Product Leadership · Outcomes at Scale

Maibel
Rafferty

A senior product and delivery leader operating at the intersection of product strategy, delivery, and engineering: building and modernizing web and mobile experiences, leading complex migrations, driving digital transformation, and shipping digital products used by millions.

Maibel Rafferty
100%
Team engagement, achieved repeatedly
$2.5M+
Cost driven out of the business
Growth in self-serve adoption
10M+
Customers served every month
50+
Professionals led across product, delivery, and engineering
27.5K+
Support calls deflected to digital capabilities
$6M+
Product budget owned and delivered against

Where product strategy meets delivery and engineering.

I turn ambitious strategy into outcome-based roadmaps that deliver measurable business results. Across 18 years in digital technology - at both high-growth startups and large enterprises - I've owned product portfolios end-to-end: from establishing digital strategy to building 0-to-1 products and scaling them to millions of users, leading complex platform migrations, and modernizing mission-critical web and mobile applications through iterative, data-driven optimization.

I have led leaders - managing Product, Delivery, and Engineering Leads, each running their own teams - while owning budgets of up to $6M and owning the full product and delivery operating model. My approach is outcome-driven: I set OKR-based roadmaps that connect product decisions directly to business results, create clear accountability across product, engineering, and design, and make sure the team is always building the right things in the right order.

What makes the work stick is how it gets done. I build trust at every level, translating business intent into technical direction, aligning stakeholders across complex organizations, and keeping teams focused through ambiguity. I'm known for being direct, low-ego, and the kind of leader both executives and delivery teams want in the room.

I build high-performing, accountable teams, sustaining top engagement while driving conversion, adoption, and cost efficiency across the business, and helping people grow into roles they hadn't yet imagined for themselves.

Trusted to deliver for the world's leading brands
TELUS SAP Disney Salesforce Tableau ESPN Gartner SXSW CES Earls BC Liquor Stores

Problems I solve

Where I create the most value.

The challenges I tackle, and the outcomes I deliver against them.

01
"Our product isn't driving the outcomes that matter."
I connect product decisions to business results by setting OKR-driven, outcome-based roadmaps that give teams a clear north star. Work that doubled conversion, tripled self-serve adoption, and lifted mid-funnel progression from 51% to 61%.
02
"We're building the wrong things."
I bring rigour to prioritization, cutting through noise with data-driven frameworks that connect every item on the roadmap to a business outcome. The result: teams that ship what moves the needle, not just what's loudest in the room.
03
"Product and engineering aren't aligned."
I close that gap by translating business intent into technical direction, creating the operating rhythm both sides can commit to, and managing complex dependencies across multi-team programs. Delivered results include cutting page load from 15s to 6s and shipping complex migrations on time and on budget.
04
"AI feels like hype, not impact."
I make AI practical, not theoretical, embedding it into how teams actually work: synthesizing workshop outcomes, translating business requirements into technical specs, and shipping real AI-driven product capabilities that customers use.
05
"Nobody can get stakeholders aligned."
I earn trust across business, product, and engineering, translating between each so decisions stick. That alignment has delivered results including tripling self-serve adoption, $327K in annual ops savings, and $2.5M in capital cost reductions.
06
"We're scaling and the model is breaking."
I've built and run director-level product organizations, leading a leadership team of a Product Lead, Delivery Lead, and Engineering Lead - each with their own teams beneath them - while owning product portfolios up to $6M and designing the operating structures that keep high-stakes programs on track through growth and change.

Endorsements

What colleagues say.

In the words of the people I've led, partnered with, and reported to.

Capable of running the most complex projects and delivering on time and on budget. She handled some of our largest enterprise engagements - SXSW, CES, SAP - delivering a stellar mobile product for hundreds of thousands of users and happy clients.
A. Ackermans
VP, Product & Engineering
One of the best I've worked with on high-profile projects for SAP, ESPN, and Disney. Whether it's a complex program or a business relationship with international clients, she assesses the requirements quickly and assembles a plan of action.
J. Chen
Director of Product Design, Meta
Maibel was critical in establishing and transforming our Home Solutions Digital org. Many of the changes she drove even reduced her own team's size and budget - she did it because she was dedicated to what was best for the business, not for herself.
K. Rusnak
Delivery & Operations Leader · Maibel's former manager
One of the best PMs I've worked with - passionate about doing the right thing in the right way. She knows when expectations are unrealistic, manages client expectations, and mitigates risk. Risk management and contingency planning are among her biggest strengths.
T. Maitra
Technology Manager, Enterprise Engineering, Lululemon
She treats her projects as her own, doing whatever it takes to minimize risk and reach the goal - and beyond that, she's a strong negotiator who knows how to secure the right resources to get there.
J. Suarez
Enterprise Architect & IT Strategist
By far the best people leader I've had in my career. Her wealth of knowledge shapes the success of those around her, and she always makes time to foster growth and learning. Passionate, professional, and fun.
R. Stoch
Development Director · former direct report

Skills & credentials

What I bring to the table.

Product & Strategy

Product Strategy Product Management OKRs & Outcome-Based Roadmapping Data-Driven Prioritization Digital Transformation Optimization & Scaling Platform Migrations Web & Mobile Modernization AI Strategy Portfolio Management

Leadership & People

People Leadership Global Team Leadership Coaching & Mentorship Cross-Functional Alignment Stakeholder Management

Delivery & Engineering

Agile & Scaled Delivery Engineering Partnership Operational Excellence Data-Driven Decisions

Program Management

Program & Portfolio Management Governance Risk Assessment Dependency Management Budget & Capital Planning Change Management Vendor Management Resource Planning

Education

MBA - Technology & Biotechnology
Beedie / Segal Graduate School of Business, Simon Fraser University
BSc - Chemistry
University of Alberta

Certifications & Training

Google Cloud Gen AI Leader Certification2026
Google Cloud Digital Leader Certification2024
Coaching Great Teams · Effective Communication2019-22
Certified Scrum Master & Product Owner2010-19

Let's connect.

Building something ambitious, or have a hard problem worth solving? I'm always happy to trade ideas with people doing interesting work. Reach out anytime.