Product Management All-Star: 6 Questions With Christabelle Kozlik
We have the best job in the world — Aha! builds software for software builders. And we are connected with people you should know. The folks who are building what is next for customers around the world. So we are asking exceptional product managers who are shaping the future to share their knowledge with you.
Based in Bozeman, Montana, Christabelle Kozlik has six years of experience in product management. She is a senior product manager for the Consumer Credit Risk portfolio and a highly valued teammate at LexisNexis Risk Solutions.
When she is not leading product management, Christabelle enjoys spending time outdoors — skiing, mountain biking, backpacking, and rafting.
When did you learn product management existed?
"As part of my first job as a business intelligence analyst, I worked closely with the product management team to highlight pain points and help prioritize enhancements to address customer frustration. This partnership is where I discovered my passion for creative problem-solving and the gratification of capitalizing on efficiencies to optimize the customer experience."
What was your first product job?
"I started as an associate product manager with a company called Dodge Data & Analytics. I developed the strategy for the company’s first commercially available mobile application. I worked closely with design and development teams to deliver the application to market within 90 days. Over the next three years, I grew into the product portfolio manager, leading the transformation from point solutions to a single, integrated platform."
What is the most important trait for a product manager?
"Active listening! To continuously deliver value and delight customers with the right solution, it is critical to truly listen to customer needs and observe their pain points. Having a clear understanding of your customers, their workflows, and the market dynamics provides the insight needed to define an impactful product strategy and communicate the value of the solution in a way that resonates with customers."
What would you recommend a new product manager not do?
"Rather than just prioritizing the coolest features, it’s important for product managers to realize a significant part of their job is to drive focus. Focus on customers and their needs, focus on ensuring what value will be delivered, and focus on driving strategic fit. It’s critical for any product manager to realize they manage the company’s investment strategy — focusing on the right investments will drive customer and company value."
If product management had a slogan, what would it be?
"Let customers lead the way. Delivering truly valuable solutions stems from empathizing with your customers' needs, feeling their pain points, and having supporting data to ensure investment is optimized."
What will change most about managing products in 2030?
"I think product management will shift towards data-driven prioritization, integrated customer feedback loops, and AI-driven workflows. While this transformation is already underway, there are still many companies that need to modernize their product management practices to allow for investment decisions to be based on real-time data collection. This will enable product managers to make more informed decisions, pivot faster, and increase speed to market."
