A short interview with Deji Olonilua, TeachPitch Product Manager, on secondment with our team from the Civil Service.

You have been working with TeachPitch for the last 4,5 months, how has it been different from the other placements in the Civil Service?

During my development programme I am afforded the opportunity to try out different roles within the Digital and Technology sector. So far, I’ve worked as performance analyst within the Department for Work and Pensions and as a technical architect within the Department of Education. These roles have helped to further my understanding of product design and different ways of working. TeachPitch has been different as it has been several different roles at once, and different things have required different approaches.

What do you think is the number 1 challenge for a Product Manager to be successful?

A Product Manager needs to have a clear understanding of the vision and convinced that the concept is something that users will want. If a Product Manager lacks this conviction they won’t be able to bring anyone else in the team along and things will begin to flounder.

What have you liked best in working with Team TeachPitch?  

The team is extremely reliable, which goes without saying. Ideas don’t just come from the top and innovation is generated company-wide.

What do you hope to be doing in 5 years time?

In 5 years time I hope to still be working with users and services in product design.

And where do you think TeachPitch will be at that time?

As the educational market evolves and develops, I expect TeachPitch to respond and adapt as well. The ability to share data has become increasingly important to educators and students. So I think in response to this TeachPitch will become a site where not only can you find content across a multiple of platforms but also where a user can develop their digital presence.