Nicky Schardt

Raising the bar of customer experiences in the SMB fintech sector by managing product, UX and Insights teams where we leverage tools and process like Design First, Jobs to be Done, Business Model Canvas and Value Prop methodologies complementary to Agile development teams. Product team development includes the introduction and execution of a new quarterly planning methodology, processes and metrics; new product innovation/change management ingestion process; driving change through product lifecycle and matched Jobs to be Done personas

Attend professional and amateur sports car racing events and other related industry events to support current and prospective family owned wheel manufacturing customers. • Creating presentations, marketing materials and attending sports car industry events such as SEMA and PRI; Sponsorship and events in conjunction with the IMSA Continental Tire race program • Supporting current and prospective teams during professional and amateur sports car racing events

Consulting with a variety of existing and start-up organizations to develop new and enhance existing brands, ideate new products and services, and create relevant marketing strategies by leveraging tools and methodologies including Business Model and Value Proposition Canvases, developing Mission Statement and Brand Promise statements, creating and analyzing competitors, writing and publishing content, creating presentations and collateral, and developing measurable digital marketing strategies.

Provided internal guidance to Worldpay’s Enterprise sales teams, charged with creating tools and strategies to combat price compression and enable better cross-sales opportunities, resulting in improving customer intel and increasing employee engagement. Developed and managed an integrated plan for the initiative, ensuring key metrics and developing success criteria. Led activities such as milestone and impact planning reviews and approvals, budget planning and management. • Introduced value-based pricing framework to redesign fintech product pricing strategy, resulting in maximizing profits and shareholder value. • Piloted a new whitespace tool to increase legitimate enterprise prospects by 30%.

Successfully attained approval and acceptance from disparate parts of the organization by spearheading the new Enterprise product launch process acting as liaison between sales, marketing, operations and product teams. • Brought five new customer-focused products to market successfully. • Improved work efficiency, productivity, and profitability through training and development programs as well as implementation of new Enterprise sales practices.

Collaborated with various internal departments to develop multiple product marketing strategies and ensure accurate product positioning. Prepared and analyzed product financials to assess and ensure profitability of new and existing products. Created and managed the overall Product Lifecycle process for new product and Lifecycle Governance with key business stakeholders for products in development. Owned the product team’s product innovation process using Business Model and Value Prop Canvases and Jobs to be Done to capture and identify prospective new product ideas. Developed long-term strategy for products and markets to support aggressive growth goals. • Created an audit-worthy product development process and associated assets. • Designed new Product taxonomy and realigned financial reporting to more accurately track KPIs.

Delivered world-class user experience and design capabilities to product initiatives across Worldpay that drove innovation, customer satisfaction and market differentiation. Built the Practice from the ground up; Owned the innovation and Concept phase processes; work sessions and applicable deliverables for the group. Instituted formal design review meeting across multiple product teams for brand and usability alignment. • Created proprietary methodologies, templates and educated teams how to leverage UX throughout the Product lifecycle. • Conducted research to inform SMB product user personas and then rolled out “hero card” based materials and training to the organization.

Overall product owner. Managed team of sales, IT, and operations experts. Created tools and processes to provide merchants with strategies that would ultimately grow a merchant's gift card program and drive additional revenue opportunities. • Generated 28% YOY revenue growth for the product line (20% was goal) • Optimized third-party card production process to reduce cost by 15% and increase margin to capture additional 20% of revenue opportunities

Served as the primary point of contact for strategic client relationships including the U.S. Navy, Furniture Brands, Paradies Shops and Masonite. Duties included brand strategy development, client customer service, project process definition and management, financial management and new business growth with existing/new clients. • Led and mentored project teams to provide applicable and insightful retail design solutions

Managed and developed successful brand experiences and applications for major U.S. brands across multiple interactive touchpoints. Provided thought leadership to clients and peers. Participated in regular industry speaking events. • Managed $1.2M in annual revenue with an average of 73% profitability each year • Deemed the “Center of Excellence” for digital branding within the Landor network • Multiple award winner of Landor's local and global T&T awards from 2007-2009

Management Accountabilities: Accounts totaling nearly $600,000 for clients such as Iams, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Spring Grove Family of Companies, Art Academy of Cincinnati and Standard Publishing. Strategy and management for these clients included print, interactive, TV, radio and outdoor mediums. Additional responsibilities included the creation, development and implementation of new integrated marketing plan (M.A.P.) process for clients such as Signalysis and THOR Wealth Management. Functional Accountabilities: Creation and management of proposals and budgets, project planning, resource allocation and invoicing for integrated marketing clients. Utilized creative background to direct on-brand experiences, copy and design. Key Accomplishments: • $100,000 new business directly tied to release of M.A.P. (Marketing Action Plan)

Management Accountabilities: Studio, client, creative and project management focusing on branding, interactive and advertising projects for clients like Tom Peters, CJK, the Cincinnati Opera, Direct Marketing Results, askROCCO, Horizon Environmental and the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. Functional Accountabilities: Project planning, budget and resource allocation and client contact. Directed copy, design and development of all projects, both print and interactive, with internal team.

Management Accountabilities: Specifically responsible for the interactive marketing business for Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Spirit Foam, and Eagle One (part of Valvoline/Ashland Oil Companies). Functional Accountabilities: Project planning, budget and resource allocation, client management and marketing promotions. Directed copy, design and development of all strategic campaigns. Key Accomplishments: • Initiated a successful first paper test procedure prior to final development of information design on largest proposed 2003 Valvoline project. • Increased traffic of unique users 3x in the first month of the re-released EagleOne.com by initiating well-executed and well-tracked monthly promotions.