<a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/your-business-optimal-has-designs-on-future-growth/TCYB5HC3RSJYOSVKCYMPFGCJ6M/" target="_blank">Your Business: Optimal has designs on future growth</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">New Zealand Herald</font>

Your Business: Optimal has designs on future growth - New Zealand Herald

<a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/3355025/Method-acting-helps-cuddle-class-take-off" target="_blank">Method acting helps cuddle class take off</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">Stuff.co.nz</font>

Method acting helps cuddle class take off - Stuff.co.nz

The University of Auckland

Vector Technology Solutions Ltd

Chief Operating Officer

Geo has been part of countless business success stories across the globe as we serve over 20,000 customers in 30 countries. For almost 10 years we’ve been providing smart software solutions for mobile businesses. Our mission is to make it easier out there by offering simple solutions and stand out customer service.

Non Executive Director

Vector Limited

Chief Digital Officer (CDO) and Head of Vector Technology Services

Vector is leading the transformation of the energy sector to create a new energy future. As well as keeping the lights on, the gas flowing, our customers want smarter, more sustainable energy solutions. We are stepping up to meet the ambitious challenge of delivering these solutions through world-class technology, innovation and human centred design.

As part of this ambitious goal, an digital transformation agenda is required to adapt our culture and bring together technology, humans and business needs.

My key responsibilities as Group Manager of Digital Transformation are:

- Establish and foster centres of excellence for Architecture, DevOps, Service Design and Product Management

 - Manage and grow Architecture, DevOps, Service Design and Product Management Teams

 - Enhance and embed processes for human centred design and product development

- Develop a culture of engagement with the broader business to understand their needs and deliver world-class digital solutions

 - Advocate and evangelise a human centred and design-led approach to product development

 - Ensure our teams are successful at delivering great stuff and having fun doing it

Group Manager of Digital Transformation

GfK is the fourth largest Market Research company in the world. Following the trend in the market, GfK brought together expertise from the fields of Innovation and User Experience to provide a unique proposition to market. 

With over 400 dedicated staff globally, GfK's Experience Innovation team delivers a high level of global expertise and consulting in Innovation and User Experience across a range of industries.

As the Global General Manager of Experience Innovation I am responsible for:
 - Developing and executing the Global Strategy
 - Overall performance of the Experience Innovation Group
 - P&L Responsibility for a business with revenues over US$120m 
 - Managing a global team through regional and country structures
 - Establishing capability in new markets
 - Product development
 - Business Development
 - Thought leadership

Global General Manager - Experience Innovation

Optimal Workshop is a leading provider of user experience and information architecture research tools. Our four products - OptimalSort, Treejack, Chalkmark and Reframer - have been used by more than 1,000,000 participants in over 120 countries. Most of our customers are Fortune 500 companies, and include the likes of the Bank of America, Facebook, CNN, BBC, Nokia, Intel and National Geographic.

In my role as a director, I operate primarily at a strategic level to help set the direction of the company, support the CEO and represent the other shareholders on the board.

Optimal Workshop

Director

GfK is the fourth largest Market Research company in the world. User Experience is a core service offering of the GfK portfolio with a team of over 150 UX consultants covering core markets across the globe. 

GfK's User Experience team delivers a high level of expertise in research and design across a range of industries.

As the Global Head I am responsible for:
 - Developing and executing the Global UX Strategy
 - Overall performance of the User Experience Group
 - Establishing capability in new markets
 - Product development
 - Business Development
 - Thought leadership

Global Head of User Experience

Senior Vice President

User Centric, Inc

Director - Operations

Optimal Products is the product development arm of Optimal Usability, that we created in 2007 to commercialise software tools for user experience professionals. Our first product was Optimal Sort, which has been used by more than 3,500 customers worldwide including many Fortune 500 companies. In early 2009 we launched two new products - Chalkmark and Treejack.

In my role as Director I operate at a strategic level, helping to set the direction of the company.

Optimal Products Limited

Optimal Usability

Providing expertise to clients in making their technology easier and more intuitive to use for people.

Technologies include but are not limited to websites, mobile phone interfaces, electronic interfaces and IVR's.

Services include user testing, expert reviews, information architecture, interaction design, vendor usability assessment.

My responsibilities include:

* CFO for the Optimal Group of companies
* Manage Operational Excellence
* Usability and strategic consultancy (including project management)
* Client and account management
* New business development
* Marketing
* Staff management
* Staff development

General Manager - Auckland

Defining and translating an online strategy for telecom.co.nz and initiating streams of work to help make the vision become a reality

Shailesh Manga