Open to opportunities

Warren Gertzen

@warrengertzen

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Product leader and solution architect driving experiment-led innovation and scalable product delivery.

South Africa

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What I'm looking for

I seek a senior product or technical role where I can lead product strategy, scale customer-centered solutions, mentor teams, and drive measurable operational impact.

I am a product-focused solution architect and product owner with hands-on experience building end-to-end products, modernising ways of working, and driving customer-facing experimentation. I have delivered scalable cloud solutions, consolidated multiple systems into unified platforms, and reduced operational complexity.

My background spans innovation strategy, agile transformation, and technical delivery — including wireframing, solution design, data modelling, ETL, and BI dashboards. I have managed developer teams, run workshops to gather customer requirements, and developed training and change-management programmes to support adoption.

I consistently achieve measurable results such as substantial process simplification, platform consolidation, cost savings equivalent to 3x contract cost, and improved operational metrics (for example, a 45% weighbridge turnaround reduction). I seek roles where I can lead product strategy, coach teams in agile delivery, and scale customer-centered solutions.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Product Owner

Current

Innovation Brewery

Mar 2025 - Present (10 months)

Led development and delivery of an experiment-driven workshop product end-to-end, scaling the offering and establishing customer relationships that enabled ready-for-delivery commercialization.

Product Ownership Experimentation Roadmapping Customer Research Backlog Management Stakeholder Management Metrics Analysis

Business Analyst

Sasol via 4Xcellence Solutions

Feb 2023 - Jan 2026 (2 years 11 months)

Supported new software implementation through requirements gathering, process mapping and testing, delivering cost savings equivalent to 3x contract cost and achieving initial adoption across 10,000+ users.

Requirements Gathering Process Mapping UAT Data Modelling ETL Dashboarding RACI

Solution Architect

Gomes Sands

Mar 2023 - Jan 2024 (10 months)

Designed and delivered software modernisation solutions, led a development team, implemented phase-based roadmaps and an Ideas Management System, reducing process steps and improving turnaround times.

Solution Architecture Agile Coaching Scrum Wireframing Process Improvement Product Roadmapping Team Leadership

Technical Lead

V&A Waterfront via The Nimble

Sep 2022 - Apr 2023 (7 months)

Led ways-of-working modernization and Outsystems development, executed platform implementations and delivered adoption roadmaps with training and handover to senior management.

OutSystems SharePoint Change Management Training Development Solution Design Technical Delivery

Product Owner

IMP Labs

Jul 2022 - Jan 2023 (6 months)

Owned a cloud-based job book product, translating requirements into specifications, migrating to a cloud architecture and improving visibility and customer satisfaction through iterative development.

Product Ownership Cloud Migration Iterative Development Jira Azure DevOps Training & Handover UX UI

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

University of Pretoria

Master of Engineering, Technology & Innovation Management

2019 - 2020

Grade: Distinction

Activities and societies: Research and publication in SAJEMS; taught/led workshops and contributed to project selection criteria insights.

Completed an MEng in Technology & Innovation Management (with Distinction) including research into goals and benefits of digital transformation projects, published in SAJEMS.

University of Pretoria

Bachelor of Engineering, Industrial Engineering

2012 - 2016

Activities and societies: Projects in process optimisation, simulation modelling, systems design, and management accounting; led change management and support SLA development.

Completed a BEng in Industrial Engineering with distinctions in Simulation Modelling, Operations Research, and related subjects; contributed to process consolidation and successful adoption across users.