Products That Count Podcast

What are the top tech trends & industries today? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Amazon Head of Product Rekha Venkatakrishnan speaks on her background in product management and engineering, emphasizing the importance of customer centricity and simplicity. She shares her views on exciting industries and tech trends, including fintech, healthcare, sustainability and more. Rekha provides a framework for evaluating great products based on functionality, psychological impact and economic factors.

How can products help optimize time? In this episode of the Product Divergence Series with Ubiety Technologies CPO Nacho Andrade, Clockwise Product VP Vicky Thomas speaks on building products that optimize time. She shares how Clockwise uses AI to optimize calendars and schedules, freeing up more focus time for individuals and teams. They discuss the challenges of calendar management that inspired Clockwise's creation, and how the product measures its impact on areas like reduced meetings and increased focus time. Vicky also shares her non-traditional career path into product management and what she has learned about building great products over the years.

What can an unconventional career path in tech leadership look like? In the Product to Venture series with Mighty Capital Managing Partner SC Moatti, the path from product leadership to venture capitalism is discussed. In this episode, IVP Partner Tamar Yehoshua speaks on her journey in tech leadership and her current career in venture capitalism. Tamar holds a wealth of product knowledge from her experience in product management to leadership roles at companies like Google, Amazon, and Slack. She talks about her transition to venture capital investing, her views on trends in AI, and where opportunities lie for entrepreneurs.

How can product leaders deliver customer value? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, S&P Global Executive Product Director Jamie Matlin shares insights from his experiences building desktop and mobile products. He speaks on the importance of taking a design-led and customer-centric approach to product development. Jamie also shares his thoughts on trends in generative AI, fintech, and data visualization. He discusses what makes a great product - solving problems and delivering customer value through minimalistic design and intuitive user experiences.

How can product leaders apply a practical perspective to product? In this episode of Product Talk with Kaboo Founder Neha Shah, Meta Product Lead Neha Bansal speaks on her career journey from management consulting to product management at Google and Meta. She shares how she gained experience in different disciplines like engineering, marketing, and design to become a strong product manager. The discussion also covers important product topics like establishing product-market fit and how the same principles can apply at both startups and large companies.

Why is it important to build user-centric products? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, First National Bank of Omaha Fmr Head of Product Ishan Amin speaks on his experience and views as a product leader. He shares insights from over 18 years of experience in product management across different industries. Ishan discusses what makes him a successful product leader and what he looks for in great products, along with the importance of building user-centric products. The discussion provides insights into his approach to product and what criteria he will use as a member of the AB panel to evaluate products for the Product Awards.

When should PMs prioritize execution over strategy? In this episode of Product Talk with Jonathan Ozeran, Thumbtack CPO P.J. Linarducci speaks on his career in product management and lessons learned. PJ shares insights from his experiences at Meta and other companies, emphasizing the importance of execution over perfect strategy. He outlines rituals and ceremonies that Thumbtack uses to keep teams aligned, such as business reviews, product reviews, and execution reviews. PJ also discusses the value of role models, mentors, and sponsors in one's career.

What does it take to build award-winning products and teams? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Expedia Group Platform SVP of Product Archana Arunkumar shares her insights on evaluating award-winning products for the 2024 Product Awards and leveraging generative AI. As a seasoned product leader, she discusses the skills that make great product managers, such as empathy, listening, and removing roadblocks. Archana also offers her perspective on navigating growth phases strategically and transforming business models successfully.

What do product leaders need to consider when leading product in the education space? In this episode of Product Talk with Melissa Pickering, LEGO Education Product VP Andrew Sliwinski speaks on his journey to becoming a product leader in education. Andrew shares formative experiences from his childhood that sparked a passion for creative learning. He discusses his approach to managing change within large organizations and avoiding "tech for tech's sake" by starting with the user experience. Andrew also offers practical tips for teams on staying focused through the design process and continuously refining product strategy based on learnings.

How can embodying an entrepreneurial mindset as a PM shape your career? In this episode of the Product to Venture Series with Mighty Capital Managing Partner SC Moatti, TenOneTen Managing Partner Minnie Ingersoll speaks on career journey from her early days as a PM at Google to founding her own startup and ultimately becoming a venture capitalist. Ingersoll shares insights into finding the right product role and leadership opportunities that allowed her to thrive. She also offers perspectives on her approach to investing, including looking for founders deeply passionate about solving big industry problems. Listeners will gain valuable advice applicable to both product management and venture capitalism.

What does it take to be a great product leader? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Segmed Product Lead Dan Feusse shares insights on leading product teams. Daniel speaks about his early career in analytics and data visualization to leading products at Google and startups. He discusses his work helping PG&E develop software to prevent wildfires and his current role leading product at a health tech startup. Daniel offers insights into what makes a great product and product manager, emphasizing the importance of delivering user value while capturing business value.

How can PMs solve the climate crisis through product? 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) Director of Product Maggie Wong, will be interviewing DigitMint Product Lead Karel Verhaeghe to discuss how DigitMint's products are empowering companies and their employees to leverage artificial intelligence to locate the relevant data, conduct comprehensive sustainability reporting efficiently, and adhere to the changing operating and regulatory environment. They will also discuss the climate tech and product management landscape in Europe and how one may leverage their best practices and contribute to solving climate change. 

What are the superpowers that lead to product success? In the first episode of the new Product to Venture series with Mighty Capital Managing Partner SC Moatti, Menlo Ventures Venture Partner Joff Redfern shares lessons on building great products at LinkedIn and Atlassian, the skills that make a top product leader, and his transition to Menlo Ventures. He discusses why operators are moving to VC and his focus areas investing in the future of software teams, productivity with AI, and network businesses. For ambitious PMs, Josh offers advice on communication, impatience, and "asking forgiveness, not permission."

What makes a great healthcare product? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch Series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, WellB Founder Zachary Fleming shares his perspective. As a member of the Products That Count 2024 Product Awards Advisory Board, Zachary talks about building digital health products and the criteria the board will use to select award winners. He emphasizes outcome-focused design, emerging technologies, and human-centered solutions that create value beyond just introducing new tools.

How can product leaders scale B2B businesses? In this episode of Product Talk with Sid Shaik, Skyflow CPO Amruta Moktali shares approaches for scaling B2B product businesses. She speaks on her experiences at Microsoft and Salesforce and discusses key topics including diversifying teams, partnering, automating processes, and anticipating customer needs as a company rapidly grows. Tune in for valuable insights on scaling to enterprise levels.

What do product leaders need to consider when building protective communications platforms? In this episode of the PM Awards Series with Ticketmaster Fmr. Product VP Andrew Zavattero, Genasys Product SVP Charlie Crocker discusses his journey from founding an evacuation management startup to leading product at Genasys, which is building an integrated platform for protective communications. He speaks on how Genasys is combining Zone Haven's zone-based evacuation planning with high-clarity outdoor warning systems to disrupt traditional mass notification. As winner of the 2023 PM Awards for Emergency Management Visionary, Crocker shares valuable insights for product leaders on building platforms that can scale to serve critical public safety needs.

How can diverse perspectives drive innovation on a product team? In this episode of the Product Divergence series with Ubiety Technologies CPO Nacho Andrade, Ampla Product VP Tui Allen shares insights on her journey to product management. She speaks about the importance of gaining diverse perspectives to drive innovation through experiences such as living abroad or spending time with customers from different backgrounds. The conversation also covers what makes a strong product leader, the skills needed for product management roles, and advice for those looking to get into the field. Learn about the best practices for building great products through empathy, collaboration, and an entrepreneurial mindset.

How can product leaders build community-focused products? In this episode of the PM Awards Series with Ticketmaster Fmr VP of Product Andrew Zavattero, ALPHA Camp Director of Tech & Data Karen Hsieh, winner of the Data Literacy and Community Builder PM Award, speaks on how community building can drive product success. Karen shares how she started her company's data team from scratch and aligned metrics across functions. She discusses the value communities provide for long-term learning, accountability, and collaboration. Karen also offers insights into her journey learning product management on the job and from experts. Discover practical tips for using data to impact business priorities quickly, as well as Karen's perspective on the role of curiosity, sharing knowledge, and community in becoming a great product leader.

How can product leaders fight climate change with innovation? 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) Product Director Maggie Wong, will be interviewing SolaBlock CEO Eric Planey to discuss how his roots in Ohio led him to Climate Tech, how SolaBlock is building integrated and durable products to revolutionize construction tech, and how product management expertise is crucial to innovation and delivery of new climate technologies.

How can AI be used to transform data insights? In this episode of the PM Awards series hosted by Green Dog Advisory Andrew Zavattero, data.ai Sr. Product Director Prakash Aditham speaks on applying data analytics and AI in product. As a winner of the 2023 PM Awards, Prakash shares his perspective on what makes a great product and product manager. He also discusses data.ai's use of AI and ML to power insights for mobile apps. Tune in for an engaging conversation on using data and AI responsibly and how the future of insights may evolve.