#12 - The Product Folks: Bringing Product Leaders Together
ft. Hnin Azali Brenda and Manas Sharma • 27 May 2025
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In this episode, Brenda and Manas share about their journeys towards product management, as well as their respective paths that led them to start the Singapore chapter of The Product Folks, an online product community first based in San Fransisco and Bangalore with a massive global following. They also give their respective inputs on areas such as breaking into product and how AI has changed the role of PM.
Summary and key points
Joining product management as a career: Brenda and Manas share on how they entered this career path
Starting out The Product Folks in Singapore: Brenda and Manas reflect on how they first got involved in this global organisation
Expanding The Product Folks globally: Brenda and Manas elaborate on how the organisation has grown its outreach
Thoughts on the evolution of PM: Brenda and Manas give their advice on how to stay relevant in the role by following the latest tech trends
Timestamps
3:58 Motivations for Pursuing Product Management
10:35 Most Insightful Experience as a Product Manager
15:05 Motivations for Joining The Product Folks
19:11 The Product Folks Initiatives
23:40 What Makes The Product Folks Unique
25:55 Future Direction of The Product Folks
29:16 Advice for Aspiring Product Managers
About the Guests
About the Guests
Hnin Azali Brenda
Hnin Azali Brenda
Prior to her current role as a Business AI Solution Advisor at SAP, Brenda was previously heavily involved in student life at NUS, including being the founding President of Myanmar Community at NUS, as well as being a founding member of Women in Tech @ NUS Computing. Brenda's active involvement in the student community later inspired her to join the Singapore chapter of The Product Folks, hopefully inspiring other individuals from different backgrounds to pursue a path in product management. Brenda was also previously listed as the SG Top 100 Women in Tech in 2023.
Manas Sharma
Manas Sharma
Upon graduating from Delhi College of Engineering with a major in software engineering, Manas' extensive experience in product at UrbanPiper has led him to join TikTok as a Senior Product Manager, before recently taking on the role of Lead Product Manager at Grab, specialising in AI/ML products. As an active member of The Product Folks, he has contributed to setting up its Singapore chapter, leading his team to organise regular fireside chats and networking events in our local community.
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