My path to product management

My passion for product management and manufacturing began at a young age through a personal hobby. I was fascinated by the story of Corradino D'Ascanio, an engineer who, in post-war Italy in 1946, was tasked by Enrico Piaggio to develop a new kind of motorcycle. The vehicle had to meet several specific requirements:

• It needed to be easy to handle for commuting, addressing Italy’s urgent need for mobility during its rebuilding efforts.

• It had to be accessible to both men and women—even a priest in a cassock should be able to ride it comfortably. At the time, cars were unaffordable, and traditional motorcycles were impractical for people wearing long skirts.

• Tire changes had to be simple, and the vehicle needed to carry a spare due to poor road conditions and frequent flats.

• The engine had to produce minimal vibration and require little maintenance.

D'Ascanio applied his aerospace engineering expertise to create a radically new design that met all these criteria. The result was the “Vespa” scooter—a product and a brand that became an international success and a symbol of post-war innovation.

As a young manufacturing technician, I was also a Vespa enthusiast. I studied every catalog and book I could find, progressing from learning to ride, to restoring, tuning and fabricating parts for various models to make them better or faster. This hands-on experience shaped my approach to product management in my career: I always want to understand why a feature exists and what use case it serves. I value both incremental improvements and disruptive innovation of any product.

My career has taken me through various industries—from machine and system technology at Kvaerner and Siemens Automation, to rail safety devices at Siemens Transportation, then to hydraulic lifting and moving equipment, and finally to cable management and connectivity solutions. In each role, I’ve brought the same curiosity and attention to detail. I take pride in deeply understanding the products I work with—often more than most—because I have an insatiable appetite for the nuances others might overlook.

At Green River Technology, I empower companies to build and promote exceptional products. By drawing on deep experience in product management, marketing, and engineering, I help teams to build the same passion and achieve meaningful results. I truly believe that customers want to buy from companies that are excited about their products and provide a strong value proposition to their customers.