As Chief Operating Officer at Enterprise Nation, and formerly Head of Product, Polly had already achieved what many product professionals aspire to. She’d helped scale the organisation from four people to 50, shaped new features, and led its transition from in-person delivery to a digital platform.
She had the experience. She had the credibility.
But she also recognised a gap.
The reason why I came on the course was because I didn’t go to university to study product. I was like, surely I’m missing frameworks, theory, stuff that big corporates do and bigger products and platforms do that I don’t know about.”
The idea was never to change jobs, but rather to strengthen her foundations and lead with more intention.
Polly didn’t come to the programme as a beginner or someone trying to “break into” product. She’d led teams, shaped platforms, and helped scale the company.
On paper, she’d made it.
In reality, she felt something experienced PMs rarely admit: there were gaps she could feel, but couldn’t quite name.
Her product career had been built the way many mid-career PMs learn, through doing. Trial, error, iteration. It worked, but instinct alone wasn’t enough anymore. She was ready to operate more strategically.
I think I kind of did things a bit backwards. I got the experience first and then I thought I need to look for a product course as well.”
Polly wanted to validate what she already knew and build a more structured toolkit to support the next stage of her career. She wasn’t stuck – she just wanted to sharpen her thinking and step into a more strategic way of operating.
Why thinking like a team made all the difference
For Polly, the most valuable parts of the programme weren’t the frameworks or tools – it was the shift in how she approached problems, and how she learned to think alongside others.
This shift happened not just through theory, but through deliberate practice, especially in the group sessions.
A lot of my role is just me working with a CEO, so my role as a COO and Head of Product before was solving problems, and you have to get comfortable with solving problems and failing. For me, the practical side of doing the breakout rooms every single week was really good.”
Each session blended a framework with immediate application.
Our course facilitator would do a session around, let’s say, a particular SWOT analysis framework, and then you would take it, and he would say, ‘Okay, here’s a made-up situation – how would you solve this problem?“
For Polly, this was a turning point. After years of making decisions alone, collaborating with others in a structured environment stretched her thinking in new ways.
And that, for me, was really good because it felt like for a long time I’ve just been solving problems solo. And that’s okay, but it’s nice to get a group environment as well.”
Not only did she love collaborating with her peers in these sessions, but she also noted that working as part of a team on other projects was “really impactful.”
Yes, it fits into a full-time job
If you’re looking to upskill and further your career, you probably share the most legitimate concern of all: Will I have enough time to fit this intensive course into my day-to-day?
Polly felt the same. As a COO, her plate was already full: leadership responsibilities, board roles, speaking and mentoring commitments, plus running a not-for-profit on the side.
She went into the programme assuming the time commitment might be exaggerated. It wasn’t.
It’s intensive but incredibly rewarding. When someone said it’s intensive, I was like, ‘20 hours a week is for those who read quite slow’ and I was like I’ll be able to do that in 10 hours. But it really is 20 hours a week.“
The key difference? She designed for it: “I changed my whole work day to accommodate this course, to make sure I was doing two hours of learning every day, and my main goal of the course was that I wanted a first.”
She also used tools like Trello/Notion to keep herself on track.
If you have the urge in you, you will have enough time to learn it and take it forward.”
Connecting the dots in the Employer Project
That balance between structure and flexibility also gave Polly the chance to apply her learning in the real world through the Employer Project – a six-week live brief with an industry partner where everything she’d learned came together.
We worked with Sky. We were talking to their product team as well, and that’s exposure that I’ve never had before in a real-time setting.”
She really liked how organised her group was. They worked across time zones, met regularly and shared the workload in a way that played to everyone’s strengths. Together, they built a clear, strategic presentation for Sky’s product team.
For Polly, this wasn’t about gaining basic product experience. She already had plenty. It was about making her thinking visible, seeing how a major corporate product team operates and testing her approach with real stakeholders.
And the impact was immediate. She began framing decisions more clearly and stepping more fully into the strategic leader she wanted to be.
The “secret weapon” she didn’t expect: career coaching
Interestingly, the element Polly describes as “probably the most impactful part” of the programme wasn’t a module or assignment. It was career coaching.
She’d never worked with a career coach before, and was initially expecting a “light therapy session”. But as a senior leader, having a dedicated space to think out loud, plan her next moves and problem-solve proved invaluable.
Career coaching was probably the highlight of me doing this course.”
Coaching helped her navigate challenges in her COO role, get honest about what she wanted next, and move from vague ideas – like “I’d like to consult one day” or going all-in on her startup, Life in Product – to concrete plans.
That clarity paid off: she signed her first three clients in January.
For her, the coaching came “just at the right time” and supported her both in her day-to-day role and throughout the course. It pushed her to scale her impact in product, both inside her organisation and on her own side projects and businesses.
You don’t always need a new job to reignite your purpose
Polly didn’t switch companies or roles after finishing the programme, but how she approached her work changed dramatically. She reconnected with a sense of purpose and possibility that had been dulled by routine.
I loved every week of learning. I felt like I had this regained purpose, which sometimes, when you work day-to-day in a nine to five, it’s really hard to find.”
Polly’s journey shows that you don’t need to change jobs to experience real career progression. Sometimes, the biggest shift comes from how you grow, how you show up and how you think.
Ready to explore your next level in product? The King’s Product Management Career Accelerator helps experienced product professionals like Polly move from capable to truly strategic – with flexible learning, real-world projects and dedicated career coaching designed for working PMs.
Are you ready to fast-track your career with a globally recognised, credit-bearing qualification in product management? You now have that option with King’s College London and FourthRev.
We’re excited to announce the launch of the Postgraduate Certificate in Product Management, designed to empower learners to build on the product management expertise obtained during the King’s Product Management Career Accelerator. Your work will encompass both the development and delivery of a comprehensive portfolio, as well as a written dissertation. Both elements are inspired by your prior experience in the Career Accelerator learning area.
Here’s what Dr Mark Hedges, Head of the Department of Digital Humanities at King’s College London, has to say:
“Completing this postgraduate certificate will not only equip learners with the practical skills, hard and soft, needed in the product management workplace but also provide them with the academic and critical skills needed to engage with their professional career in an informed and reflective way.”
Who can take this programme?
As we launch this programme, we invite current King’s Product Management Career Accelerator learners and alumni to enrol. Going forward, any new learners who embark on the Career Accelerator will have the option to join the Postgraduate Certification Programme.
Learners must achieve 60% or above during the Career Accelerator in product management to qualify for this prestigious programme.
The time you invest in the Career Accelerator will be converted into academic credits, contributing to the completion of the postgraduate certificate.
How is the programme structured?
Set at Level 7, this programme is a Master’s level equivalent. It’s self-guided and spans over 4+ months.
During this time, you’ll have two to three supervision sessions with a King’s academic supervisor and check-ins with an industry mentor.
What benefits do I get from it?
As a learner, you’ll become part of the prestigious King’s alumni community, which gives you access to the campus and library. When you’ve completed the programme, you’ll receive your postgraduate certification at a graduation ceremony.
How much does it cost?
The programme fee is £2,000, including VAT.
When does it start?
The first intake will begin in June 2024, and places will be limited.
Register now for the King’s Product Management Career Accelerator and get the chance to upgrade to a postgraduate certificate upon successful programme completion.
Just a few years ago, not many people knew what ‘product managers’ were. But today, they’ve become synonymous with digital products and services.
Francesca Abossey, originally from Italy, was one of these individuals, despite her already doing many of the tasks product managers focus on as a manager of two retail stores in London. So, when the King’s Product Management Career Accelerator ad appeared on LinkedIn, Francesca immediately thought “that’s it”.
With a Master of Sciences in Digital Innovation Management, Francesca joined the King’s programme with an impressive wealth of knowledge. She’s now able to combine her creative thinking with product management skills in her role as head of retail – a role she was promoted to during her time on the Career Accelerator.
We sat down with Francesca to understand her journey towards product management, and how the King’s Product Management Career Accelerator has impacted the future of her career.
What about the Career Accelerator resonated with you?
“It combined all of the things I wanted to study. While I was searching for courses, I saw that most of them were focused on one topic. So, you have one course about user experience, one course about how to launch new products; instead this programme was doing everything, all together.”
Who would you recommend this Career Accelerator to? (Subtitles available)
Tell us about the stand out moments of this programme for you?
“What I enjoyed the most was the Master Classes. So, each week, we have these Master Classes that will help you to understand your studies. Sometimes if I didn’t have time, like study during the week, then I was able to understand what I had to do for my assignments, so that was very helpful.”
You recently got promoted – how did that come about?
“Yes, I got promoted to head of retail at the end of February 2023 while on the programme. They appreciated how hard I worked and how innovative I am. I love what I do. I like knowing how I can help customers. I think the fact that I worked in retail for so long helps, as I know what they want. And I know what is needed to support the customer”.
Tell us more about the value of working with a Success Manager and Career Coach during the programme?
“I think what helped me the most was the people that supported me, like my Success Manager and my Career Coach, who have helped me set boundaries and celebrate myself. I’m always doing things for others and never doing things for myself. I see them as my guardian angels.
“My Success Manager, he held me accountable. He would say things like ‘this is what you told me the first time, and this is what you’re doing – what are you going to do to change?’ He even helped me to say ‘no’ more and ‘yes’ less, because I’m always saying yes to everyone, and that doesn’t always help me”.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve encountered during this programme?
“For me it was the time. For instance, my master’s degree didn’t give me one module each week. So here, it was one module each week. And in one module, there is a lot to study. But my Success Manager helped me to prioritise.”
If you could describe the programme in one word, what would that be?
“I would say, ‘faster’ as it is such a fast-moving programme. But I would also say “grateful” for [my Success Manager, Career Coach, and the learners who were really great to interact with].”
Also interested in getting the same return on education by investing in your future like Francesca has? Then Download a programme brochure and book a call with an Enrolment Advisor to learn more about this Career Accelerator in Product Management.
