Learn practical ways to solve gnarly problems and make a Product Breakthrough.
THEME // How To Solve Gnarly Product Problems
A gnarly problem is something that everyone in product will face at some point.
We know we need to solve this problem to move forward - we just don’t know how to do it!
But if we do solve this problem, we know the breakthrough
for our organisation will be game-changing!
See the list below for details on our speakers and the gnarly product problems
they will teach you how to solve.
Our Speakers and the Gnarly Problems they will solve:
Katherine McDermott
Chief Product Officer,
Service NSW
- Katherine:
Katherine will be speaking on Gnarly Problem #1
How do I prove the value of good product management when executive expectations demand we focus on delivering unvalidated features faster instead of delivering as per our roadmaps?
About Katherine
- Former Director of the Central Policy Office – NSW Dept of Finance, Services, and Innovation
- Former Chief Executive of the Mine Subsidence Board
- Former Services & Transformation Manager at Rio Tinto
Under her Katherine’s leadership, the Digital Services team has powered the Service NSW website, mobile app, and all supporting platform and security architecture – developing innovative new digital experiences for customers including the Dine & Discover program, COVID Safe Check-In, and NSW/VIC Border Permits.
Michael Fountain
Lead Product Manager -
Search & Intelligence, DocuSign
- Michael:
Michael will be speaking on Gnarly Problem #2
How do I align my efforts to deliver the outcomes in our roadmap when I rely on other teams focused on different business priorities?
About Michael
- Host of the Coffee with Product podcast
- Ex-Amazon, Apptentive and Tucows
- Co-founder of two acquired startups
Michael is building and leading a team to deliver the next-gen search & intelligence platform for DocuSign customers. Over the last 20 years, Michael has built and shipped a wide range of products and services, with time spent as an early engineer at Amazon.com and more recently as a tactical product manager & mentor.
Joel Brydon
Head of Digital Product,
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- Joel:
Joel will be speaking on Gnarly Problem #3
How do I demonstrate the return on investment of the sequence of outcomes in our roadmap to gain trust and consensus across the organisation?
About Joel
- Former Managing Director at ustwo
- Founder of ustwo’s Sydney studios
- Former Agile Project Manager for EMC London
Joel leads the ABC’s Digital Product Team in driving a user-centric product ecosystem, and growing their digital reach and engagement with an eye on both current and future generations of Australians.
Antonia Landi
Product Ops Consultant
- Antonia:
Antonia will be speaking on Gnarly Problem #4
How do I ‘do product’ when every organisation does it differently, every guru has a competing framework, and others say frameworks don’t even work in the real world?
About Antonia
- Former Head of Product & Engineering Operations at Zenjob
- Former Senior Product Manager in Product Operations at AVIV Group
- Mentor & Community Lead at Prod Career Accelerator
A top voice in European product operations and leader in her field, Antonia’s mission is to mission to enable product teams to do their best work by providing them with the tools, frameworks, and methodologies they need to succeed.
Amir Ansari
Global Head of Product Design,
Iress
- Amir:
Amir will be speaking on Gnarly Problem #5
How do I balance my time to continuously learn about our market and customers while also doing the delivery work and managing my stakeholder demands?
About Amir
- Former Director of User Experience at Transpire
- Former Head of User Experience at DiUS Computing
- Member of InVision Design Leadership Forum
Managing a team of leaders, designers, researchers, and content specialists, Amir works with his product leadership team to ensure the right experiences and value propositions are delivered to customers and their end users.
Robin Zaragoza
Founder and CEO,
The Product Refinery
- Robin:
Robin will be speaking on Gnarly Problem #6
How do I know when I am the problem slowing down the delivery process? (Hint: it’s not a data problem.)
About Robin
- Former Product Management & Product Leadership Trainer at Mind the Product
- Former Senior Product Manager, EU Retail Promotions at eBay
- Independent Product Management Consultant & Coach
While developing and delivering training for Mind the Product, Robin founded The Product Refinery to be a place where fellow mid-career product folks could come for the help and support they need, but don’t have access to through their employers.
Rachel Morley
Chief Product Officer,
Culture Amp
- Rachel:
Rachel will be speaking on Gnarly Problem #7
How do I work with my leaders to make empowered product teams work in the real world (not just in product keynote land)?
About Rachel
- Former CPO at Silicon Valley-based realtor.com,
- Former General Manager at REA Group
- Co-founder of Cogent, acquired by Block
Rachel has over 20 years of experience crafting and growing a range of businesses – from start-ups to larger enterprises – across B2B and B2C. Rachel is shepherding Culture Amp’s product strategy, leading their product team, and driving their continued growth.
EXCLUSIVE // Leader’s Track
Go in-depth and learn how to navigate the unique challenges of leading a product team, then discuss practical solutions with your peers.
- An intimate, closed-door environment with a longer, discussion-style format.
- Exclusively for leaders – both in-person and livestreamed for digital attendees.
Michael Sribney
Head of Digital Products
and Platforms, Australian Institute
of Company Directors
- Michael:
Michael will be speaking on Leaders Problem #1
How do I structure my team so they deliver better outcomes in my organisational type?
About Michael
- Former Executive Manager of Digital Product at CBA
- Startup Mentor on Digital Product & Experience
- Lecturer on Product Management at the University of Sydney
At the AICD, Michael has established and rolled out the organisation-wide product management framework and digital delivery model. Michael leads and manages a team of cross-functional squads to shape and deliver on product strategies and roadmaps. Michael is an active thought leader in product management – mentoring start-ups, teaching product management, and in his role as a council lead with the Association of Product Professionals.
Laura Cardinal
Chief Product Officer,
EstimateOne
- Laura :
Leaders Problem #2
How do we strengthen individual and team resilience in constantly changing environments?
About Laura
- Co-Founder of Product Women Sydney
- Product & Leadership Coach
- Former GM of Global Product Marketing at Xero
With over 18 years’ experience in leadership and technology, Laura has led large innovative teams of product managers, product marketers and engineers to build and launch software used and loved by customers all over the world. Laura believes that amazing things happen when you align different types of people to a common purpose.
Want to become a speaker at
leading the product?
