I enjoyed being a guest on Rupert McSheehy's / rmg digital podcast Fireside with Founders. It gave me an opportunity to talk about the intersection of technology and product, some recent work, and building effective teams.
If you listen to the podcast, you’ll hear the same thread that’s run through my career: systems thinking, outcomes over outputs, and treating the team and operating model as a product.
I’m increasingly convinced that great CPTO leadership in 2026 is less about being the heroic juggling problem-solver (which is still sometime the reality) and more about being an orchestrator and an integrator: aligning product, engineering, design, data, and stakeholders around clear outcomes, then building the operating model that enables teams to create value consistently.
Fireside with Founders & Leaders (Episode 6, Season 7)
In this episode of Fireside with Founders & Leaders, host Rupert McSheehy welcomes Rafe Blandford, a seasoned technology leader with a rich background in mobile strategy and product innovation.
Rafe shares his journey from the telco industry to leading teams at prominent agencies, shedding light on the importance of diversity and inclusion in building effective teams. The conversation delves into the impact of technology on society, the challenges of measuring outcomes, and the evolving role of technology leaders in the age of AI and digital transformation.
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Occasional pieces on product, technology and AI — and how they actually play out in practice.
