#Market Trends
A common misconception Emma Macleod often hears about product management is that it’s essentially project management with a focus on writing requirements. But for Emma, the role is much more about deciding what should be built and, most importantly, why. Delivery matters, but it’s only one part of the picture.
So what does being a Product Manager on the go-to-market strategy side really look like? In this interview, Emma takes us behind the scenes of her role, from her day-to-day responsibilities to the growing impact of AI, and shares what drives her most: understanding real customer problems and turning them into solutions that are simple and intuitive to use. And beyond product management, we discover a more personal side of Emma through a community project that is particularly close to her heart.
You spent 12 years in financial services before moving into software. How did that journey lead you to product management?
My journey into product management has been quite unusual. I spent around eight or nine years as a financial advisor, then moved into anti-money laundering and compliance, and later worked independently. At one point, I was using portals from more than 70 banks and building societies across the UK, so I got a pretty good sense of what good looks like, and what doesn’t.
Five years ago, I joined SBS as a Product Consultant, and six months ago I stepped into the role of Product Manager for SBS Digital Core. What excites me most is the opportunity to shape change, rather than simply helping others adapt to it.
What does your role as a Product Manager actually involve?
I’m a Product Manager on the go-to-market strategy side, so my role is really about making sure our products are ready for the market. That means understanding what different markets need, from the UK to France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and translating those needs into requirements.
I also work on proposals and pricing. I also think a lot about how we communicate our products and make complex topics easier to understand, whether that’s through demos, podcasts or other content. So it’s quite a varied role, but ultimately it’s about making sure what we build fits the market and that people understand the value behind it.
Having worked on both sides, how does your banking experience influence the way you approach products today?
Getting it right for the customer is really important to me. Having worked in banking, I understand both the bank’s perspective and the end customer’s, and I know how frustrating poorly designed software can be. That experience helps me bring the customer perspective into product management. Rather than just explaining what we need to build, I try to bring to life why we’re building it and what it means for the customer.
For me, good software should feel intuitive. You shouldn’t need a lesson to understand how to use it.
Can you give me an example of how you’ve put that approach into practice?
One example that really stands out is a prototype I built for creating a mortgage product. UK mortgages can be incredibly complex, so I wanted to show how we could make the process much simpler. Instead of trying to explain the idea in a 20-page PowerPoint, I built a prototype with AI and took it directly to a customer. They could immediately see how it would work and give us feedback. For me, that was a real turning point. Being able to bring an idea to life and put it in front of a customer so quickly makes communication so much easier.
That prototype is also a good example of how you’re using AI in your role. More broadly, how is AI changing the way you work as a Product Manager?
AI really speeds things up, especially when it comes to research and gathering customer data. Things that used to take hours can now take minutes. But what I really enjoy is using AI to build prototypes. Instead of drawing out an idea in PowerPoint, I can quickly create something that brings the concept and the customer journey to life. It makes it much easier to explain the idea to engineering and the wider team. Also, taking the prototype directly to a customer to get their feedback before engineering starts building it means we can test the concept early, learn from the customer and then take it forward.
What excites you most about the potential AI has for banking and financial services?
Agentic AI is probably what excites me most. We’re moving from asking AI a question and getting an answer to AI actually being able to do things for you, and I think the potential is huge. At the same time, we need to make sure we stay in control, particularly when it comes to giving AI access to the right data in the right way. So for me, agentic AI is definitely the space to watch.
And how is AI already being used in SBS Digital Core?
In SBS Digital Core, we’re integrating the SBS AI assistant into our new data platform. It can help bring data together, create dashboards and automate recurring reports, so teams can quickly understand how products are performing and where action might be needed.
The real value is being able to turn that data into insights and respond more quickly. But I still think the human touch is essential. AI can give you the information, but you need people to interpret it, challenge it and make the right decisions.
Beyond AI, what do you see as the biggest challenge facing banks today?
Definitely legacy systems and technical debt. Many established banks are carrying decades of infrastructure, and replacing everything at once can be incredibly costly and risky. That’s why I think a more gradual approach makes sense. With SBS Digital Core being SaaS-ready and API-first, banks can modernise different parts of their infrastructure step by step rather than through one big transformation. Ultimately, banks need to modernise, but they also need to get it right. Customers have more choice today, so the impact of getting it wrong can be significant.
Looking back at your time at SBS, what achievement are you most proud of so far at SBS?
The migration of 90,000 accounts. It was a three-year project and a real team effort between SBS and the bank. We learned a lot along the way, through testing, documenting what worked and what didn’t, and making sure those lessons could be reused in future migrations. Seeing it through to the end was something I was really proud of.
What do you do when you’re not working?
I don’t really get to switch off, I have three children! So when I finish this job, I start my other one, which involves a lot of taxiing them from one place to another.
But something I’m really passionate about is a project I’ve recently started with a friend. We’re raising money to create a sensory room in our community for children with autism, giving them a space where they can regulate, calm down and take some time out. That’s a project that’s very close to my heart.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned that you’d pass on to someone starting out in product management?
Listen more than you talk. You can’t sit in a room and assume you know what people want. You need to talk to your customers, understand their pain points and listen to their real-life experiences. The best product decisions come from really listening rather than projecting your own opinions onto them. You don’t need to be the loudest voice in the room.