Product Line Continuous Improvement
Resume:
NATE CHO
Product and Innovation Leader
****.***@*****.***
Cornelius, NC 28031
linkedin.com/in/natecho
SUMMARY/OBJECTIVE
Dynamic and results-driven product leader with extensive experience driving product strategies, managing complex portfolios, and delivering consumer-centric solutions. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, execute data-driven decisions, and balance innovation with product care and support. Adept at identifying market opportunities, launching successful products, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. WORK EXPERIENCE
INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT
Self-Employed Charlotte, NC 12/2023 – Present
● Revamped Miele’s Emerging Technology Lab’s innovation processes to identify, evaluate, and bring new technologies to the product line making it more inclusive of stakeholders. Piloted the use of AI for Intellectual Property (IP) research, streamlining the evaluation of invention disclosures.
● Guided Bernhardt Watches from ideation to commercialization on the successful launch of a new product line. Supported Arcanaut and Bernhardt Watches with market research and product design. DIRECTOR - PRODUCT LINE
Anova Culinary (Electrolux) Charlotte, NC - Remote 08/2021 – 11/2023
● Defined and executed product strategies for three kitchen product categories while driving expansion into two new categories, achieving a 1.2M annual cost reduction through infrastructure consolidation and component commonization.
● Spearheaded the launch of Anova’s first chamber vacuum sealer and two sous vide products, improving product category profitability by 22%.
● Directed global cross-functional teams in product development, pricing strategy, and market positioning, ensuring alignment with consumer needs and business objectives. DIRECTOR - INTERNET OF THINGS
Electrolux Charlotte, NC 07/2019 – 08/2021
● Led the implementation of agile processes for digital product development, uncovering new revenue streams through advanced data mining techniques including executing a $5M+ cloud migration program and to a more cost effective connected solutions, saving $1.5M+ annually.
● Revamped the connected home comfort product line for 2020 and expanded into two new categories by 2021, as well as expanded connectivity features across all categories. GLOBAL DIRECTOR - CONNECTIVITY STRATEGY & ECOSYSTEMS Electrolux Charlotte, NC 12/2016 – 07/2019
● Developed and implemented five-year product roadmaps for connected appliances, ensuring alignment with market trends, consumer expectations and category product roadmaps.
● Enabled over 150K+ connected appliances with performance monitoring dashboards and integrated capabilities with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
● Evaluated 17 external partnership opportunities, advancing six projects to proof-of-concept stage to enhance product innovation, deliver consumer value and create value for the company. CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM MANAGER
Electrolux Charlotte, NC 10/2014 – 12/2016
● Collaborated across engineering, marketing, and operations on a $12M+ program to launch Electrolux’s first connected products, establishing foundational strategies for mobile apps, cloud infrastructure, and call center support.
INSIGHT TO INNOVATION MANAGER
Electrolux Charlotte, NC 09/2013 – 10/2014
● Led qualitative and quantitative consumer research and rapid prototyping efforts to transform consumer insights into product specifications for the Refrigeration, Freezer, and Home Comfort categories.
● Established partnerships with 11 companies possessing synergistic technologies leading to 5 features launched in products by the end of 2018.
ENGINEERING MANAGER
Northrop Grumman Corporation Woodland Hills, CA 03/2012 – 08/2013
● Directed a team of 19 engineers to develop a prototype Black Hawk helicopter cockpit with a $12M Independent R&D budget, ultimately securing a contract award.
● Designed an industry-partnered Rotorcraft Avionics Innovation Lab facility focused on demonstrating integration of the latest capabilities from Northrop Grumman and partners. INNOVATION MANAGER
Northrop Grumman Corporation Baltimore, MD 01/2011 – 03/2012
● Built and ran the Technology Underground, a hacker-space meets 15% time effort to support engineering innovation, exploration, and concept testing focused on prototyping new concepts to the point of further internal R&D funding; managed 23 projects, 29 employees, and an overall project budget of $550k.
● Outlined technology focus areas, guided the selection of projects and their respective funding, and established collaborative partnerships with Microsoft and MIT.
● Affected cultural attitude to become more entrepreneurial by utilizing internal communications tools, delivering over 90 presentations, and hosting events.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Northrop Grumman Corporation Baltimore, MD 01/2010 – 01/2011
● Proposed, created, and directed an internal “Grand Challenge” utilizing crowd-sourcing to solve hard problems; architected process, created methodology, and deployed tool for enabling the process in 3 months.
● Created Northrop Grumman’s Open Innovation Portal with external partner InnoCentive. PROJECT LEAD AND SYSTEMS ENGINEER
Northrop Grumman Corporation Baltimore, MD 08/2006 – 01/2010
● Spearheaded Virtual Worlds project to adopt and stand up Second Life behind the firewall for use in visualization, modeling and simulation, improved collaboration, and estimated $75K yearly cost-savings per program.
SKILLS
● Strategic Planning
● Product Management
● Innovation Management
● Customer-Centric Focus
● Cross-functional Team Leadership
● Competitive Analysis
● Technical Aptitude
EDUCATION
University of Pennsylvania (Co-sponsored by The Wharton School), Master of Science and Engineering in Executive Master in Technology Management, 2011
Cornell University, Master of Engineering in Systems Engineering, 2006 Johns Hopkins University, Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, 2005 Johns Hopkins University, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, 2005 CERTIFICATES / SHORT COURSES
University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Capture Strategy Executive Program Short Course, 2011 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Innovation Short Course, 2009 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Technology Management Certificate, 2008
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