A conversation about escaping checkbox product management and treating ways of working as tools to be adapted, not doctrines to be obeyed. It traces how teams misuse OKRs, strategy and discovery when they chase outputs, and argues for intentional practices grounded in context, influence and evidence.

Sean O’Neill argues that companies with sound vision still stall when customer-specific work devours the capacity needed for strategic bets. Drawing on Amazon, Tesco and other stops, he makes the case for product organizations that focus on real user needs, ship in slices and understand whether they are building a scalable product business or simply bespoke software.

Georgie Smallwood argues that product leadership in a commercial company is a constant negotiation between empowered teams and top-down demands, especially when markets, budgets and customer behavior keep shifting. She frames Moonpig’s work as a technological business built around preserving human rituals, and makes the case for innovation that deepens connection without alienating mainstream users.

Product leader and author Nesrine Shangell argues that memorable software comes from pairing utility with emotion, whether by removing friction, anticipating needs or exceeding expectations. Drawing on work at Google, Spotify and beyond, she makes the case that delight is not decorative flair but a driver of retention, referral and revenue across consumer and enterprise products alike.

Holland & Barrett’s chief product officer Katja Danaki traces the 150-year-old retailer’s digital transformation, from warehouse systems and mobile apps to a more unified customer experience. She also argues that product leadership in a legacy business demands a different kind of operator than product work at a fully digital company.

TrustedHousesitters CPO Jamie Mercer discusses building trust in a global pet-care marketplace while using AI to sharpen matching, research and service. She also makes the case that product leadership depends less on feature delivery than on commercial judgment, coaching and hard-won alignment.