Building Digital Products That Connect
Independent consultancy services for digital Product Management, Product Delivery, and interim leadership.
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About Willem van Schieveen
Resilient Product Leader
I'm a freelance Digital Product Manager and Product Owner. I help organizations and teams build customer-facing and back-end products at scale.
My approach centers on connecting people, understanding needs, and delivering tangible results.
People I've worked with describe me as a connector and teamplayer. I listen deeply. I remain calm and stable in challenging situations.
Core Expertise
Product Management
Leading cross-functional teams to build scalable digital products. Expert in agile methodologies and product innovation.
Product Ownership
Defining product vision and strategy. Translating customer needs into actionable development priorities.
eCommerce Platforms
Building and scaling online retail experiences. Deep expertise in customer journeys and conversion optimisation.
Team Growth/Maturity
Supporting teams in growing their product maturity, allowing them to scale impact, autonomy, and delivery quality
Professional Approach
How I Work
I focus on building inclusive teams that take ownership and deliver results. My approach balances customer needs with business objectives and a technical solid foundation.
Data insights guide decisions. Technical excellence removes barriers. Clear communication keeps teams aligned.
I create environments where people grow. Teams become more capable. Products become more valuable.
My characteristics:
  • Empathy and active listening
  • Flexibility and resilience
  • Open and neutral mindset
  • Stability and calmness under pressure
  • Connection and collaboration
Current Projects
GrandVision B.V. / EssilorLuxottica S.A.
(as independent consultant)
Enhancing 'Browse to Order' customer journeys and stability of underlying technical platform for 15+ online optical retailers across 11 European countries. Some examples:
Notable Achievements
15+
Years Experience
Building agile software products at scale
1B
Growth Impact
Bol.com app sales from 50M to 1B in 5 years
20x
Performance
Improved app response times through API optimisation
50+
Team Scale
Led products serving millions of customers
Career Journey at bol.com
(as employee)
11 years building products for the Netherlands' leading online retailer. Company grew from 500 to 3000 employees during this period.
1
2023-2024
Senior People & Culture Manager
Led development of 15 product professionals. Restructured performance reviews. Championed diversity and inclusion.
2
2021-2023
People Lead, Senior Manager
Co-led 4-6 cross-functional teams serving 13.5M customers. Managed team of 18 product professionals. Orchestrated major organisational transformation.
3
2020-2021
People Lead, App & Web Core
Led complete customer journey from home to basket. Introduced Figma as primary design tool. Created internal diversity documentary.
4
2019-2020
Teamlead, Apps & Voice
Restructured iOS and Android teams. Led through COVID-19 challenges. Chaired API Braintrust initiative.
5
2017-2019
Product Manager, APIs
Built app API and API Gateway from scratch. Achieved 20x response time improvement. Founded API Braintrust community.
6
2016-2017
Information Analyst, Scrum Master
Designed new shopping API architecture. Migrated 50% of app traffic. Improved response times by 75%.
7
2013-2016
Information Analyst, Pricing
Developed pricing and catalog systems. Enabled scalable growth and innovation.
Earlier Experience
(as employee)
ABN AMRO Bank
Business Analyst (2011-2013)
Developed online investment advisory and order platform. Worked on both customer and advisor modules.
De Goudse
Business Analyst (2010-2011)
Specified 6 new insurance products. Enabled online requests with automatic back-office processing.
RBS
Business Analyst (2009)
Assessed impact of dividing internet banking platform. Supported major organisational restructuring.
Nationale-Nederlanden
Test Coordinator (2007-2008)
Coordinated defect resolution and user acceptance testing. Implemented online insurance purchase capability.
Services & Skills
My services
  • IT Product Management
  • IT Product Development
  • Consultancy
  • Interim assignments
Key Competencies
  • Agile Product Management & Development
  • Team leadership & coaching
  • Stakeholder management
  • eCommerce platforms
  • Scrum methodology
  • Budget management
  • Performance optimization
Let's Connect
Ready to collaborate?
I'm available for digital product management and product ownership related projects.
Whether you need help scaling digital products, building inclusive teams, or optimizing customer experiences, I'm here to help.
I work on intensive interim assignments, typically full-time for the duration of an engagement.
Contact Information
All work is performed under independent consultancy agreements with agreed deliverables, tariffs, and exit terms.
  • Legal form: Self-employed / sole proprietorship
  • Registered location: Driebergen
  • KVK number: 93698763
  • VAT identification number: NL002947207B54
© 2025 Willem van Schieveen
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