Ivan Avila

British consulting company for a year whose mission is to create connections and technological and market solutions between the United Kingdom and LATAM to generate positive change in local and global agri-food and environmental systems. Supported as a specialized consultant in:

• Market research and analysis: Led market research and opportunities in the agricultural and environmental sectors for UK companies, research centres, and initiatives in Colombia and LATAM, developing a deep understanding of the commercial landscape and market trends. This includes a comprehensive analysis of competition and service portfolios to establish market fit. Provided market intelligence and regional growth opportunity, which has been crucial for strategic decision-making. Experience encompasses leading research on opportunities and challenges related to the inclusion of technological solutions in key sectors such as agriculture, transportation, logistics, connectivity, sustainability, and bio-trade.
• Relationship with key stakeholders: Successfully support the engagement with diverse actors from the public and private sectors within the most significant value chains and supply ecosystems in Colombia and LATAM, including government entities, NGOs, federations, academia, companies, and startups. This collaboration has been crucial to identifying initial opportunities and ensuring effective market participation. Responsible for capturing requirements and creating business plans in close collaboration with all stakeholders, contributing to the success of projects and business initiatives.
• Commercial and marketing strategy: Led the establishment of go-to-market and marketing strategies to strengthen the presence of the commercial portfolio of UK companies, research centres, and SMEs in the Colombian and LATAM markets and seize expansion opportunities. Developed strategies based on customer needs and preferences, resulting in a significant increase in market visibility and participation. Established detailed business plans and delivered roadmaps and implementation plans to ensure effective execution of commercial strategies.
• Product and service development: Provided support for exploring and analyzing market opportunities, enabling the future entry of product and service offerings. This has involved developing and adapting portfolios of products, services, capabilities, and technology specifically designed for the region. Responsible for identifying initial opportunities and market participation, as well as creating business plans and delivering roadmaps and implementation plans to ensure successful market inclusion.
• Project management: Co-led project management with clients and stakeholders to create project plans, delivery schemes, and budget management. Supported on elaboration of accurate and concise reports and organized meetings with clients, funders, and key stakeholders to report progress and provide updated project information.

Supporting this British venture, focused on creating data analytics platforms providing insights for agriculture, environmental, financial, and insurance sectors, through Analytics as a Service. As product manager and product owner, the contribution was focused on:

• Strategic Product Management: Spearheaded the identification and validation of market opportunities for product development initiatives, defining the product vision. Working closely with stakeholders and cross-functional teams. Led ideation, development, and launch efforts, refining the roadmap for the information analytics platform. Additionally, crafted the product strategy, developed business and use cases, and strategically planned to meet platform value expectations, user acquisition, and customer satisfaction.
• Stakeholder Management: Supported engagement with key stakeholders in market segments to identify and address the needs of a diverse range of clients, including federations, insurance companies, government agencies, and service providers. Led brainstorming sessions and ensured effective communication with stakeholders, leads, and development teams, Gathered requirements and demands to focus on value delivery and develop effective strategies for product adoption.
• Market Research and Competitive Analysis: Successfully completed market research and competitive analysis in specific segments to better understand how products could best serve the market and inform product positioning and differentiation strategies. This involved identifying opportunities and actionable insights to guide product value delivery, ensuring its relevance and competitiveness.
• Product Development Management: Led the implementation of agile product management methodologies to streamline development processes. Working closely with the development team and stakeholders, ensuring smooth communication and clear understanding, and refining technical, functional, and non-functional requirements. Developed and managed the product backlog, prioritizing based on customer requirements and market trends to ensure efficient and effective product development.
• Marketing Strategy: Supported the development and execution of product marketing strategy, defining value proposition and benefits. Ensured reaching the target audience and effectively addressing the needs of the analytics services market in agricultural, environmental, social, insurance, financial, and service and input provision sectors.

Supported the National Federation of Rice Growers of Colombia, the leading representative association at the national level and a leader in research, technological development, and services for the rice sector in Colombia, as an Assistant to the Technical Management, in the following manner:

• Project Management and Strategic Alliances: Managed diverse projects to meet objectives, budgets, timelines, and deliverables. This included national and international cooperation projects, ensuring proper execution and compliance with commitments. Additionally, led the creation, management, and strengthening of strategic alliances with key government stakeholders, public entities, companies, research centres, international cooperatives, and NGOs. These alliances encouraged cooperation and investment for the development of research programs and the promotion of the rice and agricultural sector.
• Program and Project Coordination: Supported the coordination, design, planning, monitoring, and tracking of program and project agendas in areas such as competitiveness, production model improvement, technology package adaptation and adoption, and infrastructure, among others. Successfully supported and ensured the correct implementation and monitoring of scheduled activities, ensuring the achievement of established objectives and compliance with deadlines.
• Team Leadership and Coordination: Led and coordinated the research, innovation, technology transfer, and technical assistance team to ensure effective and efficient collaboration in achieving organizational objectives. This included task assignment, team progress monitoring, and resolution of any issues that arose during project development. The focus was on maintaining high standards of quality and efficiency in activities performed.
• Development of Strategies and Action Plans: Supported the development and management of strategies and action plans to align the operations, programs, projects, and roadmaps of research, development, technical assistance, and technology transfer processes. This involved establishing management indicators, KPIs, environmental analysis, internal analysis, resources, and capabilities, with a market-focused perspective and centered on the needs of the rice and agricultural sector at regional and national levels. The aim was to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency in implementing strategies to achieve organizational objectives.

• Instruction and Development of Educational Material: Provided instruction in both theoretical and laboratory classes, covering a wide range of courses. Developed and managed comprehensive course materials, including syllabi, lectures, readings, assignments, and exams. Focus on curriculum design and the implementation of innovative teaching methods enabled an effective and enriching learning experience for my students.
• Research and Academic Guidance: Guided research processes in areas related to industrial and agricultural microbiology, and biotechnology. Advised students on academic matters and guided their career paths. Supervised undergraduate students in their thesis research projects, offering them solid guidance and continuous support to achieve their academic goals.
• Evaluation and Academic Management: Assessed student performance through various methods, including tests, quizzes, and other evaluations. Administered and graded tests and assignments to monitor students' progress and ensure they met the established learning objectives. Utilized technological tools and maintained an updated website with relevant information to facilitate communication and access to academic resources.