Work

Technology Portfolio Director #

I lead the entire product development lifecycle for a portfolio of ~30 digital products, from strategic selection and annual budgeting to hands-on execution and delivery. As an expert generalist, I connect 30,000-foot business strategy with ground-level team execution to deliver platforms that serve millions of users globally.

At my paid work, I currently focus on - broadly speaking - three core areas:

  • Portfolio & Programme Leadership: I direct multi-year product roadmaps, manage integrated planning across product and engineering, and lead the annual budgeting process for a portfolio valued at over £40M.

  • AI Transformation: I lead organization-wide AI adoption, working closely with L&D to develop role-based and department-specific transformation plans that integrate AI into our product development and operational workflows.

  • Product & Team Leadership: I build and enable global delivery teams to ship products that meet customer needs and business goals. I have a track record of delivering complex, business-critical platforms on time and on budget.


Current Role: Head of Programme Delivery & Chief of Staff #

Taylor & Francis (Informa PLC) | 2020 - Present

I am responsible for the delivery of our entire portfolio of customer-facing digital platforms. I translated our corporate strategy into a cohesive product and technology roadmap, established a remote-first engineering culture as Chief of Staff, and now lead our strategic adoption of AI.

Key Career Highlights #

  • Agile & Digital Transformation (Oxford University Press): Led a major IT transformation to agile methodologies for over 1000 colleagues, restructuring services to achieve £2M in annual savings and establishing a global change delivery framework.

  • Platform Delivery (Taylor & Francis): Delivered the “Digital Foundation” programme, creating single master data sources for product, content, and customer data. Overhauled the main e-commerce platform, resulting in a 16% revenue increase and a 25% rise in traffic.

  • Early Product Management (OUP & Convergys): Built and led teams delivering educational software to millions of students and teachers across four continents, including OUP’s first mobile app. Drove e-learning product solutions for major accounts like Microsoft and AT&T.


Education & Recognition #

  • Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business (2022)
  • MSc, Learning & Technology from University of Oxford (2011)
  • “Highly Commended” (2018 & 2019) - Informa’s highest individual recognition
  • Certifications: PMP, APM, ProSci Change Management, AWS Solutions Architect

Let’s Connect #

I’m always open to discussing portfolio management, product strategy, and leading change in large organizations.

kanchanepally@gmail.com | LinkedIn