Fractional Leadership · Interim Director · Advisory · Product Coaching
I am an Italian engineer who has spent the last 17 years building, scaling and transforming digital platforms across four countries and two continents — at Adidas, Heineken, and Accenture. Not in comfortable, ideal conditions. In real and tough ones: five surgeries in three years, two young children at home, three international relocations — two during a global pandemic, one intercontinental move just eight weeks post-operation — and through all of it, every single deliverable shipped on time, to standard, at the most senior level of my career.
I have led product domains generating close to €2 billion in net sales, managed budgets exceeding €13 million, and directed more than 30 Product Managers across 25 geographically distributed Agile squads spanning Europe, India and the US simultaneously. I have built operating models, designed roadmaps from scratch, and turned fragmented, unstable platforms into structured, scalable product operations.
What drives me is a simple belief: you win in the long run by putting the team first — whether that team is made of colleagues, clients, or family. I moved to Dubai to support my husband's career and give my children a formative international experience. That same decision opened a new chapter for me: bringing the rigor, resilience and commercial focus I built at a global enterprise level directly to organizations in the GCC that are ready to grow.
I do not offer theory.
I offer experience that has been tested under conditions most people will never face.
Whether you need senior leadership on demand, strategic direction, or a partner to develop your product talent —
I engage with precision and commercial focus across digital, B2B and eCommerce.
Senior product leadership without the full-time commitment. I embed into your organization to define strategy, align stakeholders, and drive execution across your digital, B2B and eCommerce product portfolio. Ideal for organizations scaling fast or navigating a product transformation.
Best for Scale-ups · Companies without a permanent CPO · Post-investment growth
Immediate senior capacity to cover a leadership gap, manage a critical program, or stabilize a team in transition. I step in, orient fast, and deliver results from day one — no ramp-up time wasted.
Best for Planned transitions · Urgent delivery needs · Leadership gaps
Structured advisory engagements to challenge your digital strategy, benchmark your product operations, and identify the highest-value growth opportunities. From operating model design to B2B2C growth strategy.
Best for C-Suite seeking an external strategic lens · Digital transformation programs · PE-backed companies
One-to-one or group coaching for Product Managers and aspiring product leaders who want to accelerate their growth. Grounded in real-world experience — not frameworks alone. Remote coaching available.
Best for Senior PMs aiming for Director level · Distributed and remote product teams · Individual contributors in high-growth environments
She is very well-structured, amazingly diligent and leads with energy and passion. Most importantly she gets things done. She was one of the key product talents in getting the Wholesale digitization program up and shaping the product build. If ever there is a need to get a program setup and make things happen, I would wholeheartedly recommend her.
Her drive towards big improvements, combined with her structured approach to shaping a vision and building a team that can bring it to life is what I appreciate most. I continue to be impressed by her asking the right questions and seeing the big picture, while not losing sight of her goals. I highly recommend Milena as a leader in a product-led or B2B business environment.
Milena leads with clarity, empathy, and unwavering dedication. Her strategic vision, deep understanding of the digital landscape, and ability to simplify complex problems have helped elevate our function year after year. She balances operational excellence with big-picture thinking — a rare combination that makes her a standout leader.
Her golden strengths are the ability to achieve results also under tough conditions through strong determination and focus, and the full accountability she takes for any activity. Continuous improvement approach is embedded in her way of working. She establishes positive relationships with all stakeholders in a way that strengthens the confidence of others and enables the achievement of results.
Formal reference letters issued by Adidas AG (November 2024) and Heineken Italia confirm the same operating standard reflected in the testimonials above.
"Even under great pressure, Ms. Costa is always able to cope well and acts calmly and in a goal-oriented manner. She always performs her work to our utmost satisfaction and fully meets our expectations in all aspects."
VP Digital Sales Solutions · Adidas AG · Herzogenaurach, November 2024
"The ability to achieve results under tough conditions through strong determination and focus, and the full accountability she takes for any activity."
Heineken Italia S.p.A.
Full letters available on request — milena@milenacosta.com
Short-form essays drawn from 17 years operating at scale — written for leaders making decisions, not for the framework collectors.
In a moment of genuine economic uncertainty, the question is not whether you can afford senior leadership. It is whether you can afford to go without it.
Shipping features is not the same as creating value. Here is what separates the teams that know the difference from the ones that find out too late.
You can have the best strategy and the best technology. Without the right team culture, neither of them will reach their potential.
I take a limited number of engagements at a time to ensure full focus and commercial impact. If you are ready to explore a collaboration, I would love to hear from you.
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