Launched website for The Queens Hotel with AI and PM skills

💫A milestone moment at the Ten Trinity Square Private Club: representing Travel Counsellors in the finals of The Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards for Customer Loyalty. 🤩Working alongside Steve Byrne and Suvi Riza to deliver our presentation was a true team effort and a HUGE shout out to Carolyn Lewis MCIPR ACIM and the PR team for epic levels of preparation. 🫶I was especially proud to represent my colleagues across the Digital Product team, highlighting the amazing work they do to go above and beyond for our TCs and customers. 🙌Regardless of the result, it was an honour to stand alongside our CEO and showcase the best of Travel Counsellors. 🤞 for the win!

I’ve just completed a course on Leveraging Organisational Power Dynamics as a Leader, and it really opened my eyes. What surprised me most was realising how many different forms of power exist in an organisation – especially the ones that don’t come from an official role or title. Looking back, I can see that as a Product Manager I’ve been using Referent Power without even realising it – empathising, encouraging, and influencing to keep teams moving towards shared goals. The course also showed me where I can grow – by building stronger relationships with others who hold different power bases, like Expert, Reward, or Legitimate Power. It offered practical tools for mapping organisational power structures, understanding where influence lies, and navigating negative power plays. For me, it was a reminder that leadership isn’t just about position – it’s about understanding people and how we work together. A great step in my own development, even before stepping formally into a leadership role.

“I didn’t think the tech session would be my thing… but it turned out to be my favourite session of the day.” That’s one of my favourite pieces of feedback from our monthly Anniversary Day events at Travel Counsellors — and one I hear time and time again. Every month, we invite a group of Travel Counsellors to Head Office to celebrate the anniversary of when they first joined TC. Whether it’s 1 year or 25, each group brings a unique mix of experience, energy and curiosity. It’s a brilliant day full of conversation, connection, and inspiration – including the chance to tour the office, appear on TCTV, chat with senior leaders over lunch, and hear from the teams behind the scenes. As a Digital Product Manager, I have the pleasure of co-hosting the Tech & Digital Product update. It’s a 90-minute session designed to bring Digital Product to life – and it usually goes something like this: * Introducing the Digital Product team – who we are and why the business needs us * The “Dangerous Animals” slide – always a crowd-pleaser, and a great way to spotlight the hidden behaviours that lurk in every organisation that can derail delivery without anyone noticing * A high-level view of the responsibilities of a Product Manager, from understanding the problem, through value and impact validation to prioritisation and delivery. * A showcase of the new features and enhancements we’ve delivered in the last 6 months * And a few exciting sneak peeks at what’s coming next on the roadmap (and usually accidentally letting slip about something big on the horizon) The best part for me? Watching the shift in the room. People arrive expecting this to be the driest session of the day – and leave saying it was the one they found most valuable. Even though the audience is a small section of our TC Community, each Anniversary Day is another chance to get closer to our customers, hear what matters to them, and build the kind of trust and understanding that makes everything we do better. 💡If you work in Product and rarely meet your users face-to-face… make the time. These sessions remind me how powerful it is to listen, explain, celebrate – and connect our work to the people it’s meant to serve. (Credit to Dean Peters for his fantastic, relatable work on "The Dangerous Animals of Product Management"). #productmanagement #traveltech #userfeedback #digitalproduct #techwithimpact #customerengagement

As a 15 year PM veteran, this post really hit home. I recently started mentoring a direct report who has career aspirations to become a PM. While they are already 100% capable of completing the tasks involved in being a PM, both of us have enjoyed discovering the soft skills and tough conversations that are required to be good at the job. He openly admits to underestimating the level of people management involved and I admit that I had no idea that I was doing them day to day....to me those skills came from lessons learned along the way. I love mentoring passionate colleagues who want to take that step into Product Management but I am always brutally honest about the emotional and mental toll it takes to balance people pleasing with good business sense. The mark of a great PM is to be able to walk out of a meeting having told your stakeholder "no" and they respect you even more for it.

A fascinating and important part of People Management to get the best out of your team. Very well structured and delivered by an engaging presenter. 

As someone who primarily works remotely, it's easy to fall into the comfort of homeworking. Being a step away from the kettle, fridge and hours of silence that means you don't notice that you've not left your desk all day. But it's posts like these that remind me of the power and value of those important office days. Networking, catching up, building relationships and making connections which not only make my soul sing, but play a part in their "good day" too. Making that 3 hour drive will always feel like a chore but a couple of days spent with colleagues and our Travel Counsellors is definitely worth it.

Just finished the course “Psychological Safety: Clear Blocks to Innovation, Collaboration, and Risk-Taking”! #openinnovation #emotionalintelligence #buildingtrust