In this Accredian Spotlight interview, we feature Sawan Tandon, a Product Manager with over 10+ years of experience. He is currently associated with Bajaj Capital Insurance Broking Limited. His insatiable quest for knowledge and upskilling led him to enrol in the Global Certificate in Product Management at Accredian.
Question 1: Which program & batch are you part of at Accredian & tell us more about your current work profile? *
Sawan: I am a part of the GCPM program, September batch.
I have been serving in the insurance industry for a long time. My inclination is more towards the General insurance stream. It is very interesting to me as it helps me explore as per the upcoming demands and therefore raise new requirements every day.
I am currently working with Bajaj Capital Insurance Broking Limited as a Senior Product Manager for General Insurance in the East region.
Question 2: Walk us through your career journey & what got you interested in Product Management?
Sawan: My career has been very challenging for many years initially.
I started as an advisor in insurance and started marking the new products of the private insurance companies.
It was challenging to convince and gain the confidence of a large group of people, as the people were more inclined towards their previous advisors and the PSU insurance company.
I moved to this job role later and then led a team of advisors, I used my expertise and gained good business with my service retention power.
Now with a regular knowledge enhancement, I now get to lead a larger team and guide them all in all avenues of general insurance with Bajaj Capital Insurance Broking since 2018.
My interest towards Product Management rise to enhance my expertise to learn and implement other new ways to improve myself for meeting the new expectations for the new generation and Digital India.
Question 3: What all Product Management concepts, frameworks & tools have you mastered in your program at Accredian so far?
Sawan: Product management till now has helped me to understand the need of the customer, do the required research to share the best product for the customer’s need and get the required feedback .
This all helps in meeting the client with the products as per their requirements and also helps me in retaining their confidence for the future as well.
Question 4: What are some of the initial challenges when you got started on your Product Management journey and how did you overcome it?
Sawan: On this journey the initial challenge was the decision to start with this as the cost was also a factor to make it during these tough times, but once I thought of the benefit, I planned accordingly.
I attended the classes with the utmost positive attitude, so I have tried to understand its importance.
Question 5: Who is your favourite faculty at Accredian and what did you learn from them the most? *
Sawan:Prahlad Modi is my favourite. He has taken a great effort to share and explain
- The content or rather the Road map
- The market fit importance of the product
- The learning from the failure of the earlier launched product
- The Do’s and the Don’ts while planning the product research
Question 6: In your view, What is the goal of product management & how has it evolved in the last few years?
Sawan: Well product management as the word says, is the management of the product in such a manner that it meets the needs of the consumer. Implementing the regular updates and changes as per the need of the competition market is important.
With the introduction of mobiles, good internet speed, the trend of the product is currently moving at a very fast pace. People are more creative and there are many younger entrepreneurs which is creating a great economy.
Question 7: What are the current trends in Product Management that you are most excited about?
Sawan: The new and ongoing android applications across the industry is something that I am very excited. The new trend of digitization and the ease to improve on our work brings me excitement .
The innovations in new products and services in India opened my eyes to see the business on a much larger scale.
Question 8: Which are some of the Product Management blogs, podcasts, communities, & channels that you follow?
Sawan: I follow:
- Insurance community
- News article on the health industry
Question 9: Please tell how your journey has been with Accredian so far and what are the elements that you liked.
I have come to know about quite many new things, so the journey has been good.
Question 10: What is your advice to anyone wanting to start a career in Product Management?
Sawan: Yes, any person can opt for this Product Management. This is for someone who is willing to be in the competitive market. The person willing to understand the correct market and the product for him/her to drive can help in bringing creativity within yourself on a broader note. So nevertheless enhancing your knowledge is always good.
Hope you enjoyed reading this interview. If you want to read more such interesting student stories, check out Accredian Spotlight.
