Product Development Consultant for online products/services
Toronto, Canada Area
- Current
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- Product Development Consultant at Rohan Jayasekera Consulting
- Past
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- Director, Email Services at Tucows
- Co-founder at Sartorial Instruments & Technology Inc.
- Internet Business Strategist at Oven Digital
- Co-founder, Director of Internet Technology at Sympatico
- Project Manager at Beyond 20/20
- Manager, Product Development / Product Manager, Fuel Delivery at Mobile Computing Corporation
- Director of Technology at Raft Mobile Systems Corp.
- Various at I. P. Sharp Associates / Reuters
- Education
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- Gestalt Institute of Toronto
- University of Waterloo
- University of Waterloo
- Lower Canada College, Montréal
- Recommended
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3 people have recommended Rohan - Connections
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263
connections
- Industry
- Internet
- Websites
Rohan Jayasekera’s Summary
I'm a veteran of the online services industry (including co-founder of Sympatico.ca) and my mission is to define, build, and improve online products/services. I have a degree in computer science from the University of Waterloo, and have over 20 years' experience developing online systems for users ranging from bond traders to garbage truck drivers.
Rohan Jayasekera’s Specialties:
Product management, business analysis, product definition, product development, project management, software development management
Rohan Jayasekera’s Experience
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Product Development Consultant
Rohan Jayasekera Consulting
(Information Technology and Services industry)
November 1993 — Present (15 years 9 months)
Please see my website, www.RohanJayasekera.com. Available for short- and long-term engagements. I've done work for, among others, Canada.com (via Cossette Communications), Bell Sympatico, Rogers Cable Internet (via Certainty Solutions), The Globe and Mail (via Blue North Strategies), Freeplay Energy, and Reuters.
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Director, Email Services
Tucows
(Public Company; TCX; Internet industry)
March 2008 — November 2008 (9 months)
I was the product manager for the OpenSRS Email Service (millions of mailboxes under management through hundreds of ISP and webhost resellers) and the OpenSRS Personal Names Service (get yourself an email address based on your name, e.g. if you're Amy Smith, amy@smith.net -- using the 40,000 surname-based domains owned by Tucows).
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Co-founder
Sartorial Instruments & Technology Inc.
(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Information Technology and Services industry)
January 2003 — May 2005 (2 years 5 months)
Helped this startup created by clothing retailers to define, build and launch an automated-tailoring product, The Fitter, that revolutionizes made-to-measure clothing. www.thefitter.com (yes, it's Internet-based). In 2006, Holt Renfrew rolled out the system to all their stores across Canada.
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Internet Business Strategist
Oven Digital
(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)
October 1999 — November 2000 (1 year 2 months)
Advised client firms on what to do on the Internet, using my understanding of what works there and what doesn’t. Beginning with high-level objectives, produced solutions covering aspects from business models down to site navigation. Clients included Starwood Hotels and InspectValue.com, the first online vehicle inspection service.
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Co-founder, Director of Internet Technology
Sympatico
(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)
January 1995 — July 1998 (3 years 7 months)
Co-founder of Sympatico, Canada's largest Internet service, and Sympatico.ca, Canada's most popular web portal (now Sympatico.MSN.ca). Co-wrote the business plan for both in early 1995, including a remarkably accurate forecast of the development of the Internet and its business implications. Worked with Bell Canada, BCTel (now Telus), and MT&T (now Aliant) to rapidly create their first consumer Internet services (fastest product launch in Bell's history: eight months), and with other phone companies to integrate their services, creating the only service to cover every province and territory. Made it easy to use by the mass market, including automated configuration of the user's computer during signup, and was involved in everything from editing the user's guide to being a model in the ad campaign. Led the technical development of Sympatico.ca and its related sites such as Canada411. Pioneered website personalization: the Sympatico home page has been dynamically generated since Day 1.
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Project Manager
Beyond 20/20
(Privately Held; Computer Software industry)
1992 — 1993 (1 year)
Managed the development of a PC LAN-based system to process purchases of Canada Savings Bonds. Accountable for the entire product development lifecycle, from initial product specifications through design, development, user documentation, testing, launch and customer implementation. Product used to process all bonds sold by Canada Trust and National Trust, among others.
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Manager, Product Development / Product Manager, Fuel Delivery
Mobile Computing Corporation
(Industrial Automation industry)
1990 — 1992 (2 years)
Headed the development of a breakthrough PC-based product that managed truck-mounted computers through wireless data communications, for tasks such as delivering home heating oil. Handed a rough prototype, transformed it into a solid product that achieved nearly 100% share wherever actively marketed. Responsible for product feature set, software development, user documentation, and customer implementation and support.
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Director of Technology
Raft Mobile Systems Corp.
(Internet industry)
1989 — 1990 (1 year)
Recruited into senior management role at this joint venture of Ericsson and Rogers Wireless, to establish and lead the technology side of this new systems integration start-up specialising in mobile data communications (wireless). Developed the company’s expertise in mobile data systems and related software, hardware, and communications technologies.
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Various
I. P. Sharp Associates / Reuters
(Information Technology and Services industry)
1976 — 1989 (13 years)
Held a series of increasingly senior systems development roles, with a focus on the development of complex international systems for the financial services sector, including one that still manages over 15% of the world's foreign exchange transactions ($trillions annually). Built and managed project teams as large as 15.
Rohan Jayasekera’s Education
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Gestalt Institute of Toronto
Group leadership training 1998 — 2002
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University of Waterloo
M.Math - incomplete , Computer Science , 1981 — 1982
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University of Waterloo
B.Math , Computer Science , 1976 — 1981
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Lower Canada College, Montréal
1969 — 1976
Additional Information
Rohan Jayasekera’s Websites:
Rohan Jayasekera’s Interests:
Web 2.0, Internet product definition and development
Rohan Jayasekera’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- consulting offers
- new ventures
- job inquiries
- expertise requests
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
