The Power of Problem Solving: Reshma Iyer Shares Her Journey as a Product Marketing Leader
“Naysayers are in abundance, problem solvers too few — roll up the sleeves and get to working through the problem.” Today’s woman dreamer, Reshma Iyer is a San Francisco based product marketing leader with a passion for helping brands deliver exceptional Search and Discovery experiences for their customers. In her inspiring interview with Women Who Win, Reshma shares her career journey, the skills she felt were essential to her success and the future e-commerce trends she is most excited about. Check out her story!
1. Tell us your story. You are based in San Francisco Bay Area, and are passionate about tech enabling change and building communities. Tell us more about your journey and the lessons you learned along the way.
I’ve been in the Bay Area for 10+ years and continue to be awestruck by the wide spectrum of problems tech is trying to solve or the opportunities to tap in to. Here, no idea is a bad one. Yes, some don’t monetize to the desired extent but its fascinating to see how technology can intersect pretty much every vertical. My career started as a generalist in Marketing for consulting. With the advent of Saas, curiosity nudged me to explore sub domains like content marketing and customer marketing. Eventually, I made my way to product marketing, I knew I had hit my sweet spot!
Over the course of my career and through different technologies and platforms, I have seen communities form — be it mothers in tech, parents who travel with kids, neighborhood communities or first time entrepreneurs. I have also see technology bring together function oriented communities like developers who love to code in a specific language, practitioners of marketing ops and product marketers solving common challenges.
2. You are a Product Marketing Leader, with experience at Algolia, Shopify, and Meta. What inspired your interest in product marketing and e-commerce? What excites you most about the work you do?
Product marketers can often be called ‘problem solvers’, for good reasons. This role has the advantage of sitting at the crossroads where many other functions meet. It gives me the opportunity to play quarterback and lead especially when the problems are opaque. Yes, communication, messaging and the ability to simplify and parse through product attributes etc. are important but, the skillsets to solve the intangible sets apart a good product marketer from an excellent one. I thrive on investigating and unpacking to be able to get to the root of something and then work back up or create alignment to set on a path towards a solution.
Ecommerce is still very much at the start of the rollercoaster. The technology to support it is no longer nascent but adoption still has some ways to go. I am driven by digital disruption and opportunities for transformation which equals to making the overall state of something better.
3. What are the skills you believe were essential to your career success? And what is your advice to young women professionals?
Curiosity and willingness to solve the problem are at the top. Being curious not just about my scope but also more deeply understanding the business landscape, the company’s investments and future direction are important to have relevant conversations across the company and be perceived as a valuable asset. Naysayers are in abundance, problem solvers too few — roll up the sleeves and get to working through the problem. Raise your hand when you see an opportunity that’s up for grabs. Having said all of that, stand your ground when needed, challenge something that does not seem right, speak up — all of this can be done with grace and executive presence.
4. As we think about the future of e-commerce, what are some of the industry trends /disruptors you are excited about? And why do you think it is important to get more women in e-commerce/technology?
Technology continues to disrupt this space and investment will continue which leads to more innovation. I am most bullish about the balance between a personalized experience and overwhelming targeting - this balance is becoming more of a possibility. Equally, I am keenly observing the role of physical stores and how they complement the ecommerce strategy. It’s no longer ‘either’ ‘or’. It’s ‘and’. Women bring in the consumer mindset — I have noticed that we are able to more easily step into the shoes of the buyer and think about solutions as it would appeal to them. The ability to bring in an expanded canvas is critical, more women in ecommerce would definitely help that cause.
5. You are certainly a busy woman. What is your favorite hobby or interest, and how do you relax and unwind outside of work?
I’ve been learning to play the piano for the last year which I picked up as a challenge to learn something new. I also enjoy reading, coloring and playing with my girls!
Thank you Reshma for sharing your journey with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
Bio: Reshma Iyer heads Product Marketing for ecommerce at Algolia. She is focused on helping brands deliver exceptional Search and Discovery experiences for their customers. Through her journey in the technology landscape, her sweet spot has been to straddle the world of product and marketing to land the right message with the right audience. She is equally passionate about engaging with tech and business personas. Reshma lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two daughters who make everyday vibrant.