
PROFILE
Colin Temple
Senior product and data leader
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Head of Product @ Napkyn
MA, Philosophy
I’m a senior leader with over two decades of experience working in cross-functional roles spanning product, data engineering, software development, marketing and business development.
Driven by a desire to solve interesting problems, I have a diverse set of skills across the areas I’ve worked in, with particularly deep knowledge in the areas where I spend the most time.
EXPERIENCE
23 years of experience
I lead Product at Napkyn, a provider of digital analytics and media solutions for medium and large enterprises.
I work in a fairly small consultancy that’s part of a large agency, within a collective of businesses and a holding company. We navigate large, complex customer and vendor relationships as a smaller team.
Over the years, I’ve worked in organizations ranging from one to a few thousand people.
Napkyn
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Since 2010
Head of Product / VP, Product
2019 – Present
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At Napkyn, I lead creating and augmenting our software and services offerings in digital analytics and media for market. I drive the development of our proprietary software and work with a talented team to iteratively improve our services, and how we sell and deliver them.
I was one of Napkyn’s first employees in 2010, and have worked with many smart people here to help build up this organization into one of Google’s most trusted Google Marketing Platform sales and service partners. In 2021, Napkyn was acquired by Kepler Group, joining its organization to further expand our resources, opportunities and reach.
I also sit on Kepler’s product team to extend the reach of our capabilities to our parent and sister companies, and bring new capabilities from the group to Napkyn customers.
Director, Analytics Solutions
2017-2019
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In 2017, I was made Napkyn’s Director of Analytics Solutions, with the mandate of advancing our analytics capabilities to incorporate increasing demand for cloud-based analytics and data science practice.
While in this role, I continued to lead the management and development of Analysis Engine, our SaaS product, which I had launched in a previous role.
Product Manager, Development Team Lead
2013-2017
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By 2013, I had built enough scripting and tools to automate the tedious aspects of data analysis that it made sense to consolidate these into a software platform. In 2013, this was launched as a SaaS product designed to make Google Analytics viable for large enterprises by fulfilling IT requirements and enabling new data integrations. Google promoted the product on its launch, bringing about 1000 day-one sign-ups. Bringing on more development and later UX resources, I ran the product management and led the development team.
The product offering was instrumental in securing our place as a reseller of Google Analytics Premium (now GA 360). Our role as a Google sales partner grew to become central to Napkyn’s business, as it remains to this day.
Senior Analyst
2010-2013
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In Napkyn’s early days, I was a data analyst. Over that time, I was a leading force behind expanding our capabilities. Originally focused on pure data analysis, I kickstarted our technical implementation practice, which became the largest driver of revenue for the business. My work also helped us move from serving smaller ecommerce shops hoping to break $1M in monthly revenue to Fortune 500 brands.
Logical Style
Founder
2019-Present
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In 2019, I launched Logical Style, an apparel brand featuring my own designs, with geeky jokes from philosophy, logic, math and science. The shop, a highly-automated Shopify store, was largely made as a testing ground for my primary work in digital analytics and marketing. It’s a place to try new things in a low-risk environment, and perhaps most importantly, to maintain a level of empathy with the customers I serve in my primary role, many of whom are ecommerce retailers.
XAdvance
Founder
2003-2010
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I started my own contracting work early in my career, as a side hustle (well before it was called that). In 2007, I took it full-time with my two previous employers as my first major contracts. Founding my own company, XAdvance, I offered digital marketing services with an increasing focus on analytics for a variety of businesses. This included web marketing and development work done myself, and through sub-contractors. My last customer was Napkyn, which I made my focus, joining full-time after a few months of consulting.
Sitebrand
Web Marketing Specialist
2007
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I was responsible for digital marketing, including content, analytics and advertising for a web personalization software company. I left to build my own business, but continued to work with Sitebrand as a contracted consultant.
N-able Technologies
Webmaster, Web Marketing Specialist
2001-2007
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I started at N-able Technologies, a network monitoring and management software company focused on channel sales, as a co-op student. With that term ending in June 2001, I joined full-time and took ownership of the corporate website and digital marketing. I continued to work with N-able for over two years after I left as a contracted consultant.
EDUCATION
A practiced thinker
Philosophy isn’t always presented as a highly marketable major, but central to it (especially logic, on which I focused) is the practice and exploration of how to think reliably. Universal in application, that’s especially essential to success in business, as it is in designing products or writing code.
Master of Arts, Philosophy
University of Western Ontario
2013
Focused on philosophy of mathematics and science, I worked on concepts of philosophical logic under the supervision of celebrated Canadian logician John Bell. I also served as a teaching assistant and guest lecturer for a year-long course in logic.
Honours Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy
University of Ottawa
2008-2012
As part of a broad philosophical training, I progressively focused in on logic, set theory and related philosophy. I also completed two graduate-level courses and served as a teaching assistant during my undergraduate study.
I graduated magna cum laude, made the Dean’s Honour List in 2012, and served two terms as VP of Communications in the Undergraduate Philosophy Student Association.
INDUSTRY SKILLS
Connecting data, tech & business
My career has consistently placed me as a leading technologist in marketing contexts, which has led to a diverse set of skills. My unique strengths come from understanding how to use them together.
Digital Analytics
Since 2001
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With Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, and many data platforms & visualization/BI platforms; I’ve spent most of my career in this context and have authored thought leadership and presented my ideas via webinars and at Google.
Marketing & Business Development
Since 2001
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Including market research, strategy, product marketing, digital advertising, and sales engineering; I spent the first third of my career designing digital marketing programs at smaller scales, and the rest of it consulting on data-driven marketing strategy for large businesses, while cooperatively developing a company from ideas through acquisition and ongoing growth.
Software Development
Since 2001
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Full-stack with Kotlin, Java, Python, TypeScript, JavaScript, PHP, HTML, CSS, Angular, React, Spring Boot & more. I started with frontend web applications and early SaaS offerings (when they were known as “on demand”), and have built comprehensive knowledge across web and app stacks. Familiar with engineering workflows and DevOps.
Cloud & Data Engineering
Since 2012
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With relational SQL and noSQL databases, Kubernetes, Apache Airflow and Beam, AI and MLOps, Google Cloud, AWS and Azure; I have architected and run SaaS platforms in Google Cloud and deployed innumerable complex data engineering projects for medium and large enterprises.
Product Management
Since 2013
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I launched a SaaS product in 2013, and have run an internal software platform since 2020. I plan features and development based on OKRs, with an emphasis on context in the market, current business needs and the strengths of the team. I also develop productized services offerings that bundle vendors’ enterprise software with premium B2B implementation.
Leadership
Since 2013
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Including managing direct reports and serving at the executive level, with a genuine desire to see people succeed as the business succeeds
CERTIFICATIONS
A Google expert
As a leader at a full-stack Google Marketing Platform sales and service partner, and Google Cloud services partner, I’ve learned a few things about those products—and taken a few tests to prove it.
The skills associated with Google Cloud, in particular, translate well to other cloud platforms, where the underlying open source software is typically very similar, if not the same.
Google Cloud
Professional Machine Learning Engineer
2023-2025

Google Cloud’s Professional Machine Learning Engineer exam covers ML theory, MLOps practice generally, and the infrastructure of AI in Google Cloud.
Professional Data Engineer
2023-2025

The exam for the Professional Data Engineer certification exam covers the expertise required to build efficient and secure data pipelines and storage in Google Cloud.
Professional Cloud Database Engineer
2023-2025

The Professional Cloud Database Engineer exam concerns practical understanding of various databases in Google Cloud. In addition to the infrastructure in Cloud for networking, compute and storage, it tests knowledge of specific options, including non-Google technologies like Microsoft SQL and PostgreSQL.
Google Marketing Platform
Google Analytics
2016-2024

The current version of this certification covers deployment and use of GA4, but I also held the Google Analytics Individual Qualification while it was available.
Google Display & Video 360
2022-2024

The test for the Google Display & Video 360 evaluates understanding of the structure of DV360 accounts, the general use of its interface, and its connections to other Google products.
Google Campaign Manager 360
2022-2024

Google’s Campaign Manager 360 exam tests knowledge of the CM360 interface and account structure, its connections with other Google products, and its general use for campaign management. It also covers aspects of reporting and data transfer.