Less gas, more brakes, ship fast with Ben Newell, Product Executive

September 10th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  42 mins 7 secs

business, digital product experience, product management, technology

Today, our guest is Ben Newell, A product executive who has launched products into B2B and B2C environments for the last 25 years.

Ben spent the first 17 years of his career at Sabre, where he started as a software developer and later owned product portfolio strategy. He transitioned to VP product to launch LTK, before moving onto Stitch Fix. His latest role was VP Product at Miovision, a traffic management platform for cities.

On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Ben about the importance of psychological safety on product teams, how belief in success creates stronger teams, and how a foundation of solid product management principles is essential before graduating to more complex tactics.

The end of MVPs and prioritizing accountability with Jason Penkethman, CPO (Repeat)

September 3rd, 2024  |  Season 1  |  42 mins 8 secs

business, digital product experience, product management, technology

Today, our guest is Jason Penkethman, Chief Product Officer at Simpro Group, business software for trade professionals.

Prior to working at Simpro group, Jason worked in product management, engineering, and leadership roles through a range of industries, including mobile devices, data services, SaaS, and automotive IoT.

On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Jason about emphasizing the importance of a go-to-market perspective, customer interaction, the importance of accountability, and leadership challenges like team alignment and data-driven decisions.

How to build product like Linear with Nan Yu, Head of Product

August 27th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  39 mins 36 secs

business, digital experience, product management, technology

Today, our guest is Nan Yu, Head of Product at Linear, a purpose-built tool for planning and building products. Prior to working at Linear, Nan worked at Mode, Abstract, Everlane, and Bank of America.

On today’s episode, Nan talks to LogRocket’s VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, about being intentional with organizational design, prioritizing tasks that make product special while minimizing unnecessary complexity, and what is so important about heirloom tomatoes

Run product like sales runs sales with Justin Anovick

August 20th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  39 mins 31 secs

business, digital product experience, product management, technology

Today, our guest is Justin Anovick, experienced product leader who has served in senior product roles at Episerver, Optimizely, Syndigo, and many more.

On today’s episode, Justin talks to LogRocket’s VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, about the importance of bridging the gaps between sales and product teams; adopting data-driven methodologies to optimize product development; and why constant communication is imperative to aligning with sales.

So, here it is, our conversation with Justin Anovick.

Perfect is not the answer with Shira Gershoni

August 13th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  26 mins 46 secs

business, digital product experience, ecommerce, product management, saas, technology

Today, our guest is Shira Gershoni, seasoned product management executive, with 15 years of experience in eCommerce and SaaS product development across North America and Europe. Shira started her career in web development and later transitioned to technical product management while at Eternity-IT, followed by leadership positions at NeoGames, Soluto, and Asurion.

On today’s episode, Jennifer talks to LogRocket’s CEO and Head of Product, Matt Arbesfeld, about the significance of focusing on creating omnichannel experiences, why using AI enhances user experiences and making data-driven decisions, and how a culture of iteration in product is more impactful than aiming for perfection.

The success of fractional leadership with Jennifer Moore

August 6th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  25 mins 49 secs

business, digital product experience, product management, technology

Today, our guest is Jennifer Moore, a seasoned product executive who has built and launched customer-centric, data-inspired solutions for over 20 years within B2B SaaS and financial services. She currently currently runs a comprehensive consulting services firm, Strategies that Spark, and serves as the Chief Product & Growth Officer for her clients.

Jennifer began her career as a technical writer at a Series A startup, Oakley Networks. She then transitioned to project management at Wells Fargo and Zions Bancorporation before moving into product management and the B2B SaaS industry. Most recently, she led product and design teams at companies such as Workfront (acquired by Adobe), Pluralsight, and various startups.

On today’s episode, Jennifer talks to LogRocket’s CEO and Head of Product, Matt Arbesfeld, about what she learned about product moving between different industries like finance and SaaS; the significance of domain expertise; focusing on team dynamics and incremental process improvements; and how she uses consulting to help companies grow their product initiatives.

Paper to pixels: navigating product regulation and UX with Carolyne Moran, VP

July 30th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  20 mins 11 secs

business, digital product experience, product management, technology, ux

Today, our guest is Carolyne Moran, VP of Product Management and UX at OneSpan, a digital identity and anti-fraud solutions company.

Carolyne began her career in logistics and product management at Airborne Entertainment, where she managed direct-to-consumer mobile promotions. Carolyne then transitioned to managing mobile apps and UX at Yellow Pages/Pages Jaunes – Canada, a digital media and marketing company. She later joined eSignLive by VASCO, which was acquired by OneSpan in 2015.

On today’s episode, Carolyne talks to LogRocket’s CEO and Head of Product, Matt Arbesfeld, about the importance of collaborating across product and UX teams; why being customer-obsessed and incorporating customer feedback is crucial; and the challenges of developing product in a highly regulated industry.

Building iconic customer experiences with Susan Stavitzski, Principal PM

July 23rd, 2024  |  Season 1  |  36 mins 55 secs

business, digital product experience, product management, technology

Today, our guest is Susan Stavitzski, Principal Product Manager at CarMax, and was previously the director of product at Hatch, a small software startup.

Susan's career didn't follow a straight trajectory in product management, however — she originally started in marketing, where she developed an obsession with talking to customers.

On today's episode, Susan talks to LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, about the importance of creating an iconic customer experience, both online and in-store; engaging in continuous customer feedback and field research, including practical examples and strategies her team employs, such as self-service appraisal models and rapid prototyping; and the significance of product marketing.

Driving B2B SaaS innovation with Josh Schoonmaker, Global VP

July 16th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  41 mins 13 secs

business, digital product experience, product management, technology

Today, our guest is Josh Schoonmaker, Global Vice President, Product Management, Commerce at Optimizely. Josh started his career at HP, where he worked for just over a decade, and then transitioned to working at eBay as a program manager. He served in product leadership roles at Tozny and Consolidated Supply Co. before joining Optimizely in 2020.

On today’s episode, Josh discusses Optimizely’s recent achievements, including their recognition by leading analysts and their $400 million ARR milestone; the importance of composability in their products; the integration of B2B sales experience into product excellence; and the significance of a holistic customer experience.

Managing product through an IPO and beyond with Charles Battle, Head of Product

July 9th, 2024  |  Season 1  |  37 mins 3 secs

business, digital product experience, product management, technology

Today, our guest is Charles Battle, Head of Product at Ibotta, a Denver-based performance marketing platform known for its cash-back offers and digital coupons.

Charles leads a 50-person product organization that oversees various disciplines, including product management, product design, product analytics, and UX research. Charles started his product management career at TouchTunes Interactive Networks and has since worked for several financial technology companies, such as American Express, LendingTree, and Guaranteed Rate.

On today’s episode, Charles shares his experience with Ibotta's recent IPO and their strategic pivot from a direct-to-consumer cashback app to a performance marketing company. He discusses the impact of the IPO on the team, the importance of prioritization and focusing on problem-solving in product development, and how the company validated and executed their new strategy.