Product leader and business consultant
Elle Anderson.
I lead global multidisciplinary product teams to create astonishing, award-winning digital products. A committed scientist in testing value propositions and improving customer experience, I am known for breathing new life into companies with technology enablement and change management at the core.
What Senior Colleagues Say
“One of the most rewarding and educational collaborations of my career. Elle is truly an outstanding practitioner, and her consultative approach means everyone knows what ‘done’ means.”
“A fantastic product professional. She brings a wealth of experience across a wide range of subject matters. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working together and hope to continue.”
“Imagine the room, starting the day wondering why they’re even there. Ending the day engaged and collaborating with other teams, building and iterating prototypes together with engineers, designers and other leaders. 100% convinced this had a hugely positive impact.”
For the better part of two decades I’ve led product teams for large organisations, most often as an interim Head or VP of Product. I’ve been fortunate to work on a few things people seem to have liked, among them award-winning apps and online experiences for Domino's Pizza, The LEGO Group and Capital One. On the strength of that work, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, was kind enough to make me a Fellow in 2023.
I’m a committed scientist and a skilled facilitator. I do my best work in service of inherently talented people who are, quite sincerely, smarter than I am. My job is to give them what they need to thrive: a clear problem, honest evidence, room to think and a leader who clears the way for them. That’s how the teams I’ve led have breathed new life into the companies we served.
I’m a seasoned transformation leader. For two decades I’ve delivered tailored solutions for enterprise companies through each wave of change. That began with the first digital shift onto the web, followed by back-office simplification and automation. I then helped companies reimagine how they attract, engage and transact with their customers through web and app development. Along the way came clever innovations in machine learning, from visual AI to algorithmic tools. Today it’s generative AI and the scaled automation of repetitive tasks and knowledge work.
Anderson & Co
How I Might Help.
Board services, product and company strategy, and growth consulting for enterprise businesses, startups and government. Alongside that, a portfolio of services centred on product leadership: mentoring, coaching and training. And for family-run and privately owned businesses, practical help sized to the business you’ve built.
Advice at Board Level on Product, Technology and Growth
Non-executive and advisory support for boards and executive teams who would like an experienced product leader in the room.
Book a Consultation Product and company strategyRethink the Value Proposition and Position It for Long-Term Growth
Strategy work for enterprise businesses, startups and government, from the customer problem to the commercial model.
Discuss Your Strategy Growth consultingReposition How You Attract, Engage and Transact with Customers
For established companies whose product offering needs renewing, and whose customer journeys need to work harder.
Talk About Growth Product operating modelAssess and Redesign How Product and Technology Work Together
Product model assessments, decision rights, funding and business architecture, with artificial intelligence taken into account.
About the Operating Model Work Product OperationsEstablish the Function That Gives Your Teams Evidence and Rhythm
Standing up or maturing Product Operations in proportion to the size of the product function.
About Product Operations Interim and fractional leadershipA Seasoned Head or VP of Product, in Post
Interim or fractional product leadership with accountability for the roadmap, the function and the outcomes.
Book a Consultation TrainingPrivate In-House Training for Product People
Training designed for your organisation and built on your own product artefacts, with an AI coach alongside your team between sessions.
About the Training Executive coachingOne-to-One Coaching for Product and Technology Leaders
For Chief Product Officers, Chief Technology Officers and those preparing to become them. ICF trained.
About the Coaching Speaking and facilitationKeynotes, Offsites and Workshops
Talks on product leadership, lean and agile practice and building in the age of AI agents, and strategy days designed end to end.
Invite Me to Speak Small business consultingPractical Help to Grow the Business You’ve Built
For small business owners who want a sharper offer, customer journeys that convert and sensible use of digital tools and AI.
Talk About Your Business Coaching for owners and foundersA Thinking Partner for the Person Running the Business
Three one-hour sessions for £360 to get clear on what matters, try a first step and leave with a plan you can keep using. It starts with a free 15-minute consult.
About the Coaching Workshops for small teamsA Half Day That Leaves Your Team with a Plan
Strategy, customer journey and story mapping workshops for small teams, in person or online, with a visual record to take away.
Plan a Workshop
On artificial intelligence
A Few Things I Have Come to Believe, Having Worked with Machine Learning Since 2017.
The Model Is One Ingredient Among Many.
Most of the work in a successful AI product lies in what happens when the model is uncertain or wrong, and in what the customer is able to do next.
You Can Design for Trust.
Accuracy as a customer experiences it, weighted by the cost of a wrong answer, is a more useful measure than accuracy on a test set, and it is one a product team can own.
The Operating Model Tends to Move Before the Organisation Chart.
Discovery becomes faster and cheaper, so decision rights, funding and cadence feel the change first. It is worth attending to those before redrawing the structure.
The Best Test of an Initiative Is to Describe It Without the Technology.
If the customer outcome still makes sense with the words "artificial intelligence" removed, there is usually a product in it.
Resources for product leaders
Writing and Working Tools
AI Glossary for Product Leaders
Forty AI terms in plain English, each with an everyday comparison, the trap to avoid and a question worth asking in your next meeting.
ToolsDiagnostics and Templates
The Product Organisation Health Check, the Product Ops Health Check, the Product Templates and the working templates behind them. Free to use.
Field NotesEssays from Practice
On product craft, ways of working and artificial intelligence in production, written from experience rather than theory.