Gary Willmott
Founder | Product Growth Specialist | AI Product Expert
Hi5 (Acquired), GoDaddy & TAIWA (Product), Delta (Venture Architect)
š About
Hi, I'm Gary Willmott šSeasoned product leader with 15+ years of experience driving digital product innovation and growth. Proven track record in leading cross-functional teams, launching successful products, and scaling startups to profitable exits. Expert in product strategy, AI integration, and optimizing user experience to achieve measurable results.Here are some career highlights:ā¢ Founder of Hi5, a SaaS HR platform scaled to 60,000+ users, leading to a successful acquisition in 2024.
ā¢ Led the development of GoDaddy's first social-first mobile website design tool at a Fortune 500 company, driving 1000x user growth and contributing to GoDaddyās record-breaking $1B+ quarterly revenue.
ā¢ Product leader for TAIWA, a B2B AI-driven coaching platform, leading a cross-functional team through multiple iterations to achieve product-market fit.I specialize in bringing a startup mindset to mature organizations.I'm currently available for new opportunities.
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Skills
"Product Strategy & Roadmapping" ā I craft roadmaps that keep the ship sailing smoothly (and avoid driving it off a cliff).
"Customer Empathy & User Research" ā I dig deep into customer insights, so I can make sure we're building what they actually need, not just what we think is cool.
"Cross-Functional Collaboration" ā Iām the glue between teams, making sure no one gets lost in translation (or their Slack channels).
"Execution & Delivery" ā I guide product ideas from "Wouldn't it be nice if..." to "Wow, this actually works!"
"Data-Driven Decision-Making" ā I let data be the judgeābecause guessing usually doesnāt work out so well.
"Technical Literacy & Coding Background" ā I keep my coding skills sharp enough to build MVPs, but not sharp enough to join a hackathon (yet).
"Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking" ā I enjoy solving problems that donāt require a cape, but sometimes it feels like it.
"Communication & Storytelling" ā I explain product updates in a way that doesnāt put anyone to sleepāunless itās after lunch.
"Prioritization & Focus" ā I use prioritization frameworks to make sure weāre not chasing shiny objects... too often.
"User Experience (UX) Understanding" ā I work with designers to make sure users donāt need a PhD to figure out how to use our product.
"Adaptability & Flexibility" ā Iām ready to pivot when necessary, just not in every meeting.
"Stakeholder Management" ā I keep stakeholders happy (or at least less stressed), while still building whatās best for the user.
"Market Research & Competitive Analysis" ā I keep an eye on competitors, but I try not to obsess over their every move... much.
"Ownership & Accountability" ā I take full ownership, so when something breaks, I donāt just point fingers (unless itās my dog).
"Product Metrics & KPIs" ā I live by metrics, because āgut feelingā doesnāt show up well on a dashboard.
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Praises
"Gary is a great product leader who excels at turning strategic goals into successful products. His customer-centric approach and ability to blend technical understanding with market insight were benenficial to our work in TAIWA. Gary's leadership fostered strong collaboration among teams, resulting in a product that exceeded expectations and engaged users effectively. His knack for validating ideas before implementation helped avoid costly mistakes and ensured the final product truly resonated with early adopters."
Robin Jose - Chief Product Officer at TAIWA
_"Gary is the rare product leader who is relentlessly focused on the customer while also giving himself and others space to innovate and try new things. On day one, he stepped into a very challenging project that had seen a lot of recent turnover and was able to rally the team together around a shared vision. Gary always makes sure that every voice is heard, and he excels at coordinating the moving pieces required to consistently ship value to customers. As a research lead working with Gary, I always knew that customer feedback would be incorporated thoughtfully into every step."
Patrick Ward - Lead Researcher GoDaddy & Buffer
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"I worked with Gary on launching Social Site at GoDaddy. His tenacity to keep the team on track and launch the product was admirable. Even with all the dependencies on marketing and engineering, he steered the ship successfully to launch the product. He is laser focused on the customer experience and needs, and that always shows in his work, whether it is ideating on the next iteration or fine tuning the existing user flow. He doesn't let processes come in his way, and always finds a way to speed up the process, work around them, or suggest new ways to ensure the launch happen in full!"
Raghu Prabhu - Product Marketing at GoDaddy
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"I have had the pleasure of working with Gary as a leading start-up founder, during this time I have always been amazed at his level of enthusiasm, dedication and positive attitude towards solving everyday problems through building world class software. Gary's understanding of the product management lifecycle, the challenges in writing code, and the importance of UI/UX make him an outstanding product manager. I am excited to watch him grow from strength to strength during this exciting time of emerging technologies."
Ryan Paterson - Investor and Advisor
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Hey, Iām Gary. I help busy founders like you turn ideas into
reality. Whether youāre new to startups or a seasoned
pro, I simplify the messy, scrappy, and sometimes chaotic
process of going from an idea to paying customers.Iāve built, validated, and launched successful startupsāand
Iāve got the battle scars to prove it.Now, I want to make it easier for you.No fluff, just results.