Podcasts about product experience

This week on Catalyst, Tammy Soares speaks with Prashant Hinge, Chief Information and Transformation Officer at MSIG USA. Prashant has been working in the insurance industry for 20 years and is an expert at building teams to create solutions that improve the user experience. Prashant discusses the importance of unlearning siloed ways of working in order to unlock collaborative and cross-functional creativity, a skill that's especially important in the insurance industry. He also explains why in the current world of AI, we all need to become triathletes - meaning we now need to understand the business, need to know basic AI tools and need to develop core skills. He also talks about the opportunities that AI is unlocking for the insurance industry and how change management and ensuring you have good processes, data and people is key in ensuring success at scale. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA Links: Prashant Hinge State of AI in Business in 2025 Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Catalyst, guest host Jod Kaftan sits down with automotive industry expert Clemens Conrad to discuss the evolution of mobility and the future of automotive design. Jod and Clemens discuss how car interiors are becoming more personalized and how OEMs are adapting to hyper-personalize the automotive experience. They also explore how cultural differences in transportation inform automotive design and break down some recent stats about which companies are leading the way in automotive design and innovation - some of the results might surprise you! Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Clemens Conrad Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Simon Angove, CEO of Syndigo which works behind every product to deliver consistent content and digital shelf performance, efficient product syndication and vendor-retailer collaboration, and accurate data and insights – all in one composable platform, on the largest commerce network.This episode is sponsored by Syndigo.Follow Simon Angove on LinkedIn here.Follow Syndigo on LinkedIn here. Follow Syndigo online here.Access the full consumer report mentioned by Simon here.Simon answers these questions:Syndigo operates in the world of Product Experience Management—PXM. For folks who might not be familiar, what are we talking about when we use that term?Why should brands be thinking about product experience right now? What's the big deal?Managing product experiences sounds straightforward, but clearly it's not. What makes managing product experiences so complicated; why isn't everyone doing it well?What does agentic commerce mean for brands and retailers in terms of the opportunity it presents and also the difficulties you see in taking advantage of the Trend?The market's shifting fast—consumer behavior, tech innovation, even economic pressures. What is Syndigo doing to stay ahead?With tighter budgets and resource constraints, where do you see the biggest opportunities for efficiency in PXM workflows? And where do companies tend to get bogged down?One way we've seen technology vendors like Syndigo stay flexible and capable of delivering results for clients is a strong partner network with providers (like Flywheel, for instance) to support them along the way – tell us a little bit about your partner strategy and why that's a priority for you right now.You touched on how AI is transforming how consumers browse and buy. Let's turn to the tactical side, where is it coming up in PXM in a tactical, practical way?For companies that are hesitant about AI-driven solutions for product content management, what's your advice? How do they start without feeling overwhelmed?What do you see as the next phase for PXM—and what should we be watching for in 2026?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comSheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual's use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

In this episode of The Product Experience, host Randy Silver talks with Cristina Bustos, Product Manager and team lead at Swiss AviationSoftware, about her experience launching a native mobile application in one of the most regulated and high‑stakes industries in the world: commercial aviation.Cristina recounts how she moved from business analysis into product leadership and then navigated a gruelling product development process during the pandemic. Her team faced the dual challenge of winning over both paying customers and aviation regulators to replace paper‑based cockpit workflows with a real‑time digital solution.Chapters0:00 | Introduction and personal background 2:34 | Problem framing: launching a mobile app in aviation 4:00 | Winning founding customers before building code 6:10 | Consensus across customers and regulators 9:00 | Involving actual pilots in design 10:00 | Redesigning workflow not just digitising it 14:15 | Scope control and prioritisation 17:16 | Regulatory engagement and approval strategy 19:49 | A hackathon that wasn't a silver bullet 21:06 | Reflections: what she would do differently 25:22 | Balancing iteration with regulatory discipline 28:21 | Triple validate in the real world 29:53 | Signals of success and business impactOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

This week on Catalyst, Tammy chats with Jimit Arora, the CEO of Everest Group. Jimit is a leader who deeply understands the challenges that organizations face and how they can move forward with confidence. Jimit and Tammy discuss the importance of a growth mindset and how companies can meaningfully adopt AI. According to Jimit the key to meaningful adoption is for companies to be aware of PTSD - process debt, tech debt, skills debt and data debt. Jimit also shares what he thinks will be the biggest trends to affect global services in the next year. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Jimit Arora LinkedInEverest Group Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Trending in Education, Mike Palmer welcomes Andrew Sliwinski, Global Head of Product Experience for LEGO Education, on the day of a major product launch. Together, they explore the intersection of physical play and artificial intelligence, revealing how LEGO is redefining AI literacy for the next generation. Andrew shares his winding career path from tutoring in Detroit to directing Scratch at MIT and serving on the board of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The conversation dives into LEGO Education's new Computer Science and AI curriculum, a hands-on, privacy-first platform designed for students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

In this episode of The Product Experience, host Lily Smith speaks with veteran product leader Sean Flaherty about a question at the heart of modern product management: how do you influence without authority? Drawing from behavioural science and decades of experience building products and teams, Sean outlines a framework based on self‑determination theory — the modern science of intrinsic motivation.Through the lens of autonomy, competence and relatedness, Sean explains why traditional command‑and‑control leadership undermines creativity and accountability. He shows how true autonomy is structured freedom, how competence is demonstrated through behaviour, and how relatedness builds trust and advocacy among teams and users. Along the way he reframes accountability as something teams hold themselves to, not something enforced by fear, and discusses how leaders can help teams grow, adapt and thrive in a world of constant change.Chapters00:00 — Introduction & central question01:30 — Guest background04:45 — State of leadership today06:10 — Intro to intrinsic motivation08:40 — The “code” of motivation12:28 — Autonomy in teams17:11 — Competence and product work20:30 — Observable behaviour and growth paths23:10 — Adaptability and learning culture24:25 — Accountability misunderstood27:04 — Accountability spectrum31:21 — Addressing negative behaviour36:19 — AI and leadership change38:01 — Leadership trends todayKey Takeaways— Motivation is scientific, not abstract— Product leaders need to understand the science of intrinsic motivation — not just processes or tools — to influence without authority and achieve sustainable outcomes.— Three core motivators drive behaviourAutonomy: people need meaningful choice, not chaos or micro‑managementCompetence: motivation increases when people feel capable and are supported to growRelatedness: connection and shared purpose power trust, loyalty and advocacy— Autonomy is structured freedom: Autonomy is not “do whatever you want”. It's about balancing freedom with guidance so teams can be creative but not lost.— Competence is observed in behaviour, not checklists: Real competence shows up in behaviour — what people do — not just knowledge or titles.— Accountability emerges, not enforced: Traditional accountability relies on fear and external control. In contrast, self‑accountability arises when goals are meaningful and environments allow peopleOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Vandana Ramani on how UPS is leveraging AI to help SMEs This week on Catalyst Tammy sits down with Vandana Ramani, the Vice President of Global Strategy at UPS. Vandana loves to solve difficult, complex problems. From making sure a live iguana gets delivered to where it needs to be, to thinking about how UPS can leverage AI to improve their customer experience, Vandana is always working at the intersection of business strategy and technology. Tammy and Vandana discuss the integration of AI in small and medium sized businesses and how it can be transformative for data connectivity and developing shared outcomes. Vandana also shares networking tips she's developed from years spent rebuilding her networks from the ground up across the world. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Vandana Ramani LinkedInLearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Mariah (Executive Director of Product at The Atlantic) discusses the often-vague transition from being a great Product Manager to becoming an effective manager of people. Drawing on her background as a journalist, Mariah explores how empathy and storytelling translate into product leadership. She deep-dives into using the Reforge PM Competency Model to remove subjectivity from performance reviews, fostering growth through "Development Conversations," and integrating AI into the PM workflow without losing the human touch.Chapters[0:00] The Pitfalls of People Management[1:15] Mariah's Origin Story: From Journalism to Product[3:24] Product Goals at The Atlantic[4:14] Transferable Skills from Journalism[6:08] The Evolution of the News Product Industry[8:40] Why Product Leaders Struggle with Management[13:12] The Reforge Competency Framework[15:13] Running 6-Week Development Conversations[21:20] Linking Development to Pay and Promotions[22:58] Managing the Human Element of Performance[26:12] Addressing Burnout and Imposter Syndrome[28:58] Upskilling Teams in the Era of AI[31:40] AI Disruption in the News Industry[33:01] Closing and ResourcesKey Takeaways— Journalism as a Product Foundation: Skills like active listening, asking the "question behind the question," and storytelling are directly transferable to discovery and stakeholder management.— The "Liking" Trap: Effective management isn't about being liked; it is about challenging your team. Radical transparency often leads to more long-term gratitude than avoiding uncomfortable conversations.— Structured Development: Using a competency framework turns vague performance evaluations into objective, actionable growth plans.— The 6-Week Pulse: Dedicated "Development Conversations" every six weeks help track progress and adjust goals in real-time, far beyond the utility of an annual review.— Protecting Focus: "Focus Fridays" (no-meeting days) are essential for PMs to escape the "weeds" and execute high-value work.Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

This week on Catalyst Tammy chats with Parisa Zander, a seasoned professional in the tech industry who recently retired after a successful career spanning nearly three decades at companies like Meta, Samsung and Microsoft. Parisa discusses the challenges of being a woman in tech, the importance of finding one's voice, and the values that guide her leadership style, including honesty, empathy, and the need for fun in the workplace. She also emphasizes that to truly understand your customer you need to go to them and set time aside for real-world testing. How else will you see how people across the country are actually engaging with your product? Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Parisa Zander - LinkedIn Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Product managers are saving hours with AI, yet feel more uncertain than ever about whether their products will succeed. What's going on?In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily Smith and Randy Silver sit down with Axel Sooriah, product management evangelist at Atlassian, to unpack the findings from a large-scale survey into the state of product management today.Axel shares why so many teams are stuck on the hamster wheel of execution, how cross-functional collaboration still breaks down in practice, and why 84% of product managers doubt their products will succeed despite loving the craft. The conversation explores the real reasons behind PM anxiety, the role of leadership in creating confidence, and how reframing work around customer progress can re-energise teams.Chapters00:00 – Money, motivation, and product work01:12 – Axel Sooriah's product background02:16 – What a product management evangelist does05:38 – Why Atlassian ran the state of product management survey07:01 – AI productivity and the strategy time paradox11:32 – The hamster wheel of execution14:01 – Leadership, incentives, and product manager agency16:16 – Using AI in customer discovery18:17 – Cross-functional collaboration in practice22:06 – Why 84% of product managers doubt success26:16 – Discovery, evidence, and decision-making confidence28:47 – Fear and curiosity in the age of AI30:50 – Getting started with AI as a product manager32:54 – Profit focus and product team motivationOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

In this episode from the archives Tammy sits down with Keena Patel-Moran, the Healthcare and Lifesciences Industry Lead at Launch by NTT DATA. Keena and Tammy discuss ways to improve the industry and give patients the support they need and deserve. They discuss why doctors should look beyond just symptoms and make a case that improving healthcare processes is not only better for patients and care-takers but is also good for business. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Keena Patel-MoranLearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Catalyst, Tammy recaps her favourite moments from the past year. She recaps the key themes that came up time and time again across conversations with almost 50 leaders across various industries - the human side of AI, authentic leadership, designing with people not for people, reinventing work and technology as possibility. There was much discussed this year and there's a lot more to come in the new year! Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: State of AI in Business Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Catalyst Tammy speaks with Namee Oberst, co-founder of LLMWare about her unique journey into AI. Namee spent years as a corporate attorney and is now developing small language models for legal and financial organizations. She's solving for the pain points that she experienced for years. Namee and Tammy discuss the importance of small language models in building trust and touch on the future of legal work in an AI-driven world. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Namee Oberst LLMWareLearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Catalyst, Tammy is joined by Jamie Sermon, the Vice President of Engineering, Robotics and Automation at UPS. Jamie has been at UPS for over 15 years and knows the company intimately. He also knows that you can't solve logistics problems if you're not thinking about the customer at every step. Jamie shares how his upbringing in the Bahamas and his studies in physical therapy in Cuba helped shape his people's first approach. He also shares how he creates space for experimentation and how automation can be used to create opportunities for people, not take them away. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Jamie SermonLearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Product Experience, host Randy Silver speaks with Teresa Huang — Head of Product for Enablement at global health‑insurer Bupa — about the often‑overlooked world of platform product management. They explore why building internal platforms is fundamentally different and often more challenging than building user‑facing products, how to measure the value of platform work, and practical strategies for gaining stakeholder alignment, driving platform adoption and demonstrating business impact.Chapters0:00 – Why “efficiency” alone no longer cuts it — measuring platform impact in business terms1:02 – Teresa's background: from business analyst to head of product in health insurance6:20 – What we mean by “platform product management” — internal tools vs marketplace vs public‑API platforms7:44 – Why you need to “hop two steps”: address developer needs and end-customer value10:24 – Types of platforms: internal APIs, marketplace ecosystems, public‑facing platforms (e.g. like Shopify)10:55 – Reframing platform work: building business cases instead of chasing “efficiency” metrics13:16 – Linking platform initiatives to core business goals and joint OKRs15:47 – The importance of visualisation — using prototypes and role‑plays to communicate platform value20:57 – Internal showcases: keeping stakeholders engaged with real‑world scenarios23:28 – Success metrics for platforms: adoption, usage, reliability, ecosystem growth26:00 – Retiring legacy services: deciding when low-use tools should be decommissioned28:55 – From cost centre to enabler: shifting the narrative to show value creationOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

In this episode of The Product Experience, host Randy Silver speaks with Teresa Huang — Head of Product for Enablement at global health‑insurer Bupa — about the often‑overlooked world of platform product management. They explore why building internal platforms is fundamentally different and often more challenging than building user‑facing products, how to measure the value of platform work, and practical strategies for gaining stakeholder alignment, driving platform adoption and demonstrating business impact. Chapters0:00 – Why “efficiency” alone no longer cuts it — measuring platform impact in business terms1:02 – Teresa's background: from business analyst to head of product in health insurance6:20 – What we mean by “platform product management” — internal tools vs marketplace vs public‑API platforms7:44 – Why you need to “hop two steps”: address developer needs and end-customer value10:24 – Types of platforms: internal APIs, marketplace ecosystems, public‑facing platforms (e.g. like Shopify)10:55 – Reframing platform work: building business cases instead of chasing “efficiency” metrics13:16 – Linking platform initiatives to core business goals and joint OKRs15:47 – The importance of visualisation — using prototypes and role‑plays to communicate platform value20:57 – Internal showcases: keeping stakeholders engaged with real‑world scenarios23:28 – Success metrics for platforms: adoption, usage, reliability, ecosystem growth26:00 – Retiring legacy services: deciding when low-use tools should be decommissioned28:55 – From cost centre to enabler: shifting the narrative to show value creationOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

In this episode from the archives Tammy is joined by Jessica Hartley, the Head of Design and Customer Experience for CCB Finance, Tech and Data Analytics at JPMorganChase. Jessica has over 20 years of experience helping clients leverage digital innovation and is passionate about driving employee engagement and culture. Tammy and Jessica talk about what authenticity really means at work and why it's so much more than just how you present yourself. Jessica also shares her thoughts on how AI is transforming workplaces and how it can be used to improve both the client and employee experience.Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.Links: Jessica Hartley Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Product Experience, host Randy Silver sits down with product veteran John Cutler to explore why creating great products remains one of the hardest things organisations do. They dive into why so many companies adopt off‑the‑shelf models (“Spotify”, “SAFe”, etc) and still struggle, and how the secret often lies not in what you build but how you build it—specifically the game you design for how you work.Chapters00:00 — The stigma around “how you work”00:54 — Introducing John Cutler (again)01:25 — What John's building at Dotwork02:46 — From fun to formal: doing discovery at scale04:04 — Why process became a bad word05:10 — The “cavalier PM” mindset06:28 — Empowered teams vs. harsh realities08:00 — What great pockets of practice have in common09:03 — Managing up vs. doing the right thing10:24 — Playing the game vs. designing the game11:20 — What makes a great internal game12:33 — Defining success: thriving, surviving, progressing13:46 — Environmental design: why leaders hesitate15:10 — Making intentional design less intimidating16:42 — Tools, rituals, and the power of checkpoints18:23 — The behaviour design playbook20:41 — Removing blockers: access, repetition, reflectionWe're taking Community Questions for The Product Experience podcast.Got a burning product question for Lily, Randy, or an upcoming guest? Submit it here. Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A...

In this episode from the archives Tammy sit down with Donald Chestnut. Donald has worked at some of the world's largest brands like Unilever, Target, Disney, General Motors and Coke and is now writing a book on why companies should move away from customer experience and towards customer centered growth. Tammy and Donald talk about his people-first approach to digital experience and Donald shares his secret to digital transformation - that the real key to transformation isn't technology, it's people! Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.Links: Donald Chestnut Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Nina Olding, Staff Product Manager at Weights & Biases and formerly at Google DeepMind, working on trust and compliance for AI, joins Randy to explore the UX challenges of AI‑driven features. As AI becomes increasingly woven into digital products, the traditional UX cues and trust‑signals that users rely on are changing. Nina introduces her framework of the three “A's” for AI UX: Awareness, Agency, and Assurance, and explains how product teams can build this into their AI‑enabled products without launching a massive transformation programme.Key Takeaways— As AI features proliferate, the UX challenge is less about the technology and more about how users perceive, understand and trust the interactions.— Trust is based on three foundational dimensions for AI‑enabled products: Awareness, Agency, Assurance.— Awareness: Make it clear when AI is involved (and when it isn't). Invisible AI = risk of misunderstanding. Magical AI without context = disorientation.— Agency: Give users control, or at least the option to opt‑out, define boundaries, choose defaults vs advanced settings.— Assurance: Because AI can be non‑deterministic, you must design for confidence—indicators of reliability, transparency about limitations, ability to question or override outputs.Chapters00:00 – Intro: Why AI products are failing on trust00:47 – Nina Old's journey from Google DeepMind to Weights & Biases03:20 – The UX of AI: It's not just a chat window04:08 – Introducing the Three A's framework: Awareness, Agency, Assurance08:30 – Designing for Awareness: Visibility and user signals14:40 – Agency: Giving users control and escape hatches21:30 – Assurance: Transparency, confidence indicators, and humility28:05 – Three key questions to assess AI UX30:50 – The product case for trust: Compliance, loyalty, and retention33:00 – Final thoughts: Building the trust muscleFeatured Links: Follow Nina on LinkedIn | Weights & Biases | Check out Nina's 'The hidden UX of AI' slides from Industry Conference Cleveland 2025We're taking Community Questions for The Product Experience podcast.Got a burning product question for Lily, Randy, or an upcoming guest? Submit it here. Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A...

This week on Catalyst Tammy is joined by speaker, storyteller and cultural wayfinder Kainoa Horcajo. Through his firm Mo'olelo Group, Kainoa has found a way to transform Hawaiian wisdom into business insights and experience design. Kainoa and Tammy discuss the importance of storytelling and how finding the why and the how is the most important thing a business can do. Kainoa also shares how he finds the balance between tradition and innovation and how to weave culture into the very fiber of your business. Links: Kainoa Horcajo Mo'olelo GroupSimon Sinek Organic intelligence: A conversation with Rika NakazawaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when AI becomes the centre of how we shop, yet trust still determines whether any of it works? That question shaped my conversation with Romain Fouache, CEO of Akeneo, who joined me to unpack the latest consumer data on AI driven shopping experiences. Retail giants might be setting the pace, but the real story sits in how everyday shoppers feel about these new tools. Akeneo's recent research caught my attention when it revealed that eighty four percent of consumers who acted on an AI recommendation were satisfied with the purchase. The appetite is clearly there, yet trust remains fragile, especially when only forty five percent feel confident in AI powered suggestions and even fewer enjoy their chatbot interactions. Romain sees this moment as both a turning point and a warning, one that demands honest conversations about transparency and product data. As we worked through the findings, Romain explained why good AI depends entirely on high quality product information and why poor data is still the biggest threat to customer confidence. He argued that brands can reduce friction, improve discovery, and deliver more relevant experiences by grounding their AI tools in reliable product knowledge rather than guesswork. He also spoke about why many chatbots continue to miss the mark. The issue is less about the technology and more about the lack of strong product foundations beneath it. When recommendations go wrong, trust erodes quickly, and rebuilding that trust will require clear communication about how data is used and why certain suggestions appear. I found his view on privacy particularly interesting, especially his belief that better intent based interactions could lower the industry's dependence on invasive data collection. Looking ahead to 2026, Romain shared why he expects conversational shopping to become a primary way people browse and evaluate products. He believes the shift away from keyword driven search is already happening and that smaller retailers should not feel outpaced by the largest platforms. With the right product experience strategy, he says, AI opens new opportunities for global reach and category diversification. The conversation also touched on why product experience, rather than product data alone, will determine the brands that build loyalty in an increasingly competitive environment. It left me wondering how ready businesses truly are for a world where product information must be accurate, real time, and aligned with the way AI tools interpret customer intent. What do you think matters most for building trust in AI powered shopping? Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily Smith speaks with Vidya Dinamani, product veteran, coach, and Co-founder of Product Rebels, about how to tell if your team is truly product-led or just paying lip service. With over a decade of experience coaching hundreds of teams, Vidya shares her insights into the critical elements of product maturity, the most overlooked barriers to effective product work, and how Product Rebels' diagnostic framework is helping companies move from chaos to clarity. Chapters00:00 – The customer conversation gap01:28 – Meet Vidya Dinamani and Product Rebels03:35 – Why they built a diagnostic, not an assessment04:45 – Mindsets, competencies, and the missing piece: resources06:28 – AI readiness: the new fourth pillar07:40 – What it really means to be product-led09:59 – How teams are using the diagnostic13:10 – Breaking down the four pillars16:01 – Why access to customers remains a key obstacle17:38 – Patterns, or lack thereof, in product maturity20:26 – AI readiness in context23:59 – A case study: product maturity at scale27:52 – Final thoughts on assessment vs namingWhat we learned from Vidya Most product teams lack customer access: 70–80% of PMs Product Rebels encounter say they've never spoken to a customer.Being product-led requires more than intent: It demands mindset, core competencies, supportive resources—and now AI readiness.Diagnostic, not assessment: Their tool isn't about performance reviews; it's a heat map that reveals where to begin your transformation.AI is not a bolt-on: AI readiness is most effective when integrated into the broader product maturity conversation, not treated as a silo.Start with one thing: Rather than trying to become product-led across the board, identify a single focus area and build momentum from there.Internal PMs need customer framing too: Even teams building internal platforms need customer advocacy and insight.Featured Links: Follow Vidya on LinkedIn | Product Rebels We're taking Community Questions for The Product Experience podcast.Got a burning product question for Lily, Randy, or an upcoming guest? Submit it here. Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A...

This week on Catalyst Tammy is joined by longtime friend and recent addition to the Launch by NTT DATA team to lead, Murphy Freelen. Murphy has a proven track record of bringing together multi-disciplinary teams to deliver breakthrough innovative solutions. Murphy reflects on her personal journey working in the music and media industries and how those creative skills transfer to tech and product development. Tammy and Murphy also discuss the role of leadership and listening in fostering an environment where diverse perspectives are valued and how technology, particularly AI, is reshaping the creative process. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.Links: Murphy FreelenJetZeroLearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Building the right thing is hard. Building the wrong thing is easy and costly. In this episode, Jason Sparks, Principal Product Manager at ReUp Education, dives deep into the discipline of continuous validation inside enterprise environments. From managing stakeholder pressure to proactively engaging customers in discovery, Jason shares battle-tested approaches for avoiding the classic trap of solution-first thinking.Chapters0:00 – The risk of unvalidated assumptions1:02 – Meet Jason Sparks and his mission at ReUp3:02 – From college dropout to product leader5:19 – Product-market fit inside the enterprise6:03 – Why most ideas don't need building8:10 – Misalignment: wrong product, wrong market10:05 – Executive interference and assumption management12:33 – Validation is not a one-off14:44 – Continuous discovery in practice15:38 – How to validate enterprise product ideas17:02 – Story decks, user interviews and field testing19:11 – Grading feedback and customer fit21:11 – The danger of over-friendly users23:08 – The power of early champions25:21 – Preparing for and running discovery sessions27:35 – Value testing and competitor awareness29:08 – When to walk away from the wrong customer31:17 – What happens after the meetings33:30 – The role of AI in user research35:46 – What Jason would do differently todayWhat you'll learn from Jason— Validation should be continuous: One round of user feedback isn't enough. Real product-market fit evolves through repeated conversations and iteration.— Assumptions must be challenged: Build a culture where being proven wrong is celebrated, not feared.— Don't let leadership derail discovery: Product managers must set boundaries and bring clarity on the problem space before execution begins.— Grading users is as critical as grading feedback: Identify the right customers to listen to—being nice isn't the same as being the right fit.— Use discovery decks to guide conversations: Jason uses bold assumptions, interactive sessions, and immediate iteration to refine ideas quickly.— Tech accelerates, but doesn't replace, human insight: AI tools for sentiment and semantic analysis are powerful but should supplement—not substitute—real human interaction.Featured Links:We're taking Community Questions for The Product Experience podcast.Got a burning product question for Lily, Randy, or an upcoming guest? Submit it here. Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A...

This week on Catalyst Tammy is joined by Jason Warner, co-founder and CEO of Poolside. Jason has over 20 years of experience leading teams and developing innovative technologies including GitHub Co-pilot, and he's done that all while leading with heart. In this episode, Jason emphasizes the importance of empathetic leadership and why treating people like humans, not commodities, is actually better for the business. He also explores the impact of AI on the future of work and the potential for technology to enhance human capabilities. He makes the case that giving AI to your junior employees will turn them into senior employees! Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Jason Warner poolside Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why do great product ideas fail to gain traction? According to Elena Luna, it's rarely about the strategy and more often about the storytelling. In this episode of The Product Experience, Elena Luneva, a seasoned CPO, GM, and Maven instructor, joins Randy Silver live from INDUSTRY 2025 to explore how product leaders can better communicate the why behind their product decisions. What we learned from Elena— Speaking 'User' isn't enough – Executives care about business impact, not just engagement metrics.— Translate features to financials – Frame product initiatives in terms of ARPU, opex savings, or revenue impact.— Use storytelling with data – Combine real user insights with projections to make your case.— Seasonality matters – Product testing should account for time-of-year and market behaviour.— Align go-to-market early – Synchronising product and sales is key to driving measurable outcomes.— Ask better questions – Start with: What is it? Why does it matter? How much will it cost? When will we get it?Chapters 2:45 – The Ceiling for Great PMs4:09 – Speaking Executive5:22 – Case Study: Nextdoor Maps9:52 – Translating Engagement to Revenue10:49 – Embedding Finance into Product Thinking12:43 – Pivoting During COVID14:36 – Business Fluency at All Levels16:00 – Building Context Across Teams18:26 – The Four Questions20:06 – Thinking in Horizons22:43 – Shifting Accountability26:23 – CPMO vs. CPTO27:43 – Common Mistakes29:42 – Seasonality & Cannibalisation32:29 – Practical First Steps34:21 – Credits & OutroFeatured Links: Follow Elena on LinkedIn | Elena's Substack | Industry Conference Cleveland 2025 recap at Mind The Product | Sign up to Elena's coaching course We're taking Community Questions for The Product Experience podcast.Got a burning product question for Lily, Randy, or an upcoming guest? Submit it here. Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A...

In this episode from the archives Tammy sits down with Martina Lee Strickland. Martina is a unicorn in the healthcare industry. She's worked in the industry for over 20 years and is now the Chief Growth Officer at Clever Care Health Plan, a healthcare company that provides culturally-sensitive Medicare options. She joins Tammy to talk about her work driving community engagement in the healthcare industry. Martina talks about the importance of authenticity in connecting with clients, particularly those in underserved communities, and shares some of the tech she's excited about that could transform the industry and improve client access. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Martina Lee StricklandClever Care See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily and Randy speak with Dan Dalton (Director of Product Management at Sage) about the current state of product management, and how the role must evolve in today's climate.Chapters0:00 Introduction: product management at a crossroads1:00 Dan Dalton's background and path into product3:00 The evolution of product management: 2010 to today8:15 Framework‐fundamentalism, the broken ladder & career expectations13:45 Why many product careers are being set up to fail19:20 Responding to disruption: returning to basics, focusing on impact24:40 The role of soft skills and mindset in product leadership28:55 How Dan's team operates: fast prototyping, design system, code assets31:10 Hiring and developing product talent: soft skills over tick‐boxes35:30 AI, hype and bubbles: what product leaders need to keep in mind40:15 The mental flywheel: pragmatism, curiosity, resilience, detachment45:00 Wrap up & closing remarksFeatured Links: Follow Dan on LinkedIn | Sage | 'Why is everyone hating on Product Managers?' feature by Peter YangWe're taking Community Questions for The Product Experience podcast.Got a burning product question for Lily, Randy, or an upcoming guest? Submit it here. Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A...

In this episode, Dr. Nicki Morley speaks with Dr. Caroline Withers, Head of R&D Consumer Sensory Science at Carlsberg Britvic, to explore how innovation is shaped by deeply human experiences. From the aroma of coffee to the emotional boost of a mid-afternoon drink, Caroline shares how sensory science and consumer insights shape the development of innovative products. They discuss the power of curiosity, the role of AI in R&D, and the importance of early collaboration between marketing, R&D, and product teams to create innovations that truly resonate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode from the archives, Dani Snyder talks leading design teams out of their silos As someone who started out as an industrial designer and who is now the Head of Design AI, Servicing and Communications at JPMorganChase, Dani Snyder deeply understands the design process and organizational design. This week Dani joins Tammy to talk about how to empower design teams. She shares strategies to help align design teams with organizational strategic goals and encourages designers to break out of their silos and remain curious about all aspects of the design process. Links: Dani SnyderSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You can't build great products on gut instinct, and yet, according to IBM's global study of 1,000 enterprises, 77% of organisations using generative AI aren't seeing any financial benefit. In this episode on The Product Experience podcast, Lily Smith sits down with Matthew Certner, Digital Product Engineering and Design Partner at IBM, to unpack the four key traits that drive ROI in AI-powered product teams: flexibility, incremental and targeted delivery, data-led decisions, and cross-functional collaboration. Recorded live at the Industry conference, this conversation offers practical lessons for any product leader navigating the hype and reality of AI adoption. Chapters00:00 – The danger of building on gut instinct00:37 – IBM's global study on generative and agentic AI adoption01:00 – Meet Matthew Certner, Digital Product Engineering Partner at IBM02:00 – Why most enterprises aren't realising ROI from AI04:50 – What the top-performing 20% of companies do differently05:10 – The four key behaviours driving success07:00 – Flexibility: adapting quickly to market feedback08:10 – Incremental and targeted delivery — the “golden thread” principle10:30 – Data-led decision-making versus the HIPPO effect11:45 – Cross-functional collaboration and robust adoption13:10 – Behavioural factors that make or break AI adoption14:20 – Inside IBM's “value orchestration” framework15:10 – The Golden Thread in practice — a sticky-note story from Dallas17:10 – Transparency and traceability in product development18:00 – How IBM helps teams that aren't seeing value from AI21:00 – The paradox of moving too fast or too slow with AI24:00 – Making the Golden Thread a living document25:20 – Inside IBM Garage: speed of a startup, scale of an enterprise27:40 – Why productivity savings, not hype, drive AI ROI29:00 – How large organisations structure innovation teams30:00 – The future: 800 million new products by 202631:00 – Why 95% will fail — and what the 5% will get right33:10 – Final reflections: value, purpose and the human elementFeatured Links: Follow Matthew on LinkedIn | IBM Garage | Industry Conference Cleveland 2025 recap at Mind The ProductWe want to hear from you! Help make The Product Experience podcast even better. Share your feedback in a quick form: Share your thoughts here! It takes 2 minutes, and your input will help shape future episodes.

Noelle Russell compares AI to a baby tiger, it's super cute when it's small but it can quickly grow into something huge and dangerous. As the CEO and founder of the AI Leadership Institute and as an early developer on Amazon Alexa, Noelle has a deep understanding of scaling and selling AI. This week Noelle joins Tammy to discuss why she's so passionate about teaching individuals and organizations about AI and how companies can leverage AI in the right way. It's time to learn how to tame the tiger! Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATA.Links: Noelle Russell Scaling Responsible AI AI Leadership Institute Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Catalyst Tammy is joined by Serena Malik, a recent graduate from Columbia University, to discuss the role of AI in shaping the future workforce. They discuss the challenges faced by Gen Z in entering the job market, the importance of AI literacy, and the ethical implications of using AI in education and beyond. Serena shares her experiences in UX/UI design and her passion for leveraging technology to create positive change in the world.Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Project PearlsFuture Faces Foundation Manila Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily Smith speaks with Sahil Jain, co-founder and CEO of Samepage.ai, about one of product management's hardest challenges: keeping teams aligned. From his early career at Yahoo and AOL to founding multiple startups, Sahil shares lessons on building products that tackle “unsolvable” problems like communication and alignment. He explains why shared understanding matters more than speed, how product managers can become better storytellers, and why early-stage startups should obsess over just a handful of teams before chasing scale.Chapters0:00 – Why alignment is so hard1:14 – Sahil's unconventional career path4:00 – First foray into startups at AOL and beyond6:50 – Founding AdStage and lessons from raising early capital9:00 – Moving into product leadership after acquisition12:53 – On delusion, motivation, and tackling “unsolvable” problems16:34 – Starting Samepage.ai and the problem of information asymmetry22:43 – Validating the problem and testing prototypes27:22 – Why product managers are the perfect early adopters29:20 – The first 10 obsessed teams: startup focus34:00 – Neurodivergence, communication, and shared understanding36:43 – From Claude Shannon to storytelling: frameworks for better communication39:59 – Lessons from Duolingo on multimodal learning41:19 – Where to find Samepage.aiFeatured Links: Follow Sahil on LinkedIn | Samepage.ai | 'What we learned at Industry conference - day one' feature by Louron Pratt at Mind the ProductOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

David Armano has a special knack for seeing trends before they arrive. This week David joins Tammy to cut through the AI hype and explain how AI is actually transforming how we work and how we think. David compares AI to the technological transformations in the past and shows how it differs, namely that it impacts almost all levels of the enterprise. David also talks about how different generations are being impacted by AI and why Gen X is especially suited to AI. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: David by Design David by Design - The Obsolete TruthLearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Product Experience, hosts Lily Smith and Randy Silver speak with Damilola Adelekan, Lead Product Manager at Remedial Health, who discusses building pragmatic, people-centred solutions in Africa's fragmented and under-resourced healthcare system.  Chapters05:30 – Early Lessons from Volunteering and Nonprofits07:00 – Why Digitising a Broken System Isn't Enough10:00 – Tackling Trust, Funding, and Fragmentation in Healthcare12:30 – Collaborating Beyond the Organisation14:30 – Building a Full Healthcare Supply Chain16:00 – Pragmatism Over Perfection in Product Vision18:00 – Cross-Team Collaboration at Scale20:00 – Structuring Product Work Across Functions22:00 – Communications Tips for Cross-Functional Leadership24:00 – Increasing Tech Adoption Among Low-Digital-Literacy Users26:00 – Customer Research in Low-Tech Contexts28:00 – Voice of the Customer: Calls, Feedback, and Sales Teams30:00 – What Inspires a Product Manager in Nigeria?Featured Links: Follow Damilola on LinkedIn | Remedial Health | Inspire Africa | 'How I got my job in product' feature with Damilola at Mind The ProductOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Andy Wardlaw is a talent advisor who has placed a number of visionaries across sectors and across the world. He's also seen how talent acquisition and placement has changed as technologies have come and gone. This week Tammy and Andy discuss how to spot creative tech talent and how to recognize if they will be successful in their new transformational roles. They also discuss how leaders can lean in and leverage AI to bridge the gap between creativity and technology. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Patrick Ndjientcheu, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Irembo, shares how his team transitioned from delivering projects for government to building a portfolio of scalable products. Patrick talks about shifting mindsets from execution to strategy, spinning out payments and identity into independent products, and the challenges of balancing internal bias with customer needs. He also reveals how Irembo is evolving into a super app, why sales enablement is crucial in a B2B context, and the lessons he has learned guiding teams through the move from project to product to product portfolio.Six things we learned from PatrickProject to product mindset: Repeat customer demand signals value, turn ad-hoc projects into structured products with identity, principles, and strategy.Team restructuring without turnover: Shifting from project delivery to product development requires reorganising teams around capabilities.Spinouts emerge from features: Payments and identity started as embedded features, but with scale and external demand, became standalone products.Bias is real: Teams naturally over-index on the dominant revenue product. Separation, customer interviews, and rebranding are critical to balance focus.Sales enablement matters: Without educating sales and customers on new platform capabilities, adoption stalls and value is under-communicated.Leadership lesson: Product leaders must bring the whole organisation on the journey—marketing, sales, finance, and operations—not just product teams.Featured Links: Follow Patrick on LinkedIn | Irembo | Inspire Africa Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Kim Curley lives by the phrase “we are humans that go to work, we are not workers that go home to human.” Kim is the Global OCM Leader at NTT DATA and is dedicated to finding human-first AI solutions. This week Kim joins Tammy to discuss change management and AI. Kim shares tips on how she gets people to move past the fear of change and the winning question she asks when people are hesitant to adopt AI solutions - “how's that working out for you?”Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Kim Curley Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. DweckLearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hyperliquid is less than a year old, yet it's already rivalling Ethereum and Solana in revenue. In this episode, Ryan and Michael from the DeFi Report dive deep into the rise of crypto's hottest exchange: from its fair-launch token drop to its Binance-like UX, to why whales and builders can't get enough of it. We cover the project's inception story, the ecosystem forming around HyperEVM, and the unique buyback model funnelling millions back into its token. Along the way, we unpack tough questions about valuation, decentralization, and regulatory risk. Is Hyperliquid the future of on-chain trading or just another bull market phenomenon? Tune in for a full breakdown of the fundamentals, the risks, and the potential upside. ---

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily Smith speaks with Sally Foote, a seasoned product leader whose journey from product roles to C-suite commercial leadership spans Carwow, Go Compare, and The Guardian. They unpack the increasingly vital intersection between product, marketing, and sales.Sally explains why growth is a shared responsibility, how product managers can become commercially fluent, and why understanding marketing economics is now critical. Expect actionable advice on working across functions, owning growth levers, and designing products that fuel acquisition and retention. Whether you're in B2B or B2C, there's something in here for every product leader looking to elevate their commercial impact.Key Takeaways:— Modern product managers must understand marketing funnels, ROI, and acquisition costs to create scalable impact.— Propositions beat PPC: In saturated digital channels, differentiation must come from product innovation.— Stop the handoffs: A strict separation between product, marketing, and sales creates missed opportunities and inefficiencies.— Product roadmaps matter to the business: While sometimes shunned by PMs, roadmaps help align and activate sales and marketing functions.— Product marketing isn't enough: What's needed is cross-functional growth thinking—not just better product copy.— B2B is a rich source of insights: Embedding PMs in sales cycles and advisory panels unlocks product innovation directly from the source.— AI is reshaping go-to-market: From focus groups to pricing strategies, machine learning is changing how teams make commercial decisions.— Your funnel is only as good as your data: PMs should design products with marketing data needs in mind to drive better acquisition performance.Featured Links: Follow Sally on LinkedIn | YourRoom AI focus group | Carwow | Watch Sally's 'Maximum Possible Products' talk at #mtpcon London 2019 | Sustainable living made easy with Bower Collective Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Rika Nakazawa is a firm believer in the magic of the universe. That magic, according to Rika, comes from something she calls organic intelligence. This week on Catalyst, Tammy sits down with Rika, the Chief Commercial Innovation Officer at NTT, to discuss the future of innovation, sustainability and space technology. Rika explains how this concept of organic intelligence can help shift the way people think about resource management, energy efficiency and Artificial Intelligence. She also shares some of the research she's doing in the world of space and satellite technology - could data centers in space be the next big thing!? Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Rika Nakazawa Ray Wang - AI Exponentials McKinsey - Annual Technology Trends Report Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Catalyst, Tammy is joined by the singular Sindhu Srivastava. Sindhu grew up in a small town in India then went on to study at the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology and Wharton and is now the CEO of three companies - We Crush Events, Meaningful Data and We Crush AI. In this conversation Sindhu gets vulnerable with Tammy about her first experience with an executive coach and how it forced her to confront the things that were holding her back from being a better leader. She also speaks about her company Girls who CEO which seeks to empower young girls and gives them the tools they need to become confident CEOs later in life. Sindhu also talks about why she's so excited about LLMs and how they can be used to harness human complexities instead of reducing them. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Sindhu SrivastavaMan's Search for Meaning How to Be an Antiracist Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

NTT DATA's CEO on staying true to his values as he leads the company into the future In this episode from the archives Tammy is joined by NTT DATA's Global CEO Abhijit Dubey. Abhijit and Tammy discuss the importance of remaining grounded as a leader and Abhijit shares tips on how to overcome imposter syndrome - yes, CEOs can experience imposter syndrome too! He also shares his vision of where the industry is going with agentic AI and how we might onboard AI agents in the future. Links: Abhijit DubeyAbhijit Dubey - World Economic Forum See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Benoit Berthoux on the opportunities and risks of founding a startup in the age of AIIn early 2023 Benoit Berthoux saw that generative AI was expanding possibilities for how people work. Benoit wanted to develop a tool that implemented seamlessly into their workflows instead of adding yet another tool. From this Mindy was born, helping people harness the benefits of generative AI without having to become prompt engineers. This week on Catalyst, Benoit joins Tammy to talk about how the newest technology is being used to meet users where they're at. They discuss the promise of new tech and the rise of creative startups. They also discuss some of the challenges of operating a startup right now - namely that things are moving so fast it can be hard to keep up. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Mindy Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Leslie Shannon on why if you're trying to replicate the physical world in the digital realm you're doing it wrong This week on Catalyst Tammy sits down with Jeopardy winner, author of Virtual Natives and Head of Trend and Innovation Scouting for Nokia, Leslie Shannon. Leslie has a deep passion for combining technology and art and is now working to understand what technology is coming next. In this episode, Leslie and Tammy discuss the importance of harnessing our creativity as we look to the future. They discuss Leslie's book Virtual Natives and how the younger generation is creating new opportunities to fix broken industries with innovative technologies. Leslie also shares tips on how to transform your job into something that better suits you and your company - a skill she is very adept at. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Virtual Natives Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alicia Graham on how Claimable is using AI to help people appeal denied health claimsAlicia Graham has seen firsthand how unjust health insurance denials have impacted people across the United States. Enter Claimable, a product that helps individuals challenge denied health claims. With an 80% success rate and a record of helping people get coverage in just days, Claimable is giving power to patients. This week Alicia Graham, the founder and COO of Claimable, joins Tammy to talk about the company's human-centered, custom AI-powered platform. They discuss how Claimable crafts custom appeals for patients and how they are helping Americans reduce barriers to care and get out of medical debt.Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Claimable Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.