CPO Rising Series: How a Top CPO Scales from 7M to 120M Users

What does it take to scale a startup from 7M to 120M users? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Opus 2 CPTO Tiama Hanson-Drury will be speaking on transforming product leadership in the AI era, sharing her journey from sales to becoming a top CPO and her insights on building high-performing product teams. Discover how she navigates changing priorities, drives innovation, and creates mission-driven product strategies that deliver exceptional business results.

Join us for new conversations with leading product executives every week. Roll through the highlights of this week’s podcast below, then head on over to our Events page to see which product leaders will be joining us next week.

Show Notes:

1. Scale from 7M to 120M users by focusing on product-market fit and customer value
2. Embrace AI as a tool to enhance productivity, not replace critical thinking
3. Build a company culture that challenges the status quo and drives innovation
4. Develop a clear vision and strategy that inspires team members to see themselves in the mission
5. Understand your business model’s core equation: how you fundamentally make money
6. Transition from sales-led to product-led approaches as your company matures
7. Prioritize customer obsession by deeply understanding user needs and experiences
8. Create a leadership approach that communicates consistently and repeatedly
9. Use metrics that truly reflect business value, not just surface-level engagement
10. Develop product managers who think like commercial leaders
11. Navigate changing priorities by maintaining transparency and team alignment
12. Leverage data literacy and critical thinking in product development
13. Build teams with diverse skills who can “take your job”
14. Understand the importance of trust and respect in organizational culture
15. Recognize product leadership as a business-driving role, not just a technical function
16. Develop the ability to spot patterns and anticipate potential problems
17. Create a vision that extends at least three years into the future
18. Embrace hybrid work environments that require strong relationship-building skills
19. Continuously communicate the “why” behind strategic decisions
20. Remain mission-driven, focusing on creating meaningful impact beyond financial success