Micro-Interview: Aleksandra Petkova, PhD | Senior PM | Kythera Labs
💬"I make it a point to reconnect with my closest mentors and peers, both in and outside product roles, at least once or twice a year."
INTRO NOTE:
Aleksandra Petkova is a Senior Product Manager at Kythera Labs, driving the development of life science solutions through advanced multi-modal data integration and AI to accelerate deriving insights from complex healthcare data.
She is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
In under 500 words, she shares:
How she got into product management…
How she starts her mornings for maximum productivity…
Some of her sources of learning…
And more…
Enjoy!
“How did you get into product management?”
I discovered my interest in product management while working as a data scientist, building digital solutions for clinical trials. I was naturally drawn to cross-functional collaboration, aligning stakeholder priorities, and building scalable, reusable solutions. My background in psychology and technical experience made the transition to product management in healthcare data and AI a natural fit.
I am passionate about developing new technologies to accelerate the drug development lifecycle and improve the experience of patients living with complex diseases.
“How do you start your mornings at work?”
A cup of espresso and a walk with my dog! Once at my desk, I write a to-do list first. While priorities may shift during the day, I believe starting with clear intentions and prioritization keeps me focused. From there, I remain flexible—some mornings are meeting-heavy, and others are quieter.
Staying adaptable and avoiding rigid expectations about my schedule helps me manage my day more effectively.
“What do you know about product management now that you wish you’d known when you first started?”
Product management looks different depending on the company and product maturity. I have learned to appreciate and prioritize the product discovery phase to build a clear understanding of what problems are most essential to solve. Asking questions early, time-boxing activities, and iterating quickly is also vital.
Product managers wear many hats, so acting quickly and refining through feedback is essential.
Lastly, engaging with users, customers, and industry peers as early and often as possible helps validate assumptions and ideas.
“What did your biggest product failure teach you?”
It is important to pay attention to how cross-functional capacity is managed. Try to surface engineering, marketing, or other needs outside your team early and well ahead of roadmap milestones.
Anticipating and articulating future product development needs also forces you to think critically about what’s most important and allows you to leverage your colleagues' expertise and advice.
“What’s the #1 thing that has helped you shorten your product management learning curve?”
Continuous learning is at the product management core - an aspect of the role I love most. Asking a lot of questions, especially as a new product manager in a fast-paced company, has been my key to success. I am fortunate to work with talented technologists, strategists, and commercial experts, and I have learned to lean on their expertise and support to grow faster myself and to develop better products.
“How do you stay updated on the best practices in product management?”
I listen to podcasts like Lenny’s Podcast while walking.
I also make it a point to reconnect with my closest mentors and peers, both in and outside product roles, at least once or twice a year. These conversations provide fresh insights, advice, and new ideas for approaching certain challenges.