I help B2B SaaS and AI-native product companies make sharper decisions and execute with confidence
Independent product advisor and fractional product leader. After four years leading AI product strategy at McKinsey, I now work directly with companies that need sharper direction, stronger validation, and experienced leadership from idea to execution.
"Ovidiu was a strong performer, prepared to step up and take responsibility for outcomes [...] and worked tirelessly across the wider team to execute on that vision."
— Darren Martin, Senior External Advisor & CTO, McKinsey & Company
What I do
Four ways I can help
Who I work with
The situations I'm best suited for
This work is most useful when there is a real product decision to make and better judgment could change the outcome. That usually means one of the following:
- A B2B SaaS company that has early traction but is struggling to translate it into a clear product direction
- A company building AI-powered products and unsure which bets to prioritise
- A founder or CEO who needs a more experienced product perspective at the strategic level
- A company between senior product hires, navigating a transition, or building a product function for the first time
- An investor or PE operating partner who needs product clarity on a portfolio company
I work across Europe, the Gulf region, and the US, typically remotely with selective on-site time.
How I work
Most engagements start with a focused assessment
The work starts with understanding what is actually going on in the product, market, team, and commercial context, rather than a generic framework. From there, the goal is to share a clear view of what matters and what to do next.
A typical engagement looks like this:
Understand the situation
Product context, market dynamics, team, and business goals
Identify the highest-value decisions
What's unclear, what's risky, what would change the most with the right answer
Deliver a clear recommendation
With supporting evidence and a practical path forward
Continue as needed
As an advisor, fractional product leader, or on the next question
Ways I typically engage:
- Fixed-fee diagnostic or validation sprints (2–4 weeks)
- Focused strategy engagements
- Ongoing strategic advisory
- Fractional product leadership (part-time, retained)
If you're not sure which fits, an intro conversation is the right place to start.
Book an intro conversationAbout
I'm Ovidiu Oancia, an independent product advisor and fractional product leader based in Lisbon, Portugal.
I work with B2B SaaS and AI companies that need help making better product decisions. That might mean resetting a product strategy that's lost its direction, validating a new product or market opportunity before making a major investment, navigating an AI product roadmap, or covering a senior product leadership gap.
Over the last 19 years I've worked across product leadership, consulting, and market research. I've built and launched B2B SaaS products, led AI product development, and worked alongside executive teams on high-stakes product and technology decisions. That breadth shapes how I approach advisory work: structured when clarity is missing, pragmatic when momentum matters, and always connected to the commercial outcomes that make product decisions worth making.
The value of the work is a clearer view of the decisions you are actually facing.
A few perspectives that shape my approach:
- I've worked in the environments that product teams struggle in — and in the ones that get it right. I know what the gap looks like from both sides.
- My background in market research means I treat evidence seriously. Conviction is useful, but it's not a substitute for validation.
- I've operated in B2B SaaS, enterprise software, and AI product contexts. The patterns transfer, but the details matter. I pay attention to the details.
Experience
Selected background
McKinsey & Company
2021–2026Principal Product Manager II
Led a portfolio of AI-driven data and analytics products within the Global Operations practice. Responsible for product strategy, team leadership, and the performance of tools used by enterprise clients and consultant teams in large-scale operational transformations.
Saal.ai
Abu Dhabi, 2018–2020Head of Product
Built and launched an AI-powered B2B learning platform from concept to deployment. Led product discovery, architecture, MVP build, and early commercial rollout. Contributed to a multi-million-dollar client pipeline.
Teknosell
2013–2018Head of Product
Executive team and board member with full ownership of a B2B coaching platform. Led the company's transition from services to SaaS and drove 100× growth in paying users over three years, with clients including global automotive OEMs.
PMR · Thomson Reuters · Kline & Company · Mercatens
2007–2014Market Research & Strategic Consulting
Seven years producing market research and competitive intelligence for Fortune Global 500 clients across Europe. This is where rigorous evidence-based thinking became a habit, and it still shapes how I approach every product and market question today.
Credentials
- SVPG — Trained directly in the product operating model with SVPG partner Jon Moore
- ICAgile — Agile Coaching Certified Professional
- Scrum.org — Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO)
- Quantic School of Business and Technology — Executive MBA
Languages
English · Romanian · Spanish · Portuguese · Italian
Let's talk
If you're working through a product strategy question, an AI product opportunity, a new market bet, or a product leadership gap, an initial conversation is usually the fastest way to see whether working would be useful.
There's no pitch. It's a straightforward conversation about your situation and whether I'm the right person to help.
Book an intro conversationPrefer email? Reach me at hello@ovidiuoancia.com