Product Led Growth Leaders

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the CEO and Founder of TRG International, Rick Yvanovich. Rick's journey is nothing short of remarkable. He discussed his experiences from the early days of computing, a time when technology was in its nascent stages, to the current era dominated by cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS). His story is a testament to the transformative power of technology and the foresight needed to st...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the Compliance Ambassador and Senior Business Advisor of SAP, S V Prasad Gandhikota. Prasad's professional odyssey began in 1995 after graduating with a technology degree from Bombay University, India. His early career was rooted in supply chain management and manufacturing, which laid a solid foundation for his subsequent MBA in marketing and information technology. With an industry-leading SA...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the President of The Authenticity Alliance, Wes Kussmaul. In 1981, long before the term "social media" entered our lexicon, Delphi Corporation began an ambitious project to create a digital encyclopedia. Wes Kussmaul recounted the company's fascinating evolution from a knowledge repository to a social media platform, complete with bulletin boards, email, and chatrooms. Delphi's strategic partne...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the Board Director of RemotelyMe, Bill Reed. Bill broke down marketing into three distinct areas: demand generation, product marketing, and strategic marketing. Demand generation encompasses social media, advertising, email marketing, and SEO, all aimed at creating awareness and attention. Product marketing, on the other hand, focuses on understanding market needs, and competition, and ensuring...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the Founder of Product Houston, Wade Pinder. Wade's path into product management is a testament to his dedication to the Houston community. He shared the unique challenges and solutions that the city presents, highlighting the differences in product management methodologies. But what stood out was the emphasis on storytelling in product management—a skill that can make or break a product's succ...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the VP of Product and Design of Hubilo, Shailesh Hegde. Shailesh's story is particularly inspiring. Starting with an engineering degree, Shailesh cut his teeth in the software testing realm, working for giants like Siemens and Nokia. Shailesh's pursuit of growth led him to a master's degree in the US and a stint at a startup that was later acquired by Cisco. It was during this time that Shailes...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the Senior Director of Digital Product and User Experience of Kendra Scott, Brad Power. Brad's journey into the realm of product management is a testament to the power of customer-centric thinking. His career began in a call center, where he honed his skills in customer retention. This experience laid the foundation for his marketing roles and eventually led him to the intersection of technolog...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the Founder of Funnelytics, Mikael Dia. Mikael's journey with Funnelytics started when he was running a marketing agency. He identified a clear market need for a tool that visualizes marketing strategies and data while tracking the intricate paths customers navigate across various online platforms. This led to the inception of Funnelytics, a software designed to map out traffic sources, pages, ...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the Product Operations Lead of iGaming of Caesars Sportsbook & Casino, Thomas Palaio. Thomas's career trajectory is a testament to the evolution of a tech professional. Starting with hands-on roles such as help desk support, he quickly moved into the realm of DevOps and cloud technologies at a time when continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) were just gaining momentum. His...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the Director of Product Management of Applied Systems, Vijay Rengarajan. Vijay's journey began in programming and evolved through a business analyst role at Tata Consultancy Services. His experience in the insurance domain laid the foundation for his customer-centric approach. In 2016, he transitioned to product management, where he could apply his skills to both new product development (0 to 1...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the Owner and Creative Director of Viim, Steph Hilfer. Steph spoke on what heart-centric branding truly means. It's an approach that goes beyond the transactional aspects of business and focuses on creating a genuine connection with consumers. Heart-centric branding is about tapping into the authentic core of a brand and sharing that truth with the world. It's not just about selling a product o...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the Product Management Consultant of Slalom, Charles Jessup. Charles' entry into product management was somewhat serendipitous, beginning with his work in building digital products for an oil and gas company. His career trajectory took an exciting turn when he transitioned to product coaching and consulting at Slalom, guiding new product teams to understand the multifaceted role of a product ma...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the Product and Technology leader, Justin Hunter. Justin's story is a testament to the fluid nature of career paths. Initially setting his sights on events management, he found himself drawn to the structure and impact of infrastructure and project management. His transition was not just a change in job titles but a fundamental shift in mindset. Justin emphasized that to thrive in product manag...

Your host, Thomas Watkins, talks with the President of EPS Optic(s), Ryan Weiss. Ryan's product is a testament to the powerful synergy between people and process. He shared the foundational vision of his SaaS solution, which is to seamlessly integrate these two elements. The goal? To create a platform that not only functions efficiently but also aligns with the users' needs.

Transitioning from a mere concept to a scalable product is...

In the inaugural episode of Product Led Growth Leaders, Josh Elledge of UpMyInfluence interviews the show's host and creator, Thomas Watkins.

Thomas, a UX practitioner, plans to share insights from product leaders and encourage innovative thinking. Josh and Thomas invite listeners to subscribe, share, and even apply to be guests on the show.

He also shares his experience working with diverse clients, from large industry players to ...