After spending years leading product organizations, Merel made the transition from Chief Product Officer to CEO in just nine months — shifting from owning product strategy to leading the entire business. In this candid fireside conversation, she’ll share what changes when product leaders step into broader business leadership roles, from decision-making and prioritisation to commercial accountability and organizational alignment. Together, we’ll explore how product thinking shapes modern leadership, what product leaders often underestimate about the CEO role, and why customer-centricity becomes even more critical at company scale. Along the way, the discussion will touch on transforming high-touch business models into scalable high-tech experiences, balancing the needs of buyers and end users, and how AI is reshaping operational efficiency and growth.