Product Management Club of Berkeley Haas

Beyond the Backlog

Business EN ↓ 4 episodes

Beyond the Backlog is brought to you by the Product Management Club at Berkeley Haas. Hosted by Kevin Astuhuaman and Devansh Pathak, this podcast explores the journeys of industry leaders and rising stars in product management and tech. Dive into candid conversations about breaking into product management, climbing the ranks, and navigating the challenges of building impactful products. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your journey, this podcast will inspire and equip you with actionable insights to go beyond the backlog.

Author

Product Management Club of Berkeley Haas

Episodes

Asif Masud - Director of PM, ServiceNow: From Analytics to AI Product Director 24.09.2025 59:46

In this episode of Beyond the Backlog, we are honored to host Asif Masud, Director of Product Management for AI Agents at ServiceNow. We explore his strategic transition from analytics consulting to leading AI product development, including the launch of Automation Discovery: a product recognized by ServiceNow's Chief Product Officer as a standout release. As a Berkeley Haas alum, Asif opens u...

Kim Ayers - From Social Impact to Product Ops Director: Building Product Success 16.09.2025 1:07:27

In this episode of Beyond the Backlog, we are honored to host Kim Ayers, Product Operations Director at DocuSign. We explore her thoughtful journey from Peace Corps volunteer to McKinsey consultant to becoming a Product Operations leader who has collaborated with 50+ product managers. Kim shares how she built DocuSign's beta testing program from scratch and successfully managed a challenging p...

Michelle Poon - Director PM, Zendesk: Pivoting and Finding Your Voice in Tech 05.04.2025 1:14:35

In this episode of Beyond the Backlog, we are honored to host Michelle Poon, Director of Product Management at Zendesk. We explore her bold transition from nonprofit tech, to leading fraud detection at Adobe and now into her current role at Zendesk where she leads critical cloud operations with 140 engineers, driving FinOps, and developer experience. As a Berkeley Haas alum, Michelle sits with Ber...

Sparsh Agarwal - From Software Engineer to Director of Product: Breaking Into PM 03.03.2025 1:23:10

Join Beyond the Backlog as we dive into Sparsh Agarwal’s inspiring journey from software engineering to becoming a Director of Product Management. In this episode, Sparsh shares his unique path to breaking into product management, the key lessons he’s learned along the way, and actionable insights for aspiring product leaders. Whether you’re starting your career in tech or aiming to transition int...