Matthew Bennett
Plymouth,Minnesota
Summary
Highly accomplished and results-oriented Product Management leader with over 15 years of experience driving strategic product roadmaps and delivering innovative solutions for nationally recognized retailers. Proven ability to lead large, cross-functional teams, including engineers and product owners, through the entire product lifecycle, from vision and strategy to execution and optimization. Adept at navigating complex business landscapes, integrating advanced technologies, and consistently achieving significant operational efficiencies and financial growth. Seeking to leverage deep expertise in logistics, financial planning, and enterprise systems to define and execute the product vision for this role.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Group Product Manager for Shipping and Logistics
GOAT GROUP
03.2024 - 08.2025
- Led the strategic vision and execution for a comprehensive suite of shipping and logistics software capabilities, migrating to a scalable, flexible, and optimized infrastructure. This drove innovation that rivaled even Amazon.
- Achieved over $30M in cost savings over three years by integrating home-grown shipping software with over 15 new carriers and optimizing complex international shipping and logistics lanes.
- Managed critical infrastructure supporting 15 warehouses, 4 retail locations, approximately 150 drop shippers, and shipping to 163 countries, ensuring cost-effective, customer-facing fulfillment.
- Navigated unprecedented global trade changes, tariffs, and restrictions through strategically modular product design, preventing measurable service disruption and facilitating agile logistical adjustments for internal business partners.
- Mentored junior product managers, fostering professional growth and promoting best practices in product management.
Lead Product Manager
GOAT GROUP
04.2022 - 03.2024
- Led cross-functional teams to define product vision and strategy.
- Developed comprehensive product roadmaps aligning with market trends and customer feedback.
- Collaborated with engineering teams to prioritize features and enhance user experience.
- Managed stakeholder communications, ensuring alignment on product goals and timelines.
- Designed and implemented a strategic vision for shipping and logistics technology, transforming hard-coded rules into a modular system directly integrating with carriers and eliminating third-party label purchasing.
- Drove the integration of machine learning engines to optimize internal and outbound shipping lanes, significantly reducing operational costs and improving efficiency.
Principal Product Owner for Assortment and Financial Planning
TARGET
11.2010 - 04.2022
- Championed innovative, strategic initiatives to reimagine Merchandise systems, focusing on driving efficiencies and speed-to-market through extensive discovery sessions, user interviews, and cross product planning.
- Designed and implemented updated methods and standards that enhanced product uptime stability and increased data accuracy for both internal applications and the Target website experience.
- Presented strategic roadmaps and KPIs to executive leaders across the organization, leading to improved efficiencies, particularly in Apparel Assortment and Financial Planning, from concept to in-store launch.
- Delivered monthly business review templates and reports that empowered Planners to quickly assess actuals, update forecasts, and provide financial outlooks, saving 4-8 hours per Planner per month and improving company-wide forecast accuracy.
- Spearheaded the implementation of an automated calendarization engine within the preseason assortment financial module, delivering 50-90% workload reduction for Planners and enhance inventory accuracy.
- Drove alignment between business goals and technical implementation through effective communication with stakeholders.
- Mentored junior team members in Agile methodologies and best practices for effective Product Owner role execution.
Lead Product Owner for Unit and Financial Planning
TARGET
09.2012 - 07.2017
- Led the development and implementation of a new multichannel financial planning tool (SAP BPC) and process, supporting Multichannel Inventory Management by combining digital and store inventory and financial planning.
- Managed the replacement of an aging merchant Unit Planning System with an upgraded Java front-end and more stable back-end data, improving system reliability and user experience.
- Owned the Merchandising Foundations project for Financial and Assortment Planning, aligning technology capabilities with future strategic direction and business model.
Business Process Consultant for Merchandise Business Intelligence
TARGET
11.2010 - 09.2012
- Developed hourly Black Friday mobile app reporting for the enterprise, providing crucial real-time visibility to key sales figures for executive leadership.
- Implemented the Merchandising Reporting (MerchIQ) landing page, integrating SharePoint 2010 and MicroStrategy, to deliver a role-based and customized reporting view for merchants.
- Served as Test Lead for the entire MerchIQ program, developing strategic testing, resource, and timing plans to coordinate effectively with Testing COE and Target Technology Services (TTS) partners.
- Facilitated workshops to gather insights and drive consensus on strategic initiatives.
- Evaluated emerging technologies to recommend tools that improve process effectiveness.
Business Analyst for Common Cost & Margin
SUPERVALU
02.2009 - 11.2010
- Developed and implemented common cost transformation methodology across the enterprise for reporting, pricing, and inventory valuation. Moving SuperValu banners all to Cost Accounting.
- Analyzed and provided recommendations for pricing cost in Oracle ORMS, assisting in developing technical solutions for merchandise analysis.
- Collaborated with merchants to identify opportunities for regular price optimization and effective promotion planning.
- Facilitated workshops to align stakeholder expectations with project goals.
Business Analyst for Category Merchandise Financial Planning
SUPERVALU
02.2009 - 11.2010
- Optimized systems and processes in collaboration with IT, Finance, and Merchant teams to meet user requirements, including data availability and communication.
- Coordinated weekly support activities and ongoing enhancement projects, and supported merchants through retail sales and margin planning as the Category Merchandise Financial Planning (CMFP) administrator.
- Led CMFP merchant training for approximately 300 merchants, preparing them for fiscal year sales and margin planning.
- Facilitated weekly meetings to inform Executive Leadership and key functional areas about tool enhancements and support activities.
- Instrumental in developing procedures and training materials for offshore support and supervising data validation.
Program Manager for Schwan’s Consumer Brands North America, Pepperidge Farm & ConAgra
RPM CONNECT (RYAN PARTNERSHIP)
04.2006 - 11.2008
- Designed and executed national-level promotions for major CPG brands, managing a $3M budget.
- Partnered with leading brands like Toyota, NFL’s Miami Dolphins, American Heart Association, and Hasbro in promotion development.
- Managed outside agencies, corporate partners, and media buying services to exceed program deliverables.
National Marketing Coordinator
GANDER MOUNTAIN
05.2004 - 04.2006
- Managed and executed 35 store grand openings, coordinating cross-functional efforts between merchants and store operations, exceeding previous performance by over 40%.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Business Management – Marketing
Saint John’s University
Collegeville, Minnesota05.2004
Skills
- Product Leadership & Strategy: Product Vision & Strategy, Roadmap Development, P&L Ownership, Go-to-Market Strategy, Market Analysis, Competitive Intelligence, Executive Reporting & Communication With expertise in E-commerce, Supply Chain & Logistics, Merchandise Financial Planning, Retail and more
- Team & Process Management: People Manager, Mentor, Agile/Scrum, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Mentorship, Process Optimization, Stakeholder Management, Requirements Gathering
- Technical Acumen: Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), System Integration, Machine Learning Integration, Data Analytics, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Cloud Solutions
- Tools: Jira, Confluence, Mode, ProdPad, SAP Products and Hana, Oracle RPAS (MFP), Oracle Retail Management System (ORMS), MicroStrategy, MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook)
Additional Activities
Youth baseball and hockey coach, outdoor enthusiast: fisherman, hunter, snowmobiler and camper.
Timeline
Group Product Manager for Shipping and Logistics
GOAT GROUP
03.2024 - 08.2025
Lead Product Manager
GOAT GROUP
04.2022 - 03.2024
Lead Product Owner for Unit and Financial Planning
TARGET
09.2012 - 07.2017
Principal Product Owner for Assortment and Financial Planning
TARGET
11.2010 - 04.2022
Business Process Consultant for Merchandise Business Intelligence
TARGET
11.2010 - 09.2012
Business Analyst for Common Cost & Margin
SUPERVALU
02.2009 - 11.2010
Business Analyst for Category Merchandise Financial Planning
SUPERVALU
02.2009 - 11.2010
Program Manager for Schwan’s Consumer Brands North America, Pepperidge Farm & ConAgra
RPM CONNECT (RYAN PARTNERSHIP)
04.2006 - 11.2008
National Marketing Coordinator
GANDER MOUNTAIN
05.2004 - 04.2006
Bachelor of Arts - Business Management – Marketing
Saint John’s University
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