Cracking into Product Management:
AMA with Carnegie Mellon MS in Product Management Alumni

Hiloni is a Product Manager with experience working cross-functionally with technical roles (e.g., back-end and front-end engineers), business roles (e.g., marketing, finance, sales), designers, and UX researchers to bring products to life that eases user problems and brings them joy. As a Creative Entrepreneur (3 Profitable Companies), Podcaster, and Marketer with 7+ years of experience, she has built a career around one simple truth: to win and keep customers, you have to care about their problems genuinely.  She has worn many hats and successfully worked with cross-functional teams.Hiloni likes helping companies build value:
⁃ Built products working backwards from the customers
⁃ Used data to inform her decisions 
⁃ Understand the value of trade-offs. Long-term gains over quick wins 
Curiosity is her most significant asset, and art helps me recharge outside of work. She loves making acrylic paintings, resin art, or creating short videos. She is a meditator and a student of Vipassana. Hiloni enjoys meeting new people and gaining new perspectives. Always up for a good conversation, a good coffee, or both :)
​​​​​​​Hiloni graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s MS in Product Management program in 2022.

Laura Howard is a Product Manager at Tekion Corp in the San Francisco Bay Area.  She is passionate about using technology to improve the customer experience. She is a skilled and experienced product manager with a proven track record of success.  Before Tekion, she was a Product Manager at Ford Motor Company, where she led the product development of a new automotive fleet management platform. Before entering product management, Laura was a consultant with Infor and Capgemini.  Laura holds a BS in Agricultural Business from California Polytechnic State University, where she was a member of the university’s Women’s golf team.
Laura is a rising star in the product management field, and is a valuable asset to Tekion Corp and her team. She is a leader and communicator who is passionate about her work.  She is a creative, innovative thinker with a bright future ahead of her.
Laura graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s MS in Product Management program in 2020.

Mankirat Kaur Bajwa (MK) is a Product Manager 2 at Microsoft, where she has been working since 2021. She is responsible for leading the product growth for one of the product verticals of low-code platform. Before Microsoft, MK displayed leadership in her roles at The Home Depot and Swiggy, as well as exploring new product opportunities for PNC. MK has an impressive academic background.  Before CMU, MK earned a MBA from Chandigarh University. She also has a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Guru Nanak Dev University.
MK is a highly skilled and experienced product manager with a proven track record of success. She is passionate about using technology to solve real-world problems. She is also a strong leader and communicator.  She may have extremely impressive technical skills, but MK really shines when it comes to empathizing and relating to people.
MK is a valuable asset to Microsoft and her team. She is a highly skilled and experienced product manager with a proven track record of success.  
MK graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s MS in Product Management program in 2021.

Neha brings over a decade of experience in product management and strategy to her role. Currently employed as a Senior Product Manager for the AWS Audit Manager service, Neha focuses on simplifying the compliance professionals' experience, empowering them to navigate complex audits seamlessly in the cloud environment. Prior to her position at Amazon, Neha held a pivotal role at Bosch Siemens Home Appliances, Europe's largest manufacturer of home appliances, leading a diverse team of 70 professionals in spearheading the eCommerce product track from India. Together, they successfully developed and delivered innovative solutions that transformed the company's online presence in 55 countries. Neha also collaborated with Thyssenkrupp, a major steel manufacturer, to strengthen their online materials and metals business across Europe and North America, driving revenue growth through strategic partnerships. Beyond work, she is a trained martial artist with a black belt degree from Japan, and she passionately dedicates her free time to training women and children in self-defence techniques, empowering them to protect themselves.
Neha graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s MS in Product Management program in 2022.

MODERATOR: Brad’s mission is to guide people and align teams toward solving the right problem. Currently, Brad is the Executive Director of the MS in Product Management (MSPM) program. He’s been with Carnegie Mellon University and the MSPM program since 2019, initially as a teacher of HCI for Product Managers.  With a passion for coaching and building a problem-solving culture, Brad made the leap to join CMU full-time in late 2020.  In his current role, Brad directs all aspects of the program’s growth, features, quality, and continuous improvement. Brad has more than two decades of experience in product development and management roles, having held a variety of roles in a diverse array of corporate cultures. As a young engineer, he earned new product launch experience during his time with Toyota Motor Manufacturing. With the data-driven problem-solving foundation developed at Toyota, he moved into leadership roles in the semiconductor, electrical, and manufacturing industries.  In each of these roles, he established and aligned team-oriented cultures, implemented lean processes, and initiated new product development and launch strategies.