Panel: Hardware Product Management

A Product Calgary Moderated Panellist Presentation & Networking Discussion

Join us at Platform Calgary in Calgary on May 24th for an epic talk led by featuring product managers from a few of the city’s top hardware manufacturing companies such as Blackline Safety, Hexagon | NovAtel, Orpyx Medical Technologies, and Spartan Controls. This event is sponsored by Alberta Innovates.

These individuals will not only provide you with a better sense of what to expect when you are designing and manufacturing a product, but also how to get yourself in this role and what to look out for as you grow. This discussion will also highlight the themes of what Calgary specializes in to compete when it comes to successfully manufacturing hardware products.

Presenting Panel

Phil Benson, VP, Product Design & Analytics, Blackline Safety

Stephen Ching, Product Manager, Hexagon | NovAtel

Doug Wynne, Product Manager, Spartan Controls

Nolan Sontag, Senior Product Manager, Orpyx Medical Technologies

Vibhu Mahajan, Moderator, Communications Director, Product Calgary

About the Moderator & Panellists

Vibhu Mahajan, Communications Director, Product Calgary

‍Vibhu Mahajan began her career in technology in 2013, after being laid off from her oil and gas production accounting role. She worked as a business analyst for many years before moving into a Product Manager role, building accounting and financial systems for both oil and gas and equity management software. Her specialization was on the government compliance and regulatory side of the business. In 2022, Vibhu pivoted from technology into entrepreneurship and now owns a personal training studio in the Beltline. She mentors people in the technology space and continues to build the Product Management community as the Director of Communications and Marketing with Product Calgary.

Stephen Ching, Product Manager, Hexagon NovAtel

‍Stephen Ching is the Product Manager of GNSS Receiver Board Hardware at Hexagon | NovAtel which provides world class trusted and precise positioning solution for various industries. After graduating from University of Calgary with a BSc. In Electrical Engineering, Stephen had an opportunity to start his career at Hexagon | NovAtel within Engineering Test and Embedded System Development while pursuing M.Engg Geomatics Engineering part time. Stephen discovered the fulfillment working with different groups of people and learning different technologies, which he later navigated himself into Software and Hardware project management for a number of years. Stephen then finds himself within the product management discipline because he has the desire to further understanding customers’ need and finds ways working closely with the team to create solutions that maximize the customer success and drive business growth.

‍Phil Benson, VP, Product Design & Analytics, Blackline Safety

‍Phil Benson is the Vice President of Product Design and Data Analytics at Blackline Safety, a hardware-enabled SaaS company focusing on industrial safety solutions. With over a decade of experience in product management, Phil is an expert in developing and executing product strategies that drive business growth. In his current role, he oversees the design and development of Blackline’s hardware products and software applications while also delivering data analytics and insights as part of Blackline’s product strategy. Before joining Blackline, Phil held product strategy and design roles at SMART Technologies and Honeywell’s Automation and Control Solutions group. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design and a passion for leveraging technology to solve complex problems.

‍Doug Wynne, Product Manager, Spartan Controls

‍Doug is a Product Manager at Spartan Controls, a leading industrial automation company. He is a hands-on, strategic thinker who knows how to fix problems and create stuff. His winding career started out on a small R&D robotics team developing optically guided crawlers and specialized, portable CNC equipment. After several years he jumped into the manufacturing industry, dabbled in small business IT, moonlighted in industrial equipment repair and later invented a baby product in his basement. He now works shoulder to shoulder with an amazing team of Spartans focusing on the product development and success of the PowerVue™ Low Voltage Lineup.

‍Nolan Sontag, Senior Product Manager, Orpyx Medical Technologies

Nolan Sontag has over 5 years of experience as Product Leader with extensive experience in IT problem research, solution development and solution lifecycle. Before making the jump to Product Management, he worked for 10 years as a Business Analyst responsible for researching, defining, and ultimately solving problems involving various types of business information systems ranging from HR and Payroll systems to Field ticketing systems to integrated ERPs. He is currently Senior Product Manager at Orpyx Medical Technologies, a leading digital therapeutics company that is committed to extending healthspan for people living with diabetes through personalized remote care.

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