Building the Community We Actually Need
An evening shaped by connection, curiosity, and shared experience
Before anything else, a huge thank you to Made by Many for hosting our first in-person CPO Connect event at their incredible office. We’re incredibly grateful to Tom, Rebecca, Johanna, Amy. Tallulah and the wider team for their warmth, openness, and support — it genuinely made a difference. You’ve truly set the bar for future events!
What followed was a night that captured exactly why this community exists.
Last night, we brought the CPO Connect community together in person for the first time — and it felt pretty special.
The evening was shaped by great people, honest conversations, and a shared desire to talk about real product leadership.
How This Community Started
Gregor kicked us off by talking about how CPO Connect began — as a simple job search council between peers.
It was clear in the group that even when you’re surrounded by people, there are very few spaces where you can speak openly about uncertainty, trade-offs, or the complexity of product at senior level.
That desire for real connection is what brought the group together — and it’s what shaped the evening.
Connection. Real Conversations.
Rather than turning the night into a traditional networking event, we kept things deliberately light-touch and Scott got us into smaller groups.
The question was simple: What do you actually want from this community?
The themes that came back were strikingly consistent:
Smaller groups over big rooms
Depth over surface-level conversation
Support with real challenges, not necessarily success stories
Spaces to think out loud with people who genuinely get it
Less panels. More peer groups. More honesty. This isn’t about being visible or vocal all the time. It’s about being intentional when you do engage.
One of the highlights of the evening was hearing from two members who have recently taken the leap to start their own businesses — a reminder that many people here are navigating real transitions, taking risks, and building something new.
What’s Next
Based on those conversations, here’s what we’re doing next:
Sharing our member directory, so we can finally put faces to WhatsApp names
Running smaller, more focused group sessions around shared challenges
Continuing to design events that prioritise connection, relevance, and contribution
Planning the next in-person gathering in March (details coming soon)
We’ll also be sharing photos from the night and following up with everyone who helped make it such a success.
More from Made by Many: Rogue Talks
During the evening, the Made by Many team shared a glimpse into their Rogue Talks series which focus on candid stories If you’d like to explore more, you can find Rogue Talks 👉 https://luma.com/user/madebymany
A Final Thank You
To everyone who showed up, contributed openly, and helped shape what this community becomes — thank you. The evening reinforced something important: when you put the right people in the room and remove the noise, something genuinely valuable happens.
More soon 💛
— The CPO Connect Founders
Erik, Glyn, Gokul, Gregor, James, Jessie, Sarah, Shiv, Scott
First of many meaningful events 🥰🥰🥰