With the rapid penetration of technol­ogy, the corporate realm has become more dynamic and the competition is increasing with more companies mushrooming in almost all industry verticals. As companies started giving more emphasis on customer satisfaction, the quality of offerings they provide has also increased tremendously. As customer preferenc­es change rapidly, it is important for organizations to keep abreast of these changes and come up with new products or update their existing products to meet the ever-evolving requirements of customers. Priya Singh is a pioneer in product management and she currently holds the office of Director – Product at JIOSAAVN, a leading Indian music streaming service provider and digital distributor. Leveraging her domain expertise, Priya has launched multiple products from scratch and developed roadmaps for them. She is an expert in generating product requirements, writing extensive PRDs, data analysis, managing teams and building roadmaps. In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepre­neur, Priya takes us through her professional journey and her rise to success in the industry.

Can you tell us about your educational background and prior industry experience?

I am Priya Singh and I am currently working as the Director of Product at JIOSAAVN. I started my professional journey with Schlum­berger, an oil and gas industry based service compa­ny, where I worked as a Field Engineer, straight after my graduation from IIT Kharagpur. After a very short stint there, I moved on to digital product management role at Toppr, an ed-tech startup where very early in my career I shipped several products from scratch and features for end-users and partners. The experience was very helpful and helped me get a strong footing in product management. After that I moved on to Saavn, currently known as JIOSAAVN in a Data PM role where I took care of everything data. Soon after, I started my work on launching JIOSAAVN Creator Platforms which eventually led me to my current role of Director, Products at JIOSAAVN.

Can you tell me what innate skills one should have to achieve sustained success in the product management domain?

Unlike many other areas, there is no set syllabus or school for product management. There are some nec­essary skills that you should have before you enter into this role and there are some that you gain and hone along the way. Good communication, the attitude to get things done, the ability to work with different kinds of people, getting them aligned, having an ana­lytical mindset, and a logical approach to solve prob­lems rather than being emotional about a problem or a solution - these are the few skills that one should have an aptitude for to succeed in this arena in the long run. Developing a fundamental understanding of tech, data, market, businesses is something one can learn on the go with expertise in atleast one of these areas.

"Remember that self-belief is the foundation for a successful journey & unless you are confident in yourself, it will be very difficult for you to succeed"

How do you guide your team to achieve the organizational objectives seamlessly?

I think there are two major reasons for this. Firstly, I have been very lucky to have many mentors in my career so far. I look up to them when I am looking for a direction. They usually help me build a frame­work of how I can approach or prioritise a problem. The second reason is I believe in inclusion of all the stakeholders around a problem. First step for that is, to define a common goal so that all stakeholdders know and are aligned to what we are working towards. After this, taking a data-centric approach to find a solution, which avoids subjective opinions but a very objective way to identify and work towards a solution. Finally, be transparent with the performance and roadmap so that everyone is well informed on the progress and trusts your process. This kind of inclusive culture not only helps in the holistic development of the organiza­tion but also helps avoid teams working in silos and build a better solution for the end users

As a seasoned industry veteran, what advice would you give to aspiring women leaders of tomorrow?

One thing that I see often in women in India is that we are nurtured in a way where we tend to seek external validation and that pattern is really difficult to break. In light of this, my advice is to give yourself a genuine opportunity to take that chance, to trust yourself, and let yourself grow without any sign of approval, without any sign of validation just once. When you do it once and when you succeed, that instills so much confi­dence that lets you take a longer leap in your life and in your professional journey. Remember that self-belief is the foundation for a successful journey and unless you are confident in yourself, it will be very difficult for you to succeed.

Priya Singh, Director- Product, Jiosaavn

A visionary business leader and a driving force in product development, she nurtures diverse teams and champions data-driven solutions. As the editor of 'Tech Simplified,' an Amazon bestseller, Priya simplifies complex tech concepts. Her commitment to constant improvement and leadership serves as an inspiration to professionals navigating the dynamic landscape of business and technology.