Hi there, welcome to The Invisible Design!
I’m Raluca Neagu, a Product Management and UX Strategy Leader from Europe with over 15 years of experience in the business world.
It goes without saying that all thoughts expressed are my own and do not represent any company I am currently working for or have worked for in the past.
My journey has taken me through various roles, including growth, product management, and strategic leadership. For the past 7 years, I’ve had the pleasure of helping small and medium-sized businesses improve through technology, all while working remotely with diverse, international teams.
I’m passionate about learning and hold a Business Strategy Qualification from Harvard Business School Online, a Master UX Certification from the Nielsen Norman Group, and a Product Analytics Certification from Mind The Product.
Roles & Experience
I currently serve as a Senior UX Consultant at SMG, where I lead projects in user research and service design. I’ve also contributed to the growth and strategy of companies in the AI/ML, Cloud, and SaaS sectors like MindsDB, ESW Capital, and Carb Manager.
Earlier, as VP of Growth at Gigster, I helped smash our revenue goals by 30% in just one quarter, thanks to some savvy product strategy moves. And at MindsDB, I was the driving force behind founding the Product Department, leading to significant business growth. Lastly, over at ESW Capital with Crossover for Work, I was the mastermind behind digital marketing growth strategies that significantly lifted conversion rates and revenue across a portfolio of B2B companies.
Other Companies I Worked For
- SMG — A global leader in the CX space with annual revenue exceeding $68M, SMG provides digital products and services to large enterprises and mid-level companies.
- Carb Manager — The premier diet mobile app in the USA & UK, specializing in Keto diet macro tracking and serving a robust user base of over 8 million.
- Gigster — Services company with annual revenues exceeding $50M, specializes in providing fully managed, remote, on-demand teams for AI, ML, Blockchain, IoT, and other technologies to enterprise-level and mid-size companies.
- MindsDB — Auto-ML San Francisco-based SaaS startup backed with more than $50M in total funding from Mayfield, Nvidia’s NVentures, Benchmark, YCombinator and others, boasts an annual revenue of $3M.
- ESW Capital — Based in Austin, Texas, the ESW Capital group specifically focuses on buying, strengthening, then growing mature business software companies, with focus on SaaS.
So what do I actually do?
When it comes to what I do, I’m all about leading with strategy, especially in the realms of SaaS, cloud tech, AI, and customer experience. I’m pretty good at steering remote teams across the globe, creating a vibe where innovation and success are part of the daily routine.
Product management and UX are my jam — I love mapping out product roadmaps, diving into user research strategies, and crafting UX strategies that not just meet, but blow past business objectives. I’m all about understanding and improving the customer’s journey.
Remote Work Consultancy
Remote work strategy development, tool, technology & processes optimisation and integration, productivity evaluation.
Product Management
Processes, collaboration, tools & workflows
UX Strategy
Service Design (User Personas, Customer Journeys, Service Blurprints), User Research, Workshop Facilitation
Lastly, I’ve recently enrolled in a BA degree in Philosophy at the University of Bucharest, purely for the love and excitement of it. I’m currently navigating through my first year, and I’ve got to say, I’m absolutely loving the experience. Diving into philosophy is like exploring a whole new world, a thrilling quest that keeps my curiosity ignited and my perspectives ever-expanding. It’s a vivid reminder that it’s never too late to chase a new passion or deepen your understanding of the world.
