Mike Gerra is an accomplished software technologist and business writer with a rare combination of business, analytical, technical and creative skills, who sees both the big picture and the detail. He possesses extensive background in enterprise and consumer market and vendor research, competitive and emerging tech analysis, strategy development, solution design, product incubation and development, business consulting, and internal and external communications.
Mike owns 3 patents covering the integration of internet and legacy applications, and an embedded real-time internet-based advertising system. He has also published in-depth technology research covering such diverse topics as the future of airports, social networking, consumer search, geospatial tools, payment solutions and select travel industry verticals.
His recent areas of focus have included:
- Technology analysis frameworks for key market, competitive, vendor and product assessments, including qualitative and quantitative industry research for executives and product managers.
- Market sizing and segmentation models, footprints and trend analyses, and related portfolio and product strategy.
- Consumer technology briefings, syndicated and directed research reports for Phocuswright on payment technologies, user interfaces, geographic information services, social networking, search engines, social and semantic search, and content strategy.
- Business consulting, including end-to-end operational and commercial reporting analysis for corporate customers; data migration design, development and execution with business process re-design activities; and system and application interfaces assessment.
- Analysis and solution assessments evaluating corporate e-commerce, project management and application development capabilities.
Mike’s previous initiatives have included:
- Innovation. Conceived and developed various high potential emerging technology initiatives to help Sabre achieve competitive advantage; tracked and explored emerging technologies, keeping executive team abreast of opportunities and threats.
- Technology Transfer. Designed and developed e-commerce platform, functional prototypes and high-level system architecture enabling travel agents to book products from niche suppliers via internet and integrate in to back-end systems; initiated and defined new components for e-commerce infrastructure, including shopping functionality, search, indexing and location based services; developed browser based client for pricing analysts and subscribers to enter negotiated airline fares data online via templates; designed and developed the first platform independent (Java), terminal emulator with internet connectivity to back-end systems.
- Product Development. Led strategic business and product development efforts for American Airlines in-flight entertainment; led business and technical requirements gathering, product analysis, vendor selection and contract negotiations for in-flight entertainment and video systems;
- Web Development. Designed and developed prototype collaborative, web-based storytelling platform; designed and developed e-commerce website and blog platform for art gallery and photography businesses; integrated contact management and online newsletter distribution.
- Software Development. Developed mobile inventory management system for catering equipment; developed operational research and end-user decision support systems; designed and programmed corporate finance and fuel management online transaction systems.
- User Interface Design. Pioneered use of usability lab testing for client server applications at American Airlines; developed user interfaces for in-flight entertainment and in-flight duty free sales systems and flight attendant notebook prototype for American Airlines.
- Patent Authoring. Authored 3 technology patent applications, of which 3 have been granted.
Mike has a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology, with minors in Linguistics and Computer Science from University of Leicester, Britain.