About
2-Minute Intro Video
Product‑ & Growth‑Focused Tech Leader
3x CEO | 2x Founder | ex‑GM, eBay Canada
I'm a seasoned CEO and GM with a track record of leading SaaS and marketplace businesses through growth and turnaround. I'm a former GM of eBay Canada and I have deep experience in product strategy, operational transformation and cross-functional execution. I'm passionate about building teams and cultures that deliver real value.
I enjoy mentoring early-stage founders. Recently, I've been working with quantum scientist / founders for Sherbooke's QV Studio. I've also been writing and producing a podcast for people managers called LEAD & WIN THE ROOM.
Personal Information
- Name Russ Patterson
- Residence Mississauga, Ontario
- Email russ@russpattterson.ca
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Interests
VC and PE, MedTech, FinTech, AI, SaaS, Quantum Tech, Marketplaces. -
Hobbies
Cycling, weight lifting, skiing, wakeboarding, backcountry canoeing, cooking, and playing instruments (piano, electric piano, organ, synthesizers, and flute).
SKILLS PROFILE
Leadership
Drawing from decades of leadership experience in high-pressure tech start-ups, I keep businesses on track and teams on task through storms, turnarounds and cultural resets.
Business Strategy
I've led or contributed to countless strategic planning exercises over the years. I run consultative and thoughtful processes and solve for goal alignment rather than consensus.
Product Strategy
I have led and delivered hundreds of winning product initiatives and developed more roadmaps than you can shake a stick at.
Go to Market
I have led sales and marketing teams and I have worked hands-on with digital marketing channels from paid search, display networks and paid social to CRM omnichannel and search engine optimization.
Budgets & Forecasting
With extensive experience as a P&L owner, I'm skilled at managing budgets, preparing forecasts, and working with FP&A teams.
Capital Markets
I enjoy the challenge of raising capital. I have successfully raised over $8M in capital for pre-seed, mid-stage and post-IPO businesses.
Communications
I am highly adept in switching modalities for different audiences, in putting complex concepts into plain language, and in using authenticity, humility, and transparency to build trust and credibility.
Culture
An award-winning people manager, I create highly engaged teams that deliver results. I create a framework of aligned goals, then empower and coach teams to the finish line.
ACCELERATOR EXPERIENCE
TESTIMONIALS
Working with Russ was a true partnership. His deep understanding of the product and business allowed us to deliver sharp, data-driven business cases, and he consistently equipped me with exactly what I needed from an FP&A perspective. His insight, responsiveness, and collaborative approach made a measurable impact on our business.
I had the pleasure of working with Russ at eBay. Extremely hard-working and driven, he's one of the best at translating customer needs into product strategy and execution.
The rare leader who makes you smarter, braver and laugh every day,
Extremely quickly, Russ brought stability and vision to the organization. Russ leads with absolute authenticity in everything that he does. He's the very definition of a great CEO as he leads by inspiring others and not by rank. Any organization, and the people in it, would benefit immensely from having him at the helm.
Russ has shaped my career in profound ways. He taught me how to product manage, innovate, and above all how to lead and scale technical organizations. He is a fantastic technologist and above all an incredible human.
Russ is the type of leader that I can confidently say would engage with the entire team regardless of size. He shares the vision and makes you part of the solution every day - all that while being an amazing down to earth leader that doesn't think he's better than anyone in the organization!
Russ makes it easy for his teams to do their best work. His deep care for the business and his people is what shines through. He's a great leader. Anyone would benefit from hiring him.
