Maritza van den Heuvel's Linkedin Analytics

Creating something from nothing .. That is the superpower that I have honed over almost two decades, and now wield daily as a senior leader with deep expertise in digital innovation and transformation. I quickly map undefined and ambiguous terrain to craft a compelling strategic vision and then calmly and effectively align, direct and develop teams and individuals to deliver on that strategy. Along the way, I build in transparent, empathetic and actionable feedback mechanisms to ensure that we keep learning and iterating our way to success. MY JOURNEY It all started when I switched from academia to software development in 2003. I was the first technical writer in a startup that thought their problem was poor documentation. The actual problem was poor product design that needed too much documentation. I fixed that by introducing user-centred design and cross-functional agile software development practices, both in their infancy in South Africa at the time. By the time I left Kaplan eight years later, I'd gone on to build out a quality assurance team, brought two new learning products to market as product manager and played a key role in reinventing another. I also brought Kanban to South African shores, helping to kickstart an entire generation of lean-agile coaches and consultants that is still going strong today. Since then, I've done similar groundbreaking work wherever I've chosen to hang my hat. At Pearson I established one of the first regional digital innovation labs in a vast, multi-national organization, helping print publishing teams to develop digital product development skills, business models, tools and products. At Cognician I conceptualized and delivered a global product offering in record time, turning it into the backbone of the company's lucrative relationship with one of the world's top management consulting firms and triggering a whole new strategic direction for the business. Most recently at Thinkific Labs. Inc. I built and led the team that designed, launched and matured the first 3rd party App Store in the online learning industry, rapidly growing the app inventory in the space of two years. GET IN TOUCH How can I help to transform you, your team or your organization today? Let's connect to find out! If we haven't met yet, feel free to reach out on LinkedIn to start a conversation about areas of mutual interest. If you're a past or current colleague or business associate, feel free to send me a connection request.