How can product managers navigate technology and marketplace changes? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Google Cloud Product Marketing Lead Varun Krovvidi shares his perspective on navigating changes in technology and the marketplace. As a professional with experience spanning engineering, data, product, and marketing roles, Varun provides unique insights into adapting to new disruptors and unlocking new growth opportunities for products. He discusses the importance of understanding user needs and context, as well as the role of storytelling and community, for both product marketing and management in an era of rapid technological change.
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Show Notes
- Product leadership requires adapting to new disruptors and unlocking growth opportunities.
- Understanding user needs and context is critical for product success.
- Storytelling is important for both product marketing and management.
- Rapid decision making will be essential for product teams.
- Generative AI will change the ecosystem in complex ways.
- Platform engineering’s role in shaping AI development is important.
- Governance must keep pace with new technological capabilities.
- Community growth will be crucial for products to survive disruption.
- Products must evolve based on user needs to avoid becoming obsolete.
- Asking “why” multiple times helps uncover true user problems.
- Context is important to fully understand user journeys.
- Putting the user at the center leads to lasting value delivery.
- Diverse experiences provide unique perspectives across roles.
- New personas and problems will emerge from generative AI.
- Adapting narratives for different audiences optimizes impact.
- Incumbents face challenges from rising niche players.
- Unlocking new markets is critical for product longevity.
- Rapidly changing markets require flexibility and empathy.
- Technology is reshaping industries and user behaviors.
About the speaker
I am passionate about helping B2B SaaS products and founders with growth by unlocking new markets and personas using Product-led growth. I have over 12+ years of esoteric experience across building & launching tech products playing different roles (product development, technology strategy consulting, and product marketing) across various industries (financial services, B2B technology, and EdTech). I love working bringing transformative value to consumers of different backgrounds using B2B SaaS products. My experience working across different roles helps me empathize and work with cross-functional partners in large organizations to drive effective go-to-market strategies and launch products.
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.