Board Candidate Profiles 2023

Hanbo Li

TERM: RUNNING FOR 1 YEAR TERM

Bio:
My journey with product management starts in 2020, when I made the jump from mechanical/automation engineering to product roles in the tech industry. Prior to the jump, I have worked in the engineering field for several years already since graduation from my master degree.

When I was working in engineering, I always know that I have a passion in understanding why a product is built, on top of how it is built, and this passion could be fulfilled by the role of a product manager. Since then I have worked as a product owner, product analyst and last year I joined Motorola as an associate product manager.

Born in China, I moved to Vancouver for school 11 years ago. I have volunteered in multiple organizations, such as a board member on Burnaby Entrepreneurs Toastmaster and the Social Committee at my workplace. I understand the importance role of a board member in shaping the future of organization.

Vision/Mission/Strategy for Product BC:
There are two goals that I would like to work on. One is to drive engagement within the pm community. I do appreciate the quality of every event that ProductBC is hosting. They are well organized and informational for people who are relatively new in product management.

I would like to work with the board members to think of ways of how to leverage the momentum that these events have generated to build a more engaging community throughout the year. The other goal is to promote ProductBC by building partnerships with other organizations, including product groups in other provinces and related groups that focus on entrepreneurship.

Bio:
Nikhar Dhingra is an accomplished product manager with a proven track record of success. With a background in technology and business, Nikhar has held key roles in various companies, including OYO, where she served as a Product Operations Manager.

During her time at OYO, Nikhar was responsible for optimizing product operations and improving cost efficiencies. One of her notable accomplishments was cutting communication costs by 35%, which resulted in significant savings for the company. Nikhar’s expertise in product management and operations enabled her to identify areas for improvement and implement effective solutions that drove results.

In her current role at Deloitte Asset Supplier360, Nikhar continues to demonstrate her strong leadership skills and strategic vision. She works closely with cross-functional teams to develop and launch innovative products and solutions that meet the needs of Deloitte’s clients. Nikhar’s commitment to excellence and customer-focused approach have earned her a reputation as a highly effective leader and a valuable asset to any organisation .

Vision/Mission/Strategy for Product BC:
I am excited to apply to be a part of the Board of Directors for ProductBC. I believe that my experience in the product industry, combined with my passion for community building and inclusivity, aligns well with your organization’s mission and objectives.

While reading through your update on the areas that the current board aims to focus on for 2023 and beyond, I appreciate the recognition of the challenges that members across BC are facing and the commitment to providing support to the product community. As someone who understands the importance of fostering community during times of uncertainty, I am eager to contribute to the organization’s goals.

One way to improve the existing values is by focusing on diversity and inclusivity. While your updated Vision highlights an engaged and diverse community of product professionals, it is essential to ensure that diversity is not just a buzzword. To achieve a more inclusive community, we need to have a clear plan and dedicated efforts to identify and remove any systemic barriers that prevent individuals from participating fully in the product industry. Additionally, we need to ensure that our events and programs are accessible and welcoming to individuals from different backgrounds and levels of experience.

Another way to improve the existing values is to invest in professional development opportunities for volunteers. While your updated Mission reflects the need to expand your volunteer base and better support your volunteers, it is important to recognize that volunteering can be a significant commitment of time and energy. Providing training and resources to volunteers can help them feel confident and empowered to take on leadership roles within the organization, leading to a sustainable and effective volunteer base.

In conclusion, I am thrilled about the opportunity to contribute to ProductBC’s mission and objectives. With a focus on diversity, inclusivity, and volunteer development, I believe that we can continue to build an engaged and supportive community of product professionals in BC. Thank you for considering my application.

Nikhar Dhingra

Term: Running for 1 year terM

Andrina Kelly

Term: Running for 1 year term

Bio:

I’m currently the Director of Product Strategy for Data Platforms at Jamf – Jamf is a B2B SaaS for device management & security with a primary focus on Apple devices. I have a varied career background with everything from IT administration, DevOps, Professional Services and User Experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to work on some exciting projects over the years, but I’m always eager to learn more and collaborate with others in the industry. I have a deep passion for leadership and growth – my roles have involved fostering new teams, establishing career growth for team members and being an accomplice for under-represented individuals in tech. In my free time I’m an avid road cyclist, love to travel, try new restaurants and most recently have been studying and learning more about wine. I’ve lived in 3 countries, but keep coming back to Canada.

Vision/Mission/Strategy for Product BC:
I am both new to the ProductBC community as well as relatively new to BC. In the couple years I’ve lived here I’ve been trying to find my community and get engaged. It’s been a slow process, and also one that I’ve seen some areas that could be stronger. I love the values of ProductBC and would love to double-down on these with a focus on new community growth. In the same way we think about onboarding for any product, lets think about onboarding for our community.

Bio:
I am a Product Management professional specializing in helping teams and companies through TRANSITION. I have a proven ability to tackle challenging projects, am an effective problem solver, and am a builder of compelling products. I moved to Vancouver from Austin, TX.

I started my career in semiconductors (aka computer chips) and pivoted to telecommunications, then software development. I was working in Agile and Product Management before it was cool.

My peers frequently compliment my communication skills. I’m a passionate product spokesperson and an engaging public speaker.

I focus on mentoring, coaching, and building community in my volunteer roles.

As a volunteer for Boy Scouts of America, I created a program to ensure continued progress toward their final project and mentored over 100 scouts toward the rank of Eagle Scout.

As a board member of ProductCamp Austin, I focused on improving the efficiency of our organization. Responsible for coordinating volunteers, handling major event logistics, support marketing efforts, including the website. I was also honoured to have been chosen as a speaker at several conferences and to focus my talks on leadership development and careers in product management.

I am leading a cohort with Product Job Club. PJC aims to help people land their first Product role and to assist people in moving up in their Product careers.

As a board member for ProductBC, I hope to bring some of the lessons I learned in Austin to this incredible community. I hope to help the organization bridge the gap between the ProductBC community, local businesses, and business incubators.

Vision/Mission/Strategy for Product BC:
As a board member for ProductBC, I hope to bring some of the lessons I learned in Austin to this incredible community. I hope to help the organization bridge the gap between the ProductBC community, local businesses, and business incubators.

Mike Trujillo

TERM: RUNNING FOR 1 YEAR TERM

Andrea LeonChu

TERM: RUNNING FOR 1 YEAR TERM

Bio:
My name is Andrea and I’ve in Product for over 5 years, and my favourite part has been being the bridge between technical and business speak. I used to be a developer, and the transition to Product was empowering.

As I’ve gained more experience, I’ve found I like working in complex teams and bridging people gaps as well.

In my non-product life, I like planning [and going on] adventures from hiking in the backcountry to traveling somewhere warmer.

Vision/Mission/Strategy for Product BC:
I’ve recently attended the Product BC conference and was really inspired to join by the event. I think it was really true to the vision of ProductBC and I’d like to contribute to the mission of learning by connection.

I think Product is still such a misunderstood role which means that coaching and growth for this role is hard to find. I think the best way to support a community of Product Managers is to cross-collaborate and learn with our community in that way.

Bio:
Yuting Chu has 5 years of experience in Product Management and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

Yuting’s diverse product management experiences spans startups, enterprise, government, non-profit, and agency environments. Before entering the field of product management, Yuting worked in government where he gained first-hand experience grappling with complex problems at the societal level. It was there that he discovered co-creation as the critical tool in tackling uncertainty and ambiguity and as the tool to bridging differences and disagreements.

As a co-owner in his family’s retail business, Yuting learned many lessons in the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. It was these experiences in entrepreneurship that opened his eyes to the power of discovery, design, user research, and being bold.

He can often be found loitering in cozy coffee shops or neon-lit 24-hour diners.

Vision/Mission/Strategy for Product BC:

Extend the vision and mission into practical skills development workshops such as building GTM, handling conflict, negotiation workshops, self-advocacy, assertiveness workshops.

Yuting Chu

TERM: RUNNING FOR 2 YEARS TERM

Ryan Fetterly

TERM: RUNNING FOR 1 YEAR TERM

Bio:

Ryan is a Senior Product Manager at Indebted, along with a Product Management Instructor at Brainstation. He actively enjoys building the local Product community having Mentored with ProductBC’s program for multiple years and spoke at the 2023 Product Camp. He’s based in Victoria with his family and enjoys running/swimming as his hobbies. My goal with ProductBC is to enhance the organisations links with local organisation outside of the Lower Mainland to promote growth in cities like Victoria, Nanaimo, Kelowna and Kamloops along with smaller towns that have small tech pockets in the new remote world.

Vision/Mission/Strategy for Product BC:

I think ProductBC’s direction is solid and the programs from Junior to late career have grown significantly in the last few years. I believe the next step involves more partnerships/advocacy. How can we improve both the overall tech sector in BC and have ProductBC at the forefront? How can we improve links with Canadian orgs in the US like the C100 as remote work becomes more prevalent? The next phase of the organisation is likely the hardest as it’s closer to policy/macro level change that impacts the entire sector.

Bio:
I’m a seasoned product professional with 11+ years of global product management experience spanning India, Singapore and Canada. I’ve worked on various roles across large institutions like Citibank, Amazon and Lululemon to scrappy startups like Clariti.

Vision/Mission/Strategy for Product BC:

I am aligned with the vision of product BC to bring together the product professionals within BC to share knowledge, build a community and grow the practice. I am super keen to take this forward with more initiatives that would make entry barrier smaller for new professionals, growth path easier for existing professionals and a stronger and closer community that the we can rely on.

Vishal Soni

TERM: RUNNING FOR 1 YEAR TERM

Duncan Schouten (He/Him/His)

TERM: RUNNING FOR 1 YEAR TERM

Bio:
Duncan is an experienced builder who arrived at product management from a career spanning UX design, front-end development, and professional musicianship.

His recent efforts have focused on fostering strong product practices and nurturing the cultures underpinning them. As Group Product Manager at XWP, he scaled the product department from 3 to 10 globally-distributed PMs and supported threefold growth in the company’s annual recurring revenue.

Duncan is deeply committed to helping PMs advance their careers and has served as a volunteer mentor in several ProductBC mentorship cohorts.

Outside of work, you’ll often find him in the mountains doing something probably at least a little unsafe.

Vision/Mission/Strategy for Product BC:

ProductBC is an essential part of the local business ecosystem. It has brought together product professionals of all stripes, fostering close relationships and supporting the growth of countless careers, my own included.

Among the recently revised organizational objectives is an interest in “support[ing] members across all stages of their product careers in finding their fit.” One career stage that I have seen underserved are those in leadership roles — either people managers or high-senior individual contributors — and those aspiring to take this step.

Typically, these leaders have few organizational peers and limited opportunity to gain contrasting perspectives on the challenges they face. This creates barriers to professional development and, for some, leads to a sense of isolation.

My efforts on the board will focus on expanding ProductBC’s offerings to this segment. I envision a future where BC is recognized as an ideal destination for product leaders to find a supportive community and opportunities for growth.