TL;DR?
Product Manager by trade, with considerable experience in software product development. Engineer turned product strategist via an MBA. Enjoy being a paparazzi behind the camera.
Code code code
After graduating as an Electronics & Telecommunication Engineer, I started my career as a programmer. Spent close to 10 years developing native software (C/C++) for mobile smartphone platforms. Still code in C++ for some hobby projects.
Behind the benches… again
Then it was time to break the proverbial glass ceiling and uproot a perfectly settled life. Moved with my wife and 2 year old daughter to Paris in 2012. Went back into the classroom to earn myself an MBA along with an extremely talented cohort of students. MBA at HEC Paris was about equipping myself with the tools to understand strategy in business.
Hop skip & jump in Europe
It was then to for the next European sojourn in a Product Strategy and Planning team. Moved to the beautiful city of Gent in Belgium, remember the opening scene of Monument’s Men? As a Product Manager, enjoyed building Philips Smart TV products (Android TV), portal and apps. A lot of cross functional collaboration, changing ways of work, evolving practices in product development, exposure to speak at conferences & events made this a wonderful learning experience. Enjoyed the ‘let’s get it done’ environment.
Since it wasn’t cold enough for me, I moved further up north. (Almost) amidst the fjords in Norway, in Oslo. At Conax, moved further into B2B product management for content security in Pay TV markets. Learning newer skills, leveraging past ones – launched new products for Conax. Drove thought leadership on a few interesting topics (Android TV). Now working at a Director of Strategic Portfolio Management at Nagra (ex-Conax).
Beyond work
Beyond work, am associated with “Mind The Product” organization in the local ProductTank Oslo team – speaking, writing & even cleaning up at the end of each event. Work with voluntary organizations as a mentor. Involved with TEDxOslo, helping with leading communications for an event. Enjoy being in speaking engagements sharing my experience with relevant audience and learning through interesting conversations.
The paparazzi in me
Photography inspires me to look at challenges from different perspective and to focus on simplicity. Every now and then I explore various channels to share the portfolio of pictures I have clicked through the years – Facebook, 500px, Insta (even tried Flickr & Jpgmag for some time). At the end of the day, this hobby keeps me humble. There is just so much to capture through the lens.