LaunchPod | Product Management Podcast

Today, our guest is Nancy Wang, Senior Vice President, Product Operations at Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV), a market leader in the vacation ownership industry. Nancy spent the last decade of her career working at Alert Logic, a comprehensive cybersecurity portfolio now owned by Fortra, beginning as a lead system engineer. Nancy worked her way up to principal engineer before taking on product management responsibilities and, ultimately, becoming Vice President of Technical Product Management. In her tenure, Nancy led the Alert Logic MDR product’s scale from 0 to 80 million MRR within two years. On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Nancy about how she leveraged her engineering background to excel in product roles, her strategic approach to building and leading a comprehensive product operations team at HGV, and the importance of planning, transformation, open-mindedness in acquisitions, and continual improvement. Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-wang-9a20a014/ Enabling a cultural mind shift, with Nancy Wang What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Nancy Wang.

Today, our guest is Steve Chazin, Vice President of Products at Alarm.com, a technology company that focuses on intelligently connected property. He has been in product since his first job building technology for Raytheon. Steve then became Senior Director, Marketing & Account Executive and Systems Engineer at Apple, where he worked for nearly a decade. He’s remained in tech since then and has worked in various leadership roles at companies such as Avid, Ellucian, Salesforce, Symantec, Cisco, and more. On today's episode, LogRocket's CEO, Matt Arbesfeld, talks to Steve about his experience working at Apple, competing with Final Cut Pro, and his current role at alarm.com. They discuss the importance of user-centered product design, the impact of AI in home security, and the value of staying intellectually curious in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. Links Leader Spotlight: Helping turn Apple’s business around, with Steve Chazin https://www.linkedin.com/in/chazin https://twitter.com/stevechazin What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Steve Chazin.

Today, our guest is Ben Hackett, Senior VP of Product Management at Accolade, a personalized healthcare company for employers health plans, government agencies, and consumers. He began his career as a product manager at Blacktee Systems, an integrated technology services firm, before transitioning to LabKey Software. Prior to joining Accolade eight years ago, Ben co-founded jydo, an IoT platform that helped facility managers manage, monitor, and control thousands of conference room devices. On today's episode, LogRocket's CEO, Matt Arbesfeld, Ben shares insights on decision-making in M&A deals, cultural alignment in acquisitions, and the role of AI in medicine. Links Leader Spotlight: How first principles tie into ruthless prioritization, with Ben Hackett https://www.linkedin.com/in/bchackett/ What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Ben Hackett.

Today, our guest is Christine Kuei, Director of Product Management at Forever 21. Christine started her career in email marketing at Experian, and her natural curiosity about digital customer behavior propelled her transition into product management. Christine has since worked in a range of industries including B2B SaaS, ecommerce and fintech, and led product organizations at Chipotle and PetSmart before moving to Forever 21. On this episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Christine about the challenges and strategies involved in aligning digital transformations with physical customer experiences, using user research to enhance customer loyalty, tackling product management obstacles, and optimizing team dynamics for successful outcomes. Links Leader Spotlight: Growing the omnichannel market, with Christine Kuei https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinekuei/ What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Christine Kuei.

Experienced CPO Matt DiBari discusses B2B and B2C dynamics with LogRocket's CEO, Matt Arbesfeld. They cover strategic investments, personalization projects, testing approaches, balancing marketplace businesses, career transitions into product management, and managing technical debt.

Today, our guest is Alo Mukerji, VP of Product at WaveHQ, which develops money management software for small business owners. Driven by a genuine love for small and midsize businesses, Alo has worked in product leadership roles at Constant Contact, Buildium (acquired by RealPage), Toast, and Privy (acquired by Attentive). Alo’s specialties include creating frictionless product experiences and increasing revenue through pricing models and new product lines. On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Alo about driving innovations at a fintech company, focusing on SMBs, and the importance of rapid innovation. Links Leader Spotlight: Making a tangible impact for SMBs, with Alo Mukerji https://www.linkedin.com/in/alo-mukerji-9a7154 What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Alo Mukerji.

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. Links Leader Spotlight: Applying an ROI model, with Jason Penkethman https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpenkethman/ What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Jason Penkethman.

Today our guest is Michael Liss, Vice President of Product at the New York Post. Michael has been at the Post for the last 10 years, and has worked in several sectors of media throughout his career, including book publishing, digital marketing, journalism, and media production. In his current position, Michael plays a leading role in all digital initiatives for New York Post, Page Six, and Decider. On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Michael about product management in media, the importance of the user and editorial experiences, and how bolstering community engagement was successful for the Post. Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/mliss/ Michael Liss' New York Post archive Leader Spotlight: Shaping the evolution of digital media, with Michael Liss What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Michael Liss.

Today, our guest is Sandy Huang, Vice President of Product Management at GoodRx. Sandy has worked in tech for most of her career, beginning at small startups such as MusicNow, which was later acquired by AOL, as well as WeddingChannel, which was acquired by The Knot. She then moved on to companies including Shutterfly, Minted, Jive Software, and Flipboard. Before joining GoodRX, Sandy worked at Amazon as Head of Product, where she led the global visual search and discovery team for Amazon Shopping, and led the Alexa team developing experiences and content. In this episode, LogRocket's CEO and Head of Product, Matt Arbesfeld, talks to Sandy about the importance of alignment in product management, ways to collaborate with stakeholders, and insights from her experiences at Amazon working on projects like Alexa and Global Search and Discovery. Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyhuangproduct/ https://twitter.com/SandyHuangPM Leader Spotlight: Finding your superpower, with Sandy Huang What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Sandy Huang.

Today, our guest is Karla Fiske, Vice President of Product Management at Tebra. Having previously led customer-centric product orgs at Experian, Arbonne, and Chipotle, Karla stepped in as the first VP of Product for Tebra’s Patient Experience division in June 2022 and quickly garnered cross-functional support for a unified product roadmap designed to mesh two merging companies into an end-to-end SaaS healthcare solution for SMBs. On today's episode, LogRocket's VP of Marketing, Jeff Wharton, talks to Karla about her experience with mergers, particularly her role in integrating platforms at Tebra; the significance of communication, objective setting, and focusing on outcomes over outputs; and the 'product placemat' strategy to prioritize and communicate projects effectively across departments to minimize escalations and align organizational objectives. Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlafiske/ Leader Spotlight: Flattening the learning curve, with Karla Fiske References “The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter” by Michael D. Watkins What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today.Special Guest: Karla Fiske.