic and tactical role to identify new products, markets and partnership initiatives that would grow and reposition IMX beyond its existing focus.

Senior Propositions Manager (2004-2010) 

First Rate (turnover £2bn+) provides currency products and services to the UK Post Office, the UK’s market leader in travel money product sales and to other clients on a white-label basis.

  • Senior Proposition Manager (2009-2010)
  • Head of Prepaid Products (interim 2008-2009)
  • Product Manager (2004-2008)

For further information please contact me via LinkedIn.