<![CDATA[The CPO Code]]>The CPO Code is a research series. Each episode, Ryan Ollerenshaw sits down with a working Chief Product Officer to map the actual route to the role: the jobs that mattered, the moment that could have gone the other way, and what they really look for when they're the one hiring PMs today.

Every conversation follows the same structure, so the answers build into something bigger than any single episode: a growing, comparable dataset on what actually gets a PM promoted to the top seat.

For product managers plotting their own path to CPO.

]]>www.aldersearch.comRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:05:11 GMTSun, 06 Sep 2026 13:04:45 GMT60Ryan Ollerenshaw<p>The CPO Code is a research series. Each episode, Ryan Ollerenshaw sits down with a working Chief Product Officer to map the actual route to the role: the jobs that mattered, the moment that could have gone the other way, and what they really look for when they're the one hiring PMs today.</p><p></p><p>Every conversation follows the same structure, so the answers build into something bigger than any single episode: a growing, comparable dataset on what actually gets a PM promoted to the top seat.</p><p></p><p>For product managers plotting their own path to CPO.</p>episodicRyan Ollerenshawryan@aldersearch.comno<![CDATA[From Graduate Scheme to CPO: Martin Röver-Parkes on Product Marketing into Product Management]]>Martin Rover-Parkes stood in front of 400 people at a signature business and told them he didn’t care about signatures. Weeks into his first CPO role, he made the point that what the company sold was about to be commoditised. In this episode, he explains why that moment is the real difference between VP and CPO, and why he thinks most CPO roles never get advertised.

Martin Rover-Parkes fell into product marketing on a graduate scheme and spent the next 15 years moving through corporates, scale-ups and PE-backed SaaS. In this episode, he covers what product leaders can learn from marketing, why he thinks PE is the special forces of product, and what changes when you move from VP to CPO. He also shares the three things he hires for, what he scans for on a CV in the first ten seconds, and how he used Claude to build himself an 18-month mini MBA. If you want to be a CPO, his advice is practical and blunt.

Martin Rover-Parkes is the former Chief Product Officer at 5 Arrows-backed Solvares Group. He started in product marketing on a graduate scheme, then spent the last decade in B2B PE-backed SaaS, fixing, scaling and consolidating complex product portfolios. He has held senior product roles at Royal Mail, Edenred, Questback, Scrive and he writes publicly about product leadership, AI and personal growth.

]]>0162505d-0306-43c2-9326-d592145a60adThu, 22 Oct 2026 12:51:09 GMT<p>Martin Rover-Parkes stood in front of 400 people at a signature business and told them he didn’t care about signatures. Weeks into his first CPO role, he made the point that what the company sold was about to be commoditised. In this episode, he explains why that moment is the real difference between VP and CPO, and why he thinks most CPO roles never get advertised.</p><p>Martin Rover-Parkes fell into product marketing on a graduate scheme and spent the next 15 years moving through corporates, scale-ups and PE-backed SaaS. In this episode, he covers what product leaders can learn from marketing, why he thinks PE is the special forces of product, and what changes when you move from VP to CPO. He also shares the three things he hires for, what he scans for on a CV in the first ten seconds, and how he used Claude to build himself an 18-month mini MBA. If you want to be a CPO, his advice is practical and blunt.</p><p>Martin Rover-Parkes is the former Chief Product Officer at 5 Arrows-backed Solvares Group. He started in product marketing on a graduate scheme, then spent the last decade in B2B PE-backed SaaS, fixing, scaling and consolidating complex product portfolios. He has held senior product roles at Royal Mail, Edenred, Questback, Scrive and he writes publicly about product leadership, AI and personal growth.</p>yes00:40:0713From Graduate Scheme to CPO: Martin Röver-Parkes on Product Marketing into Product Managementfull<![CDATA[From VC to CPO: David Gummer on Breadth, Outcomes and a Non-Linear Path]]>There is no standard route to Chief Product Officer. David Gummer, ex-CPO at Red Gate, went from consulting and venture capital to BT, then into product. He talks about why breadth beats a linear career, what makes a CV stand out, and how to get commercial ownership before you have the title. If you want to be a CPO, or hire one, listen in.

One check before you publish: the company David joined after BT is spelled three ways in the transcript (Lumis, Lumetz, LEMS), so I left it out of the description. If you want to name it, confirm the spelling first. Also check "ex-CPO at Red Gate Software" against how he describes his own title on LinkedIn.

]]>f7f8f2ba-100f-43cc-8372-f740060579a4Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:16:59 GMT<p>There is no standard route to Chief Product Officer. David Gummer, ex-CPO at Red Gate, went from consulting and venture capital to BT, then into product. He talks about why breadth beats a linear career, what makes a CV stand out, and how to get commercial ownership before you have the title. If you want to be a CPO, or hire one, listen in.</p><p>One check before you publish: the company David joined after BT is spelled three ways in the transcript (Lumis, Lumetz, LEMS), so I left it out of the description. If you want to name it, confirm the spelling first. Also check "ex-CPO at Red Gate Software" against how he describes his own title on LinkedIn.</p>no00:32:1512From VC to CPO: David Gummer on Breadth, Outcomes and a Non-Linear Pathfull<![CDATA[A Series of Good Bets: Damon Macklin on the Design Route to CPO]]>This is Damon Macklin's journey from UX designer to Chief Product Officer. He didn't plan to become a CPO.

His career was a series of harder problems, and every step up forced him to rethink what the job actually is. First he thought it was writing good requirements. Then running a good roadmap. Then building great teams.

Now, as CPO at Radar Healthcare, he thinks it's about making good bets with what you've got, and finding out quickly when you're wrong.

]]>3b642cad-1bc8-46b0-b0c2-dc099a19cf3fThu, 24 Sep 2026 10:23:14 GMT<p>This is Damon Macklin's journey from UX designer to Chief Product Officer. He didn't plan to become a CPO.</p><p>His career was a series of harder problems, and every step up forced him to rethink what the job actually is. First he thought it was writing good requirements. Then running a good roadmap. Then building great teams.</p><p>Now, as CPO at Radar Healthcare, he thinks it's about making good bets with what you've got, and finding out quickly when you're wrong.</p>no00:37:5811A Series of Good Bets: Damon Macklin on the Design Route to CPOfull