Believe

Julie Aouizerate is the&nbsp;Head of Product - Customer Experience at Believe (a global digital music company that provides digital solutions and services to labels and artists).&nbsp;After obtaining a Master's degree in International Business and an MSc Management, Julie landed an internship in product management at a tech startup in New York.This experience made her realise that anyone, including women like her (i.e. without any coding skills), could gain entry into the world of tech.&nbsp;However, it wasn’t until she graduated and started working in sales (what seemed like the most logical career path at the time), did she realise that her true passion lies in tech and product management.&nbsp;Luckily, her company at the time was very open to her switching departments.A move that greatly impacted her career and made it possible for her to accept a job in both product management and product marketing at a tech startup.Still in search of newer and bigger challenges, after 5 years at that startup, Julie decided to apply for product positions at larger companies; a decision that led her to her current role at Believe!What attracted you to Believe?The most important thing for me, during my job search, was to find a product that I liked and an industry that I would enjoy working in.&nbsp;So, the fact that Believe is a digital company, and a well-known success story within the music industry, really made me eager to join.&nbsp;It's a leading French company with over 1 600 employees in over 50 countries that had the foresight to invest in digital music very early on.Furthermore, I was thrilled that the position seemed like a great opportunity to combine product and team management, as well as product strategy.&nbsp;Could you please give us some insight into your role as Head of Product - Customer Experience at Believe?It's a typical product role in the sense that no two days are the same and that you have to use a variety of skills, such as problem solving, strategy, management, communication with different stakeholders, and a constant focus on the user.As&nbsp;Head of Product - Customer Experience, I'm responsible for defining a global strategy for our web platform, Backstage, which is accessible to all of Believe's music labels and artists.&nbsp;This means that I have to identify and prioritise the main issues and needs of our users, understand market trends, and find the most effective ways to increase user value throughout the entire platform.&nbsp;So, my day-to-day consists of initiating a lot of conversations with internal and external stakeholders, product teams, sales teams, support teams and top management, and asking a lot of questions to try and get a complete view of the product, as well as user needs, while also using data to make informed and evidence-based decisions.&nbsp;I'm also responsible for managing a team of 5 (soon to be 6!) product managers, product owners, and product marketing managers, working on specific features within that platform, and creating a mobile app for Believe's artists.&nbsp;I would definitely say that this is a rather high-paced job. But, I love that absolutely no two days are the same.&nbsp;What do you enjoy most about working at Believe?I love that everyone seems genuinely interested in the product they're working on and in our users' ecosystem.&nbsp;Most employees at Believe are passionate about music. Many of them are actual musicians or singers, and love that they get to help labels and artists make a living off of their art by providing the solutions they need.I also really enjoy being at a larger international company.&nbsp;Of course, this is sometimes more challenging since we have to adjust and/or customise our product and communication styles in accordance with local needs.&nbsp;However, this certainly makes the work more interesting!I must admit that it feels great to be making such a positive impact on artists’ lives.Is there anything that you have achieved in this role that you’re really proud of?My team spent nine months building a new mobile app for Believe's artists, called Encore, which actually just launched a couple of weeks ago!This app allows artists to monitor their streaming performance, be notified of playlist and chart entries, promote their content and connect with fans on social media.&nbsp;This new product involved a lot of collaboration and problem solving with technical, design, data, sales and marketing teams, and of course, end users.&nbsp;I'm honestly incredibly proud of the team for making that happen. The feedback has already been wildly positive.Although it was quite an intense experience, it was fascinating to work on this app during my first few months at Believe and see the team build something so impactful.Are there any professional goals that you’d like to achieve this year?Absolutely! This year, my main goal is to do a deep dive into Believe's digital products and create a long-term, high-value and cohesive product strategy.&nbsp;The goal is to find new ways to optimise product experience, as well as the value they get from working with Believe.&nbsp;I'd also love to help the team of product managers continue to grow, and create a strong product culture within the company.&nbsp;And finally, on a more personal note, this year, I would love to attend more product and tech events in order to connect with peers, as well as continue to learn from and alongside talented individuals working across different industries and countries.What career advice would you like to give to young women who are interested in working at Believe and/or in the music industry, in general?My best advice to young women who are interested in working in tech and/or the music industry is to keep in mind that the path to get there will most likely be diverse. What you might see as a personal obstacle could turn out to be your biggest asset.Undeniably, tech is a male-dominated industry, which unfortunately makes it harder for women to envision a career in this field, especially when it comes to pursuing leadership roles.&nbsp;In fact, I've spoken to many girls and women who felt that they wouldn’t be able to enter the tech world, even in junior positions, without an engineering background or previous technical experience.&nbsp;While these things are a real asset, the good thing about working in product is that you need to have a wide array of skills, as well as customer-focused experience in order to be a great leader.Moreover, I think that it’s important to state that a diverse tech team, in terms of identity and/or experience, is a huge benefit to any manager at any tech company.&nbsp;As to working at Believe, the company’s main objective is to hire passionate and hardworking individuals. So, if you’re interested in working at Believe, you should truly just go for it!&nbsp;Feel free to reach out to people, particularly women working at the company, for tips or just to ask questions.From a more practical standpoint, I would say that there are also a lot of resources on technical and product development which are available both on and offline.&nbsp;Additionally, I recommend attending tech and product talks or events, as a way to connect with people who currently work in this field.&nbsp;Finally, it's okay, in some cases, to have a longer-term plan to gain access to these roles, which can mean starting with a more junior position in a different field at a tech company, or doing specialised training.&nbsp;Looking back now at your career (the good and the bad), as well as all that you have been able to achieve, what personal and/or professional advice would you give to your 15/16-year-old self?There's so much that you learn in your career that you wish you’d learnt sooner!I think the best advice that I could give my younger self is to always look for joy and excitement in what I do and not consider overall happiness at work as just a “nice to have”.&nbsp;This doesn't mean that you'll enjoy every single class or day at work, it just means that you need to regularly check in with yourself to figure out if there could be genuine joy and excitement in the work that you’re doing.&nbsp;If there's none, then it's okay to take a break and look for that fulfilment elsewhere.&nbsp;Enjoying what you do is the best and easiest way to learn quickly and excel.&nbsp;So, instead of putting loads of pressure on my younger self to work hard and follow the safe and traditional career path, I would tell myself to be more ambitious than that and to look for ways for my work to enrich my life.&nbsp;Once you have that, even if it takes time or is a bit risky at times, I think professional growth, and even success, just naturally follow.&nbsp;In a nutshell, I would say to my 15/16-year-old self: “Look for joy in your work. Go for what you want. And, bring exactly who you are to the table.”

Look for Joy in Your Work!

Team 50inTech