How can product leaders cultivate impactful products? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, MEDFAR Clinical Solutions Product VP Patrick Charbonneau shares insights from 20 years of experience across industries including healthcare, security, and retail. The conversation covers key tech trends such as AI and how it can be applied in healthcare to improve patient and physician experiences. They also explore what makes a great product manager through listening skills and understanding customer needs, as well as what qualities define a great product, such as creative problem-solving and customer adoption.
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Show Notes
- AI is a top tech trend impacting industries like healthcare, logistics, and cybersecurity.
- Ambient scribe technology allows physicians to focus on patients.
- AI is automating administrative tasks and providing insights for physicians.
- Products should have creative problem-solving and surprise customers with novel solutions.
- Customer adoption and embracing solutions is key to great products.
- Listening skills are crucial for product managers.
- Listen to understand underlying customer problems.
- Connect the dots from data to gain new insights.
- Storytelling is an important and learnable skill.
- Empathy, curiosity and listening are inherent traits of great PMs.
- Tools like analytics and AI can enhance investigative skills.
- Build excitement around new tools and data to solve problems faster.
- Change paradigms rather than incremental improvements.
- Industry experience provides diverse perspectives.
- Experienced PMs can give back by mentoring junior product managers.
- Cultivating impactful products means implementing a mix of agile and traditional methodologies.
- Contribute to the product industry through organizations.
- We are experiencing exciting times for product management with new opportunities
About the speaker
A highly motivated and bilingual professional, Patrick Charbonneau boasts a rich background in product strategy, performance, and product marketing. Currently serving as the Executive Vice President of Product Management and Strategy at MEDFAR Clinical Solutions, Patrick drives the expansion strategy for primary care products, overseeing a diverse portfolio that includes EMRs, patient portals, and billing integrations. In the role of Senior Vice President of Product Management at ALAYACARE, he played a pivotal role in tripling the company's value, managing home care, residential, and R&D products. Known for his ability to optimize operational efficiency and contribute to system design, Patrick has consistently led teams to deliver profitable outcomes. With a career that includes leadership roles at TELUS HEALTH, where he directed the expansion of health benefits solutions and drove growth in the national pharmacy product portfolio. Armed with a Graduate Diploma in Management and a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering, Patrick possesses a unique blend of technical and strategic expertise. Fluent in both English and French, he excels in formulating innovative solutions aligned with business objectives. With a commitment to excellence, Patrick Charbonneau remains focused on making significant contributions in the product management field within the organizations where he serves as well as in the broader product community.
About the host
Chenny Solaiyappan is the Director of Product Management for Cognizant Trizetto's Government and Quality Solutions, and a founding member of the ClaimSphere suite of products, encompassing quality, HEDIS ®, CMS Stars, and clinical solutions. An accomplished Intrapreneur and Lean Startup Practitioner, he plays a pivotal role in shaping the overall product strategy and serves as the HL7 DaVinci Business Co-chair. With a notable track record, Chenny has provided consultancy to over 30 health plans across the nation, consistently raising Quality and Star ratings in Medicaid, Medicare, Federal Employees Health Plan, and Commercial health plan sectors, collectively supporting 30 million lives. His outstanding leadership and innovative contributions have earned him prestigious awards, including the 2023 Top 20 Global Product Manager Award by Products That Count, as well as the 2021 and 2019 Product of the Year awards by Cognizant Trizetto.