Product Leadership when the Team, the Roadmap, and the CEO Disappear

Product Leadership when the Team, the Roadmap, and the CEO Disappear

Building a product is hard, but leading a business through the collapse of its strategic mission is a different game entirely. Over the last four years at SnapScan, Fran has navigated a radical transformation: from scaling a high-energy hardware team to leading a skeleton crew through a 180-degree strategic pivot after the loss of a CEO, core funding, and a primary product line. This isn't just a story of grit; it’s a deep look at how to stop solving "comfortable" product problems and start tackling existential business ones.

Join us for an unfiltered perspective on the "Hard Path" of product leadership. Fran will share the lessons discovered in the trenches—from managing the corporate partners, to self-funding a pivot by optimising existing assets. Finally, we’ll discuss the internal audit required to maintain the mental headspace and authentic motivation needed to drive a team forward through a period of radical change.

About the Speaker
Fran Thring is the Head of Product at SnapScan, where she leads product development and strategy for one of Cape Town’s favoured payment platforms. Recently stepping up into the executive team to lead the organisation, Fran excels at bridging the gap between high-level market opportunities and the grit of everyday business decisions and execution.

With a career rooted in research, critical thinking, and UX design, Fran combines creative problem-solving with a deep understanding of human behaviour - a perspective she sharpened while earning her Master’s in Applied Psychology. She is a natural at evaluating complex data to build robust fintech strategies, though she’s just as likely to be found building a positive team culture through the career strategy and feedback frameworks she’s created.

Fran brings a formidable zest for life to everything she does. Before diving into the world of product, she spent the first five years of her career traveling the globe. These days, when she isn’t learning everything she can get her hands on, you’ll find her trail running, rock climbing, or lost in a good book. She is dedicated to building products that aren’t just functional, but resonate deeply with the people who use them.

Sponsored by: NedRock and Workshop17 Watershed