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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
How can products become essential in a crowded and evolving marketplace? In this episode of Capgemini's 2024 Leaders in Innovation miniseries, Capgemini Americas Portfolio Lead Lisa Mitnick meets with NY Times VP of Product Management Ken Houseman to discuss how the 174-year-old New York Times is reinventing itself to become an essential subscription in today's crowded media landscape. He shares the NY Times' journey of transitioning to digital and building a subscription business model. Ken also talks about his non-traditional career path to product leadership and his role in modernizing the NY Times' commercial systems. Tune in for insights on how the NY Times innovates through experimentation while maintaining its core mission of truthful journalism.
How can product leaders leverage technology for customer centric problem solving? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Smarter Travel AI ML Product Lead Priyanka Pande speaks on combining technical and business skills to solve customer problems through innovative AI/ML solutions. She discusses her experiences in product management, AI, and growth strategies. The conversation also explores trends in industries such as AI, supply chain, transportation, and what traits make a great product manager.
How can product leaders adapt strategies from startup to scaleup? In this episode of the Product Divergence series with Ubiety Technologies Fmr. CPO Nacho Andrade, Groundswell CPO Tammy Hahn shares insights from her journey leading a large product team at Cornerstone OnDemand to taking on the challenge of a zero-to-one startup. She discusses the importance of adapting strategies to different stages of growth and embracing risk, failure, and flexibility in an environment of constant change and learning. Tammy also offers insights on building mission-aligned teams through culture and hiring. Listeners will gain perspectives on career growth, embracing diverse opportunities, and how experiences can strengthen leadership skills through both successes and failures.
How do industrial operations impact product development? In the first episode of Capgemini's 2024 Leaders in Innovation miniseries, Capgemini Engineering VP and CTO for Manufacturing and Industrial Operations Ramon Antelo speaks with Alantra Operating Partner Juan de Navascués Benlloch about Juan's career in product industrialization, including his biggest failure due to missing quality and time targets. The conversation emphasizes the importance of in-house expertise, a resilient and convinced team, and separating innovation cells from daily operations. Learn best practices for ensuring the right team is assembled and motivated throughout new product development, and considerations for introducing industrial innovations.
How can product leaders cultivate impactful products? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, MEDFAR Clinical Solutions Product VP Patrick Charbonneau shares insights from 20 years of experience across industries including healthcare, security, and retail. The conversation covers key tech trends such as AI and how it can be applied in healthcare to improve patient and physician experiences. They also explore what makes a great product manager through listening skills and understanding customer needs, as well as what qualities define a great product, such as creative problem-solving and customer adoption.
How can product leaders transform chronic disease management with digital products? In this episode of the Product Divergence Series with Ubiety Technologies Fmr. CPO Nacho Andrade, Carna Health Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer Salvatore Viscomi speaks on building a digital health platform for remote patient monitoring. Salvatore discusses how Carna Health uses connected devices and biomarkers to detect and manage chronic kidney disease, one of the leading causes of death worldwide. He explains how their platform improves patient outcomes by catching the disease early through national screening programs. Salvatore also shares insights on developing patient-centric digital health products, including balancing data collection with usability and providing feedback to engage users.
How can product leaders guide teams to success? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch Series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Unity Product Leader Marc-Andre Ferguson speaks on his diverse career path from filmmaking to product management roles at companies such as Autodesk and Unity. He emphasizes the importance of clear communication, teamwork, and understanding different perspectives to build trust within cross-functional teams. He discusses the potential of generative AI and the importance of user experience, security, and lifelong learning for product managers.
How can AI help to automate PM tasks? In this episode of the Product Divergence series with Ubiety Technologies CPO Nacho Andrade, PM Exercises and Product Monkey AI Founder and CEO Bijan Shahrokhi speaks on how AI can help automate manual tasks for product managers and improve the clarity of product requirements. He explains how his company uses a combination of logic and AI to extract design files and automatically generate engineering tickets and requirements documents. By automating PM tasks, AI will enhance rather than replace product management work by helping PMs produce higher quality documents and focus on strategic decision making.