Product Direction
Shaping priorities, roadmaps, and product decisions so teams can see what matters and why.
London-based product leader
Daven Symes
I help organisations use data, technology, and AI to improve how work gets done.
I work across regulated SaaS, financial services, and AI-native software. The useful part, for me, is getting close enough to the work to understand how decisions are made, where information gets stuck, and what would help people deliver value with more confidence.
I do not believe in technology for its own sake. The better question is whether it helps people make clearer decisions, deliver useful work sooner, and keep improving without needing a hero effort every time.
What I Do
Practical help with complex work.
Better Ways of Working
Improving operating models, team rhythms, governance, and the flow of information across an organisation.
Data & AI Adoption
Helping teams use data and AI in ways that are useful, understandable, and connected to real work.
Delivery Leadership
Bringing structure, visibility, and momentum to technical delivery without losing sight of the people doing the work.
Selected Outcomes
Evidence matters more than theatre.
90%+
reduction in major release slippage after improving delivery predictability and operating cadence.
33%
fewer process steps across solution development workflows spanning three global delivery hubs.
20%
increase in team velocity after improving workflow visibility and Jira/Confluence automation.
100%
alignment between development output and acceptance criteria through better coaching and documentation practices.
How I Work
Start with the people doing the work.
Good change usually starts with a few plain questions. Does information move easily? Do teams understand the next useful step? Are decisions being made at the right level? Is the technology helping, or just adding another place for work to hide?
- Make complexity visible enough that people can act on it.
- Use data to improve decisions, not to replace judgement.
- Build capability inside the team, not dependency on a playbook.
- Keep feedback loops close to the people and customers affected by the work.
Experience
Current work and the path here.
Independent product and transformation work
Current work includes helping InfiniteCFO improve processes and build AI fluency, alongside confidential AI-native software work with Dydon AI.
Knotion Consulting
Led digital transformation, governance, and operating model work across regulated financial and public-sector environments.
Genasys
Led delivery and product operations for core insurance software, working with five cross-functional engineering teams.
About
A mix of product, data, delivery, and people work.
I have nearly a decade of experience helping teams improve how they deliver complex software and operational change. I hold an MBA, I am completing an MSc in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and I have worked with teams across insurance, enterprise SaaS, banking, public sector, and early-stage AI software.
Before software and transformation work, I trained airline cadets as a flight instructor. That early experience still shapes how I think about leadership: clarity, trust, feedback, and helping people build confidence under pressure.
Tools and technical fluency include Python, SQL, Azure, Jira, Confluence, n8n, machine learning foundations, and AI-assisted development workflows.
Interested in better ways of working?
I am always happy to connect with people working on product, operations, data, AI adoption, or difficult delivery problems.
Connect on LinkedIn