I came from computer science and UX research. Spent years getting close to users, mapping workflows, understanding what people actually needed versus what they said they needed. I loved that work. But I kept running into the same wall: the insight was there, and then it wouldn't translate into what got built.

So I did something about it. I built a centralised feedback system from scratch while I was still a researcher — designed the structure, drove adoption across product and engineering, and got 500 customer inputs shaping decisions within a year. That system made the case for my move into product management. Same company, different seat, a lot more ownership.