Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Timeline
SalesManager
Michael Barsties

Michael Barsties

Senior Product Manager
Based Near Berlin,

Summary

Results-driven Senior Product Manager with a stellar record of building successful software solutions. Committed to delivering measurable impact and driving positive change. 8 years of experience working in a start-up environment, and 2 years of Product Management experience.

When not at work Michael is navigating his backcountry hikes with Komoot, Garmin GPS, Gaia GPS, and OutdoorActive, he recently crossed the Pyrenees and kayaked the baltic sea in the Saint Anna & Gryt Archipelagos of Sweden. He usually spends his weekends with his wife and daughter, or biwaking deep in the forests of Brandenburg.

At work Michael initiated and led on software projects generating close to £2m in the past year. He is currently leading innovative projects at Olio, connecting businesses with volunteers to minimise food waste and drive social responsibility. One of the projects he's most proud of is leading on building a solution currently used by over 2,000 food businesses, resulting in £500k revenue in the past 12 months, and a software integration generating £1.5m Annual Recurring Revenue for his employer. Multiple times he has proven his expertise in product strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and agile product management.

Overview

9
9
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
3
3
Languages

Work History

Founding Team Member

Olio App
09.2015 - Current
  • Olio is an app that lets you pass on what you no longer need to people who live nearby.
  • I helped grow the company from day 1 from a few dozen to over 6m users, and developed the company's first revenue stream where food businesses pay to have their surplus food collected and distributed.
  • Today over 5,000 businesses use Olio on a regular basis to connect to almost 100,000 local volunteers who collect and distribute surplus food, so nothing goes to waste.
  • Together the community distributes 2m meals from local businesses every month - that's 1 meal every second!
  • Olio raised $50m+ by Series B, and currently employs ~100 people.

Senior Product Manager

Olio App
Remote (Berlin, DE)
01.2022 - Current
  • Key achievements include building a solution (front- & back-end) now used by over 2,000 food businesses on a daily basis to manage their surplus food, and integrating with the UK's largest supermarket to distribute over 1.5m meals each month resulting in £1.5m Annual Recurring Revenue for Olio.
  • Currently leading cross-functional projects to create innovative features using various technologies (e.g. React Native which connects to a Puma Rails API). These features enable businesses to minimise food waste and therefore negative carbon impact, by efficiently and effectively coordinating the collection and distribution of surplus food by seamlessly connecting the businesses with a 100,000 strong community of trained volunteers ready to collect and distribute their surplus food, resulting in a tangible positive impact on sustainability and social responsibility, and revenue for Olio.
  • Collaborating closely with CPO, engineers, designers, and data specialists to develop cutting-edge products and systems by understanding the needs of both external and internal customers and delivering software solutions that drive the company goals and key performance indicators.
  • Demonstrating expertise in product discovery and validation by effectively using frameworks to build and manage the roadmap and backlog of the squad. This collaborative approach, combined with close coordination with the Engineering Manager, ensured successful project delivery and timely launches of impactful software products.

Operations & Product Manager

Olio App
Remote (London, UK)
12.2019 - 12.2021
  • Spearheaded the national and international rollouts of Olio's highly successful Food Waste Heroes programme, then consisting of over 5,000 volunteers and several hundred paying customers, and the associated software solution (Rails 5 and React, later React Native), ensuring seamless implementation and adoption.
  • Collaborated closely with the technical team and product development, contributing to the creation of volunteer management tools (on Rails 5), analytics, and product specifications. Helped develop volunteer dashboards, reports, and analytics, as well as various tools for volunteer self-management, ensuring optimal support and engagement.
  • Took complete ownership of volunteer recruitment systems and training, employing effective strategies to attract and onboard a diverse and engaged volunteer community.
  • Led on all aspects of business rollouts, including the development of comprehensive rollout project plans and communication strategies, ensuring successful execution and stakeholder alignment.
  • Collaborated closely with key stakeholders to ensure project delivery within scope, budget, and timeline, maintaining strong relationships with business' counterparts, and mitigating potential issues.
  • Skillfully managed challenging situations with clients, demonstrating strong problem-solving and communication abilities to preserve client relationships and prevent churn.
  • Expanded and developed the Operations function, overseeing its growth to three teams comprising 13 professionals. Fostered a culture of effective coordination, collaboration, and accountability across all areas of responsibility, resulting in outstanding evaluation reviews from direct reports.
  • Maintained a rigorous oversight of all processes to ensure the safe and compliant collection and distribution of food, adhering to relevant laws and regulations, and working closely with the relevant regulators such as Local Authorities and Food Standards Agency.

Founding Team Member in Various Roles

Olio App
Remote (London, UK)
09.2015 - 11.2019
  • Executed innovative guerilla marketing campaigns to drive user awareness, and growing the Olio Community from a few dozen to a few thousand users.
  • Co-led the end-to-end launch of Olio in 6 UK cities, securing local endorsement, organizing launch events, and executing marketing campaigns.
  • Owned and managed Olio's Ambassador Volunteer programme, automating recruitment, training, and induction processes for a volunteer base of over 3,000.
  • Represented the company as the main point of contact for volunteer activities and communications.
  • Managed one full-time employee during this early phase.
  • Later developed and led Olio's successful Food Waste Heroes program, mobilizing 600+ volunteers at the time to collect surplus food from 100+ food business locations.
  • Oversaw all aspects of the programme, including running pilots, establishing a playbook for scaling, and ensuring compliance with food safety standards.
  • Successfully sold the Food Waste Heroes programme to senior stakeholders at large food-to-go chains and supermarkets.
  • Scaled the paid-for-programme from a single location with 7 volunteers to 135+ locations with 600+ volunteers.
  • Managed volunteer vetting, recruitment, training, onboarding, and ongoing management.
  • Demonstrated competent project management skills and represented Olio at high-profile industry events and speaking engagements.

Sales and Marketing Manager

Montreal Associates
London, UK
03.2014 - 08.2015
  • Developed sales strategy based on research of the German SAP market.
  • Directed canvassing plans to facilitate consistent, high-quality appointments.
  • Developed the German IT Consultancy market, generating close to £200,000 in revenue for the company.
  • Performed competitive analyses and adjusted sales and marketing strategies accordingly.

Education

Master of Science - Corporate Communications

University of West London
London, UK
09.2012 - 09.2013

Bachelor of Arts - Business Psychology

Hochschule Fresenius
Cologne, DE
01.2009 - 01.2012

Skills

Roadmap, Planning, and Product Strategy

undefined

Certification

Product Management (General Assembly - 40 hours)

Timeline

Senior Product Manager

Olio App
01.2022 - Current

Product Management (General Assembly - 40 hours)

06-2020

Operations & Product Manager

Olio App
12.2019 - 12.2021

Founding Team Member

Olio App
09.2015 - Current

Founding Team Member in Various Roles

Olio App
09.2015 - 11.2019

Sales and Marketing Manager

Montreal Associates
03.2014 - 08.2015

Master of Science - Corporate Communications

University of West London
09.2012 - 09.2013

Bachelor of Arts - Business Psychology

Hochschule Fresenius
01.2009 - 01.2012

Similar Profiles

CREATE PROFILE
Michael BarstiesSenior Product Manager