Peter Liakos

Experience

• 

  Manulife Financial

  Jul 2006 - Sept 2007

  Customer Service Associate

  Successfully managed a high volume of daily customer inquiries (90+) regarding diverse life insurance policies. Demonstrated strong communication and problem-solving skills while assisting customers with their life insurance needs. Actively worked to understand and address customer concerns, striving for positive customer interactions.

• 

  Loblaw Companies Limited

  Sept 2007 - Aug 2008

  Buying & Customer Support Analyst

  Ensured accuracy and compliance of weekly grocery flyer ads for SuperStores, exceeding service level targets with a 95% achievement rate. Proactively identified potential product shortages for upcoming high-profile weekly ads and collaborated with stakeholders to develop alternative sourcing strategies, mitigating potential revenue lossDeveloped and executed a cost recovery strategy that reduced distribution center inventory costs by $150,000.

• 

  Sears Canada

  Aug 2008 - Oct 2009

  Marketing Analyst

  Leveraged strong analytical and creative skills to develop comprehensive marketing plans for the Men's Wear department, encompassing both Catalogue and Online channels, with a focus on optimizing customer engagement and driving revenue growth.

• 

  Canadian Tire Corporation

  Jan 2010 - Sept 2021

  Spearheaded $40M+ Digital Transformation: Led a 2.5-year initiative (2019-2021) to consolidate all retail banners onto a single digital platform, managing a $40M+ budget, 300+ team members, and 50+ senior stakeholders.Drove Organizational Change for Digital Platform: As Change Manager, championed the adoption of a new digital platform by developing business processes, delivering training programs, and executing comprehensive communication strategies across key digital teams.Defined and Launched Innovative Digital ProductsServed as Product Owner and Digital Strategist for multiple in-store and digital technology projects, conceptualizing and launching innovative solutions to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.Delivered Self-Checkout Enhancements On Time and Under BudgetOwned the product roadmap for 6 new self-checkout features, successfully launching Price Match and POS enhancements despite scope creep, while remaining under budget and meeting deadlines.Optimized In-Store Technology as Senior ConsultantProvided expert consultation on the implementation of Electronic Shelf Labels and External Circuits Upgrade projects, ensuring seamless integration and maximizing operational benefits.Developed and Aligned Digital Dashboard for Canadian TireLed the development and launch of a Digital Dashboard for Canadian Tire stores as Product Owner and Project Manager, defining user requirements and securing buy-in from senior executives and dealers. Show less Drove eCommerce growth for Canadian Tire's Automotive category by developing and executing innovative merchandising strategies across Tires, Wheels, Outdoor Adventure, and Maintenance. Exceeded yearly eCommerce sales targets for the Automotive category by $7.9M in 2017 through data-driven planning and analysis.Spearheaded successful digital campaigns that generated significant revenue, including $1M for the Motomaster Winter Edge Tire Event and $1.7M for the Biggest Tire Sales Event.Leveraged Google Analytics, SEO Monitor, and LinkedEx to identify trends and opportunities, optimizing the customer experience and driving conversions.Launched the first-ever Online Oil Change Pop-Up Sale, achieving the 2nd highest sales performance with $37.5K in revenue and 761 units sold in just 2 days.Drove adoption of the new Ship to Home program by training GTA stores, resulting in top 10 sales performance among participating locations.Increased average order value by 2% on Cyber Monday through the development and implementation of an innovative "Additional Spend" calculator.Significantly improved website performance for the automotive category by optimizing site taxonomy, SEO, user navigation, and link strategies. This resulted in reduced bounce rates and increased conversions.Generated over 1 million website visits through targeted email campaigns promoting tire sales and special offers. Show less Spearheaded the "Save the Sale" initiative by generating comprehensive business requirements, resulting in a $100,000+ reduction in online order cancellations.Led cross-functional teams in the development and execution of e-Tires project plans, ensuring on-time delivery of key milestones through agile methodologies. Conducted a detailed cost-benefit analysis for the e-Tires project, providing data-driven recommendations to stakeholders. Effectively managed a product backlog of 100+ eTires tickets, resolving bugs and issues to optimize platform performance.Streamlined the business acceptance criteria process for project code deployments, significantly reducing QA timeframes and accelerating release cycles.Designed innovative digital tools, such as the Tire Size Calculator, which achieved organic ranking on Google's first page, driving increased user engagement. Developed comprehensive business cases for new website features, including Online Auto Service Appointments, Click and Collect enhancements, and Home Services Installations, to enhance the customer journey and drive revenue growth. Show less Spearheaded small to medium-sized projects (up to $1M budget) from initiation to completion, including engineering new processes, conducting root cause analyses, and developing improvement strategies for programs like express oil changes and automotive training.Conceptualized and launched a new automotive training incentive program, achieving a company record 1,000 registered employees and a 500% increase in training completion. This initiative resulted in a 91% store participation rate and the highest level of employee engagement among automotive staff across 10,000 employees in all CTR storesRe-engineered the oil change process across all CTR stores, resulting in a 50% reduction in wait times, a 40% improvement in vehicle inspections, and a 10% increase in customer service levels. This process optimization also drove an 87% increase in the attachment rate of related service offersSecured $675K in vendor funding for a new automotive training program by designing a compelling pricing model and successfully persuading Canadian Tire Dealers and cross-functional leaders to implement a new rewards system. Reduced Auto Training program costs by 12% while managing complex budgets and exceeding business goalsManaged the API integration of a rewards website between Genumark and CTR, ensuring seamless data transfer and functionality. Show less Onboarded 15+ new hires, utilizing Myers-Briggs and Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Type Indicator assessments to personalize training and development plans, resulting in a 10% increase in team productivity within the first quarter.Developed and launched the "Automotive Products of the Month" program, generating $250,000 in incremental sales and a $78,000 margin increase within the first year.Successfully managed and optimized a $1.5 million vendor advertising budget for the washer fluid category, resulting in +18% incremental salesLed a cross-functional team of seven to successfully execute a project involving the purchase, restoration, upgrade, and branding of a Ford F150 truck for a feature article in the 2013 Spring Canadian Tire Driver Magazine.Designed and implemented impactful point-of-purchase (POP) displays for the Auto Fluids aisle, resulting in a 15% lift in sales.Successfully launched 70 new products in the automotive category, driven by consumer insights and market analysis, generating over $9 million in revenue.Increased profit margins by 15% on over 50 Motomaster private label SKUs through strategic pricing and negotiation with suppliers. Show less Managed the Auto Fluids category for all Canadian Tire stores, including assortment planning, vendor management (45+ vendors), and new product development. Performed SWOT analysis and identified new vendor/product opportunities to optimize the Auto Fluids category.Collaborated with 7+ cross-functional teams to execute marketing plans, ensuring on-time delivery and adherence to quality standards.Led the Auto Fluids line review process, consistently meeting deadlines and exceeding quality targets.Spearheaded the 2011 Annual Dealer Convention (53 booths, 50+ vendors), delivering the event below budget by 8%.Launched the "Fuel Economy 101" campaign, generating 69,784 contest registrations. Developed and executed the Automotive Christmas Gifting campaign, driving $2M in incremental sales.Negotiated with Kleen-flo to increase product availability, resulting in a 17% lift in inventory turns and sales at Partsource. Improved vendor fund management, reducing rework by 50% for the auto division. Show less

  • Senior Delivery Consultant - In Store Technology

    Feb 2019 - Sept 2021

  • Associate eCommerce Manager - Automotive

    Aug 2017 - Feb 2019

  • Associate Project Manager - Digital

    Jun 2016 - Aug 2017

  • Associate Project Manager, Automotive

    Oct 2014 - Jun 2016

  • Lead Category Business Analyst - Automotive Chemicals

    Oct 2012 - Oct 2014

  • Category Business Analyst - Automotive Fluids

    Jan 2010 - Oct 2012
• 

  Rogers Communications

  Sept 2021 - Sept 2022

  Senior Project Manager

  Spearheaded Agile transformation for TSC.ca, implementing Scrum ceremonies and best practices, resulting in a 15% increase in team productivity and on-time project delivery.Improved sprint planning accuracy by 20% by introducing the Fibonacci sequence for story point estimation, leading to more predictable sprint velocity and delivery.Mentored Product Owners on Agile principles and best practices to create clear, concise, and valuable Product Backlog Items.Reduced code defects from 3rd party vendors by 10% by implementing a new Git branching strategy with enforced code reviews and automated testing.Managed a $2.5M budget and a team of 12 developers and 4 testers across multiple projects, including Digital Enhancements and eCommerce Transformation initiatives.Delivered ~3-4 monthly releases across Web, Mobile App, Salesforce CRM, and Legacy systems, ensuring consistent and timely delivery of new features and enhancements.Presented project status updates to executive leadership and key stakeholders, effectively communicating progress, risks, and mitigation strategies.Project Manager for API Management phase of TSC.ca's eCommerce Transformation, ensuring seamless integration of new and existing systems.Contributed to the Product Catalogue phase of the eCommerce Transformation, improving product data management and user experience.Delivered a new UI/UX for TSC.ca as part of the eCommerce Transformation project, enhancing the customer journey and online shopping experience.Managed project scope, schedule, budget, communication, and forecasting plans for multiple concurrent projects.Managed vendor relationships and Statement of Work (SOW) for Digital Enhancements and phases 2 and 3 of the eCommerce Transformation.Effectively managed project dependencies and risks across the Digital Transformation program. Show less

• 

  Staples Canada

  Sept 2022 - now

  Expanded leadership responsibilities to include Digital PMO and L1 Support, delivering 99.9% uptime for staples.ca and managing total team size of 12Championed a data-driven culture and implemented ITIL practices, significantly improving overall team efficiency and operational performance.Decreased meantime to recover by 10% by leading cross-functional efforts with teams and vendors to identify and resolve operational bottlenecks and improve standard operating proceduresSpearheaded the development of a unified Incident Management process with IT Operations, establishing clear incident definitions, SLAs, and communication protocols across Digital and IT.Optimized team capacity by strategically realigning priorities and processes to better support Digital initiatives.Led the implementation of "Fluid," a new Digital Portfolio tool, streamlining workflows and boosting efficiency across all Digital portfolios.Collaborated with leadership to enhance governance practices, ensuring projects stay on track, deliver on time, and achieve their intended benefits.Developed the 2025 Digital Capital budget and actively engaged with leadership across Digital portfolios to ensure successful implementation and support. Show less Driving Digital Transformation and Operational ExcellenceLed the implementation of a new "Ways of Working" across all Digital departments, introducing a hybrid Agile Scrum framework to overcome planning challenges for geographically dispersed teams and improve overall delivery.Fostered a collaborative environment by working with leadership to align roles and responsibilities, uniting teams around a common purpose and enhancing cross-functional communication.Successfully managed a ~$20M Digital budget in collaboration with the Sr. Director of Product and Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, establishing robust internal processes and checkpoints to ensure alignment with strategic priorities and fiscal responsibility.Built a high-performing Digital PMO from the ground up, hiring and leading a team of Scrum Masters, Project Coordinators, and Project Managers to support three major Digital portfolios.Streamlined invoice and procurement processes for all Digital teams, centralizing operations and reducing clerical errors and late payments by approximately 40%.Implemented a centralized system for efficient vendor contract and SOW management across DigitalDeveloped and implemented a new "Gating Process" to enhance planning and execution across all Digital initiatives. Secured buy-in from leadership across Engineering, QA, Product, UX, Analytics, Architecture, and IT.Championed the adoption of the new "Gating Process" by creating comprehensive training materials, conducting training sessions for all staff, and establishing a Change Model to reinforce the new way of working. Show less

  • Sr. Manager PMO and Site Health

    Feb 2024 - now

  • PMO Lead - Digital

    Sept 2022 - Feb 2024