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Product Talk

Product Talk

683 episodes — Page 6 of 14

EP 431 - CPO Rising Series: BILL CPO on Leading Product Strategy at SMBs

What do product leaders need to consider when leading product strategy at SMBs? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, BILL CPO Irana Wasti shares her expertise on leading product strategy for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). She discusses the importance of customer-centric innovation, adapting to rapidly changing business environments, and integrating AI into product experiences. Irana emphasizes the need for experimentation in product development and explains how her immigrant background has shaped her adaptable leadership style. She also explores the challenges of serving diverse SMB needs at scale and offers valuable insights on leveraging AI to enhance both internal operations and customer-facing solutions.

Jul 22, 202437 min

EP 430 - Spotify Senior Product Lead on Mastering Remote Communication and Team Collaboration

How can product leaders master remote communication and team collaboration? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Workleap Director of Product Barbara Bermes, Spotify Senior Product Lead Srividhya Chandrasekaran shares valuable strategies for effective remote communication and team collaboration. She discusses Spotify's innovative approach to asynchronous work, including the use of Slack, team manuals, and collaborative tools. Srividhya offers practical tips for managing communication overload, fostering team cohesion, and maintaining productivity in a distributed work environment. She also explores the future of remote work and shares her favorite resources for continued learning in product management.

Jul 19, 202432 min

EP 429 - U.S. Hunger CEO on Innovative Models for Food Security and Health Equity

How can healthcare leaders make a difference with innovative models for food security and health equity? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, U.S. Hunger President & CEO Rick Whitted shares his journey from corporate banking to healthcare leadership. He discusses U.S. Hunger's innovative approaches to addressing food insecurity and social determinants of health, including their community activation events and full cart program. Rick emphasizes the importance of understanding lived experiences, leveraging technology and data, and creating connected ecosystems in healthcare. He offers valuable perspectives on the future of healthcare, the role of community-based organizations, and advice for aspiring healthcare entrepreneurs.

Jul 17, 202447 min

EP 428 - CPO Rising Series: CONA Services CPO on Leveraging AI and Customer Centricity in Product Development

How is AI reshaping product management for one of the most iconic brands in the world? Join us for the latest episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, where CONA Services CPO Petra Romano shares her experiences leading product development for Coca-Cola bottlers. She discusses the evolution of the CPO role, emphasizing the importance of innovation, AI integration, and customer-centricity. Petra highlights her team's approach to prioritization, stakeholder management, and delivering impactful products. She also offers valuable insights on time management, learning from challenges, and the future of AI in product management.

Jul 15, 202434 min

EP 427 - Launchpad Recruiting Labs Founder on Strategic Hiring in a Changing Tech Landscape

What do product leaders need to consider when hiring in a changing tech landscape? In this episode hosted by Nacho Andrade, Launchpad Recruiting Labs Founder John LaMarche shares his expertise on building high-impact product teams in today's evolving tech industry. He discusses current hiring trends, the impact of AI on product roles, and strategies for job seekers to stand out in a competitive market. John offers valuable insights on networking, personal branding, and the shift towards fractional work, providing actionable advice for both recruiters and job candidates in the product management field.

Jul 12, 202445 min

EP 426 - PEAK6 Head of AI on Leveraging AI to Scale Product Businesses

How can product leaders leverage AI to scale product businesses? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Sid Shaik, PEAK6 Head of AI Yuying Chen-Wynn speaks on her experience scaling product businesses globally and leveraging AI. Yuying shares lessons from building products internationally at Microsoft, in China, and for the education sector. She emphasizes the importance of timing when bringing products to market and adapting quickly when market conditions change. Yuying also discusses how she used AI to rapidly automate content creation and scale an education business in China. Tune in for insights on international product development, leadership mindsets, and Yuying's vision for how generative AI will transform business models.

Jul 10, 202438 min

EP 425 - Varo Bank CPO on Building Trust with Customers through Data-Driven Innovation

How can data be used to build trust with customers? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Varo Bank CPO Wook Chung discusses how the company is using data and behavioral insights to build trust with customers and provide innovative lending solutions. As a digital-first bank aiming to serve the underbanked, Varo is developing new ways to underwrite customers based on their behaviors and transactions over time. Chung shares how they are visualizing the trust relationship and using data to offer near-instant access to credit when customers need it. This interview explores Varo's mission to create a financial operating system that combines traditional banking services in a seamless digital experience, while ensuring regulatory compliance.

Jul 8, 202437 min

EP 424 - Twitch VP of Product on Leveraging AI and Machine Learning to Empower Creators

How can product professionals leverage AI and machine learning to empower creators? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Jonathan Ozeran, Twitch VP of Product Jeremy Forrester discusses how the company is leveraging AI and machine learning technologies to empower creators on the platform. He shares Twitch's focus on being creator-first and how they are exploring ways AI can help streamline content creation workflows and management. Jeremy also talks about how the streaming community is already innovating with AI, such as virtual avatars and AI-generated voices. He believes AI will open up more opportunities for diverse, passion-driven games by reducing barriers to entry. This discussion provides valuable insights for product managers on experimenting with emerging technologies and unleashing creativity.

Jul 5, 202456 min

EP 423 - GreenSwapp Founder on Optimizing Product-Level Data to Facilitate Carbon Emission Reductions

How can product leaders begin optimizing product-level data to facilitate carbon emission reductions? The scale and urgency of the transformation required to fight climate change has never been more clear. Building hardware and software products, acquiring the funding and creating a diverse community to enhance talent capacity and to drive innovation, is essential to tackling this global environmental crisis. In this episode of Product Talk, Silicon Valley Bank (a Division of First Citizens Bank) Climate Tech SVP Maggie Wong will be interviewing GreenSwapp Founder and CEO Ajay Varadharajan to discuss leveraging machine learning to aggregate, analyze and present emission data in a consistent format, building a data infrastructure API tool to scale product-level carbon accounting, as well as the importance of understanding target customers and anticipating their future needs to enable product development that serve diverse use cases.

Jul 3, 202433 min

EP 422 - CPO Rising Series: Pinterest CPO on Building Inclusive Products and Empowering the Next Generation of Users

How can product leaders build inclusive products and empower the next generation of users? In this episode of the CPO Rising series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Pinterest CPO Sabrina Ellis discusses her philosophy around building inclusive products that empower all users. She shares how Pinterest is using technology like computer vision to showcase more diverse representations of hair, skin tones, and body types. Sabrina also talks about engaging Gen Z users on the platform and understanding their needs and motivations. The discussion provides insights for product leaders on their social responsibility to consider inclusivity, as well as tips on prioritizing projects and balancing short and long-term goals.

Jul 1, 202435 min

EP 421 - TIM Fmr Engineering Lead on the Importance of Communication Skills for Remote Teams

What is the importance of communication skills for remote teams? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Workleap Director of Product Barbara Bermes, TIM Fmr Engineering Lead Andrew Parker speaks on the importance of strong communication skills for remote teams. Drawing on his experience managing remote teams across multiple locations, he emphasizes that while technical skills are important, the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively across disciplines is what truly defines a high performer working remotely. He highlights best practices for asynchronous communication and provides insights into how output can be measured in remote environments through a focus on outcomes rather than activities. Andrew also shares his perspective on the future of remote work and the incremental changes we may see in how virtual teams communicate and collaborate over the next five years.

Jun 28, 202446 min

EP 420 - Vycarb CEO on Scaling Impactful Climate Solutions

What do product managers need to consider when scaling impactful climate solutions? The scale and urgency of the transformation required to fight climate change has never been more clear. In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Silicon Valley Bank (a Division of First Citizens Bank) Climate Tech SVP Maggie Wong, Vycarb CEO Garrett Boudinot speaks on his journey developing carbon removal technology and building his startup. He highlights the importance of scaling solutions to address the urgent climate crisis and emphasizes leveraging partnerships across the ecosystem. Garrett also stresses the need for diversity of perspectives and skill sets in teams to develop globally relevant solutions. Listeners learn about Vycarb's water-based technology and path to commercialization.

Jun 26, 202439 min

EP 419 - CPO Rising Series: Turo CPO on Simplifying Solutions and Learning From Failures

What role does simplifying solutions and learning from failures play in long-term success? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Turo CPO Tom Wang discusses his journey at Turo and lessons learned along the way. He shares how simplifying solutions and finding bold ways forward have contributed to his success. Tom also opens up about failures, including an early initiative to leverage social media that didn't work out and a mistake that removed too many hosts from the platform. Through these stories, Tom demonstrates the importance of being willing to admit mistakes, learn from them, and move forward. The conversation provides valuable insights for other product leaders on maintaining motivation over many years and navigating challenges with authenticity and care for customers.

Jun 24, 202441 min

EP 418 - Splunk Senior Software Engineer on Fostering Collaboration Between Product & Engineering Teams

Why is it important to foster collaboration between product & engineering teams? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Kaboo Founder Neha Shah, Splunk Senior Software Engineer Rehan Mulla speaks on his experience building products and leading engineering teams. Rehan discusses the importance of collaboration between product managers and engineers to deliver successful products. He shares insights on how building empathy and understanding each other's perspectives through workshops and planning sessions can help engineering and product teams overcome communication challenges and work towards aligned goals. Rehan also offers advice on how engineering leaders can effectively scope projects, communicate risks to stakeholders, and continuously learn to stay on top of the latest technologies.

Jun 21, 202436 min

EP 417 - SmartRise Health CEO on Driving Innovation in Healthcare

How can product leaders drive innovation in healthcare? In this episode hosted by Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, SmartRise Health CEO Vanessa Guzman discusses her journey in healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship. She shares how personal experiences motivated her to pursue solutions focused on social determinants of health, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Vanessa also touches on launching Ella Es Health to close gaps in women's healthcare through coaching and navigation services. She emphasizes the importance of adapting to market trends and leveraging accreditation to improve outcomes.

Jun 19, 202444 min

EP 416 - Tipalti CPO on Leading Product in Fintech and Validating Product Decisions

What is unique about leading product in fintech? Join us for the latest episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, where Tipalti CPO Roby Baruch discusses his experience leading product management in the fintech industry. Roby shares the unique challenges of product management in fintech, including the need for deep domain expertise. He also discusses the importance of mentorship throughout his career and a defining product moment that expanded Tipalti's offerings. Additionally, he describes Tipalti's data-driven approach to prioritizing product decisions and validating ideas with customers to ensure the highest priority needs are addressed.

Jun 17, 202436 min

EP 415 - New Work SE Fmr. Product Director on Strategies for Customer-Centered Growth

How can product leaders foster customer-centered growth? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Nacho Andrade, New Work SE Fmr. Product Director Thomas Gläser discusses approaches to product strategy, innovation, and growth. Thomas emphasizes the importance of deeply understanding customer needs and jobs to be done over simply analyzing competitors. He advocates developing evidence-based strategies through empathetic customer research rather than making assumptions. Thomas also cautions against common pitfalls like moving too quickly without validation or focusing on internal metrics over market fit. Listeners will learn frameworks for strategic product leadership focusing on customer-centered problem solving to drive meaningful growth.

Jun 14, 202439 min

EP 414 - Temporal Technologies Fmr. COO on Lessons From Scaling Multiple Product Businesses

What lessons can product leaders learn from scaling multiple product businesses? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Sid Shaik, Temporal Technologies Fmr. COO Charles Zedlewski speaks on his career in product management and lessons learned from scaling multiple product businesses. Charles shares insights on becoming a successful PM without a technical background, emphasizing the importance of building technical depth over time. He discusses philosophies for collaborating closely with engineering teams and getting the "soul of the product" to live in their hearts. Charles also talks about his experience scaling Cloudera's Hadoop distribution and lessons from launching new features. Overall, the discussion provides perspectives on product growth strategies, frameworks for conceptualizing customer journeys, and approaches to partnerships between organizations.

Jun 12, 20241h 2m

EP 413 - Carelon CPO on Product Leadership in a Regulated Healthcare Industry

How can product leaders navigate product leadership in a regulated healthcare industry? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Carelon CPO Gautam Shah discusses his approach to product leadership in a highly regulated healthcare industry. He explains how understanding regulations and prioritizing user needs affects product development. Gautam also shares stories about high-impact products he's worked on, including an unlimited telecommunications product and a product supporting vulnerable mental health patients. The discussion provides insights into navigating complex priorities, using customer journeys and personas, and leveraging AI to improve product management effectiveness.

Jun 10, 202442 min

EP 412 - Productiv Founder on Building Curious and Collaborative Teams

How can product leaders build curious and collaborative teams? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Jonathan Ozeran, Productiv Founder Jody Shapiro discusses his career in product management and insights on building successful teams. He speaks on his diverse educational background and how it led to roles at companies like TiVo and Google. Jody also shares strategies for constructing teams at startups, emphasizing passion and collaboration. Tune in for insights on how data-driven decision making and customer feedback can validate product ideas.

Jun 7, 202454 min

EP 411 - Dailies Co-Founder on Building Personalized Edtech Products

How can product leaders build personalized edtech products? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Kaboo Founder Neha Shah, Dailies Co-Founder & CEO Jessica Shelley shares her inspiration for starting Dailies based on her experience as a teacher, wanting to better engage families in students' learning. She discusses building the initial product team and navigating the transition from teaching to leading a tech startup. The conversation covers challenges like difficult decisions to cut features and lessons learned from experiments. Jessica emphasizes the importance of aligning on long-term vision over short-term gains and hiring candidates committed to the company mission in a startup environment. Listeners gain insights on iterative product development and community involvement for ongoing learning and career growth.

Jun 5, 202432 min

EP 410 - Deel Product Lead on Managing Remote Communication

How can product teams manage remote communication? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Deel Director of Product Barbara Bermes, Deel Product Lead Eugene Shulitskyi speaks on managing communication in a remote work environment. They discuss best practices for communicating over Slack in a remote setting, such as using templates, naming conventions, and video recordings. Eugene shares examples of templates used for go-to-market announcements. The conversation also covers avoiding misunderstandings, common pitfalls of remote communication, and tools for streamlining productivity.

May 31, 202445 min

EP 409 - Banyan Infrastructure Head of Product on Financing Sustainable Infrastructure Projects

What are the challenges faced when financing sustainable infrastructure projects? The scale and urgency of the transformation required to fight to fight climate change has never been more clear. In this episode hosted by Silicon Valley Bank (a Division of First Citizens Bank) Climate Tech & Sustainability SVP Maggie Wong, Banyan Infrastructure Head of Product Katie Gardner speaks on her unique background in mining engineering and how it informed her approach to problem-solving as a product manager. She describes Banyan's mission to solve challenges around financing sustainable infrastructure projects through streamlining complex processes. The conversation explores opportunities and challenges in tackling climate change through technology and mobilizing capital for climate solutions.

May 29, 202441 min

EP 408 - DuckDuckGo SVP of Product on Building High-Performing Asynchronous Teams

How can companies build high-performing asynchronous teams? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Deel Director of Product Barbara Bermes, DuckDuckGo SVP of Product Beah Burger-Lenehan discusses remote work culture and communication strategies at DuckDuckGo. She speaks on how the company operates remotely and the tools they use like Asana, Mattermost, and Zoom. The interview also provides insights into how DuckDuckGo structures work, evaluates employees, and continuously improves processes to support a remote workforce.

May 24, 20241h 4m

EP 407 - UXReactor CEO on Building Impactful User Experiences

How can product leaders build impactful user experiences? In this episode of Product Talk with Kaboo Founder Neha Shah, UXReactor CEO Satyam Kantamneni speaks on founding a UX design firm. The discussion highlights the history of UX in addressing user needs, especially in complex systems. Satyam speaks on the roles of user research, interaction design, and collaboration between product management, design and engineering teams. He emphasizes understanding user problems before building solutions. Tune in for insights on building an effective UX practice and the impact of AI on the future of the field.

May 22, 202437 min

EP 406 - CPO Rising Series: Mighty Capital Managing Partner on Accelerating the CPO With AI

What does the acceleration of the CPO role signify? In this episode hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Mighty Capital Managing Partner SC Moatti speaks on how the CPO role has accelerated in recent years due to digital transformations and AI opportunities. Renee and SC predict that M&A activity will increase in 2023 as AI becomes a strategic priority. They also note the increasing presence of women in product leadership roles and its implications for more female CEOs in the future. Overall, this episode analyzes the evolution of the CPO role and how AI is shaping product development, operations, and corporate strategies.

May 20, 202429 min

EP 405 - Disney Fmr VP of Product on Launching Accessible Products

How can product leaders launch accessible and inclusive products? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Jonathan Ozeran, Disney Fmr VP of Product Dave Lankford shares insights from his career launching major products at Disney, MLB, and other companies. He discusses the importance of designing for diverse audiences, including those with disabilities. Lankford also emphasizes the value of collaboration and inclusivity when building great products. The discussion looks to the future of product management with new technologies like spatial computing. Tune in for valuable lessons on innovation, accessibility, and leadership.

May 15, 202442 min

EP 404 - Product Leaders to Watch: Caribou CPO on Transitioning From Corporate to Startup

What do product leaders need to consider when transitioning from corporate to startup? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series hosted by Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Caribou CPO Christine Dupuis shares her experience transitioning to PM roles at Google and Montreal startups, emphasizing the value of internal experience. Christine also provides insights into fundraising for startups and what makes a great product and product manager. The discussion highlights the importance of critical thinking, moving fast, and diversity in building products that serve all users.

May 10, 202426 min

EP 403 - Climate Product Leaders Co-Founder on Fighting the Climate Crisis With Digital Product

How can digital products fight the climate crisis? The scale and urgency of the transformation required to fight climate change has never been more clear. In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Silicon Valley Bank ( a Division of First Citizens Bank) Climate Tech SVP Maggie Wong, Climate Product Leaders Co-Founder François Burra speaks on fighting climate change through digital product development and decarbonization education. François shares his experience teaching courses on reducing the digital industry's emissions and emphasizes product managers' important role in sustainability. He discusses their climate product management playbook, which provides 33 best practices to help PMs address climate change in their work. The conversation covers opportunities for more sustainable product development, the benefits of climate-conscious practices, and becoming better equipped to tackle the climate crisis through education and action.

May 8, 202436 min

EP 402 - Okta CPO on Balancing Customer Identity and Security in Technical Products

How can product leaders balance customer identity and security in technical products? In this episode hosted by Products That Count CEO Hoda Mehr, Okta CPO Cassio Sampaio speaks on the challenges of balancing customer identity, security, and privacy in technical products. The discussion covers topics such as building complex B2B SaaS products, technical considerations for cloud computing, and the future of product management. Tune in for valuable perspectives on navigating an evolving technical landscape.

May 3, 202455 min

EP 401 - U.S. Bank SVP on Scaling Products in the Banking Industry

How can product leaders in the banking industry scale their products? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Sid Shaik, U.S. Bank SVP & Product Leader Sean Scott discusses his career journey in product management and how it differs working in the banking industry compared to tech companies. He shares insights into how product managers at banks approach scaling products by focusing on customer needs and feedback through various phases of maturity. Sean highlights key factors that have impacted the banking industry including digital transformation, agile methodologies, and growing customer demand for digital banking experiences. He also provides lessons learned around the importance of testing ideas with customers and the challenges of introducing changes to established banking processes. Tune in to discover product management best practices for scaling in regulated industries such as banking.

May 1, 202443 min

EP 400 - Product Leaders to Watch: Life Cycle Engineering Product Leader on Building a Product Culture

How can product leaders build a product culture within their organization?In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series hosted by Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Life Cycle Engineering Product Leader Tara Holwegner speaks on building a product culture. Tara discusses investing in people and developing future leaders. She expresses interest in learning about new industries and how products apply human-centered design and AI. Tara also highlights examples of using digital technologies for remote coaching and predictive maintenance in industrial operations. Tune in to the 400th episode of Product Talk to learn what makes great products, product managers, and a strong product culture within an organization!

Apr 26, 202426 min

EP 399 - Hazelcast Fmr. CPO on Building Scalable Product Businesses

How can PMs build scalable product businesses? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Sid Shaik, Hazelcast Fmr. CPO Manish Devgan shares lessons on scaling product businesses, including the importance of establishing a clear product vision and worldview. He discusses growth engines like technology advantages and insights into customer workloads. Manish also describes tactics such as establishing a product strategy board to gather customer feedback. Tune in for valuable perspectives on building scalable product businesses.

Apr 24, 202440 min

EP 398 - Products Leaders to Watch: Stay 22 Head of Product on Leading in the Startup Ecosystem

What does it take to lead product in the startup ecosystem? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series hosted by Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Stay 22 Head of Product Laura Di Costanzo shares insights from her experiences in Montreal's startup ecosystem. She speaks on her journey in product management, from marketing to leading a team of 10 across product and design. She discusses her work optimizing operations with workflow management platforms and enhancing collaboration. Laura is also passionate about giving back to the Montreal product community through organizing events and launching a training program for aspiring product managers. The interview explores topics including product management skills, AI trends, and how to best support senior citizens through technology.

Apr 19, 202421 min

EP 397 - Altice USA Product SVP on Building Products for the SMB Space

What do product leaders need to consider when building products for the SMB space? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Kaboo Founder Neha Shah, Altice USA Product & Tech SVP Rachel Owens shares insights from her diverse career journey in product management, from engineering school to roles at startups and Fortune 500 companies. She discusses how she applies lessons from different industries and experiences to build great products. Rachel emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and having an interdisciplinary skillset, and shares advice on how to create a culture of open feedback and iteration on teams.

Apr 17, 202432 min

EP 396 - Vonage Product VP on Scaling B2B Product Businesses to New Heights

How can product leaders balance focus and innovation to sustain high-growth trajectories as their businesses scale to new heights? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Sid Shaik, Vonage Product VP Amitha Pulijala speaks on her experience scaling B2B product businesses. She shares how Vonage's suite of products help businesses personalize customer conversations across touchpoints. Amitha discusses inheriting a business with 5,200 customers and prioritizing success metrics and experimentation. She led growth efforts post-acquisition that increased revenue 10x through disciplined focus. Amitha emphasizes the importance of product-led growth driving sales leads. She also stresses sustaining growth through alignment with vision and adapting strategies to growth stages.

Apr 10, 202446 min

EP 395 - Leaders in Innovation: Altria CPO on Driving Business Reinvention as a Product Leader

How can product leaders drive business reinvention? In this episode of Capgemini's Leaders in Innovation series with Capgemini Americas Portfolio Lead Lisa Mitnick, Altria CPO & CIO Olivier Houpert shares insights from his 31 years of experience at Procter & Gamble and his decision to take on a new challenge at Altria. He speaks on Altria's transformation journey to launch reduced-risk smoke-free products through a focus on consumer needs, partnerships, and a test-and-learn approach to innovation. Olivier emphasizes the importance of remaining consumer-centric and optimistic about driving change in the tobacco industry to transition consumers to safer alternatives.

Apr 8, 202433 min

EP 394 - Product Divergence Series: LinkSquares Product SVP on Team Building and Leadership

How can product leaders build trust and psychological safety within their teams to foster innovation and excellence? In this episode of the Product Divergence series with Ubiety Technologies Fmr. CPO Nacho Andrade, LinkSquares SVP of Product & Engineering Andrew Leverone discusses strategies for team building and leadership through vulnerability, empathy, and collaboration. Andrew shares insights on balancing product and engineering perspectives, understanding customer needs, and scaling teams through transparency and a bottoms-up approach. He also emphasizes the importance of embracing an agile mindset, frequent communication, and empowering team members to drive the business forward together through open dialogue.

Apr 3, 202448 min

EP 393 - Leaders in Innovation: Ford Director of Digital Experience Platforms on Pioneering Innovation in the Automative Industry

How can product leaders pioneer innovation in the automotive industry? In this episode of Capgemini's Leaders in Innovation series hosted by Capgemini Americas Portfolio Lead Lisa Mitnick, Ford Director of Digital Experience Platforms Zafar Razzacki discusses his career journey from biotech and medical devices to Google and now Ford. He provides an overview of Ford's focus on digital experiences, electric vehicles, connectivity, and new business models. He also speaks on how Ford is working with partners in the ecosystem to create seamless experiences and considers the challenges of organizational change as the automotive industry transforms.

Apr 1, 202443 min

EP 392 - Product Leaders to Watch: Bank of America VP of AI/ML and Automation Platform on AI Platform Development

What are the key considerations for AI platform development? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Bank of America VP of AI/ML and Automation Platform Hira Dangol shares strategies for AI product development, highlighting the importance of diversity and leveraging AI, ML, and data insights to solve business challenges. The conversation also explores frameworks for building solutions that deliver total experience value and the pathways for community involvement, continuous learning, and responsible growth in AI.

Mar 29, 202423 min

EP 391 - Gravity Climate Founder on Building a Differentiated Decarbonization Platform

What do product leaders need to consider when building a differentiated decarbonization platform? The scale and urgency of the transformation required to fight climate change has never been more clear. Building hardware and software products, acquiring the funding and creating a diverse community to enhance talent capacity and to drive innovation, is essential to tackling this global environmental crisis. In this podcast, host and Silicon Valley Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank, Climate Tech & Sustainability SVP Maggie Wong will be interviewing Gravity Climate Founder & CEO Saleh ElHattab to discuss combining software and physical solution in decarbonization, positioning their product to provide sustainable value and how diversity impacts understanding customer needs and product go-to-market.

Mar 27, 202428 min

EP 390 - Leaders in Innovation: Shellworks CEO on Producing Sustainable and Impactful Products

How can product leaders tackle the challenge of producing sustainable and impactful products? In this episode of the Capgemini Leaders in Innovation series with Synapse - Capgemini Invent VP Dylan Garrett, Shellworks CEO and Founder Insiya Jafferjee speaks on the role Shellworks plays in reimagining sustainable alternatives to plastic use cases. They delve into unique and environmentally beneficial product concepts and designs used by Shellworks to address the issue of plastic waste holistically and contextually. The beauty industry is likely one of the leading offenders of plastic pollution. Tune in to learn how Shellworks aims to provide sustainable packaging solutions that are petroleum-free, truly compostable, and "perform like plastic."

Mar 25, 202440 min

EP 389 - Product Leaders to Watch: Google Cloud Product Marketing Lead on Navigating Technology and Marketplace Changes

How can product managers navigate technology and marketplace changes? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Google Cloud Product Marketing Lead Varun Krovvidi shares his perspective on navigating changes in technology and the marketplace. As a professional with experience spanning engineering, data, product, and marketing roles, Varun provides unique insights into adapting to new disruptors and unlocking new growth opportunities for products. He discusses the importance of understanding user needs and context, as well as the role of storytelling and community, for both product marketing and management in an era of rapid technological change.

Mar 22, 202427 min

EP 388 - CrowdStrike CPO on Growing Product Businesses With Strategy, Innovation, and Execution

How can product leaders successfully grow product businesses? In this episode of Product Talk with Sid Shaik, CrowdStrike CPO Raj Rajamani shares lessons from his experience growing startups and large companies, emphasizing the importance of having the right people in place and aligning goals through a clear strategy and OKR framework. He also stresses the need for continuous innovation, experimentation, and disrupting oneself before others can. Overall, the discussion provides insights into scaling a tech company through a focus on people, strategy, execution, and relentless innovation.

Mar 20, 202439 min

EP 387 - Leaders in Innovation: Adrich CEO & Founder on Bringing a Startup to Life

What does it take to build a startup? In this episode of Capgemini's 2024 Leaders in Innovation miniseries hosted by Capgemini VP, Intelligent Industry & Connected Consumer Offer Lead Eric Cohen, Adrich Founder & CEO Adhithi Aji speaks on her experience bringing a startup to life from seeing an opportunity, creating an MVP as told in her Tic Tac box story, and finding early adopters. Tune in to gain insights on the marketing, fundraising, and scaling aspect bringing startups to life as a Co-founder and CEO.

Mar 19, 202444 min

EP 386 - Product Leaders to Watch: Wavo.me Fmr. Product VP on Leading and Scaling Product Teams

What does it take to successfully lead and scale product teams? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series hosted by Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Wavo.me Fmr. Product VP Jean-Sébastien Chouinard speaks on how understanding customer needs, developing sustainable revenue streams, and collaborating across teams are key to building successful products. He shares lessons from leading digital transformations and emphasizes the importance of real-world impact, viable pricing, and cross-functional alignment. The discussion also covers what qualities the Product Awards AAB looks for in nominations, along with promising tech trends in IoT and AI.

Mar 15, 202425 min

EP 385 - Meta Product Director on Building for Mobile and VR

How can product managers stay on the cutting edge of innovation while ensuring user needs remain the top priority? In this episode with Jonathan Ozeran, Meta Director of Product Mike Arcuri shares lessons from over 15 years of experience launching groundbreaking platforms, building the metaverse, and leading technical product teams. From optimizing the mobile app development process to shaping the future of social VR, Mike discusses best practices for bridging engineering and product while keeping customers at the heart of every decision. Tune in for insights on navigating new technologies like AI and emerging form factors, as well as advice on cultivating passion and fun throughout the challenges of building great products.

Mar 13, 202452 min

EP 384 - Leaders in Innovation: Schneider Electric Innovation Project Manager on Leading 5G Exploration

How can companies leverage 5G technology to drive innovation in industrial settings? In this episode of Capgemini's 2024 Leaders in Innovation miniseries with Capgemini EVP, Group Offer Leader for Connectivity/5G & Edge Fotis Karonis, Schneider Electric Innovation Project Manager Olivier Coutelou discusses how Schneider Electric is exploring 5G connectivity opportunities for industrial automation through their innovation methodology. He speaks on developing a continuous innovation approach using design thinking to identify promising 5G use cases like improving connectivity for integrated autonomous crane systems. The discussion highlights the benefits of 5G technology for industrial applications and the importance of collaboration between companies in enabling digital transformation.

Mar 11, 202425 min

EP 383 - Product Leaders to Watch Series: ALPHA Camp Director of Tech & Data on Optimizing User Journeys

How can product leaders balance company value with user value? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, ALPHA Camp Director of Tech & Data Karen Hsieh shares insights on driving growth and optimizing user journeys through data analysis. Tune in to learn about Karen's success with a recipe platform and her views on the skills needed to excel at product management, such as curiosity, learning, and collaboration.

Mar 8, 202417 min

EP 382 - Informatica CPO on Building Cross-Functional Alignment

What does it take to successfully lead product teams through times of change and disruption? In this episode of Product Talk with Kaboo Founder Neha Shah, Informatica CPO Jitesh Ghai shares insights from his career journey leading product at companies including Cisco, startups, and now Informatica. From his early days as a hardware engineer to pivoting into product management, Jitesh discusses the importance of cross-functional alignment, understanding markets and customers, and driving organizational change. He also offers perspectives on what separates good from great product managers and how to evolve your skills from technical to more outward-facing leadership. Tune in for valuable lessons on product strategy, innovation, and people leadership from an industry veteran.

Mar 6, 202436 min