Business Strategy

We are finally coming back to the capital! Join GitHub Engineers **Marco Celon** and **Vic Perdana** as they demonstrate how to harness your workflow and explore how developers boost productivity with AI, reduce friction, and accelerate innovation, all while keeping control and quality in your hands. **Agenda** 5:30 - Pizza and networking 6:00 - Talk 6:40 - AMA 7:00 - Finish Please make sure to register for the event as we need to provide contact details to Microsoft for security purposes. Registration will close 48 hours prior to the event to provide enough time to send out the access passes for in-person attendees, but you can [join online](https://aka.ms/aotearoanzgithub/stream) on the day. If you have a topic you'd like to present (or hear about) please reach out, or create an idea in our [GitHub Ideas discussion board](https://github.com/orgs/NZ-GitHub-UG/discussions/categories/ideas).

We're back for 2026! Are you wondering what an 'AI Product Manager' actually does? Continuing our theme of real world AI product stories, come to hear from 5 amazing One NZ product people, some of whom have this title... One NZ has one of the largest and broadest AI transformation programmes in NZ spanning all areas of its business - from finance to customer service to software engineering to back office processing. With almost 50 new AI solutions launched in the 2025, they are learning at a rapid pace what it takes to build and run AI. The speakers will share the learnings, gotchas and wins. They're all using AI in their own work and teams so along with learning how to build and run AI they are also learning how to work with AI - it's been a HUGE change! **Natalie Burrows, AI Transformation Programme Director** Nat will share an overview of the AI Transformation Programme across One NZ - the mission, the mandate, and operating model. **Steph Randell, Senior AI Product Manager** Steph will share her learnings from developing & scaling our AI Concierge for 1 million+ mass market customers and what's different about managing AI products. **Kavita Nandha, AI Product Manager** Kavita will share her learnings from developing, scaling our suite of AI agents for all enterprise & business customers and co-creating agentic B2B experiences. **Ethan Li, AI Product Chapter Lead** Ethan will share his workbench for AI product management and experimenting with blending product & engineering crafts. **Neeharika Chowdhary, GM AI Product & Value** Neeharika will share her perspectives about the future of product management and learnings from scaling AI products & experiences across CX, AX, & EX. Huge thanks to One NZ for hosting and sponsoring this event! You can join the livestream on Youtube here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOwQXB8rd9A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOwQXB8rd9A). As always the livestream will kick off from just before 6pm. And please take a moment to fill out the ProductTank Auckland 2026 topic survey! We'd love to hear what topics you'd like to see at an event this year. Click here for the survey: [https://forms.gle/dNUKUf6bDaoTApJz5](https://forms.gle/dNUKUf6bDaoTApJz5) Note that as part of the signup process for this event you'll be asked to agree to a Mind the Product waiver. Mind the Product is the global parent organisation of ProductTank Meetups around the world and this waiver ensures that we can safely bring these events to you free of charge! If you have any questions please message one of the event organisers.

We are finally coming back to the capital! Join GitHub Engineers **Marco Celon** and **Vic Perdana** as they demonstrate how to harness your workflow and explore how developers boost productivity with AI, reduce friction, and accelerate innovation, all while keeping control and quality in your hands. **Agenda** 5:30 - Pizza and networking 6:00 - Talk 6:40 - AMA 7:00 - Finish Please make sure to register for the event as we need to provide contact details to Microsoft for security purposes. Registration will close 48 hours prior to the event to provide enough time to send out the access passes for in-person attendees, but you can [join online](https://aka.ms/aotearoanzgithub/stream) on the day. If you have a topic you'd like to present (or hear about) please reach out, or create an idea in our [GitHub Ideas discussion board](https://github.com/orgs/NZ-GitHub-UG/discussions/categories/ideas).

We're back for 2026! Are you wondering what an 'AI Product Manager' actually does? Continuing our theme of real world AI product stories, come to hear from 5 amazing One NZ product people, some of whom have this title... One NZ has one of the largest and broadest AI transformation programmes in NZ spanning all areas of its business - from finance to customer service to software engineering to back office processing. With almost 50 new AI solutions launched in the 2025, they are learning at a rapid pace what it takes to build and run AI. The speakers will share the learnings, gotchas and wins. They're all using AI in their own work and teams so along with learning how to build and run AI they are also learning how to work with AI - it's been a HUGE change! **Natalie Burrows, AI Transformation Programme Director** Nat will share an overview of the AI Transformation Programme across One NZ - the mission, the mandate, and operating model. **Steph Randell, Senior AI Product Manager** Steph will share her learnings from developing & scaling our AI Concierge for 1 million+ mass market customers and what's different about managing AI products. **Kavita Nandha, AI Product Manager** Kavita will share her learnings from developing, scaling our suite of AI agents for all enterprise & business customers and co-creating agentic B2B experiences. **Ethan Li, AI Product Chapter Lead** Ethan will share his workbench for AI product management and experimenting with blending product & engineering crafts. **Neeharika Chowdhary, GM AI Product & Value** Neeharika will share her perspectives about the future of product management and learnings from scaling AI products & experiences across CX, AX, & EX. Huge thanks to One NZ for hosting and sponsoring this event! You can join the livestream on Youtube here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOwQXB8rd9A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOwQXB8rd9A). As always the livestream will kick off from just before 6pm. And please take a moment to fill out the ProductTank Auckland 2026 topic survey! We'd love to hear what topics you'd like to see at an event this year. Click here for the survey: [https://forms.gle/dNUKUf6bDaoTApJz5](https://forms.gle/dNUKUf6bDaoTApJz5) Note that as part of the signup process for this event you'll be asked to agree to a Mind the Product waiver. Mind the Product is the global parent organisation of ProductTank Meetups around the world and this waiver ensures that we can safely bring these events to you free of charge! If you have any questions please message one of the event organisers.

Bring your business cards and network in person with other business professionals! Gold Star Referral Clubs is one of the most established professional networking organizations in the country, with multiple groups in central Ohio. Join us!

**Confidence in Bloom: How Creativity Builds Confidence** What happens when creativity becomes an intentional practice? In this month’s Confidence Lab, we’ll gather at **Petals That Inspire: The Flourish Studio** for an evening exploring the connection between creativity and confidence. How making with our hands, engaging our senses, and allowing space for expression can shift how we see ourselves and what we believe is possible. Our featured speaker, **Amanda Lorenzetti**, owner of Petals That Inspire, will share how creativity has shaped her own confidence journey and why creative environments play such a powerful role in well-being, resilience, and personal growth. Drawing from her work leading an experience-driven floral studio and a community-centered workforce development program, Amanda will reflect on creativity as both a personal and collective catalyst. Amanda will also guide us through a **hands-on floral design experience**, creating a fresh arrangement in a wide mouth mason jar. No prior floral experience is needed, just curiosity and a willingness to engage the process. This evening is an invitation to slow down, create, and reconnect with the part of yourself that grows through care, attention, and imagination. You’ll leave with a floral arrangement to take home, and a deeper understanding of how confidence can be cultivated through creative practices. **Featured Speaker: Amanda Lorenzetti** Amanda Lorenzetti is the owner and founder of [Petals That Inspire](https://www.petalsthatinspire.com/) and The Flourish Studio, a social enterprise florist based in Columbus, Ohio. She brings more than a decade of experience in wedding and event sales, paired with hands-on expertise in floral and event design. Amanda’s connection to the floral industry began early, spending time alongside her godmother, a professional florist on the East Coast. After earning her business degree, she returned to her hometown in Connecticut to work as a floral and event designer, blending creative artistry with strong operational and client-focused skills. In 2020, Amanda returned to the floral industry with a renewed purpose, driven by a desire to build a business rooted in creativity, community impact, and sustainability. During this pivotal time, she founded Petals That Inspire—an innovative floral concept that reimagines the traditional florist model by combining event florals, workshops, and experiential offerings with a mission-centered approach to workforce development. Today, Petals That Inspire is a thriving social enterprise known for its thoughtful design, educational experiences, and commitment to empowering young adults facing barriers to entry in the workforce. Amanda is deeply passionate about building businesses that are both profitable and purpose-driven, and she leverages her strong business acumen to create a scalable & sustainable model that inspires creativity while giving back to the community. **What is Confidence Lab?** Confidence Lab is a monthly community experience for bold, thoughtful leaders building confidence from the inside out. Whether you’re launching a business, leading a team, navigating change, or simply striving to show up more fully—you belong here. Our work demands clarity, courage, and conviction—but the pace of daily life can erode our sense of self. Confidence Lab creates space to reflect, reconnect, and grow with others doing purpose-driven work. It’s designed for entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, creatives, corporate professionals, activists, and anyone ready to lead with authenticity and impact. ***Please note:*** *All are welcome! If cost is a concern, please use promo code PUBLIC to access a free ticket—we want you to join us.*

Join other experienced and aspiring agile coaches and professionals to: * develop and practice your coaching skills in a peer-to-peer environment * share current successes and challenges in your work environment and get support from each other * learn from each other, build better relationships and experiment with new ideas

Connected Westerville Night of Networking flips the script on networking, with surprises and connections that'll make you say, "Who knew networking could be this much fun?!"

Join us and work remotely together with like-minded UX folks. This is a last minute opportunity to get out at one of our favorites, [Junto](https://thejuntohotel.com/)! Plenty of seating is available in addition to a connected coffee shop and restaurant. I will be there 10-12 for sure, maybe longer. Feel free to come and go anytime during the day, and don't forget your charger and headphones!