Yesim Hanci

o More than 20 years of experience in telecommunications, spanning various roles from technical positions to strategic management.

o Proficient in project management, agile methodology, radio, core, services network technologies, budget planning execution, vendor management, and product management.

o Skilled in fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment, prioritizing team welfare and continuous development. Experienced in effectively managing multinational engineering teams.

o Experienced in cross-functional collaboration, stakeholder management, and driving process improvements and innovation.

Senior Technology Manager - Product Management

June 2022 — Present

Vodafone Business Products Platforms, UK

Reporting to the Head of E2E Solutions & Applications, responsible for the development, delivery and in-life technology activities of a portfolio of 15+ IOT solutions deployed in 7 European countries, working closely with the product managers and cross-functional engineering teams while adhering to Agile/SAFe methodologies.

Major Achievements:

• Implemented a streamlined communication process between product managers and engineering teams, resulting in a significant reduction in development time for new features.
• Led the successful integration of Agile/SAFe methodologies into the product development process, improving team collaboration and accelerating time-to-market by 20%.
• Introduced demand process for new products or features, resulting in a 40% increase in predictability and 60% accuracy, applying process improvement with strong stakeholder management skills.
• Managed an international team of Technology Product Owners and UX/UI Designers, ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality products while prioritizing team welfare and continuous development. Achieved high manager index from the employee surveys.
  • Led annual strategy planning sessions in collaboration with senior management to articulate the department's vision, mission, and objectives in alignment with company goals. 

Nov 2020 — June 2022

Vodafone Network Strategy and Engineering, UK

Reporting to the Director of Service Design & Development, responsible for leading strategic planning sessions, managing a significant budget of 12 European countries, streamlining processes to drive efficiency, harmonizing operations to achieve cost savings and promoting consistency in working methods.

Major Achievements:

• Built strong relationships with key stakeholders on critical issues and challenging existing assumptions to drive strategic decision-making.
• Directed the orchestration of a £125 million annual budget, steering its development, gaining endorsement from senior leadership and managing its execution in alignment with organizational goals and fiscal targets.
• Developed comprehensive upskilling programs tailored to empower personnel in achieving strategic objectives.
• Implemented a streamlined front door/demand entry process to address new product/service requests from markets and group commercial teams. 
• Championed a culture of continuous improvement, resulting in a highest employee survey outcome in employee engagement and satisfaction within the department.
• Led by example, investing time and effort in nurturing multi-cultural team potential, and fostering personal/professional growth. 
• Received recognition from senior management for outstanding leadership and strategic vision, leading to promotion to the Senior Technology Manager role.

Aug 2017 — Oct 2020

Vodafone Network Strategy and Engineering, UK

Reporting to the Head of Voice Core, responsible for defining the strategic direction of the Voice Core network evolution across 12 European countries encompassing technology innovation, harmonization efforts, budget planning, and execution strategies.

Major Achievements:

• Established and maintained a strong, effective, and collaborative Voice Core governance to respond faster to changing market needs driven by the evolution of technology.
• Implemented an Architecture Review Board to drive strategy and network evolution plan. Communicated recommendations to country network directors, ensuring alignment with company strategy. 
• Secured budget approvals of £150 million and initiated its execution across the 12 European countries. Managed the execution while highlighting risk mitigation actions to ensure adherence to the budget.
• Successfully led cross-functional strategy projects, facilitating collaboration across departments such as Volte roaming, Emergency Calls over IMS, 5G SA, New MVNO’s and network modernization to Cloud. 
• Built strong vendor relationships, processes, and tools to drive service excellence in a harmonized way across all OPCOs and different vendors. Supported executive management meetings by providing KPIs for vendors.
• Managed Life Cycle Management policy mandated by security and achieved best-in-class compliance results above the targets.
• Led an overseas team of solution architects. Inspired them to achieve exceptional results in complex and dynamic environments.

Apr 2012 – Sept 2017

Vodafone, UK

Reporting to the Head of UK Voice Core, responsible for delivering key strategic programs in Interconnect and Roaming, Subscriber Database Domain and Prepaid Charging Systems, ensuring smooth and efficient operation. Managed a team of engineers troubleshooting early customer trials, migration and performance.

Earlier Work Experience

Customer Advocacy Technology Manager – Vodafone Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey2010- 2012Business Technology Manager – Vodafone Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey2008-2010Radio Network Turnkey Project Manager - Telsim, Istanbul, Turkey2006-2010Technology Strategy and Planning Team Leader - Telsim, Istanbul, Turkey1999-2006Research Assistant - Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey1997-1999

Doctor of Science – Telecommunication EngineeringKaradeniz Technical University, Turkey, 2005Master of Science- Telecommunication EngineeringKaradeniz Technical University, Turkey, 1998Bachelor of Science - Electronic EngineeringKaradeniz Technical University, Turkey, 1995