Professional Summary
I am a technology leader with 13+ years in building digital infrastructure for financial services and international development efforts. I have expertise in leading digital transformation initiatives, establishing strategic partnerships, and delivering innovative digital solutions that enhance operational excellence, deliver business goals, and empower communities across Africa.
Skills
Product Strategy: Expert in identifying and evaluating new product opportunities, conducting research and prototyping while managing risks, and developing prioritization frameworks that deliver product success.
Technical Proficiency: Proficient in Python, Django, Java, SQL, REST, Cloud Services (GCP, AWS, Azure), DevOps tools, and Agile methodologies.
Leadership and Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, entrepreneurial mindset with a high tolerance for ambiguity, and experience in building and managing high-performing teams.
Experience
Opareta
Co-founder, Uganda
Oct 2021 – Mar 2024
Accelerated Growth: Spearheaded Opareta’s selection as one of 6 startups for the Last Mile Money Accelerator by IDEO. Used product research and discovery initiatives to scale float loan disbursements by 9.5x from 14,000 to 135,000 over 12 months while maintaining a default rate of 5% and repeat loan rate of 85%..
Strategic Partnerships: Forged strategic partnerships in Uganda, Gambia, and Angola, contributing to a pivot towards an enterprise business model that drove international market expansion and increased enterprise revenue.
Leadership and Innovation: Achieved a $5M company valuation by building a high-performing team and delivering innovative float management and performance analytics solutions for improved agent network management.
Flutterwave
Product Manager, Uganda
Aug 2021 – Dec 2021
Product Delivery: Increased user adoption by delivering the Fintech as a Service (FaaS) platform that enabled startups to embed financial services into their products using Flutterwave's infrastructure.
Collaborative Partnerships: Fostered strategic partnerships with cross-functional and executive teams, enhancing product alignment and empowering team performance.
Data-Driven Insights: Conducted in-depth market research to understand customer needs and the competitive landscape, providing insights that informed product strategy and execution.
Sparkplug
Co-founder, Uganda
Mar 2013 – May 2020
Strategic Leadership: Co-founded and led a tech consulting firm, overseeing business development and strategic direction. Collaborated with a highly credible international client base Included MTN Group, World Bank, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Starkey Hearing Foundation, RTI International and Maxwell Stamp among others. to drive technological innovation, enhance operational efficiency, and deliver tailored solutions.
Inclusive Finance Through an engagement with CGAP at the World Bank.: Supported MTN Group to deliver the groundbreaking Mobile Money Open API platform for ecosystem partners in 2018. In 2022, the platform supported over 1,600 partners and processed more than 338 million transactions.
Health Systems Strengthening Through a MOU with the Ministry of Health, endorsed by the Government of Uganda.: Partnered with the Clinton Health Access Initiative to develop a Commodity Management Platform for the National Medical Stores, enhancing procurement and distribution efficiency.
Hover
Entrepreneur in Residence, USA
Feb 2019 – Jul 2019
Provided strategic insights on product development initiatives for a startup developing an SDK to automate USSD sessions in Android apps, enabling developers to create more inclusive financial services.
Catalpa International
Software Developer, Timor-Leste
Nov 2015 – Oct 2016
Supported human-centered design and engineering for Liga-Inan, Timor-Leste's first m-Health project. Conducted research trips and user interviews, synthesizing findings into actionable design iterations, and contributed high-quality Python and Django code, ensuring stability and reliability.
UNICEF
Software Developer, Uganda
Nov 2015 – Oct 2016
Developed EduTrac, an SMS-based education monitoring system for Uganda's Ministry of Education & Sports, by writing high-quality Python and Django code.
Infectious Diseases Institute
Distance Learning Officer, Uganda
Jul 2011 - Jul 2012
Enhanced distance learning technical capacity as a Global Health Corps Fellow, strengthening IDI's training programs and regional impact.