Fractional Chief Product Officer · Sydney

Senior product leadership. Delivering commercial outcomes.

OptiProduct gives growing businesses, mid-market companies and PE portfolio companies an experienced CPO for the days they need, with proven playbooks that turn product into revenue, retention and margin.

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20+years leading product
$2bn+P&L portfolios managed
−25%Service calls
+15%sales conversion
OptusTelstraFoxtelWoolworthsTeam Global ExpressEmployment HeroBioScout
Why fractional

Product is behind your growth plan. No one senior owns it.

The signs are usually clear before anyone names the problem.

1

A roadmap that's really a wish list

Every team pushes its own priorities. Delivery is busy, but nobody can link the work to revenue, retention or cost.

2

Founder-led decisions don't scale

The business has outgrown one person deciding what gets built, but there's no product function to take over.

3

Digital spend without digital results

Technology investment keeps rising while customer scores, conversion and cost-to-serve stand still.

Services

Start small. Expand by phase.

Each engagement stands on its own, and each one sets up the next. Deploying AI? Start with the AI safety & governance audit.

2–4 weeks

Product & digital diagnostic

An independent read of your product, customer experience, technology and team, benchmarked and prioritised.

  • Maturity assessment
  • Top opportunities, sized
  • Board-ready findings
For: new leadership, new owners, pre-deal diligence
90 days

Strategy & 100-day plan

Set the product vision and strategy, then launch the first initiatives so the plan arrives already in motion.

  • Vision, strategy and roadmap
  • Outcome KPIs and OKRs
  • First wins live in market
For: a growth or transformation agenda that needs to move now
Ongoing

Fractional CPO

Part-time executive leadership of product and digital, reporting to the CEO and board, for as long as you need it.

  • Leads product teams and delivery
  • Builds the product operating model
  • Hires and hands over to a permanent CPO
For: businesses without a CPO, or between hires
Playbooks

Proven plays, not blank pages.

Every engagement starts from a tested playbook, then gets tailored to your business. Choose one to see how it runs, or browse them all in Resources.

Playbook

The Fractional CPO playbook

How a part-time CPO creates full-time impact. A structured entry into the business that earns trust fast, delivers early wins and leaves a product function that runs without me.

Best for
Businesses without a CPO
Timeframe
90 days, then ongoing
Lead outcome
A working product function
Hand-over
Permanent CPO hire
  1. 1
    Weeks 1–2

    Listen & map

    Interviews with customers, leaders and teams. Map the product portfolio, the data and how decisions get made today.

    OutputCurrent-state map
  2. 2
    Weeks 3–6

    Strategy & focus

    Agree the product vision, the few outcomes that matter and a roadmap the business can fund.

    OutputStrategy, roadmap, OKRs
  3. 3
    Weeks 7–12

    Deliver early wins

    Launch two or three high-confidence initiatives to prove the approach and build momentum.

    OutputWins in market
  4. 4
    Ongoing

    Build the function

    Coach PMs, set up rituals and governance, then recruit and hand over to a permanent CPO.

    OutputSelf-sustaining team
Playbook

Product operating model transformation

Move from a feature factory to empowered product teams. Staged in the order that works: technical foundations, then discovery, then insight-driven strategy.

Best for
Busy teams, unclear impact
Timeframe
6–12 months, staged
Lead outcome
Outcomes over outputs
Model
Product teams, not projects
  1. 1
    Stage 1

    Foundations

    Assess delivery, architecture and release cadence. Remove the blockers that stop teams shipping often and safely.

    OutputDelivery baseline
  2. 2
    Stage 2

    Team topology

    Form durable, cross-functional product teams with a product manager, designer and tech lead.

    OutputTeam design
  3. 3
    Stage 3

    Continuous discovery

    Introduce customer research, prototyping and testing so teams validate ideas before building them.

    OutputDiscovery rhythm
  4. 4
    Stage 4

    Insight-driven strategy

    Leadership sets strategic context and outcomes; teams decide how to achieve them.

    OutputProduct strategy & OKRs
Playbook

PE value creation playbook

Product and digital levers built into the investment case. From diligence through the first 100 days to an equity story a buyer will pay for.

Best for
Sponsors & portfolio companies
Timeframe
Diligence to exit
Lead outcome
EBITDA & multiple
Starts
Pre-deal or at close
  1. 1
    Pre-deal

    Diligence

    Independent read of product, customer and technology. Upside and risk behind the plan.

    OutputDD findings
  2. 2
    Day 0–100

    Value creation plan

    Prioritised, sized initiatives across revenue, retention and cost-to-serve, with first wins launched.

    Output100-day plan
  3. 3
    Years 1–3

    Execution

    Fractional leadership of delivery, building the team and board-level KPI reporting.

    OutputKPI dashboard
  4. 4
    Exit

    Equity story

    Evidence of digital growth and a credible roadmap for the next owner.

    OutputExit narrative
Playbook

NRR-led SaaS turnaround

For SaaS businesses where growth has stalled. Net revenue retention leads, because keeping and expanding customers is the fastest route back to efficient growth.

Best for
PE-backed SaaS
Timeframe
6–12 months
Lead metric
Net revenue retention
Depth
11-section playbook
  1. 1
    Diagnose

    Find the leaks

    Cohort and churn analysis to see where revenue is lost and which customers are worth most.

    OutputRetention diagnosis
  2. 2
    Fix

    Retention & adoption

    Onboarding, product adoption and customer success plays aimed at the biggest churn drivers.

    OutputChurn reduction plan
  3. 3
    Grow

    Expansion & pricing

    Packaging, pricing and upsell paths that grow revenue from existing customers.

    OutputExpansion roadmap
  4. 4
    Sustain

    Operating rhythm

    Metrics, roadmap governance and team capability to keep NRR rising.

    OutputNRR scorecard
Playbook

Customer & digital transformation

For traditional businesses where customers expect more than the systems can give. Fix the journeys that cost the most, and build a single view of the customer.

Best for
Logistics, services, retail
Timeframe
3–12 months
Lead outcome
Lower cost-to-serve, higher NPS
Proof
−25% enquiries
  1. 1
    Map

    Customer journeys

    Trace the journeys that generate calls, complaints and manual work, and put a cost on each.

    OutputJourney heatmap
  2. 2
    Unify

    Single customer view

    Align data feeds, standards and governance so every team sees the same customer.

    OutputData foundation
  3. 3
    Digitise

    Self-service & tracking

    Digital tools that answer customers before they call: tracking, updates, self-service.

    OutputDigital roadmap
  4. 4
    Measure

    Experience metrics

    NPS, enquiry volumes and conversion tracked against targets, reported to leadership.

    OutputCX scorecard
Playbook

Digital, data & AI strategy

A practical plan for mid-market businesses ($20m–$500m) on where digital, data and AI create value, sequenced against capability and cash.

Best for
Mid-market businesses
Timeframe
6–10 weeks to plan
Lead outcome
Funded, sequenced roadmap
Focus
Value, not hype
  1. 1
    Assess

    Maturity baseline

    Where the business stands today on digital channels, data quality and AI readiness.

    OutputMaturity scorecard
  2. 2
    Prioritise

    Value cases

    Shortlist use cases by value and feasibility, from quick automation to new revenue.

    OutputRanked use cases
  3. 3
    Plan

    Roadmap & investment

    Sequence initiatives against capability, budget and risk, with clear owners.

    OutputBoard-ready roadmap
  4. 4
    Govern

    Data & AI guardrails

    Data ownership, privacy and responsible-AI practices the board can follow.

    OutputGovernance model
Maturity diagnostic

How mature is your business?

Rate twelve statements across customer, digital, data and AI. Example answers are filled in. Change them to match your business and your score updates as you go.

Customer

2.3 / 5

How well you understand and serve your customers.

We measure customer experience (NPS or CSAT) and act on it
We have a single view of each customer across teams
Customers can self-serve the things they contact us about most
1 = not at all5 = fully in place

Digital

2.7 / 5

How you build and run digital products and channels.

Digital channels are a primary way customers buy from or deal with us
We have a product function with a clear strategy and roadmap
Teams release improvements frequently and measure the outcome
1 = not at all5 = fully in place

Data

2.0 / 5

How reliable and useful your data is.

Leaders trust the numbers in our core reports
Data is owned, governed and consistent across systems
Teams use data and experiments to make product decisions
1 = not at all5 = fully in place

AI

1.3 / 5

How ready you are to create value with AI.

We have identified where AI could create measurable value
We have run AI pilots with clear success measures
We have guardrails for privacy and responsible AI use
1 = not at all5 = fully in place

The OptiProduct maturity framework

Five stages across four dimensions. Your answers place you on the map and show the next step in each.

Stage 1Foundational
Stage 2Developing
Stage 3Established
Stage 4Advanced
Stage 5Leading
Customer
Reactive
Feedback is ad hoc. Customer data sits in separate systems.
You are here
Measured
NPS or CSAT is tracked, but insight rarely changes decisions.
Proactive
Self-service and proactive updates cut contact and cost.
Customer-led
Real-time insight shapes every product and service decision.
Digital
Analogue core
Digital is a brochure. Change runs through IT projects.
Channel add-on
Some online sales or service. Projects, not products.
You are here
Product-led
Product teams with a strategy and roadmap tied to outcomes.
Digital business
Digital products are central to how the business earns.
Data
Spreadsheet-run
Numbers are manual and often disputed.
You are here
Reported
Core reports exist but take effort and lack trust.
Insight-driven
Analytics and experiments guide decisions.
Predictive
Models and real-time data drive operations.
AI
You are here
Unexplored
No view yet on where AI could help.
Piloting
Prioritised use cases piloted with success measures.
Scaling
AI in core processes, with guardrails in place.
AI-native
AI embedded across products and operations.
Where you are todayYour next step
Approach

The first 90 days.

A clear rhythm so you see progress from the first month.

Weeks 1–2

Listen

Customers, data, teams and leadership. Find where value is leaking.

Weeks 3–4

Diagnose

Size the opportunities and agree the few that matter most.

Weeks 5–8

Align & launch

Strategy, roadmap and KPIs signed off. First initiatives in flight.

Weeks 9–13

Embed

Rituals, team capability and reporting that keep it running.

Outcomes over outputs

Success is measured in revenue, retention, cost and customer scores, not features shipped.

Empowered teams

Teams own problems, not task lists. Capability is built, not just roles renamed.

An operator's view

Two decades accountable for P&Ls means recommendations that are commercial and doable.

Who I help

Tuned to your stage.

Scale-ups

Founder-led tech companies

Around ten years in, growing, with no senior product leader. Delivery bottlenecks and a roadmap still run by the founder.

→ Optimise & scale
Mid-market

Established businesses

$20m–$500m revenue in services, logistics, retail or industrial, with low digital maturity and rising customer expectations.

→ Customer & digital transformation
Private equity

Sponsors & portfolio companies

Product and digital levers in the value creation plan, from diligence through the 100 days to exit.

→ Value creation
About

An operator, not a theorist.

  • 2025–
    OptiProduct
    Founder & Fractional CPO
  • 2025
    BioScout
    First product hire, agtech IoT
  • 2022–24
    Team Global Express
    Head of Product & Digital Solutions
  • 2020–22
    NSW Customer Service, Employment Hero, Mable, Webcentral
    Product leadership
  • 2016–19
    Optus
    Director of Product, Consumer · ~$1bn P&L
  • 2015–16
    WooliesX
    Digital consultant
  • 2014–15
    Telstra
    GM Product, Consumer & SOHO
  • 2012–14
    Foxtel
    Head of Digital Products
Chris Walters, Fractional Chief Product Officer

“Strong product leadership is more than a feature factory. It's understanding customers, anticipating the market, and building teams that perform.”

Chris Walters has spent more than 20 years building and scaling products, launching award-winning platforms and driving revenue and EBIT growth for start-ups and large enterprises. He works alongside management and leaves behind capability that lasts.

TelcoLogisticsRetail & e-commerceSaaSIoTMediaGovernment
Testimonials

What people say.

Chris provided valuable guidance on the CVP, customer experience frameworks, channel and product road maps … I would highly recommend Chris as a trusted adviser.
Jason HairChief Operating & Innovation Officer, HUB24Managed Chris at Woolworths
He is commercially astute and his product knowledge is second to none.
Dean MerrionCOO, CDO, CMO · Customer Leadership, Commerce, TransformationSenior colleague
He is an experienced product strategist who is able to motivate and drive the team to deliver results that support the strategic priorities.
Richard LowPricing & customer value specialistWorked with Chris at Telstra
The phenomenal customer take up of these products speaks to the care and expertise Chris put in to these plans.
Kym NiblockDigital, transformation & technology leaderWorked with Chris at Foxtel

Read all recommendations on LinkedIn ↗

FAQ

Good questions.

Who does OptiProduct work with?

Founder-led tech scale-ups without a senior product leader, established mid-market businesses ($20m–$500m revenue) in sectors such as services, logistics, retail and industrial, and private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies. OptiProduct is based in Sydney and works across Australia.

What is a fractional CPO?

An experienced Chief Product Officer who works with you part-time, typically one to three days a week. You get executive-level product leadership, strategy and team coaching without the cost and lead time of a permanent C-suite hire.

How is this different from a consultancy?

Consultants advise and leave. A fractional CPO is accountable for outcomes from inside the business: leading the team, making the calls and owning the results, then building the capability to carry it on.

How much time do you spend with us?

It depends on the engagement. Diagnostics are intensive over a few weeks. Ongoing fractional work is usually one to three days a week, adjusted as priorities change.

How is it priced?

Fees depend on scope and time commitment, and are agreed up front for each phase. A discovery call is the quickest way to get a clear proposal.

What happens when the engagement ends?

The goal is to leave you stronger: a working operating model, a capable team and, where it makes sense, a permanent CPO I've helped you hire and hand over to.

Do you help with AI strategy and governance?

Yes. AI is part of every OptiProduct strategy: finding the use cases that move revenue, cost or customer scores, piloting them with clear measures, and putting governance in place. For businesses already deploying AI, the AI safety and governance audit benchmarks controls against ISO/IEC 42001, the NIST AI RMF and Australia's AI6 practices.

Where can I see results from past work?

The case studies cover measured outcomes such as a 25% cut in customer enquiries at Team Global Express, record 25% net subscriber growth at Optus and a 16% sales run-rate lift at Telstra.

Do you work outside Sydney?

Yes. OptiProduct is based in Sydney and works with businesses across Australia, in person where it matters and remotely in between.

Let's unblock your product potential.

Tell me a little about your business and I'll set up a 30-minute discovery call.

I reply to every message within one business day.