Walter Pickel

I lead product strategy for the Forge product family at Sparfuchs — custom AI-powered software solutions delivered into regulated and operationally complex industries, including healthcare. My current focus is MD Clearance, a HIPAA-compliant pre-surgical medical clearance platform deployed on Google Cloud (Cloud Run, Firebase, Firestore), with field-level PHI encryption (AES-256-GCM) and an auditable AI deployment pattern. My focus is turning ambiguous, high-stakes customer challenges into clear, shippable products. I orchestrate the use of advanced AI models (Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude) alongside supporting AI agents to accelerate discovery, design, development, testing, and delivery. Key contributions include: • Defining secure, scalable technical architecture and repeatable discovery processes that improve product-market fit and reduce engineering risk in regulated environments (HIPAA-grade and beyond). • Leading end-to-end product development in a modern GCP-based environment with strong emphasis on security, auditability, and repeatable release processes. • Establishing production-grade AI governance, security, and quality frameworks to ensure safe, reliable, and auditable AI deployments for enterprise customers. • Develop internal doctrines for responsible agentic AI development that are actively used across product engagements. This role allows me to combine deep product strategy with hands-on technical translation — bridging complex AI capabilities into practical, high-value solutions for demanding enterprise customers.

Led product strategy for industrial asset tracking and visibility capabilities, turning edge-generated data from BLE/RFID sensors, barcode scanning, and conveyor systems into actionable, real-time supply chain intelligence. Software product lead at Dot Ai, responsible for setting product strategy and driving execution across our end-to-end Track & Trace ecosystem, connecting edge-generated signals to operational workflows and enterprise systems. I lead customer discovery and stakeholder alignment, own roadmap and prioritization, translate needs into clear requirements, and partner with engineering, hardware, and go-to-market teams to deliver releases that improve adoption, data quality, reliability, and time-to-value. I measure success through outcomes and product metrics, turning real-world activity into reliable visibility, automation, and insight while building a scalable foundation for the next phase of AI-driven capabilities.

As Senior Product Manager for Körber's Essentials line, I owned the roadmap and shared technology platform that powered each of Körber's WMS solutions, with a primary focus on multi-carrier shipment manifesting and supply chain data visualization across the product family. I owned and maintained strategic roadmaps, aligning development efforts with market needs and customer priorities. My role involved deep collaboration with customers, industry groups, and internal stakeholders to identify opportunities for innovation and expand application capabilities. Through continuous engagement with the logistics and supply chain community, I helped shape new features and enhancements that improved efficiency, compliance, and scalability for our users. By bridging business needs, market trends, and technical execution, I drove impactful product growth and ensured our solutions remained competitive in an evolving supply chain landscape.

Assisting suppliers, distributors, and retailers with beverage alcohol supply chain solutions by leveraging 20 years in beverage alcohol and the fintech industry. Helping clients make decisions that are efficient and actually make economic sense.

Leveraging my almost 20 years with Fintech and Fintech's alcohol beverage clients, I helped management with ad hoc business reporting and analysis, sales reporting, analytic client research, and working with development teams on existing and future products. • Drove collaborative efforts with development teams to bring about ongoing product enhancements. • Coordinated and supported cross-functional teams on ad hoc business reporting, sales reporting, and various report analysis. • Led automation of routine procedures for employees through design, development, and integration of functions with Excel (SQL; VBA). • Engaged in evaluation and analysis of intangible variance factors to effectively address and resolve complex issues and situations. • Utilized data analysis skills to create heat maps helping Sales/Marketing define campaigns.

Maintained complete oversight of development resources, timeline planning, and resource acquisition, while also collaborating with and directing cross-functional teams accountable for deployment and operation of AWS, RedShift, Azure, Tableau, and custom AI development. Engaged in all facets of Product Management to design and develop products for Fintech’s customers. Held accountability for all trademarks and copyrights. • Demonstrated acute SQL knowledge and served as first point of contact for all system reporting. • Optimized client offerings through ongoing visitation and discussion of Fintech products and services with various clients. • Acted as central resource in modelling and analyzing feasibility and potential profitability of new products, features, and enhancements. • Propelled collaborative efforts with development and support teams to enhance business performance forecasting and monitoring.

Oversaw, coordinated, and delegated daily tasks and operations, including banking, DevOps, network engineering and development, partner and client data transformation and integration, and quality assurance. • Generated 68% EBITDA growth by streamlining and enhancing operations and increasing penetration of new and existing product offerings. • Oversaw SAS 70 and SSAE 16 annual audits. • Spearheaded build-out of Fintech’s Remote Disaster Recovery Center.

Directed and motivated a team of nine developers, network operations, quality assurance and testing, and client implementation, while also serving as Principal Developer in a complete code rewrite of all Fintech internal applications. • Managed SAS70 audits and implementations of auditor’s recommendations. • Led build-out of Fintech’s On-Site Data Center from concept through launch and beyond. • Played an instrumental role as Principal Developer in Fintech’s first customer-facing web-based application.

Diving since 1985, Walter grew up diving golf course lakes for golf balls and the black rivers of the South Carolina low country in hopes of treasure or anything historic. In the US Navy, he became a diver and worked as a ship’s diver (submarines) and as an underwater husbandry diver (submarine tender). After moving to Florida and a break from diving; Walter’s interests soon fell back to diving and he started focusing on technical diving eventually finding his way into the beauty of Florida’s caves and caverns. Having developed the taste for exploration through participation in several expeditions to Mexico, as well as exploration projects in Florida, Walter generally focuses on lesser known or unexplored systems. Walter joined The ADM Exploration Team in 2008 and brings with him his desire for exploration and research. Walter specializes in dry cave exploration, side mount cave exploration, climbing and data acquisition and collection. He is presently active in three major areas of exploration of both dry and wet caves. In Florida, Walter served as an explorer and the Dive Safety Officer (DSO) for the Weeki Wachee Springs Exploration Project. In the Dominican Republic Walter discovered significant fossil primate remains and continues this project with funded from The National Geographic Society and the National Science Foundation. Lastly, in Mexico, Walter serves as an explorer for various ADM Exploration Team expeditions. Walter is a NACD Cave Diver (NACD Bronze Wakulla and NSS-CDS Abe Davis awards), DPV Pilot and Cave Rescue and Recovery diver, holds TRIMIX certifications as well as being certified as a NAUI Technical Support Team Leader. He is currently a board of director member of the ADM Exploration Foundation and previously served on the board of directors of Karst Conservancy and Karst Underwater Research as well as serving as the National Association for Cave Diving (NACD) Public Relations committee chairman and Election Administrator for the NSS-CDS.

Underworld (w/t) – Member of a team of intrepid explorers and expert cave divers that are on a deadly quest to explore and find the answers to history’s buried secrets that are submerged in underwater caves across the globe. But finding the answers could cost them their lives. The truth they seek is deep underground in a haunting, alien landscape few humans ever have seen. Traveling to the farthest corners of the globe and following a trail of evidence that leads them ever deeper into the silent, deadly world that lies below, This team risks it all beneath the Earth’s surface. The beauty they encounter is matched only by the danger they must face.