KateWard

About

I am an experienced product leader, with a diverse background in mechanical engineering, project management and software development.

I began my career studying Mechanical Engineering at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. I was fortunate enough to participate in the co-op program, obtaining 18+ months of internship experience during my 4.5 year undergrad degree program. Through these engineering internships, I realized that my skill set and passions better aligned with more collaborative, business focused roles. So, after a brief stint post-graduation as a snowboard instructor in Breckenridge, Colorado, I went back to school to get my Master of Science in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University.

During my graduate studies, I started working at a growing start-up in the Bay Area focused on Supply Chain Risk Management. Typical of start-ups, I wore many hats during my time at Resilinc and had broad experiences as a supply chain solutions manager, customer engagement specialist, UX design & team manager, and finally landed in product management. I was quickly promoted to Senior product manager, and led a large overseas team of developers and designers on multiple releases and new product launches.

After 5 years in California, my partner and I decided to move back to the east coast  so that he could pursue his masters degree. After a few months of international travel and exploration, we landed in Massachusetts and I started a new role as a software product manager at Bose Corporation. At Bose, I worked on a number of software projects and mobile applications  in support of smart speakers, wireless headphones and other wearable technologies. I was the lead product manager responsible for the full development life cycle of a new mobile application for the newest line of voice-enabled smart speakers, which successfully launched in the app stores in September 2018. I also worked on a number of internal projects to improve communication and collaboration across the different departments, including the introduction of a new idea submission portal for employees, and a redesigned go-to-market process and set of tools.

Following a few years of growth and success at Bose, we decided to change it up once again and followed our hearts to Colorado! I began working as a Technical Product Manager in the Payments Technology group at Ibotta in downtown Denver in June 2019, and transitioned to my current role as a Product Manager in the User Experience - Growth team in December 2019.

When I’m not working, I’m probably relaxing with my husband and our dog Max, playing outside and adventuring. I love to travel and explore different places, and have visited 30 countries and counting! I’m also an avid runner, yogi and a certified vinyasa yoga instructor.