Product Talk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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