Product Manager in Financial Services
In this episode, how to get started as a product manager in the financial services industry we chat with Amber Kearney.
By the end of the episode, you’ll learn:
– How Amber got started in Product Management.
– What it’s like working as a product manager in the financial services industry.
How to get started as a product manager in the financial services industry
About the guest
Amber Kearney is a product manager at Capital One. Before that Amber worked at Deloitte as a product manager. Amber is also experienced in various account and marketing roles. Also, one interesting fact I found out is Amber learned to speak Mandarin.
Episode Key takeaways
As a product manager, you’ll do all the normal things a product manager is expected to do. However, the regulator plays a role as a stakeholder (or team member).
Generally speaking, the regulator has more leverage than traditional stakeholders (or team members). So, it is important to work closely with the regulator.
Amber shares three nuances.
First, maintain a relationship with regulators. Keep an open line of communication. Regulators, users, and business stakeholders all play a role in how you prioritize and what features you build as a product manager.
Secondly, innovate responsibly. We build products that disrupt the traditional banking or financial model using new emerging technology in a responsible way. It is important to maintain regulator empathy.
Thirdly, the role of controls and risk management. Things unfortunately happen. However, it is important to perform a root cause analysis and remediation. Also, what controls do you have in place to prevent it from happening again?
Finally, I also got the opportunity to ask Amber other product questions such as:
– What is a roadmap?
– Getting alignment and buy-in?
Plus Amber made my day by stressing how important collaboration and negotiation skills are.
Episode timestamps
01:14 – Amber shares something that we cannot Google about her.
04:12 – How to get started as a product manager in the financial services industry.
05:20 – Amber’s journey to tech in financial services.
12:15 – Three nuances for working in regulated industries.
23:00 – Q & A with Amber.
Episode links
Follow Amber on Twitter or Linkedin.
Listen to other episodes of The Product Angle Show here.