Niel Maartens

Visionary Group Product Manager with over 10 years of experience in leading product strategy for digital wealth platforms utilized by tier-1 banks. Expertise in global product rollout, regulatory compliance, and investment advisory journeys. Proven track record of enhancing customer engagement and driving platform growth, with successful initiatives for clients including Pictet, Danske Bank and Coutts.

Adept at cross-functional leadership and translating complex requirements into scalable solutions, positioning to add value in competitive financial service environments.

Group Product Manager – Wealth Platform at Backbase (2019-12 – Present)

Spearheaded the product strategy for core digital wealth platform capabilities utilized by tier-1 banks, delivering investment services to millions of customers globally.

• Drove three product domains that provided digital wealth solutions for global banks such as Raiffeisen, Pictet, Coutts, Goldman Sachs, and Danske Bank.
• Defined essential platform capabilities for investment onboarding, suitability assessments, risk profiling, and advisory journeys.
• Converted complex regulatory and compliance requirements into scalable platform features, enabling compliant investment experiences.
• Collaborated with engineering, design, and architecture teams (100+ FTE) to develop enterprise-grade digital banking and wealth platforms serving millions of customers worldwide.
• Mentored and managed product managers and product owners across Madrid, Amsterdam, and Mumbai.
• Facilitated enterprise platform adoption and played a pivotal role in major deal closures with tier-1 financial institutions.
• Engaged with international banking clients to empower investment propositions across various regulatory environments, balancing global platform capabilities with country-specific compliance needs.

Product Manager – Digital Investments at Investec Bank (2014-05 – 2019-04)

Oversaw the roadmap for the bank's digital investment platform, delivering both advisory and self-directed trading capabilities.

• Implemented robo-advisory and discretionary investment journeys, encompassing digital onboarding and portfolio recommendation flows.
• Engineered the design and launch of client onboarding and suitability assessment processes that supported compliant investment recommendations.
• Collaborated closely with Compliance, Risk, and Technology teams to guarantee regulatory alignment across digital investment products.
• Enhanced digital client journeys and investment account opening processes, significantly boosting customer adoption and platform growth.
• Coordinated product delivery across international teams spanning three continents.

Product Owner at PCH International (2013-05 – 2014-04)

Managed the global platform product delivery for international technology clients, including large-scale programs for Apple across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas.

• Collected and translated global business requirements into scalable platform solutions.
• Facilitated cross-functional teams employing Agile methodologies to deliver high-impact global products.
• Coordinated international stakeholder alignment across engineering, operations, and client teams.

Business Analyst & Management Consultant at Barloworld Logistics (2006-05 – 2013-04)

Executed business analysis, process optimization, and transformation initiatives that supported large operational platforms and strategic enhancements.

• Directed business analysis efforts for significant transformation initiatives surpassing €100M in project value.
• Identified opportunities for system optimization and operational efficiency gains.
• Spearheaded stakeholder alignment across extensive cross-functional project teams.

B.Com (Hons) in Business Management – University of Pretoria

B.Com in Marketing Management – Stellenbosch University