Bill Cieslak
Carmel,IN
Summary
Dynamic product leader with a proven track record of driving innovative strategies and enhancing product positioning. I have a passion for identifying and transforming complex strategies into clear and actionable plans for teams to execute with accuracy.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Products
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
01.2023 - Current
- Led product strategy development initiatives that aligned with organizational goals and market demands
- Implemented buyer self-service floorplan payment processing for unpaid vehicles yielding faster payment processing cycles and decreased employee labor
- Performed complete re-envisioning of live bidding product allowing users greater accessibility to maintain organization of vehicles being offered concurrently across different events
- Implemented buyer self-service floorplan payment processing for unpaid vehicles yielding faster payment processing cycles and decreased employee labor
Vice President of Products
Xcira, LLC.
01.2022 - 01.2023
- Facilitated cross-functional collaboration among engineering, marketing, and sales teams, enhancing product launch effectiveness
- Alignment of product teams and roadmaps to high level business strategies / goals associated to relative ROI
- Transitioned to design driven development yielding less rework, faster time to market, and improved feature user adoption
Vice President, Automotive
Xcira, LLC.
04.2018 - 01.2022
- Cultivated strong relationships with key stakeholders, including customers, vendors, and community leaders to promote collaboration and long-term success
- Led adaptation and go-to-market product strategies for entering thoroughbred racehorse auction industry, becoming the leading global technology solution in the space
- Introduced new subscription based products for timed auction marketplace, live auction recording/playback, and geo-location vehicle tracking
Director, Auto Auction Operating Systems
Xcira, LLC.
01.2017 - 04.2018
- Managed product and development teams responsible for readying acquired automotive auction management software that was previously used as proprietary internal system for a successful launch to licensing model
- Identified and re-architected major aspects of system making the product consumable to the market, ultimately resulting in a superior offering versus the leading competition
- Designed and implemented robust dual entry accrual based accounting backend that supported custom business workflows allowing creation of ideal user experience
Director of IT
Auction Broadcasting Company, LLC.
11.2010 - 01.2017
- Responsible for vision, prioritization, and execution for all technology-oriented activities across the 1,200+ employee organization
- Managed development team of proprietary auction management system that was the backbone for all daily operations conducted within organization
- First organization in the industry to roll out a multi-listing program, which automated listing a vehicle simultaneously across multiple leading industry marketplaces to maximize visibility and sell through rate
Education
Bachelor of Science - Computer Science/Mathematics
Bridgewater College
Bridgewater, VA05-2001
Skills
- Automotive Strategy
- Product roadmaps
- Requirement Gathering
- Product positioning
- Go-to-market strategy
- Market requirement documentation
- Product team leadership
- Jira
- User story creation
- Backlog grooming
- Sprint planning
Timeline
Director of Products
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
01.2023 - Current
Vice President of Products
Xcira, LLC.
01.2022 - 01.2023
Vice President, Automotive
Xcira, LLC.
04.2018 - 01.2022
Director, Auto Auction Operating Systems
Xcira, LLC.
01.2017 - 04.2018
Director of IT
Auction Broadcasting Company, LLC.
11.2010 - 01.2017
Bachelor of Science - Computer Science/Mathematics
Bridgewater College