Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Websites
Awards
Accomplishments
References
Timeline
Generic
Robert White

Robert White

Milford,MA

Summary

Versatile Enterprise and Technology Executive.|Driving Growth Through Digital Transformation and High-Impact Global Teams. Enthusiastic, self-directed professional with over 20 years of digital product management, product strategy, organizational change, and e-learning experience. We have stayed at the forefront of EdTech and technology innovations with Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and how these technologies can be used to solve problems and add user value to both external and internal customers. Seeking to bring talent and vision to a respected organization that isn’t satisfied with the status quo, and strives to provide increasing value for customers: internal or external. Demonstrated talent to pinpoint 'change the business' opportunities and execute against strategy. Results-focused, professional with several years of proven success in developing and leading cross-functional technical teams to execute and deliver major technology initiatives. Demonstrates expertise in vdi, desktop, remote access, thin clients and video conferencing. Highly-effective communication facilitator and contributor to key partnerships, projects and collective team objectives across, telecom, network, hosting, security, governance and vendor management to achieve positive impact on all business outcomes.

Overview

27
27
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Sr. Director, Product Portfolio Lead, Cengage Global Technology Solutions

Cengage Learning
Boston, MA
12.2023 - Current
  • Spearheaded enterprise-wide technology transformation, modernizing legacy systems across ERP, CRM, and eCommerce.
  • Consolidated over 70 applications into three scalable platforms, including SAP/HANA, Salesforce, & Informatica
  • Retired more than 150 applications, promoting agility and accountability within the organization at a savings of approximately $7 million annually.
  • Established and led a portfolio management team from inception, delivering approximately 35 strategic projects across 13+ portfolios annually, on time and within budget.
  • Directed GenAI strategy, governance, and architecture, achieving seven-figure savings, and revenue uplift.
  • Reduced IT costs through comprehensive application rationalization and infrastructure optimization.
  • Employed a shared Agile delivery model that helped the company effectively scale its Agile practices while aligning funding, OKRs, and delivery via integrated roadmaps.

Sr. Director, Technology Solutions

Cengage Global Technology
09.2018 - 12.2023
  • Recruited to help redefine Technology Solutions Partner group & role. This while developing the strategy, roadmapping, & execution plan to deliver new, enterprise-wide Multi-domain, Master Data Management and PDLC ecosystems, amongst other solutions, to enable future of Business. Served as the Voice of the Customer for Product/Content.
  • Provided leadership in the EdTech Product, Content Development, and Product Data/ Master Data Managements spaces as the company prepared to streamline and consolidate operations and achieve competitive differentiation in preparation for a potential merger. Laid the groundwork for digital transformation across the enterprise. Assessed business value, technical health, and user experience to guide application road mapping on >200 applications.
  • Fully Owned, defined, & began execution of multi-year, Master Data Management initiative, leveraging Informatica, to redefine product/party data management, systems, integrations, workflows, & definitions across the eThe objective was to enable industry-transforming SaaS business models, further evolve the enterprise operating model, enhance data analytics, remove legacy points of failure, and sunset a patchwork of 12 or more legacy systems.cy systems.
  • Developed strategy, roadmap, & action plan to align architecture, product management, engineering, and business around future state, integrated, end-to-end Product Development Lifecycle suite of tools which will generate $5M+/year run rate savings
  • Managed team of Product Managers overseeing the budgets & backlogs of 8 engineering teams in support of the ongoing evolution of the EdTech business & its changing product models/offerings.

Sr. Director

Cengage Global Product Management Operations, Training, & Project Management
06.2013 - 09.2018
  • Spearheaded digital/print based content & product development transformation & support services while implemneting operational chanages across 1,000+ employees across Higher Ed, Skills, K-12, International, & Career/Corporate.
  • Managed large, cross-functional team to deliver industry-disrupting Cengage Unlimited Subscription services to market
  • Successfully redesigned & implemented new Product Operating Model/PDLC & org design to evolve Print-based personnel/processes/technology to Digital/Delivery Agnostic processes & roles. Fundamentally transformed how org designed educational products
  • Created business case & secured $20m in Business System/Infrastructure improvement from Board of Directors to enable digital transformation of business
  • Managed 12+ team members and mentored into leadership roles
  • Product Person of the Year and Manoj Nair Collaboration Awards Recipient

Digital Product Manager, Mathematics, Humanities, Company-Wide Initiatives

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company, College Division
Boston, MA
06.2008 - 05.2013
  • Managed the product lifecycle of online products contributing to over $300M per annum. Also, led several organization-wide, cross-functional initiatives. Insured solutions met customer and competitive needs while bringing these through development, launch, implementation, and maintenance.
  • Appointed Market Research Expert/Lead in Product Management group and help design Research Center of Excellence.
  • Developed and led implementation of Biannual Digital Survey across all of higher ed. as well as various other internal and external surveys.
  • Led Instructor Advisory Boards, Focus Groups, and Class Tests in multiple disciplines.
  • Conceived of, launched, and scaled internal prioritization surveys to identify synergies and outliers between discipline/market needs.
  • Leader of many cross-discipline/cross-functional projects, including Adaptive Learning, Subjective Assessment, Online Portfolios, and Assessment Authoring Environments.
  • Formed cross-functional, adaptive task force across 30+ discipline areas.
  • Point person in partnership negotiations for new third-party platform partnerships, such as Cognero.n and Cognero.
  • Launched Studio 2.0 in August 2011 across four disciplines, and worked to integrate features into LMSes to service 15+ discipline areas for Fall 2013.
  • Successfully developed and launched several new digital products, including an online diagnostic assessment with robust reporting.
  • Trained/mentored several new product managers. Also, assisted with the training of new Marketing Managers, Program Managers, Sales Representatives, and Content Developers.

Digital Product Manager

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company, College Division
Boston, MA
01.2006 - 01.2008
  • Primary player in several digital product management initiatives for course management systems, websites, and eBooks. Key liaison for sales regarding all division technology products and strategies. Also, interfaced regularly with 3rd party vendors.
  • Assisted and managed with projects at every level of implementation for new Mathematics WebAssign strategy (logistics, pricing, marketing, training, and documentation).
  • Product manager for online product passkeys, including websites and course management, to insure all passkeys were created, set up, and available for packaging and sale in bookstores and online.
  • Wrote cross-discipline requirements for online audio and video to standardize HM’s audio and video offerings. This enhanced functionality and usability for customers, which resulted $25,000 in savings.
  • Assisted with product management for HM Space online products (Course management system, course cartridges, and websites). Included cross-discipline pricing strategy, creating new or updated demo accounts, reviewing new documentation, and presenting at key academic conferences, such as AMATYC, ICTCM, BB World, and NADE, as well as national sales meetings.

Freelance Production

Video Publishing Group (VITALSOURCE)
Boston, MA
01.1999 - 01.2006
  • Worked for Video Publishing Group (VPG Integrated Media) on developing educational videos, CD-ROMs, and multimedia eBooks for several leading educational publishers.

Education

Graduate Degree - Publishing

Emerson College

BA - Visual Media Arts and Writing, Literature, Publishing

Emerson College

Skills

  • Product management and lifecycle
  • Agile methodologies and frameworks
  • Data management and analysis
  • Strategic planning and execution
  • Cross-functional leadership
  • Budget and cost management
  • Change management strategies
  • Effective communication skills
  • Team building and motivation
  • Stakeholder engagement and collaboration
  • Data-driven decision making
  • Key performance indicators (KPIs)
  • Business case development
  • Operational improvement strategies
  • Customer research and insights
  • Training and implementation programs
  • Business analysis techniques
  • Process engineering methodologies
  • Business transformation initiatives
  • Shared services optimization strategies
  • Enterprise project management

Certification

  • Skillbook Academy Certified in SAFe Lean Portfolio Management
  • ExecOnline 90 Day Leadership Coaching Program
  • Speak Easy Inc. Executive Leadership Presentation Certificate
  • American Management Association Presenting Technology to Non-Technical Audiences Certificate

Awards

Cengage Manoj Nair Award, Cengage Product Person of the Year

Accomplishments

Cengage Manoj Nair Award

  • Winners of the Manoj Nair Award will have a strong track record of the following qualities:
    • Persistent and driven toward results; gets things done
    • Respects others as valued Cengage employees for their roles, responsibilities and knowledge
    • Communicates collaboratively with team members toward needed goals, encouraging discussion of all ideas
    • Available and approachable to listen to team members’ questions and thoughts
    • Uses collaboration to achieve an outstanding result
    • Open to changing old behaviors or practices and instituting better ones
    • Brings positive energy to the workplace
  • Cengage Product Person of the Year

References

References available upon request.

Timeline

Sr. Director, Product Portfolio Lead, Cengage Global Technology Solutions

Cengage Learning
12.2023 - Current

Sr. Director, Technology Solutions

Cengage Global Technology
09.2018 - 12.2023

Sr. Director

Cengage Global Product Management Operations, Training, & Project Management
06.2013 - 09.2018

Digital Product Manager, Mathematics, Humanities, Company-Wide Initiatives

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company, College Division
06.2008 - 05.2013

Digital Product Manager

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company, College Division
01.2006 - 01.2008

Freelance Production

Video Publishing Group (VITALSOURCE)
01.1999 - 01.2006

Graduate Degree - Publishing

Emerson College

BA - Visual Media Arts and Writing, Literature, Publishing

Emerson College

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Robert White