The Best Product Managers to Follow in 2025

The best product leaders don’t just build great products—they shape the future of the industry. At Product School, we’ve had the honor of hosting some of the most influential people in Product as speakers at ProductCon, guests on The Product Podcast, and contributors to our community. We're proud to provide a platform where they can share their insights with us, offering their expertise to inspire and educate the next generation of product professionals.

We’re excited to recognize the best product managers to follow in 2025—leaders who are driving innovation and transforming the way products are built. Their impact goes beyond their own companies; they are shaping the way product management is taught, learned, and executed across industries.

Keep reading to discover the 20 most inspiring product leaders making waves in 2025.

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The 20 Best Product Leaders to Follow

Jeetu Patel, Chief Product Officer at Cisco

Jeetu Patel is the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Security and Collaboration Division at Cisco, bringing over 27 years of experience in enterprise software. He has a strong track record in general management, enterprise sales, and product management, specializing in areas like social collaboration, SaaS, and hybrid cloud infrastructure. Jeetu's career includes leadership roles such as Chief Strategy Officer at Box and GM & Chief Executive at Syncplicity Business Unit at EMC. He is also a board member of HackerRank and JLL. Jeetu holds a BS in Information Decision Sciences and Information Systems and is known for his expertise in positioning software companies to maximize their market value.

Follow Jeetu on LinkedIn and on X.

Jon Alferness, Chief Product Officer at Walmart

Jon Alferness is the Chief Product Officer and Executive Vice President at Walmart U.S., leading product strategy across digital and physical experiences for customers, members, and associates. Before Walmart, he was CPO and EVP of Technology at Varo Bank, driving innovation in digital banking. He also led rideshare product and revenue teams at Lyft and spent 13 years at Google overseeing product management for Ads, Shopping, and Travel. With over two decades of experience scaling marketplace systems, Jon has a proven track record of leading cross-functional teams to drive growth. We were proud to share the stage with him at ProductCon San Francisco '24.

Follow Jon on LinkedIn.

Karen Ng, SVP of Product at HubSpot

Karen Ng is the Senior Vice President of Product at HubSpot, leading Smart CRM, Operations Hub, and the Connected Ecosystem, along with strategic partnerships and business development. Previously, she was VP of Product and Data at Common Room, where she built the product management and machine learning teams from the ground up. At Google, she led product for Android Jetpack and Jetpack Compose, shaping essential tools for mobile developers. Her career spans key roles at Microsoft, including the Xamarin acquisition and developer tool innovation. A Product 50 Winner and holder of multiple patents, Karen is a visionary product leader dedicated to building transformative products at scale. We were happy to have her on The Product Podcast to share in insights in an upcoming episode.

Follow Karen on LinkedIn.

Jay Lee, SVP of Product at the NBA

Jay Lee is the Senior Vice President of Product at the NBA, leading consumer experience and product strategy for the league’s global digital portfolio, including the NBA App, NBA.com, NBA ID, and League Pass. His work focuses on live streaming innovation, personalization at scale, and engaging the league’s global fan community. Previously, Jay led product development at Nike, overseeing the Nike Run Club and Training Club apps, and spent eight years at ESPN, helping launch their first mobile and streaming products like ScoreCenter, the ESPN App, and Watch ESPN. With a career spanning sports, media, and technology, Jay is a driving force behind digital fan experiences. We had the pleasure of hosting him on The Product Podcast to dive deeper into his approach to innovation.

Follow Jay on LinkedIn and X.

Daniel Danker, Chief Product Officer at Instacart

Daniel Danker is the Chief Product Officer at Instacart and is well-known for his innovative contributions to product management. His career includes significant roles at leading tech companies, including Head of Product at Uber Eats and Product Director for Video at Facebook, where he was instrumental in launching features like Facebook Live and Facebook Watch and integrated music into Facebook and Instagram. His tenure as CPO at Shazam saw him redefine the music recognition service and expand it into television. Daniel's expertise in developing groundbreaking products has had a lasting impact on the industry.

Follow Daniel on LinkedIn and on X.

Jaime DeLanghe, GM and VP of Product at Slack

Jaime DeLanghe joined Slack in 2017 as a Product Lead. Throughout her tenure there, she has held various roles and has overseen the company's consumer growth as well as contritbuted to their AI-powered innovations. Before Slack, Jaime spent seven years at Etsy, starting as a Trust and Safety representative and rising to Senior Product Manager, Group Product Manager, and Director of Product Management. Her career reflects a deep expertise in leadership and a breadth of imagination for all things Product.

Follow Jaime on LinkedIn.

Cem Kansu, VP of Product at Duolingo

Cem Kansu is the Vice President of Product at Duolingo, leading product management, user research, and product operations. He played a pivotal role in building Duolingo’s freemium business model, scaling revenue from $0 to over $500M annually and launching Super Duolingo, which now drives the majority of the company’s revenue. Under his leadership, Duolingo has continued to innovate with AI-powered learning features and a reimagined user experience. We’re excited to feature him in an upcoming episode of The Product Podcast to dive deeper into his near-decade at Duolingo.

Follow Cem on LinkedIn.

Ajay Arora, SVP of Product at Disney

Ajay Arora is the Senior Vice President of Product and Engineering at Disney, where he oversees product, commerce, and experimentation for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, driving growth and monetization strategies. Previously, Ajay was the Director of Product Innovation and Growth at Netflix, where he contributed to key initiatives like new payment options, product bundles, and tiers for emerging markets. Previously, he led Amazon's Audible mobile experience as Director of Product. Beyond his professional achievements, Ajay is a certified pilot, scuba diver, and personal trainer. He teaches a course at Stanford University entitled: Building and Scaling Subscription Businesses and serves as a Product Advisor at Product School.

Follow Ajay on LinkedIn.

Mamuna Oladipo, VP of Product at Shopify

Mamuna Oladipo is a veteran product executive and Vice President of Product at Shopify. She has a proven track record of scaling products to millions of users, leveraging her expertise in product management, design, and engineering. Previously, Mamuna served as SVP of Product at Kickstarter and also held leadership roles as Vice President of Product at SeamlessDocs and Vice President of Product Marketing and Design at Sony Music Entertainment. A board advisor for Black Professionals in Tech (BPTN) Inc. and former Product School instructor, she does her utmost to help elevate new and diverse voices in Product Management. In her Twitter bio, she describes herself as "Sunshine mixed with a little hurricane." It's this balanced approach that has made her a standout leader in the tech industry!

Follow Mamuna on LinkedIn, on X and check out her website.

Frank te Pas, Head of Product at Perplexity

Frank te Pas is the Head of Enterprise Product at Perplexity, where he is focused on building an answer engine that helps knowledge workers unlock their full potential. Before joining Perplexity, he spent six years at Flexport, leading the team behind the company’s customer-facing platform. He started his career in strategy consulting at Accenture, working across the Netherlands and the Bay Area. An entrepreneur at heart, Frank also launched OutLoud, a social DJ app hat enabled everyone at a party to jointly decide on the music in real-time, which grew to 15,000 MAUs. We had the pleasure of hosting him on The Product Podcast, where he shared his strategic framework for becoming an AI-first company.

Follow Frank on LinkedIn.

Sneha Rao, VP of Product at The New York Times

Sneha Rao is the Vice President of Product Management at The New York Times, where she leads the product vision, strategy, and execution for the company’s delivery platform. Her work powers the Times’ journalism, subscriptions, advertising, and standalone products like Games, Cooking, and Wirecutter. Previously, she held leadership roles at Spotify and Comcast NBCUniversal, building and scaling service platforms at enterprise levels. With a background in platform strategy and digital transformation, Sneha is passionate about creating scalable, developer-centric ecosystems. We were proud to host her at ProductCon New York ‘24 and on The Product Podcast, where she shared insights on building developer platforms, optimizing cloud infrastructure, and driving digital transformation in a large enterprise.

Follow Sneha and subscribe to her newsletter on LinkedIn.

Drew Lesicko, VP of Product and Technology at SoulCycle

Drew Lesicko is the Vice President of Product and Technology at SoulCycle, where he oversees the complete digital experience for customers, including technology platforms and the company's eCommerce presence. Drew has spearheaded significant initiatives such as the development of the SoulCycle at-home bike and the relaunch of their mobile and web applications.

Before joining SoulCycle, he co-founded Alpha, AOL, and Verizon Media's innovation lab, where he led the creation of over 30 product initiatives, including early partnerships with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Watch. With nearly 20 years of experience in digital media, eCommerce, and emerging platforms, Drew is known for his expertise in product strategy, innovation, and technology development.

Follow Drew on LinkedIn.

Nick Caldwell, Chief Product Officer at Peloton

Nick Caldwell is the Chief Product Officer of Peloton and previously VP of Engineering at Twitter, where he was responsible for all consumer-facing products. Before that, he worked as Chief Product and Engineering Officer at Looker (acquired by Google) and VP of Engineering at Reddit. He also spent 13 years at Microsoft.

So, he’s been around! In fact, Nick started his career with an internship at NASA, where he developed several projects over the course of 3 years. These diverse and highly prestigious achievements give Nick a unique perspective on the future of Product and technology as a whole.

On social media, Nick stays up to date with all things Product and maintains a sense of humor while doing it. Follow him on LinkedIn, on X, and check out his website.

Jessica Hall, Chief Product Officer at Just Eat

Jessica Hall is the Chief Product Officer of Just Eat Takeaway.com, a global leader in food delivery operating across 20 markets to serve 94 million active consumers. With over 15 years of experience, Jessica is an expert in driving large-scale digital and organizational transformations, having led significant projects at Tesco, Argos, and Sainsbury’s. As a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, she founded and sponsors Women in Tech networks and programs, supporting entry-level careers and mentoring women in technology. Jessica's leadership and commitment to progress have earned her recognition, including the WeQual Award.

Follow Jessica on LinkedIn.

Craig Saldanha, Chief Product Officer at Yelp

Craig Saldanha is the Chief Product Officer at Yelp, where he leads product management for both consumer and business-facing products. With over a decade of experience at Amazon, he worked on groundbreaking innovations like Kindle and Prime Video before joining Yelp. Craig has a strong background in product development, strategic planning, and go-to-market strategies, driving Yelp’s evolution from a review platform to an AI-powered local business discovery tool. On The Product Podcast, he shared insights on integrating AI into established platforms, the future of local search, and how Yelp continues to innovate in the digital landscape.

Follow Craig on LinkedIn.

Stephanie Neill, Head of Product at Stripe

Stephanie Neill is the Head of Product at Stripe, bringing nearly 20 years of experience leading product teams across major tech companies, including The New York Times, IAC, and Twitch. She has a track record of driving innovation through user-focused strategies and has built and scaled product communities across the U.S. At Stripe, she leads teams focused on integrating machine learning to optimize operations and enhance customer experiences.

We were lucky enough to have Stephanie on The Product Podcast, and she also joined us at ProductCon AI in the summer of 2024. Stephanie delivered a standout talk on leveraging machine learning to supercharge product development, which received a ton of positive feedback from attendees.

Follow Stephanie on LinkedIn and X.

Noam Lovinsky, Chief Product Officer at Grammarly

Noam Lovinsky is the Chief Product Officer at Grammarly, leading the product, design, data science, and growth teams to advance AI-powered communication. With a strong background in product leadership, he previously built and scaled experimentation teams at Meta, drove product innovation at Thumbtack, and led key product initiatives at YouTube. Noam also founded a startup that was later acquired by YouTube. At ProductCon San Francisco 2024, he shared valuable insights on the future of AI-driven writing tools and how Grammarly is shaping the next generation of digital communication.

Follow Naom on LinkedIn.

Vrushali Paunikar, Chief Product Officer at Carta

Vrushali Paunikar is the Chief Product Officer at Carta, where she leads the development of new products and advancements that serve over 30,000 customers in the venture and startup ecosystem. She played a pivotal role in scaling Carta’s valuation business and spearheaded the growth of the Venture Capital division from zero to over $80M in ARR. She also envisioned the company’s fund administration platform, which now supports over $100B in assets under administration.

At ProductCon San Francisco 2024, Vrushali shared how Carta evolved from a startup to a leader in private capital. Her talk provided key lessons on starting small, allocating capital effectively, and aligning talent with each stage of growth to build a $13 trillion industry platform.

Follow Vrushali on LinkedIn.

Dave Bottoms, GM and VP of Product at Upwork

Dave Bottoms is the GM and Vice President of Product at Upwork, where he leads the Marketplace business unit, overseeing Talent Marketplace, Search & Recommendations, Ads & Monetization, and new product innovation. Before Upwork, he led the Ads Manager Platform at Meta, enabling millions of businesses to drive results across Facebook and Instagram. His career also includes leadership roles at Dropbox and Yahoo, where he spearheaded growth and international expansion efforts. On The Product Podcast, Dave shared insights on scaling marketplace businesses, driving product-led growth, and optimizing monetization strategies in the evolving world of work.

Follow Dave on LinkedIn.

Stephen Hsu, Chief Product Officer at Calendly

Stephen Hsu leads the product vision, strategy, and roadmap for the world’s leading scheduling automation platform. Under his leadership, the PM, Design, Growth, and Ecosystem teams have delivered innovative solutions that streamlined workflows for millions of users. Prior to Calendly, he drove growth at MuleSoft and Salesforce, leading integration and API management products as well as AI-driven sales engagement tools.

On The Product Podcast, Stephen shared his vision for integrating AI across Calendly’s ecosystem, the challenges of scaling beyond scheduling, and the importance of modular product design in adapting to emerging technologies. You won't want to miss this episode!

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn.

The 20 Product Leaders mentioned here stand out for their exceptional contributions to innovation, strategy, and customer-centric approaches. They mirror Product School's commitment to pushing Product forward: to keep iterating, to keep challenging ourselves, to keep at it!

Whether steering the helm at major corporations, pioneering new technologies, or nurturing the next generation of product managers, these individuals exemplify what it means to be at the forefront of product management. They have not only shaped the products we use daily but also influenced the broader tech industry through their visionary leadership and mentorship of those who follow in their footsteps.

By listening to what they have to say and observing their career trajectories, we can gain invaluable perspectives on the future of technology and digital products. As these leaders continue to break new ground, they inspire and challenge us to think creatively, act boldly, and continuously strive for better solutions in our respective fields.

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Join our Product Manager Community on LinkedIn to connect with other PMs, share resources, and learn about events.

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