Why I Chose an EMBA in Product Leadership?
- blogs, product management
- 4 min read
Authors: Pratheek Malleshappa – Founder – Demand Generation and ABM Consultant at Nutureloop
After close to 12 years in the industry, I have reached a point where I want to build on my experience and move towards a role that combines product management, growth, and revenue.
My professional journey so far has been focused on demand generation and account-based marketing. I have helped companies find the right product in the market and connect it with the right opportunities. That experience has given me a strong foundation, but it has also shaped what I want to do next.
For years, I have helped products get found. Now, I want to create a product that genuinely deserves to be found.
Moving From Market Discovery to Product Creation
My experience in demand generation and account-based marketing has kept me closely connected to products and markets. However, my next career goal is not limited to helping organizations take their products to market.
I want to become more closely involved in the product management space.
Over the next year, I would love to move into a role that brings together growth and revenue while remaining aligned with product management. These areas are closely connected to the work I have already been doing, which makes this a meaningful direction for my professional journey.
I am not moving away from my existing skills. Instead, I want to understand how I can use them in a broader role and contribute to organizations through a combination of product thinking, growth, and revenue responsibilities.
Why I Decided to Upskill
Moving into a product management role requires me to expand my current capabilities. This is why upskilling is an important part of my next step.
I chose the Executive MBA program at the Institute of Product Leadership because I wanted to prepare myself for this transition while learning how to apply my professional experience in a product-focused environment.
My goal is to examine the skills I have developed over the years and understand how they can be used more effectively within organizations. The program gives me an opportunity to learn while staying connected to the career direction I want to pursue.
The Value of AI-Led Skill Building
One of the two aspects that attracted me to the program was its focus on AI-led skill building.
As I prepare for a role connected to product management, I want my learning experience to include skills that are relevant to the way professional roles are evolving. The AI-led approach was therefore an important factor in my decision.
For me, this is part of the broader upskilling process. It supports my aim of developing beyond my current responsibilities and preparing for a role that combines multiple business areas.
Learning Through a Diverse Professional Network
The second aspect that stood out to me was networking.
The cohort includes professionals from different industries and with different levels of experience. That variety creates opportunities to learn from people whose professional journeys may be very different from mine.
Learning is not limited to the formal program. There is also a great deal to learn from conversations within the cohort and from the mentors. The range of industries and experience levels means that each person can bring a different perspective to the learning environment.
This combination of AI-led skill building, peer learning, and mentorship made the program relevant to what I want from the next stage of my career.
A Different Side of My Journey
Outside my professional life, I have been training horses for the last 20 years. I currently pursue show jumping and endurance.
It is a lesser-known part of who I am, but it has remained a long-term interest alongside my career.
Creating a Product That Deserves to Be Found
My career so far has been about helping companies find the right product in the market. My aspiration now is to move closer to product creation and product management.
I want to use my experience in demand generation and account-based marketing while preparing for a role that combines growth, revenue, and product management. Through upskilling, networking, and learning from mentors and peers, I am taking the next step towards that goal.
The direction is clear: I want to move from helping products get discovered to contributing to products that deserve to be discovered.
