The journey from CPO to CEO - Namrata Sarmah on The Product Experience
Aug 30, 2023
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Namrata Sarmah, former CPO transitioning to CEO, discusses the challenges of transitioning roles and the importance of long-term planning. They also discuss the intricacies of combining sales and product roles, as well as the impact of product communities.
Building a comprehensive suite of business and sales skills is crucial for product management professionals.
Chief Product Officers (CPOs) should develop commercial and sales skills to broaden their role beyond delivery-focused responsibilities and increase recognition of the product discipline.
Deep dives
The Importance of Supportive Communities for Women in Product
The podcast episode discusses the significance of communities like Women in Product UK, which provide support, safe spaces, and valuable networking opportunities for women in product roles. The founder of Women in Product UK shares her journey in starting the community and the positive impact it has had on its members. She highlights the value of having a support network and a safe place to discuss product-related challenges, share learnings, and receive peer reviews. The community fosters growth, provides mentorship, and helps filter through the noise of the product world to find high-quality resources and recommendations.
The Role of CPOs and their Transition to CEO
The episode delves into the role of Chief Product Officers (CPOs) and their potential path to becoming CEOs. It highlights the unique position of CPOs, who have a broad view of the organization and touch upon various aspects of the business. The discussion touches on the need for CPOs to develop commercial and sales skills, as these are often lacking in the usual CPO skill set. The importance of CPOs being involved in board meetings and P&L discussions is emphasized to shift the perception of product roles as purely delivery-focused. The episode suggests that having more CEOs from product backgrounds can positively influence the recognition of the product discipline.
Insights into CPO Roles and their Varied Responsibilities
The episode explores the differences and challenges within Chief Product Officer (CPO) roles in different companies. It highlights the varying dynamics, stakeholder relationships, and levels of complexity faced by CPOs in different organizations. The guest shares her experiences as a CPO in a health tech company and a global education company, discussing the differences in team dynamics, remits, and global reach. The episode emphasizes that CPO roles can differ significantly depending on the company, sector, and size of the organization.
Preparing for Future Leadership Roles as a CPO
The podcast episode delves into how Chief Product Officers (CPOs) can prepare themselves for future leadership roles, be it as a CPO in a larger company or even exploring other executive positions like CEO or MD. The guest shares her perspective on developing necessary skills for these roles, such as sales and commercial acumen. She suggests side hustles, sitting on advisory boards, and seeking exposure to business aspects beyond product to gain a broader perspective. The importance of demanding involvement in board meetings and P&L discussions as a CPO is also emphasized to enhance business acumen and readiness for executive positions.
Transitioning from a CPO to a CEO is a daunting task, requiring more than just technical skills. In the second half of our chat, Namrata delves into the importance of long-term planning and developing skills. Specifically, we discuss the intricacies of combining sales and product roles, highlighting the potential challenges that come with it. The discussion brings to the forefront the need for product management professionals to develop a comprehensive suite of business and sales skills.
Apart from Namrata’s journey, our conversation also takes a turn into the world of product communities and their impact.
Featured Links: Follow Namrata on LinkedIn | Namrata's website | Women In Product UK on Instagram
Our Hosts Lily 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.
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