Asya's journey to Product Management

Before joining Wise, I spent over 10 years in business and product, including roles in strategy consulting and building startups. Most recently, I was the Head of Product at a leading tech company in Eastern Europe, where I developed a platform to help people learn English. I have a passion for disrupting industries, and this combined with my background in corporate finance, led me to join Wise.

My background and passion for solving real customer problems made it clear that Wise and I were a great culture fit from the start. The interview process flew by—I completed it in just five days—and Wise went above and beyond to support my relocation to London. Now, 2.5 years later, I’m still excited to be part of this journey.

Coming from a startup background, I was initially concerned about joining a larger company like Wise, given its extensive product functions and scale. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Wise empowers product managers, with substantial responsibility and ownership over product decisions.

In my experience, I’ve never come across a company as deeply mission-led as Wise. Even as we scale, we stay truly connected to our purpose of bringing real value to customers. Everything we do ties back to that mission. It’s something I personally resonate with, and it’s incredible to see how it empowers teams to work with high autonomy, confidently making decisions inspired by our shared goals. I find it especially motivating how engaged our leadership is - Kristo (CEO), Harsh (CTO), and Nilan (CPO) still actively engage with each team's plan through our quarterly Squad Days and planning sessions.

In terms of growth, we’re experiencing rapid expansion, launching new products and services. What’s exciting is that we’re not just creating global solutions but also tailoring them to meet regional needs. For example, we're currently rolling out releases specific to Brazil, addressing the unique needs of customers in different markets. The combination of a global reach with localised impact makes the work incredibly rewarding.

I’d describe it as unique—it’s highly collaborative, hands-on, and focused on customer feedback. Despite having leads and management, the structure feels flat—leads are there to support, not dictate, which allows teams to make decisions quickly and independently. We’re empowered to own our work, and if we can justify our decisions with solid data and customer insights, we have the freedom to move forward.

What really sets Wise apart is how close we are to our customers. We’re constantly engaging with them—through interviews, surveys, and tracking feedback—and this directly influences our product decisions. We also hold what we call the 'Customer Challenge' - where our Product and Engineering teams sit side-by-side with our customer-facing agents as they handle customer calls and emails in real time. It gives us the chance to gain firsthand insight into the challenges our customers experience.

One of the recent insights I gathered from customers was that many come to Wise with a specific purpose in mind - like travelling abroad or sending money to another country. They shared that having a step-by-step guide tailored to their needs would make it easier for them to understand and use Wise effectively. Based on their feedback, I’m now revamping our landing pages to meet their needs and provide the right information in a way that resonates with them.

How do Product Managers work at Wise?

My team’s focus is on empowering customers to recommend Wise to others. This is a major growth driver for us, with about 70% of new customers coming through word of mouth. Despite the domain being so crucial and a huge responsibility, I’m trusted to own it entirely, which makes the work both challenging and rewarding.

What’s great is that if I believe solving a customer problem requires building a solution beyond my domain, I can align with other teams and proactively take action to deliver a solution across domains. This reflects Wise’s culture, where we’re encouraged to focus on the bigger picture and do what’s best for the company and its mission, not just our individual goals.

What advice would you give to someone looking to move into Product Management at Wise?

My advice is to stay open to feedback and be proactive about learning. We have a strong feedback culture here, where you're encouraged to ask questions and build relationships across teams to get things done. Being open helps you improve and adapt quickly in a fast-paced environment. The people who thrive here are smart, driven, and eager to solve complex problems, take ownership, and go the extra mile. 

To thrive at Wise, you need to be deeply customer-centric, driven by our mission, and genuinely inspired to deliver value to customers worldwide in the fastest way possible. We’re here to solve real problems and create meaningful improvements for our customers, focusing on what truly matters to them.