Hard Problem Clubs

Hard Problem Clubs run in parallel to each other and to the session talks. While the three session talks happen one after the other on the main stage, all four Hard Problem Clubs run at the same time in separate locations. Each club is capped at 25 people and requires separate sign-up. No slides, no lectures - just a facilitator who knows the space and a room full of people wrestling with the same challenge.

Tobias Freudenreich: Product Operating Models: The Reality Check

Most product operating model transformations look better on paper than they feel in practice. Orgs redesign structures, rewrite role definitions, and announce the shift — then find themselves six months in with the same dysfunctions, just with new names. The gap between the model and the messy reality of people, incentives, and legacy habits is where most transformations quietly stall. In this session, Tobias Freudenreich brings together people in the middle of that journey — or about to start it — to share what's actually working, what isn't, and why.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freudenreich/

Natalia Williams: Executive Presentations: Why Good Work Doesn't Sell Itself

Many PMs assume that if the analysis is strong and the work is good, a senior management presentation will land. But executive audiences are not evaluating presentations the same way product teams do. In high-stakes moments like QBRs, OKR reviews, and strategic updates, PMs often overload on detail, answer the wrong question, miss the real decision at hand, or frame the story through the wrong lens. This session will explore the most common ways these presentations go wrong, why they go wrong, and how PMs can better communicate with executive audiences to drive clarity, confidence, and decisions.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliatwilliams/

Dorra Mlouhi: Sunsetting: The Strategic Art of Letting Go

Every product team gets better at building things. Far fewer get good at stopping. Sunsetting a feature or product feels like admitting failure — but done well, it's one of the sharpest strategic moves available: it frees resources, sharpens focus, and can actually strengthen customer trust. The hard part is knowing when, and how to do it without eroding the confidence you've built. Dorra Mlouhi, product leader at AWS, opens up the decision-making process — and the organizational dynamics that make it harder than it should be.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorramlouhi/

Heike Funk: Sunsetting: Building from Zero

TBA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heikefunk/