September 16, 2025
Can a product leader truly drive innovation while balancing customer needs and technological disruption? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, NMI Chief Product Officer Tiffany Johnson will be speaking on transforming product strategy in the payments industry. She shares insights from leading a global embedded payments company, offering a deep dive into strategic product management and leadership.
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Show Notes:
- NMI processes over $400 billion in payment transactions annually as a B2B2B2C embedded payments provider
- Product leadership has evolved from waterfall to agile methodologies, with increased focus on data and AI
- Strategic imperatives should be set for 3-5 years, with tactical objectives for near-term goals
- Saying “no” is one of the most critical responsibilities of a Chief Product Officer
- Cross-functional alignment is crucial for successful product strategy
- AI is increasing efficiency, particularly in code development and prototyping
- Product managers should focus on outcomes, not just feature delivery
- Remote work requires intentional culture-building and transparent communication
- Net revenue retention is a key metric for measuring product success
- Diversity in product teams leads to better customer understanding
- The payments industry is rapidly evolving with trends like faster payments and mobile acceptance
- Quarterly planning and OKR frameworks help maintain strategic focus
- Product leaders need to be empathetic, decisive, and continuous learners
- Trade-off conversations are essential when new business opportunities arise
- Human connection remains critical, even in remote work environments
- AI tools like ChatGPT can assist in prototyping and ideation
- Leading indicators (like merchant signups) are as important as lagging indicators
- Product-led growth requires understanding customer conversion funnels
- Successful innovation requires breaking down long-term goals into incremental deliverables
- Trust and transparency are fundamental to effective product leadership
About the speaker
About the host
Renee Niemi
Mighty Capital, Partner