Can you tell me a bit about your role?

So, I’m currently the Senior Product Manager for The National Will Register and also more recently they have placed me in charge of another product in our Legal portfolio: Carpe Diem.

My job is to work with all the stakeholders that try to make these products a success. This means working alongside our customers, and our engineering team to develop the product (so that it keeps enhancing itself to win and retain more business). I also have to ensure that we don’t compromise on performance or stability; making sure that our product has a longevity and a future as a piece of software.

It can be challenging at times, because although your main aim is to develop the product – you have to have a great understanding of the processes and departments that might help to make your product successful. That means liaising with different teams within Engineering, Sales and Marketing, as the product simply cannot be successful without understanding all the elements that support it and I quite like that aspect.

What part of the role do you find the most rewarding?

Very candidly, I get a huge kick when we put new features or new releases live, and when they’ve proceeded to go live successfully, as this is a milestone that all the team will have worked towards. So yeah, when a new product, or a new feature goes live it’s a great feeling, because quite often it can take months of work to get into that position. 

I also get an absolute kick to see additional revenue from sales coming in because of something that my team have delivered into the marketplace. Most recently, we went live with the integration of a Financial Asset Search onto The National Will Register’s platform, and our customers; our legal professionals, started logging in, engaging and transacting straight away. That means I can already see that ROI (Return on Investment) within 24 hours of the feature going live, which is one of the most satisfying feelings I’ve had of late. It’s fantastic to see that happening, and then, of course, that keeps demonstrating that we’ve got successful products here at Advanced. 

You joined Advanced through an acquisition; can you tell me more about what that was like?

I’ll be very honest, it was a huge change for me and my career.

Prior to the acquisition I’d been part of The National Will Register (since 2010) where there were six of us involved in the start-up of the business. Eleven years later, the team had nearly tripled in size, and then going from that to merging with a company (Advanced) of over 2,500 people was definitely a shock to the system.

Looking back, the two main things that I felt was the excitement about what the future might bring in a new home, coupled with perhaps a bit of apprehension personally, because as a small, close-knit team; you’re very much in control of all the elements, and you tend to have a lot of crossovers between one another. That means that you’re all very much involved in making the product a success. Whereas, when you’re a part of a bigger team responsibilities get distributed to dedicated functions and roles. That's definitely been a noteworthy change. 

Another challenge that I’ve faced myself is adjusting to the different pace at which a larger organisation operates. The differences in the people and the processes mean you have to learn these quickly to match the pace of Advanced.

Thankfully, Advanced allowed us to have an adjustment period and were patient in giving us an opportunity to learn about the organisation - and likewise they learnt about us. 

How has your career changed since the Advanced acquisition?

Well, I think the biggest change is that I wasn’t called a Product Manager before. My career has definitely become much more focused on the development of the product. One of the biggest changes has been that previously; the product simply was the business, however, now it’s simply one of many software products that we provide

What advice would you give to anyone joining Advanced (either through acquisition or otherwise)?

These days we are living in a post-pandemic world, which had a massive impact on working patterns, with introduction of Microsoft Teams calls and flexible working. Prior to the pandemic, I’d be working in the office every day with all of my team - and that was the norm. We’ve certainly moved away from that world of day-to-day commuting and office working, with the most people spending a larger proportion of their time working from home (which is certainly the case within my team).

One thing that I always do whenever there is a new starter within my team is that I’ll be very proactive in making sure that I reach out to them and maintain that regular and routine line of communication, and that’s a mindset I approach with every team member, not just those in my immediate product team.

With remote working, I feel like it’s paramount that we still strive to integrate that team feeling, and that people do still feel part of a bigger purpose and bigger goals. Sometimes it can be quite isolating as times, especially when you’re joining a new business and you don’t really know anyone.

So yeah, my main piece of advice is that you should try to reach out to people as much as possible as someone joining via an acquisition; and the same sentiment also goes to the team who are adopting a new team member via an acquisition. In my experience, communication is king!

What's the workplace culture like at Advanced?

In the Product Management team there is this really welcoming and open feeling and culture, which I really like. It really is a lovely department to be a part of, because everyone works so hard, and we have a really great camaraderie within the team.

At Advanced specifically, I would say that there is an abundance of opportunities here if you want them. There is a great line of communication between departments, so if you are willing to learn more about the organisation and its values, then you can make the most of the great culture of opportunity that exists within the business.

What do you hope to achieve during the rest of your time with the business?

In the medium term, I want to see the products that I’m in charge of become extremely commercially successful as growth products; that’s my number one aim for the foreseeable. In terms of future aspirations from a career perspective, I’ve invested a lot in my experience and qualifications to take on more leadership positions as that’s always been an aspiration for me. So that’s it for me in terms of long-term goals.