Chief Product Officer
The Chief Product Officer (CPO) is by definition, the top of the food chain for Product Management, within an organization. Their principal responsibilities are at the portfolio and executive level, not on the ground or managing individual Product Managers.
The responsibilities are typically centered around market alignment, M&A and new business lines, defining and assessing product ‘big bets’, crafting the product long-term (3-5 yr) vision for the organization, executive and board relations, and winning strategic accounts when that is relevant for the business (ex B2B).
To become a Chief Product Officer, you’ll need a deep understanding of the business as well as strong diplomatic, sales, and financial savvy. You’re dealing with budgets and financial opportunities models at this level, rather than user journeys or backlogs. Experience with business leadership and an MBA are essential to play this role effectively.
The CPO is growing in popularity in recent years, as companies recognize the importance of Product for their organizations success. You typically won’t find a CPO at a company that is services or operations centric, but for companies, especially tech/digital companies, for whom their product is the backbone of the company, the Chief Product Officer is an absolutely critical role.
