Peter Schliesmann

• Co-founded digital agency, aiming to provide customer-facing SaaS technology solutions using open-source software and generative artificial intelligence, leveraging various LLM models and automation integrations to solve problems and reduce operational costs.
• Responsible for product development, technical research, marketing, operations, and go-to-market strategies.
• Recently launched first product offering while continuing work on improving proprietary AI tools.

Led the product engineering function (architecture, engineering, application operations, and technical project management) for the Peapod Digital Labs division within Ahold Delhaize, supporting the customer-facing digital commerce and fulfillment platforms for their North American brands, including Stop and Shop, Food Lion, and Giant grocery stores, supporting the transaction of $4B in growing annual omnichannel sales

• Spearheaded transformation of engineering functions into domain-aligned structures
• Partnered with HR to recruit domain experts and overhaul architecture, project delivery, and operations, enhancing focus and reducing organizational risk
• Refined managerial structure to achieve balanced span of control, thereby heightening team accountability and minimizing enterprise risk
• Revolutionized technology project workflows, including intake, estimation, prioritization, and funding, elevating project predictability and aligning with critical high-growth strategies
• Managed capital and department budgets of $35M+ with team of 200+ full-time employees and contractors working to grow technology budget YoY by providing a roadmap and working through executive leadership and budgetary decision-making processes
• Deployed near-shore and off-shore development practices, enriching talent pool and transitioning away from a sole staff augmentation model
• Implemented enterprise-level risk mitigation strategies in engineering and capital planning, resolving legacy operational inefficiencies and documentation gaps.

Oversaw all technology aspects, the technological and related business transformation, and ongoing high-growth technology initiatives for Foot Locker Inc.'s customer-facing operations globally, handling a $30M annual budget while leading a 250-person global team

• Drove critical omnichannel initiatives that grew digital sales from 10% to 35% of total revenue while overseeing technology for global brands such as Foot Locker and Champs Sports
• Spearheaded C-suite tech education, translating intricate development, cloud, and cybersecurity concepts into strategic action plans, modernizing technology investments, and leading to new revenue streams
• Built strong relationships with Boards and executive committees through transparent, impactful reporting on high-stakes projects and fiscal outcomes
• Developed multi-year technology roadmaps and worked through C-suite and board funding allocations to drive organizational support of initiatives
• Architected and launched cutting-edge, cloud-based commerce platform
• Custom-engineered with technologies like Hybris, Adobe Suite, and Zendesk on Azure cloud, scaling to handle over $3.5B in sales and over 1.4K transactions per minute through Adyen payments, Riskified fraud, and into custom OMS and financial systems with real-time data visibility to support business decisions, ensuring zero downtime during high-traffic events
• Created state-of-the-art tech development center of excellence in downtown Chicago from ground up, accelerating digital innovation and becoming go-to center for best-in-class talent
• Elevated tech culture, introducing mentorship and upskilling programs that retained top talent and made us a magnet for industry's best
• Revolutionized in-store retail with new POS system across 3K global locations, merging online and offline data and delivering a unified, exceptional customer experience
• Established and oversaw 24/7 Customer Experience Global Operations Unit, which increased system reliability and uptime from 98% to nearly perfect at 99.95% and improved production support reaction time to improve customer experience and business results
• Optimized resource allocation by seamlessly integrating off-shore and near-shore teams, achieving cost savings and greater operational efficiency and contributing to profitability
• Managed through various vendors and contracts, including Adobe, Akamai, SAP, and Oracle, reworking legacy contracts, reducing $5M+ annually from costs without compromising on performance or security
• Established and rolled out enterprise-wide governance frameworks, including policies, procedures, and risk management strategies, streamlining project intake and release processes for optimal efficiency
• Built robust governance and compliance framework and architecture, ensuring ongoing PCI compliance and secure data handling, which turned compliance into a routine check
• Led UX/UI function within the company by setting up a dedicated product management team, cutting down project delivery timelines, and significantly improving customer satisfaction metrics.

Responsible for leading a global team of 800+ resources over the front-end systems and leading architecture, engineering, testing, and support across web, mobile, and in-store for, at the time, the 7th largest online retailer

• Collaborated directly with the Chairman to streamline digital processes and accelerate customer delivery, demonstrating real-time impact on business metrics
• Architected and led the development of a new responsive front-end platform for sears.com, utilizing LEAN methodologies to quickly bring a UX concept to production
• The lightweight, highly customizable platform reduced overall speed to market while improving page speed from a load time of 11.5s to 2.5s
• Led onshore and offshore engineering teams designing and implementing the Sears Marketplace program, expanding online assortment from 250k to over 350 million SKUs
• Oversaw the development of a custom product and content management system (PIM/CMS) to support online sales channels, improve enterprise data governance, and increase the amount of internal and external partnerships in their ability to enrich product data.

Oversaw the global web portfolio of 200+ websites for Abbott Laboratories, a $70 billion pharmaceutical and nutritional product corporation, defining business strategies and technology needs across the site portfolio and reducing overall hosting and development costs

• Championed the strategic oversight of Abbott Laboratories' global web portfolio encompassing 200+ sites, significantly reducing costs while ensuring alignment with business strategies and FDA compliance
• Led the implementation of an enterprise content management system platform and a shared services library, boosting development team productivity, enhancing site functionality, and optimizing cost efficiencies
• Formulated and instituted technology standards, best practices, and a shared services library, fostering adherence among internal and 3rd party development teams and enhancing overall operational efficiency.

• Consulted with clients to understand, define, and deliver technically appropriate solutions for enterprise business applications and eCommerce implementations
• Collaborated with client executive management to manage requirements and ensure successful project delivery.

Served as the manager and architect of web systems development for the film and television studio, working extensively with senior management to set strategic planning for the design, release, and maintenance of business applications that supported finance, production, distribution, and marketing

• Directed corporate web development's creative, technical, and strategic planning, reducing development time by standardizing a standard component library
• Managed the development and support of their high-traffic websites, including fox.com, foxmovies.com, foxmusic.com, foxstudios.com, and internal corporate intranet.