Allison Baxter, Product Manager at Aflac Northern Ireland, takes part in the Sync NI Tech Trailblazers Q&A, revealing her indirect career path and why no two days in her role as Product Manager are ever the same.
Tell us about your background leading up to your current role:
I’ve had a somewhat indirect path to my current role. I started with a degree in English, Drama and Education, followed by a Master's in Education. (I'm not sure how much my current team appreciates my insights on the Theatre of the Absurd, but sometimes it helps when dealing with certain stakeholders!)
Later, I pursued an additional degree in Creative Multimedia, which eventually led me to a role in a London-based fintech company, where I worked as a developer and UX designer. I then transitioned into presales, where I began honing my ability to engage with stakeholders and understand their requirements. Now, I’m the Product Manager for MyAflac, our insured digital platform with an annual user base of about four million.
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What does your typical day look like?
Like most Product Managers, my days are never quite the same. I work in a hybrid mode, and on non-rainy days, I like to cycle into our amazing Aflac offices. My day typically starts with a cup of coffee and our team's daily scrum. Since I work with a highly skilled and empowered product team, I don’t need to dive into the minutiae of day-to-day tasks once features are refined. However, it's important for me to track progress toward our goals, ensure we’re delivering value, and be available to answer any questions.
Much of my work involves collaborating with other teams, so I frequently check in with fellow product managers to ensure we're aligned and that there are no changes in priorities. I also work closely with our embedded UX designer to make sure we’re continually engaging with policyholders, conducting usability tests, and understanding their pain points to deliver best in class solutions.
I make a point to connect daily with internal stakeholders, often through calls with our US-based business colleagues. It's crucial to understand their goals and the value they want to achieve, so we can ensure the solutions we build as a team align with their expectations. Lastly, I spend time reviewing metrics to track our outcomes and ensure we stay focused on what matters most.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently planning an experiment for one of our claim flows. We aim to test our assumptions before committing to larger tech initiatives. Running this A/B test with a subset of customers will help ensure the proposed change produces the intended outcomes without negatively impacting users or lead to drop-offs in the flow.
What inspired you to join this company in particular?
I had a friend who joined the company a year before I did. I saw how she was thriving in her role, so when she recommended the job, I decided to go for an interview.
During the process, I had the opportunity to speak with Mark McCormack, our Managing Director. He conveyed a genuine desire to help people grow and develop while creating a place where everyone truly wants to belong. I was also impressed with how Aflac gives back to the community, especially the work they do for children and families facing cancer in the US, Japan and now here in Northern Ireland. Mark’s description of the company have proven to be true, and Aflac Northern Ireland has an amazing culture.
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Did you always want to work in the tech industry?
My focus in school was more on literature and art, as I was drawn to subjects that allowed me to express creativity. However, I've discovered that the tech industry is a fantastic space to work in because it offers endless opportunities for learning and growth.
What I love about my role is that it still allows me to apply creative thinking in problem-solving and strategy. Tech may not have been my original path, but it's become a field where I feel constantly challenged, engaged, and able to contribute in meaningful ways.
What’s your favourite part of your work?
I really enjoy the challenge of engaging with a wide range of people, each with different goals and outcomes they're trying to achieve. That ultimately come together to help the company thrive. It’s exciting to take all those diverse perspectives and help shape them into a few clear, coherent threads that drive our roadmap forward.
It’s like problem-solving on a bigger scale, and I find it really rewarding to see everything come together in a way that makes sense for everyone involved.
What would you say to other people considering a job in the tech industry?
If you enjoy a daily challenge, love problem-solving, and like working with a team of people, this role could be perfect for you. As a Product Manager, you get to tackle interesting problems, blending technology with great user experiences to find the best solutions. It’s a rewarding role if you thrive on variety and making an impact
How do you see this technology impacting on our lives?
The role of a Product Manager in a product-led organisation is transforming the tech industry by making the product itself the main driver of growth. Instead of relying heavily on sales and marketing, we focus on building intuitive, customer-centric products that solve real problems. This approach leverages user data to continuously improve the product, encourages self-service models for easier onboarding, and fosters alignment across teams like product, engineering, and marketing.
Ultimately, it leads to faster innovation, lower customer acquisition costs, and growth driven by the product’s value and user experience.
Who inspired you to work in this field?
I’m a big fan of Marty Cagan. He articulates the importance of the Product Manager’s role in product-led organizations while also addressing the real-world, less-than-ideal situations we all encounter.
What do you consider to be the most important tech innovation or development in recent years?
Gen AI is going to change the tech industry beyond recognition in the next few of years. In a company such as ours where we are often dealing with people facing very challenging health impacts, there will never be a substitute for a comforting human touch but there are already so many areas in the business we are exploring where LLMs and other related Gen AI technologies can help to create efficiencies.
What tech gadget could you not live without?
I recently bought a Remarkable2. It’s basically a very expensive notebook, but I love it because taking handwritten notes really helps me think and I can access them on my phone and laptop.
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