Let’s meet you (Your Name, What You do, where you currently work)
 

My name is Bolanle Ayah. I am currently the Product growth Manager at Imperial Homes Mortgage Bank

Can you describe your journey from completing the Utiva Product Management Program to your current role as a Product Growth Manager at Imperial Homes Mortgage Bank Limited?

I registered for the December 2022 Product Management course with Utiva because I wanted to upskill and develop myself after taking a break from work to build a family. 

The program was very insightful and engaging, lots of teamwork, real life scenarios and really hand-on projects. I got my current role right after completing my program with Utiva.

What motivated you to pursue a career in product management?

When I decided to upskill and go into tech, I was a bit confused as to the career path to follow. I explored various course contents and Product Management seemed like the right fit coupled with the fact that I have a background in Project Management.

As a Product Growth Manager, what strategies do you implement to drive user acquisition, retention, and engagement for your products?

First of all, it's important to know what stage your product is in its lifecycle. Strategies for new products still trying to find market fit will be different from a product in its growth stage or a product in its maturity stage or a product in a decline. 

In all, understanding your customers is key. One needs to know their pain points and communicate how your product will help solve their problem. To mention a few, content is key, such as customer service, referral, social media, personalized marketing, and targeted marketing.
 

How do you approach gathering and analyzing user feedback to inform product decisions and iterations?

Depending on whether the feedback is qualitative or quantitative, we can analyze using a prioritization matrix considering the impact on the product and the effort required. 

Emphasis is placed on feedback with a high impact on the product but requires low effort.
 

Can you discuss a challenging product management scenario you encountered and how you navigated through it to achieve a successful outcome?

We launched a product last year and in the process of testing and attaining market fit, we realized we could pivot based on learning through feedback from customers and stakeholders and this was quite important because pivoting was a breakthrough for the product's success.
 

What are the key qualities of a successful product manager, and how do you embody these qualities in your role?

As a Product Manager, you must be an excellent communicator and be able to manage and work with different teams and stakeholders. It's important to be a people person, a goal-getter with a can-do attitude/spirit. Being able to prioritize is key, be strategic, and be able to align business and customer needs. 

For me, I try to ensure the team understands what the business is trying to achieve and how it impacts our customers. I take users' feedback, iterate it into our products, and ensure it aligns with customer and business needs.

Looking ahead, what are your career aspirations in the field of product management, and how do you plan to continue growing and evolving in your role?

For me, it's all about knowledge and practice. I intend to keep developing myself and learning new strategies and methodologies. Understanding and mastering implementation while building amazing products that improve the quality of life of the average Nigerian.

What are your final words?

For anyone out there wanting to pursue a career in tech and facing different blockers, start with a single step. One step at a time, keep at it and before you know it, you are halfway there.

Bolanle Ayah is a wife and a mother. She is a Project/Product Manager. She graduated with a BSc in Electrical Electronics Engineering from Covenant University Nigeria in 2009. She decided to further her education by obtaining a Master’s degree in Project Management from Lancaster University UK in 2010. She worked as a Project Management Assistant in the UK before returning to Nigeria. She is currently the Product Growth Manager at Imperial Homes Mortgage Bank.

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