Michal Severa

Led the product strategy and backend development for the GPS Raw Data Processing (GRDP) engine, the core component transforming OBU data into compliant Toll Declarations for the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS). Directed a cross-functional R&D team in expanding domain coverage to new markets while ensuring regulatory compliance for the existing ecosystem. - EETS Domain Expansion & Compliance: Spearheaded the technical roadmap for integrating new European tolling domains, delivering the architectural foundation for Poland (10%) and the Netherlands (40%) within a single quarter. Simultaneously managed critical CO2 regulatory updates for Bulgaria and Belgium to ensure uninterrupted commercial transport compliance. - R&D Leadership & Process Optimization: Led a 6-person backend engineering team (Scrum), stabilizing delivery velocity by formalizing Agile ceremonies and implementing a "one-page" documentation hub. Redistributed maintenance responsibilities to eliminate single-person dependencies and drafted the Q1/Q2 2026 strategic plan to align development with business goals. - Product Strategy & Data Quality: Defined product requirements for 4 distinct personas (Toll Chargers, Internal Ops, L2 Support, Clients) to maximize value across the chain. Collaborated with technical leads to establish domain-specific metrics, ensuring strict SLAs for data accuracy and acknowledgment rates (Ack/Nack) from external Toll Chargers.

Directed the product strategy and roadmap for the core data pipeline, the engine driving product catalogs for 55,000 e-shops and 20M+ monthly users across 9 CEE markets. Spearheaded a critical modernization initiative to reduce costs and enhance system scalability. - Database Modernization & Cost Reduction: Spearheaded a strategic database modernization initiative projected to reduce future operational costs by 60%. This project was key to standardizing the company's tech stack, accelerating development cycles, and enabling new machine-learning capabilities to improve product data quality and reduce manual work. - Product Vision & Strategy: Authored the long-term strategic vision for the core content processing platform. Through competitor analysis, stakeholder interviews, and technical trend analysis, identified and prioritized 25+ key initiatives to enhance data processing, improve internal tools, and boost operational efficiency. - Team Leadership & Stability: As the team's Product Owner of a 6-person team, provided leadership to stabilize the development team following the departure of key technical leads. I defined a two-quarter backlog and realigned the product roadmap to match the team's new capacity, ensuring uninterrupted delivery and contributing to the business case that secured an additional headcount.

Spearheaded the 9-month strategic review of a new B2B SaaS platform for the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS), assessing market viability and defining the product roadmap. - Strategic Recommendation: Delivered a data-driven recommendation to terminate the project, saving the company significant further investment in a non-viable market. - UX Improvement: Identified critical UI/UX flaws in the initial PoC and co-led a complete redesign in Figma based on in-depth competitor analysis. - Partnership Enablement: Developed detailed product analyses and business cases for major potential partners (e.g., oil companies) to showcase the platform's value proposition. - Product Development: Continuously tracked the state of development teams and directed tactical management through effective oversight of two IT Project Managers.

Product Manager: Led the 'Remote Test Lab' solution, a B2B product for remote infotainment testing. I was responsible for the product's strategic vision, funding, and team growth. - Strategic Vision & Funding: Authored a 3-year strategic business case that secured an annual development budget of €2.4 million. - Team Scaling: Grew the cross-functional product organization from 7 to nearly 20 professionals across three dedicated teams (Development, Delivery, Acquisition). - Framework Implementation: Established a formal, customer-centric product management framework, implementing methodologies like the Double Diamond for discovery and ICE for prioritization. Product Portfolio Manager: Architected and established the company's first Product Portfolio Office for a portfolio (5 products, up to 100 people) with an annual income of approximately €12 million, creating standardized governance to enable data-driven investment decisions. - Governance & Standardization: Implemented a new product governance framework, including standardized templates for business cases and a mandatory "discovery-first" approach to ensure market alignment. - Market Visibility: Co-led the company's successful exhibition at the Automotive Testing EXPO 2024, which generated significant brand awareness and new sales leads.

Led the end-to-end commercialization and delivery of the Remote Test Lab solution, transforming it from a technical prototype into a fully marketable B2B product. - Revenue Generation: Drove the entire commercial lifecycle, securing almost €1,000,000 in new contract value (€900k in hardware sales, €100k in ARR) from key clients like Škoda Auto and CARIAD. - Operational Excellence: Built the delivery and support functions from the ground up, reducing product delivery time by 20% by optimizing and standardizing processes.

Product Owner: As Product Owner, I led a 13-person international test automation team for the Navigation application in Audi & Porsche vehicles (CARIAD SE project), focusing on maximizing the value delivered to stakeholders. - Stakeholder Efficiency: Reduced time spent on requirement clarifications by 25% by creating a standardized process for test requests across 20 stakeholder teams. - Backlog Management: Owned and managed the product backlog, translating complex stakeholder needs into clear, actionable user stories to ensure alignment with the product vision. Scrum Master: Served also as the dedicated Scrum Master for the initial 6 months (3/2022 - 9/2022) to establish and embed Agile practices within the team. My primary goal was to foster a culture of continuous improvement and accelerate delivery. - Agile Transformation & Acceleration: Slashed the software deployment cycle from 2 months to a 2-week sprint cadence (an 87.5% reduction) by fully implementing and coaching the team on Scrum methodologies. - Team Enablement: Facilitated all Scrum ceremonies and removed impediments, enabling the team to improve its workflow, increase predictability, and operate as a self-organizing unit.

Managed IT projects for public sector clients, primarily the Czech Police. - End-to-End Project Leadership: Independently managed the full lifecycle of a new IT application, acting as both Project Manager and Business Analyst from analysis through to successful implementation. - Large-Scale Project Support: Led a dedicated team within a large, multi-faceted IT project, coordinating L1 service desk activities and ensuring seamless delivery within a PRINCE2 framework.

Contributed to consulting projects in the Business Transformation & Operations department, focusing on operational efficiency and cost reduction for major industrial clients. - Capital Cost Reduction: Drove a €2 million reduction in capital costs for an industrial client by designing a Power BI & Alteryx data pipeline for real-time stock analysis and inventory optimization. - Procurement Savings: Led a CEE market analysis for a major US corporation that identified new suppliers, resulting in a 20% reduction in their component costs.

Co-founded and led a startup focused on international student recruitment and developing education-related products. I was responsible for the entire business lifecycle, from initial concept to market execution. - Entrepreneurial Initiative: Developed the complete business framework from scratch, including the service portfolio, corporate identity, marketing materials, and a full business development plan. - Market Validation & Strategic Pivot: Executed a market validation test for a new consulting service. After discovering significant price sensitivity, I made the data-informed strategic decision to dissolve the venture, avoiding further investment in an unviable market.

Managed the MIAS International Summer School (earning the Stanislav Hanzl Award for project excellence), university international office projects, and the admissions process for international students. I transformed the international summer school into a premier program by overhauling its business strategy and optimizing key operational processes. - Profitability Growth: Increased the program's profit margin from 25% to nearly 45% over two years through a new pricing strategy and cost optimization. - Revenue & Enrollment Growth: Drove a 59% year-over-year increase in student enrollment and grew the program's budget by 62%, generating demand 3-4 times higher than available capacity. - Process Optimization: Enhanced the efficiency of the admissions department by redesigning the workflow, resulting in a 25% reduction in the time required to process each student application.

Contributed to the foundational business strategy of a travel agency startup, focusing on market entry, process optimization, and brand positioning. - Strategic Planning: Created a comprehensive business development strategy that defined process optimizations, a new corporate identity, and a targeted marketing plan to launch the business. - Market Positioning: Advised on product distribution and market positioning strategies to enhance brand visibility and support initial customer acquisition efforts.

Held several seasonal and temporary roles in the hospitality, manufacturing, and service sectors during my high school and early university studies. - Customer Service & Operations: Gained foundational experience in customer-facing roles (e.g., Hostel Receptionist) and service operations (e.g., Prague Castle), focusing on guest satisfaction and maintaining high standards. - Adaptability & Work Ethic: Demonstrated resilience, teamwork, and a strong work ethic across various manual roles (e.g., factory work, construction, agriculture), consistently adapting to new environments and responsibilities.

Classification: Summa Cum Laude (Graduated with Highest Distinction / Top 2% of Class) UK Equivalent: First Class Honours Institution: The oldest non-military technical university in Europe (est. 1707) and a leading technical university in the CEE region. Honors & Awards: - Stanislav Hanzl Award: The university’s most prestigious honor. Selected as single recipient from faculty (out of ~1,000 students) for exceptional academic results and contributions to the university. - Bachelor’s Thesis Award: Awarded for the best thesis in the cohort (1 out of ~150). Title: "Recruitment Process Proposal for International Study Programs." Core Competencies: Specialized in Industrial Enterprise Management and Strategic Process Optimization State Exam Results: Straight 'A's in Enterprise Economics, Management and Marketing, Process Control. Elected Representative: Academic Senate member, representing student interests in the university's highest governing body.

Selected for a competitive long-term study stay in Germany to develop rigorous academic discipline and cross-cultural business competencies. Focus: International Business Strategy & Law Key Coursework: - International Taxation - International Marketing - Cultural Diversity - Business English - German Language (Intensive Course) This experience enhanced my ability to manage products for international markets and collaborate within diverse, cross-functional European teams.