One Knight in Product

On this episode, we try something a little different. ProdPad and Mind the Product co-founder Janna Bastow joins as guest host to interview me and Saeed Khan about our recently released research report "The State of B2B Product Management". We go deep on the key findings of the report and what to do about them. Episode highlights The sales-led roadmap reality - In many B2B organisations, roadmap ownership effectively sits with sales, driven by short-term revenue pressures rather than long-term strategy Customers vs markets tension - Product teams often fail to shift from building for individual customers to designing for scalable market opportunities The leadership perception gap - A stark ~50-point disconnect exists between how leaders assess themselves and how their teams experience them, pointing to either deluded leaders, poor communication or unreasonable IC expectations Lack of strategic foundations - Weak or absent vision and objectives create a vacuum where every deal feels equally valid Product leaders as system designers - Leaders must take responsibility for shaping environments where good product work is actually possible Discovery isn't just external - Product teams neglect internal discovery, failing to understand stakeholders, sales processes, and organisational dynamics The cost of short-term thinking - Chasing large deals often creates hidden long-term costs that outweigh immediate revenue gains AI as efficiency, not transformation - Current AI usage is reported as largely tactical (summarisation, documentation), not fundamentally changing product outcomes Optimism despite dysfunction - Even with systemic issues, many product managers remain positive about the future of the discipline ... and much more. Check out "The State of B2B Product Management" report You can check the full report here - no email address required: https://b2bproduct.io/?okip Check out ProdPad Janna is the co-founder of ProdPad, a roadmap, idea management and feedback platform that brings clarity to your organisation. She was kind enough to step in as a guest host for the episode, so why not check what the platform can do for you? https://www.prodpad.com/ Find us all on LinkedIn Janna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jannabastow/ Saeed: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saeedwkhan/ Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-knight/

On this episode, I speak with Nick Kenn, interim Chief Product Officer at Winmau, the world's leading darts brand. Nick's career spans companies such as Betfair and Redbubble, and he now operates in interim and advisory product leadership roles across private equity and venture-backed businesses. He's now on a mission to hit the bullseye and revolutionise a traditional sport with a new, fully digital experience. We cover a lot, including: Digitising a traditional sport – Building a connected darts experience requires blending physical play with digital layers like tracking, stats, and online competition without losing the tactile essence of the game Balancing heritage and innovation – Introducing new product experiences in a 100-year-old brand demands careful alignment between modern features and long-standing identity AI as a pragmatic tool – Rather than chasing trends, AI is applied where it adds clear value, such as computer vision for scoring and an AI referee for dispute resolution Focus over experimentation – In a high-pressure delivery environment, prioritisation matters more than exploring every new technology or idea Building inside a non-digital organisation – Establishing product thinking in a manufacturing business requires translation, education, and patience on both sides Hardware and software alignment – Unlike pure software, product timelines are constrained by manufacturing cycles, creating hard deadlines and forcing disciplined execution Hiring for passion and proximity – Teams perform better when they have genuine interest in the product domain, especially in consumer experiences tied to physical interaction Differentiation through awareness – Deep competitor understanding is essential not for copying, but for identifying where to stand apart and create unique value Private equity vs venture dynamics – Product strategy shifts significantly depending on ownership model, with PE favouring speed and certainty, and VC allowing more exploration Book smarts and street smarts – The most effective product leaders combine formal knowledge with real-world experience, adapting frameworks to context rather than following them rigidly ... and much more. Find our more about fractional product leadership Nick mentioned an article I wrote about fractional product leadership - you can check it out here: https://oneknightinproduct.substack.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-fractional Check out Winmau Winmau: https://winmau.com Winmau careers: https://winmau.com/pages/careers-with-winmau Contact Nick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-kenn/

In this episode, I speak with returning guest Dan Olsen, product management trainer, consultant, speaker, and author of The Lean Product Playbook. We go deep into the rise of "vibe coding" and what it means for product teams. Dan has gone deep into vibe coding, is offering training courses in it, and believes it firmly sits within his existing Lean Product Playbook process and supports the Product/Market Fit Pyramid. Episode highlights AI shifts the product bottleneck – As AI tools make engineers more productive, the limiting factor increasingly becomes product discovery and decision-making rather than development capacity. Product management isn't going away – AI can automate some tasks, but judgement, prioritisation, and making decisions under uncertainty remain core human responsibilities. The rise of the product builder mindset – New AI tools allow product managers to prototype ideas directly, giving them a more hands-on way to explore solutions. The vibe coding spectrum – AI development tools exist on a spectrum from simple browser-based tools through to full developer IDE integrations, letting teams adopt them at different levels of technical depth. Vibe prototyping vs vibe coding – For most product managers, the real opportunity isn't replacing engineers, but quickly generating interactive prototypes that help teams explore ideas before committing to production code. Divergent thinking still matters – AI tools often generate a single solution, so teams need to deliberately explore multiple directions and alternatives rather than blindly optimising the first result. Prototypes have four key audiences – Early prototypes help clarify ideas for the creator, align the product team, communicate concepts to stakeholders, and gather feedback from real users. Context beats clever prompting – The quality of AI-generated output depends far more on the context, requirements, and constraints you provide than on the prompt itself. Iteration beats one-shot builds – The real power of these tools comes from rapid experimentation and refinement rather than expecting a perfect result from a single prompt. ... and much more. Dan's stuff LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danolsen98/ Dan's Website: https://dan-olsen.com/ Dan's Vibe Coding Template: https://dan-olsen.com/vibe-coding/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/danolsen Lean Product Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/lean-product/ The Lean Product Playbook: https://amzn.to/1EYCUdP

On this episode, I speak to Hugo Alves, co-founder of Synthetic Users, about one of the most controversial topics in modern product development: using generative AI to simulate users for research and decision-making. Hugo has a background in clinical psychology and product, and has spent the past three years building a platform that generates synthetic qualitative interviews to help teams reduce risk and make better decisions. Episode highlights: What Synthetic Users actually is - generating in-depth qualitative interviews with AI-powered "synthetic" participants to help teams reduce risk and accelerate discovery Most companies don't do enough, or any, research in the first place, and they need as many tools in their locker to help with the ultimate goal: making great products. The pragmatist's view of AI - why Hugo doesn't care whether LLMs are "conscious", only whether they produce useful outputs The agentic "swarm" approach - using specialised sub-agents (planners, interviewers, critics) instead of one giant prompt to improve quality and reduce drift B2B vs B2C - why synthetic research works well in B2B contexts, and the harder (future) problem of modelling organisational dynamics Bias, sycophancy and realism - the technical concerns around LLMs and how to validate responses with pilots and human comparison studies How to use synthetic research in practice - filtering ideas, informing human interviews, and treating it as an accelerant rather than a replacement "It shouldn't exist" - the moral argument against synthetic users, reacting to UX thought leaders and their objections, and why some of those objections aren't really about evidence ... and much more. Contact Hugo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugomanuelalves/ Website: https://www.syntheticusers.com/ Twitter/"X": https://twitter.com/Ugo_alves

In this episode, I speak with Jessica Hall. Jess is the Chief Product Officer at Just Eat Takeaway, a global leader in the on-demand delivery space. With a professional pedigree that includes leadership roles at UK retail giants like Tesco, Argos, and Sainsbury's, Jess brings a wealth of experience in navigating complex, high-stakes consumer environments. Our conversation delves into the "big idea" of managing a massive three-sided marketplace, balancing the needs of consumers, partners, and couriers while transitioning from a food-centric brand to an "everything delivered" platform. We cover a lot, including: Navigating the Three-Sided Marketplace - Jess describes the Just Eat Takeaway product as a complex ecosystem connecting 60 million active customers with nearly 400,000 partners and a vast network of couriers. The core insight here is that the "product" isn't just an app; it is the seamless orchestration of these three distinct groups, where a failure in one branch inevitably disrupts the value for the others. Scaling Global Platforms with Local Nuance - Despite operating a global tech platform, Jess emphasises the importance of "optionality" to respect regional differences, from currency formatting to cultural preferences like cash usage. This approach allows the company to maintain a unified technical infrastructure while remaining flexible enough to adapt when a specific market, like the UK or Canada, leads the way in new category demands like grocery delivery. The Power of Customer Closeness - Moving beyond data and reports, Jess advocates for getting "on the ground" to talk to couriers and visit partner restaurants. By understanding the physical realities, such as a busy kitchen staff finding a feature too cumbersome to use during peak hours, product leaders can solve real-world friction that data trends alone might overlook. Cultivating Dual-Track Career Paths - Recognising that not every brilliant product mind wants to manage people, Jess champions the value of senior Individual Contributor roles. She highlights that technical and strategic mastery is just as vital as people management, and providing high-level growth opportunities for ICs ensures the organisation retains its most creative and experienced problem solvers. Leading Through Influence and Commerciality - Jess argues that the best product leaders act as "first-rate business partners" rather than just a bridge between engineering and the business. By focusing on "win-win" outcomes and deeply understanding commercial metrics like order volumes and market trends, product teams earn the credibility needed to influence strategy at the highest levels. Check out Just Eat Takeaway Check out Just Eat Takeaway's website: https://justeattakeaway.com, or their careers page: https://careers.justeattakeaway.com. Connect with Jess You can connect with Jess on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicalrhall.

In this episode, I'm joined by the returning Michele Hansen, co-founder and CEO of Geocodio and author of Deploy Empathy, now out with a second edition. Michele brings deep experience as a former product manager turned founder, and has spent over a decade helping teams understand customers through rigorous, human-centred research. We explore what customer research looks like in an AI-accelerated world: where AI genuinely helps, where it falls short, and why talking to real people remains irreplaceable. Along the way, we dig into interviewing craft, curiosity, synthetic users, and some enduring myths that still undermine product discovery. Episode highlights: We cover a lot, including: Why customer interviews still matter in the age of AI - why large language models can accelerate research workflows but cannot replace the insight, judgement, and transformation that comes from engaging directly with customers. AI as a research intern, not a strategist - AI performs well in certain tasks - transcription, tagging, and basic analysis - but prioritisation, interpretation, and strategy must remain human responsibilities. The neuroscience of listening and curiosity - both interviewees and interviewers experience genuine pleasure when curiosity is satisfied, reframing interviews as a mutually rewarding process rather than a chore. What AI misses in real customer conversations - considering the "spiky", unexpected insights that emerge in interviews - and why these often get lost when teams rely too heavily on automated summaries. Synthetic users, digital twins, and their limits - breaking down different types of simulated users, where they can be useful, and why they depend on high-quality human research to be credible at all. The problem with the "faster horses" myth - dismantling the misattributed Henry Ford quote and exploring how it's often used to avoid engaging with customers rather than to encourage innovation. Research as a way to change teams, not just products - how involving teams directly in research builds shared understanding, alignment, and better decision-making across organisations. Why AI accelerates confusion without product clarity - AI only compounds impact when a clear product vision and customer understanding already exist - otherwise, teams simply move faster in the wrong direction. Connect with Michele Learn more about Michele's company, Geocodio: https://www.geocod.io/ Check out the new edition of "Deploy Empathy": https://deployempathy.com/. Connect with Michele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjwhansen/ Meet Michele at the pub in London! We'll be there on Jan 15th 2026: https://luma.com/xyqi9e2z

On this episode, I speak to Tim Herbig, long-time product management coach, speaker, and author of the new book "Real Progress". Tim has worked with companies like StepStone, Chrono24, Deutsche Telekom and Specsavers, and has spent years helping product managers stop hiding behind frameworks and start making a meaningful impact. His work focuses on helping teams connect product strategy, OKRs and discovery without falling into the trap of rigid process correctness. Episode highlights: Alibi Progress vs Real Progress - how teams hide behind "the right way" of doing things, obsessing over methods and templates instead of asking whether any of it actually works The Progress Wheel - Tim's diagnostic loop that ties strategy, OKRs and discovery together so teams can see where they're actually stuck and what to do next The three attributes of good product strategy: Decisiveness, Layering and Executability How to handle OKRs when leadership gives you metrics you can’t influence using zones of control and contribution How to sell discovery to sceptical stakeholders - by framing it as "protecting the company's investment", not a fluffy UX ritual Reverse-mapping discovery when you're handed a solution - even if you have to build it, work backwards to define the outcome Why frameworks should be starting points, not destinations - and why Tim would be disappointed if anyone adopted his wheel dogmatically ... And much more. Buy the book You can grab a copy of Real Progress here: Tim's site: https://herbig.co/real-progress-book/ Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/398275190X Contact Tim Website: https://herbig.co LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/herbigt/

On this episode, I speak to Sean O'Neill. Sean is the Chief Product & Technology Officer at Syncron, and an executive product leader with a storied career spanning companies like Amazon, Tesco, and GfK. We bond over our shared history at GfK, speak about how Amazon has influenced his product thinking, how it's developed since he moved on, and his approach to portfolio management and right-sizing investments across the product portfolio. We cover a lot, including: There's no greater crime than building something the universe doesn't need: Sean's ten key product principles that he lists on LinkedIn - first developed at Tesco - all matter, but building pointless stuff tops his list of product sins. Use the right tool for the job: Amazon shaped Sean's product DNA, but he's clear that context is king - you can't simply transplant Big Tech practices into legacy environments and expect them to work wholesale. Most companies under-invest in their strategy: When progress stalls, it's usually because teams are spread too thin across BAU work and one-off feature requests. The best product firms align time and capacity to strategic bets (or admit that they're a professional services company). Adopt a portfolio mindset: Sean's capital allocation framework helps leaders size and re-balance investments, ensuring resources go where they'll have the biggest impact - and revisiting regularly (but not too regularly) to stay honest. Learn the language of money: Too many product leaders avoid finance. Sean argues that financial literacy isn't optional if you want credibility with the board and real influence on business outcomes. Learn the numbers! Connect with Sean You can connect with Sean on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanon/. There you'll find a number of articles, including the one we discuss in this interview: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-dont-need-more-engineers-better-strategic-bets-sean-o-neill-s0vze/ Connect with Sean's "mystery caller" You can connect with special guest interviewer Sterling O'Neill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlingoneill/.

On this episode, I speak to Georgie Smallwood. Georgie is Chief Product, Technology & Data Officer at Moonpig - the UK's best-known online gifting and greeting card platform. Georgie has built a global career leading product and technology teams at companies like N26, Xero, and Tier Mobility, before joining Moonpig to help transform a 25-year-old household brand into a modern, tech-driven organisation. In this interview, she talks about what it means to create "moments that matter", how Moonpig balances emotional connection with innovation, and how to lead when you're responsible for product, tech and data all at once. We cover a lot, including: Making technology more human: Georgie believes technology should make the world smaller, not bigger - by connecting people, not distancing them. At Moonpig, the goal isn't just to sell cards or gifts, but to help people express love and connection through meaningful gestures. Product with purpose: Moonpig's mission is to be “the world's greatest gifting companion.” Every card printed represents a moment of love, humour, or memory between people. Georgie sees product management at Moonpig as building moments that matter, not just features. Balancing connection and innovation: Moonpig has embraced AI and personalisation, but Georgie cautions against rushing ahead for technology's sake. Instead, the team focuses on introducing innovation in a way that feels natural and accessible to mass-market users. Leading product, technology, and data together: As CPTDO, Georgie bridges three major domains. She admits she's not a data scientist or engineer, but focuses on seeking to understand - asking open questions, learning continuously, and leading through consistency rather than control. On empowerment and leadership: While she values empowered teams, Georgie is pragmatic about balancing autonomy with business realities. She also believes true innovation needs governance, not chaos. Check out Moonpig Check out Moonpig's website: http://moonpig.com/, or their careers page: https://www.moonpig.group/careers/. Connect with Georgie You can connect with Georgie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georginasmallwood/.

On this episode, I speak to my friend Nesrine Changuel, product coach and author of the new book "Product Delight". Nesrine started her career at Bell Labs as a research engineer before moving into product management at Microsoft, Spotify, and Google, where she even held the title "PM for Delight" on Google Meet. Her work focuses on how products can go beyond functionality to create genuine emotional connections with users. Episode highlights: Why Product Delight is more than just a “nice to have”, and isn't just confetti on your boring app The three pillars of Product Delight: reducing friction, anticipating needs, and exceeding expectations The difference between surface delight (like balloons on your Apple Watch) and deep delight (features that serve emotional and functional needs together) Why delight matters just as much in B2B products as in consumer apps, and why everything is B2H How to get buy-in from leaders and stakeholders by linking emotional connection to revenue, retention, and referrals The Delight Grid and Nesrine's four-step model for embedding delight into your product process The risks of chasing the wrong kind of delight (like Deliveroo's failed Mother's Day campaign or Apple's awkward gesture fireworks) ... And much more. Buy the book You can grab a copy of Product Delight here: Nesrine's site: https://nesrine-changuel.com/product-delight-book/ Amazon UK: https://a.co/d/1J7JLZZ Contact Nesrine Website: https://www.nesrine-changuel.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nesrinechanguel Newsletter: https://nesrinechanguel.substack.com

In this episode, I speak with Katya Denike, Chief Product Officer at Holland & Barrett, the 150-year-old health and wellness retailer that has become a household name on the UK high street. Having previously worked at McKinsey, Yandex, Ozon, and Beyond 100, she now leads Holland & Barrett's ambitious digital transformation - helping the company evolve from a traditional retailer into a global wellness ecosystem. We cover a lot, including: Transforming a heritage retailer: Holland & Barrett is delivering double-digit growth through a sweeping digital and cultural transformation, investing in everything from supply chain systems to customer-facing apps. Global vs local: The company builds strong global digital capabilities (like search and e-commerce infrastructure) while tailoring ~20% of the experience for each market to meet regulatory and customer needs. High street resilience: Despite doom-and-gloom headlines, Holland & Barrett is thriving by focusing on product-market fit, preventative healthcare, and efficient tech-enabled operations. The app transformation: Taking the mobile app in-house turned it from a struggling third-party product (<5% of digital revenue, 3-star rating) into a core strategic channel (>30% revenue share, 4.5+ rating). Internal product management is sexy too: Katya insists that logistics, pricing systems, and data management are some of the most rewarding areas for product managers, enabling everything else to work. Team structure: Around 100 people in product, design, and research, split between "firm foundations" (core systems) and "omnichannel customer experience", plus a small but mighty product ops team. Leadership leap: Moving into her first CPO role was daunting, but support from her manager pushed her to take the leap and build a truly independent product function inside the company. Skills for success: Katya highlights high agency, emotional intelligence, and the ability to navigate crucial conversations as must-haves for product leaders. Check out Holland & Barrett Check out Holland & Barrett's website: https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/, or their careers page: https://apply.hollandandbarrettjobs.com/jobs/vacancy/find/results/. Connect with Katya You can connect with Katya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denikekatya/. You can also check out Katya's podcast, Rocking Cribs & Careers. here! https://open.spotify.com/show/3rheb2Q1YuUvdmeYS8ngqA.

In this episode, I speak with Jamie Mercer, Chief Product Officer at Trusted Housesitters, the global pet care and travel marketplace disrupting two industries at once. Jamie has previously held senior product roles at VoucherCodes, Skyscanner, Student Beans and IVC Evidensia, and now leads product at a scale-up known for putting trust at the heart of its community-driven business. We cover a lot, including: TrustedHousesitters' unique proposition - a two-sided marketplace mixing travel and pet sitting, where both pet owners and sitters pay a subscription to help create mutual trust and respect. Scaling through word of mouth - 70-75% of members join via a friend, and how the team are working to amplify that growth while keeping trust at the centre. Balancing marketplace dynamics - keeping supply and demand in sync, supporting new sitters with no ratings, and using AI and personalisation to build confidence. Using AI responsibly - from accelerating customer insight analysis to improving customer support, AI speeds up decision-making but always in service of company strategy. Building empowered product teams - why Jamie invested early in product ops and product marketing instead of hierarchy, and how she's now preparing to scale with Product Directors. Commercial product management - the importance of PMs with business acumen who can link solving customer problems with driving commercial outcomes. Executive alignment as the hardest (and most valuable) job - why alignment across the C-suite is the best air cover a leader can provide for their teams. Lessons from leadership - why some of the hardest decisions are killing months of work, the surprise of soft skills dominating the CPO role, and why leadership still matters in the AI era. Check out Trusted Housesitters Check out Trusted Housesitters' website: https://trustedhousesitters.com/, or their careers page: https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/careers/. Connect with Jamie You can connect with Jamie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemercer/.

In this episode, I speak with Shiri Mosenzon Erez, Chief Product Officer at commercetools, a global leader in enterprise composable commerce that supports thousands of retailers in hundreds of countries, enabling tens of billions of dollars in revenue annually. Shiri's career journey has taken her from consulting into her first product role at Tesco, through product leadership at Ocado, and now leading at a scale-up with a global enterprise footprint. We cover a lot, including: What commercetools does: An API-first, composable commerce engine powering online trade for major global enterprises and manufacturers, enabling flexibility, resilience, and constant uptime for B2C and B2B commerce. Composable commerce explained: Allowing customers to mix and match best-of-breed components across the commerce value stream or opting for "pre-composed" solutions built on the same composable foundation. Strategic focus in a flexible platform: How the team decides where to build, buy, or partner, using value stream mapping to prioritise and avoid being pulled in too many directions. AI and agents in commerce: From data tagging to conversational assistants and dynamic pricing, Shiri shares early enterprise adoption patterns and the role of commercetools' MCP layer in letting customers plug in the agents they trust. Product team structure: A 55-person product org spanning UX, product management, and close engineering partnerships, with domain-focused teams and a strong CPO–CTO pairing model. Balancing explore vs exploit: Encouraging teams to pivot to higher-value domains when propositions mature, and celebrating decisions to stop work that’s no longer impactful. Customer-led vs strategy-led delivery: Using proactive roadmap communication to align big customer requests with company strategy and KPIs, turning reactive asks into collaborative problem-solving. Technical and business balance in PMs: Moving from a largely technical PM base toward a mix of skills, with growing focus on business value and direct engagement with business stakeholders. Leadership approach: Shiri's focus on connecting product strategy to company strategy, advocating at the executive level, and ensuring her teams feel purpose, autonomy, and mastery in their work. Check out commercetools Check out commercetools's website: https://commercetools.com/, or their careers page: https://commercetools.com/careers/jobs. Connect with Shiri You can connect with Shiri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiri-mosenzon/.

In this episode, I speak with Hannah Kershaw, Chief Product Officer at Domestic and General, a company that you might not have heard of but absolutely need in your corner the next time your dishwasher breaks. Hannah's journey took her from marketing to e-commerce, into product leadership at GoCompare, and now to transforming Product at a billion-pound growth organisation. We cover a lot, including: What Domestic and General actually does: A century-old, billion-pound business with 6.5 million subscribers across 12 markets, providing repair and replacement services for household appliances through service plans and insurance products. A behind-the-scenes powerhouse: Domestic and General powers customer journeys via major retail and manufacturer partnerships (e.g. Argos, AO, Hotpoint), often handling registration, support, and repair logistics under their partners' brands. Product complexity in a partner-led model: Coordinating customer experience, retailer requirements, manufacturer constraints, and service delivery logistics - without directly employing a single repair technician. Building product from scratch: How Hannah established a product function at Domestic and General, moving from a traditional delivery model to domain-based product teams focused on growth and customer retention. Evolving team structures: Starting with customer and partner-aligned squads before transitioning to domain-oriented teams, reflecting shifts in strategic focus and incorporating feedback from engineering and delivery teams. Product vs Proposition: Domestic and General brings together digital product managers and proposition managers - handling platforms and customer experiences on one side, and the commercial performance of insurance offerings on the other. Philosophy of simplification and belief: Encouraging resilience and optimism, Hannah champions a mindset that anything is possible - helping teams cut through complexity and deliver tangible outcomes. Pragmatism over product purism: While Domestic and General aspires to be product-led, the focus is on real-world delivery - balancing best practice with the pace and realities of a high-growth, partner-centric business. Executive-level impact: Demonstrating the value of Product by delivering outcomes. Early wins - such as improving online claims and conversion rates - helped build credibility and demand for product ways of working. Check out Domestic and General Check out Domestic and General's website: https://www.domesticandgeneral.com/, or their careers page: https://careers.domesticandgeneral.com/. Connect with Hannah You can connect with Hannah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-kershaw-421b7b25/.

In this episode, I speak with Simon Cross, Chief Product Officer - now Chief Product & Technology Officer (congrats, Simon!) - at Native Instruments, a company at the heart of global music production. Music lover Simon's journey spans broadcast engineering at Global Radio, product roles at the BBC, product leadership at Meta, and now, shaping the future of audio tools for creators worldwide. We cover a lot, including: What Native Instruments actually does: From DJ hardware to post-production tools for Netflix and the BBC, plus powering other companies' products via their platform. The intersection of creativity and technology: How Native Instruments empowers artists with tactile, high-fidelity tools, and why they're a side-gig for superstar DJs on staff. AI in music creation: Where it fits, where it doesn't, and the ethical principles Native Instruments uses to ensure artists retain full creative control. Product in a hybrid model: Balancing perpetual licences and growing subscription models, and how business models shape product release strategies. Pragmatism over idealism: Why product managers must adapt frameworks to the business "physics" of their company, especially in an era of tighter budgets. A unique form of product management: Building physical hardware, mission-critical desktop software, and cloud services... all under one roof. Team structure and specialisms: How PMs, designers, engineers, QA, and unique "sound designers" collaborate to shape sonic outcomes. Why legacy is both a strength and a constraint: Navigating customer expectations, technical debt, and platform longevity. Why big-shot product leaders from established big tech companies need to take a pause and not just try to install something that worked before in a company with a very different context. Check out Native Instruments Check out Native Instruments' website: https://www.native-instruments.com/, or their careers page: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/careers/. Connect with Simon You can connect with Simon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sicross/.

Benji Portwin has a CV stuffed with recognisable names, from Spotify to Monzo bank, alongside product leadership roles at accuRx and New Look. These days, he's running an agency dedicated to helping organisations learn how to design and build awesome products. Benji's hot take? Having been diagnosed with ADHD relatively recently, he's come to regard ADHD as somewhat of a superpower for product managers, and something that enables him and others to be more effective at their jobs rather than being something to be suffered from. Find Benji on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjiportwin. Or check out People Building Products: https://pbp.team/

Shobhit Chugh is a former Google PM who now helps product managers build their own brand, habits, confidence and career with Intentional Product Manager, and he also runs his own podcast of the same name. Shobhit's hot take? That too many product managers think that their work will speak for itself but, if they want to get ahead, they should start relentlessly promoting themselves; both inside and outside of the company they work for. Find Shobhit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shobhitchugh/. Check out Intentional Product Manager: https://www.intentionalproductmanager.com/ Check out my appearance on The Intentional Product Manager podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2399157/episodes/16218073-fractional-product-management-with-jason-knight

Valeria Stromtsova is a Product Manager who traded fintech for sustainability and now works at Treeapp, helping plant trees where they're needed the most. Valeria's hot take? That product managers need to take the lead in creating a sustainable future, making sure they make a difference by considering the impact of their product decisions on their users, their stakeholders... and the planet we live on. Find Valeria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lerastromtsova/.