I am an analytical and customer-centric Product Management professional with 7+ years of cross-industry experience spanning FMCG, graphics design, and B2B service environments. I excel at aligning product strategy with business goals, leading cross-functional teams, and delivering end-to-end projects. I combine a strong technical foundation in Chemical Engineering with business expertise from an MBA to optimize customer experience, process efficiency, and product value. I am passionate about creating data-driven, scalable solutions that meet market and user needs.

Maria T Banda

I am an analytical and customer-centric Product Management professional with 7+ years of cross-industry experience spanning FMCG, graphics design, and B2B service environments. I excel at aligning product strategy with business goals, leading cross-functional teams, and delivering end-to-end projects. I combine a strong technical foundation in Chemical Engineering with business expertise from an MBA to optimize customer experience, process efficiency, and product value. I am passionate about creating data-driven, scalable solutions that meet market and user needs.

Available to hire

I am an analytical and customer-centric Product Management professional with 7+ years of cross-industry experience spanning FMCG, graphics design, and B2B service environments. I excel at aligning product strategy with business goals, leading cross-functional teams, and delivering end-to-end projects. I combine a strong technical foundation in Chemical Engineering with business expertise from an MBA to optimize customer experience, process efficiency, and product value. I am passionate about creating data-driven, scalable solutions that meet market and user needs.

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Experience Level

Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
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Language

English
Fluent
Dutch
Beginner

Work Experience

Coordinated cross-functional project initiatives at Kraft Heinz
July 1, 2023 - April 2, 2024
Coordinated cross-functional project initiatives, ensuring 100% on-time delivery of key milestones. Conducted gap analysis on regulatory and risk reports, improving compliance efficiency by 15%. Collaborated with senior management to prioritize and track project roadmaps aligned with business goals. Designed project dashboards that enhanced visibility and reduced reporting delays by 20%. Partnered with supply chain and finance teams to align product rollout timelines and budgets.
Account Manager at Spectank Zambia Ltd
March 1, 2019 - August 1, 2021
Directed a 40+ person team across sanitation and technical operations, maintaining ISO 22000 compliance. Grew customer retention by 25% through strategic partnership development and solution delivery. Led margin forecasting and cost-control initiatives, improving profit margins by 10% YoY. Negotiated supplier agreements that reduced procurement costs by 12% while ensuring consistent supply. Implemented KPI dashboards to monitor performance and accountability.
Account Manager at Diversey (Food & Beverage Division)
January 1, 2016 - February 1, 2019
Managed a multi-million-euro portfolio of enterprise clients, achieving 15% annual revenue growth. Introduced CRM-based reporting system (Salesforce) to streamline client management and pipeline tracking.
Quality Assurance Technician at Sealed Air (Food & Beverage)
August 1, 2015 - December 1, 2015
Improved cooling tower efficiency to 87%, reducing energy costs by 15% through preventive maintenance. Developed quality control measures that boosted production consistency and uptime by 20%. Enhanced utilities data tracking to identify efficiency trends and optimize water and energy usage. Provided root-cause analysis on technical breakdowns, reducing equipment downtime by 18%.
Technical Trainee at Plascon Paints
January 1, 2014 - July 1, 2015
Oversaw process quality assurance and calibration, maintaining 98% accuracy in equipment validation. Streamlined stock management and material inspection, cutting inspection time by 25%. Contributed to continuous improvement initiatives that reduced process variance by 15%. Conducted root-cause investigations and implemented corrective actions for production deviations. Assisted in product formulation testing to meet ISO manufacturing standards.
Co-ordinator / Quality Assurance at Diversey
December 1, 2013 - January 1, 2014
Note: Prior roles included responsibilities in quality assurance and process improvement within the beverage sector; these experiences contributed to baseline capabilities in cross-functional collaboration and operations.
Project Manager at Kraft Heinz
July 1, 2023 - April 1, 2024
Coordinated cross-functional project initiatives, ensuring 100% on-time delivery of key milestones; conducted gap analyses on regulatory and risk reports; improved compliance efficiency by 15%; designed project dashboards to enhance visibility and reduce reporting delays by 20%; partnered with supply chain and finance teams to align product rollout timelines and budgets.
Key Account Manager at Spectank Zambia Ltd
March 1, 2019 - August 1, 2021
Directed a 40+ person team across sanitation and technical operations, maintaining ISO 22000 compliance. Grew customer retention by 25% through strategic partnership development and solution delivery. Led margin forecasting and cost control initiatives, improving profit margins by 10% YoY. Negotiated supplier agreements that reduced procurement costs by 12% while ensuring consistent supply. Implemented performance dashboards to monitor KPI's, improving operational visibility and accountability.
Utilities Technician at Sealed Air (Food & Beverage)
August 1, 2015 - December 1, 2015
Improved cooling tower efficiency to 87%, reducing energy costs by 15% through preventive maintenance. Developed quality control measures to boost production consistency and uptime by 20%.
Intern at Kraft Heinz
July 1, 2023 - April 1, 2024
Coordinated cross-functional project initiatives, ensuring 100% on-time delivery of key milestones. Conducted gap analyses on regulatory and risk reports, improving compliance efficiency by 15%. Collaborated with senior management to prioritize and track project roadmaps. Designed project dashboards to enhance visibility and reduce reporting delays by 20%. Partnered with supply chain and finance teams to align product rollout timelines and budgets.
Account Manager at Diverse Y (Food & Beverage Division)
January 1, 2016 - February 1, 2019
Managed a multi-million-euro portfolio of enterprise clients, achieving 15% annual revenue growth. Implemented a CRM-based reporting system (Salesforce) to streamline client management and pipeline tracking. Improved forecasting accuracy by 10% via data-driven demand modeling and inventory optimization. Delivered tailored hygiene and compliance solutions, boosting client satisfaction scores by 20%. Led product improvement workshops translating customer feedback into actionable enhancements.

Education

Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Maastricht University
September 1, 2022 - September 1, 2025
Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) at Copperbelt University, Zambia
April 1, 2008 - December 1, 2013
Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Maastricht University, Netherlands
September 1, 2022 - September 1, 2025
Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) at Copperbelt University, Zambia
April 1, 2008 - December 1, 2013
Master of Business Administration at Maastricht University
September 1, 2022 - September 1, 2025
Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) at Copperbelt University, Zambia
April 1, 2008 - December 1, 2013
Master of Business Administration at Maastricht University, Netherlands
September 1, 2022 - September 1, 2025
Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) at Copperbelt University, Zambia
April 1, 2008 - December 1, 2013

Qualifications

Salesforce Essentials
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
SAP Business Essentials
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
Agile Fundamentals (Scrum & Kanban)
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
Safety Trainer – Occupational Safety, Health & Environment (OSHE)
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
English Language – First Language
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
Dutch – A2 Elementary
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
Salesforce Essentials
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
SAP Business Essentials
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
Agile Fundamentals (Scrum & Kanban)
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
Safety Trainer – Occupational Safety, Health & Environment (OSHE)
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
Salesforce Essentials
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
SAP Essentials
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
Agile Fundamentals (Scrum & Kanban)
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
Occupational Safety, Health & Environment (OSHE)
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
Salesforce Essentials
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
Agile Fundamentals (Scrum & Kanban)
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026
Safety Trainer – Occupational Safety, Health & Environment (OSHE)
January 11, 2030 - April 2, 2026

Industry Experience

Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, Professional Services, Education, Software & Internet, Consumer Goods, Retail