Chris Paterson

Coaching emerging start-ups and established mid-market companies to effectively scale focusing on 4 key areas: Teams, Corporate Strategy, Product Strategy, and Operational Excellence

Leddin Group Certified Leadership Guide
 
Key accomplishments:
• Advised public company Board of Directors to craft new corporate strategy, M&A/Divestitures, Product Roadmap, Operations, and Supply Chain plans. 
• Developed new product line business and commercialization plans while providing operations and social compliance support for a middle market private equity-owned US manufacturer 
• White space product segment and technology exploration and technical scope for a private equity-owned large global manufacturer
• Developed product specifications, 3-year product roadmap, project and product financials, go-to-market plans, and investor deck for a new healthcare tech start-up
• Provided an early growth healthcare tech client with product development, US and Asia sourcing, and operations guidance to improve profitability on current and new products

Founder

the Wond'ry

The Wond'ry - Vanderbilt University's Center for Innovation and Design

Business and technical advisor throughout the entire start-up process from early-stage technology feasibility, market, and consumer needs exploration to seed funding and company creation

Mentor and Advisor

Fractionals United

Fractionals United is the leading global community for Fractional Leaders.

It's the go-to place for Fractionals to grow their expertise and business, network with other like-minded executives, and access valuable resources and support.

Companies can also take advantage of the community if you're in need of Fractional Leaders to help grow your business.

Member

Vinci Brands

Led the Product team which included Product Development, Product Management, and Asia Operations to concept, develop, and launch consumer-inspired, market-leading product solutions.

Key accomplishments:
• Integrated a global multi-disciplinary Product team including Product Development, Product Management, Industrial Design, QA, and Asia Operations  
• Developed new SOPs and performance metrics to align with corporate and Private Equity owner goals, market requirements, and consumer needs
• Created new multi-year product and technology roadmaps 
• Implemented a new PMO Stage Gate processes to be on-time, on-budget, and on-brand with all product launches

Executive Vice President Product & Innovation

SVP Worldwide

Leading new business unit category development to expand product offerings and channels of distribution to reach new consumers and grow overall market share globally beyond core segments. Working with key global leaders in the US, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM to develop 3-5 year road maps, go-to-market strategies, and marketing/promotional plans. Partnering with lead suppliers and Global Operations to fast-track new product development and strategic sourcing initiatives.

Key accomplishments:
• Launched a new line of products in a new complementary market segment
• Expanded the portfolio of accessories for the sewing and crafting marketing to drive incremental sales
• Developed a business plan for a greenfield product line in a new product segment to address a large and under-served consumer cohort
• Created new SOPs and linked documents to expedite business case development, reduce errors, and provide one source of truth for all product data

Global Director

ZAGG, Inc.

Responsible for directing the hardware and software development process of ZAGG's award-winning screen protection, keyboards, audio, and power management products and oversee the teams' execution on company objectives and initiatives.

Key Accomplishments: 
• Grew revenue from $250M to over $500M in 2 years that exceeded Market consensus  
• Exceeded annual cost reduction goals totaling nearly $1M 
• Led the US Product Development and China Operations Team of over 70 teammates which included Engineering, Product Development, Operations, and Quality to ensure global corporate goals were met.
• Coached, trained, and mentored team members to ensure resources are capable and deployed properly
• Key member of the Executive Leadership Team M&A review and strategy group
• Developed new Product Roadmap processes, procedures, and financial metrics for vetting new products to better align with consumer/market needs and to meet annual corporate financial objectives.
• Drove new PMO Stage Gate processes to be on-time, on-budget, and on-brand with all product launches
• Expedited multiple cross-functional projects to meet challenging timelines and objectives
• Led the Product teams to grow sales and solidify our positions as the #1 market leader in screen protection, #1 in tablet keyboards, and moved the audio brand from outside the top 5 to #1 in volume for wired personal audio headphones in 1 year 
• Launched an industry-first USB-C charging dock for a new Samsung tablet 4 months ahead of schedule while remaining on-budget
• Led cross-functional brainstorm sessions to fill the product pipeline with thousands of new product ideas for future screening
• Initiated Consumer Research to develop insights and test new concepts using tools such as consumer insight panels and on-line qualitative and quantitative testing

EVP, Product Development and Product Management

Griffin Technology

Responsible for leading a global hardware and software Product Development department that included Industrial Design, Product Management, Consumer and Market Research, and Software App-Development. 

Provided hands-on leadership to the Product Managers to guide with the development of annual Product Roadmaps, on-going cost-reduction programs, and long-range product and technology exploration to meet corporate P&L goals. 

Directed a global team of Industrial Designers located in Nashville, San Francisco, and in our China office. 

Key accomplishments:
• Developed new processes, procedures, and financial metrics for vetting new products to better align with consumer needs, increase operational efficiency, and drive towards corporate P&L goals.
• Collaborated with the CFO to develop and execute an on-going cost-reduction plan that has improved EBITDA while preserving product performance and quality levels. 
• Created a new category, Accessories for Wearables, by fast-tracking research, development, and launch of a new product line in 4 months achieving “first to market” with a line of products that delight our consumers and garners widespread channel distribution
• Established a new Consumer and Market Research team that collaborated with the Category Management team to develop insights, analyze trends, and test concepts through a variety of qualitative and quantitative tools such as ethnographies, on-line concept testing
• Championed strategic product and category sessions with the Executive Team to gain alignment of each department in order to execute the corporate strategy and meet P&L goals.
• Built relationships with local universities, including Vanderbilt University and Belmont University, to lead corporately sponsored advanced concept projects with their MBA and Engineering students.

GM, Design and Product Marketing

Oreck Corporation

Responsible for leading consumer, competitive, and technology research to glean key insights for the development of incremental and radical innovations. Championed the creation of corporate strategic innovation product and technology maps that feed the new product pipeline. 

Led cross-functional development teams composed of representatives from Marketing, Engineering, Industrial Design, Purchasing, and QA as well as domestic and overseas vendors through a Stage Gate process. Directly responsible for all project phases and deliverables including multi-million dollar development budgets, tight schedules, and financial goals.

Global Director, Product Innovation and Design

Worked with Group Marketing Director to form the Product Innovation department. Responsible for short and long-range strategic product and category planning, technology investigations, business partnership development, and new product acquisitions. Dramatically expanded the focus on R&D and Industrial Design based on consumer market studies such as crowdsourcing, ethnographies, on-line research, and focus group research. Directly manage the Product Innovation team.

Senior Manager, Product Innovation and Design

Responsible for all aspects of new product development including direct management of the Design Group. Manage cross-functional design teams from concept through production. Develop all schedules, manpower requirements, component and SKU costing estimates, tooling capital requirements, and overall product specifications. Model concepts using Unigraphics from initial design through final detailed designs. Managed the concept and development of a new soft bag upright vacuum cleaner, hand-held portable vacuum cleaner, wet extractor nozzle, and various SKU expansions within existing product lines. Travel overseas to work with vendors and provide input on prospective new partners.

Manager, Design

Poulan/Weedeater

Responsible for all of the Product Support group activities. Directly managed three engineers, two junior designers, two CAD operators, and an administrative assistant. Directed all major quality improvements on all existing product lines. Implemented various line extensions on all existing product lines.

Project Engineer, Existing Products

HMI Industries

Responsible for the conceptualization, development, and implementation of new home and health care products. Assisted in the maintenance of existing product lines.

Project Design Engineer

Do you need a seasoned leader to develop your corporate strategy (top-down) or product strategy (bottoms-up) that aligns with your corporate strategy and/or private equity investment thesis? 

I have 31+ years of expertise working with and for private, public, or private-equity owned companies and their ELTs, Boards, and Operating teams. I coach B2C and B2B start-up and mid-market teams to effectively build and scale their businesses. Design-thinking Senior Executive leader helping organizations ideate, design, build, and launch products that consumers love.

Core Competencies: 
Cross-Functional Executive Team Leadership • Artificial Intelligence Prompt Engineering • Strategic Business Development • Global Strategic Alliances • Integrated Hardware, App, and Firmware Product Development • Product Management • Product Marketing • Hardware and Software Product Innovation Pipeline and Innovation Process • Product Roadmap Planning • M&A • Asia Operations • Industrial Design • Project Management • Competitive Analysis • Market Analysis • Budget Management • Technology Feasibility • Consumer Needs Research

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