What does it take to be a great product leader? In this episode of the Product Leaders to Watch series with Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, Segmed Product Lead Dan Feusse shares insights on leading product teams. Daniel speaks about his early career in analytics and data visualization to leading products at Google and startups. He discusses his work helping PG&E develop software to prevent wildfires and his current role leading product at a health tech startup. Daniel offers insights into what makes a great product and product manager, emphasizing the importance of delivering user value while capturing business value.
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Show Notes
- Daniel has over 10 years of experience in product management
- He got an MBA from Cornell focused on product management when it was a new program.
- He led products at Google and consulted for Apple.
- Daniel helped PG&E develop predictive software to prevent wildfires.
- 5. He’s currently leading product at a health tech startup, Segmed.
- Technical skills in analytics and data visualization prepared him for product roles.
- A great product delivers user value while capturing business value.
- Products should align with the company’s vision/mission,
- Business value is increasingly important given economic conditions.
- Health tech is ripe for innovation due to large market and pain points.
- Finding doctors and understanding bills are challenging experiences.
- A great product manager can balance user and business value.
- Formal education helps develop “mental horsepower.”
- Intelligence and hunger to work hard are important traits when leading product teams.
- Product managers need to consider many data sources and levers.
- Experience and constantly learning are valuable to product management.
- Spinning up product teams from scratch takes leadership skills.
- Regulatory hurdles exist in health tech, but also opportunities.
- Delighting users will set a product apart.
- Aligning with a company’s goals leads to success.
About the speaker
I'm currently leading product at Segmed (YC W20). Previously I led product at MagicBell (YC W21), managed products and teams within Google, as a consultant for Apple and PG&E, and at a Silicon Valley startup. I also attended an MBA program at Cornell University focused on Product Management. Prior to my experience in product, I worked as a developer at a world-renowned data visualization studio and started my career in advanced analytics.
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.