Today on the Unlearn Podcast, I’m thrilled to be joined by Francesca Cortesi, CPO and Founder of Prodotto Collective, a product visionary, transformational leader, and someone who truly understands what it takes to build beloved products and high-performing teams.
Francesca was the former Chief Product Officer at Hemnet, Sweden’s leading property platform, where she played a pivotal role in scaling the product organization and driving the company through a successful IPO in 2021. Under her leadership, Hemnet achieved consistent double-digit growth, became one of Sweden’s most appreciated apps, and stood out as a top performer on the Swedish stock exchange.
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But her story goes far beyond business metrics. Francesca led cultural shifts too, transitioning the company language to English and increasing female representation in tech, proving that growth and inclusion can go hand in hand.
In this episode, we explore how Francesca thinks about unlearning as a tool for personal and organizational growth, building product excellence at scale, and creating environments where diverse teams thrive.
Key Takeaways:
- Changing careers: Francesca switched from fashion in Milan to tech in Sweden after many rejections, showing strong resilience.
- Product Management: Asking many questions helped her shift from project management to product management.
- Asking for Help: Great leaders don’t need to know everything; asking for help builds stronger teams.
- Idea company size: Francesca thrives best in scale-up companies (40–400 people), not large corporations.
- Unlearning and Growth: Every new role required Francesca to “unlearn” old ways to adapt to new challenges.
Additional Insights:
- Changing Roles: Your job changes when your company grows, so be ready for change.
- Know your strength: Understand clearly what you’re good at and where you fit best.
- Start Fresh: Always approach new tasks like you’re learning for the first time.
Get ready for a powerful conversation with Francesca Cortesi on embracing change, scaling with intention, and building inclusive, high-performing product teams that thrive through continuous unlearning and growth.
Episode Highlights:
01:00 – Episode Recap
“Welcome to the Unlearn Podcast, Exploring career shifts, new leadership styles, and how to build strong product teams.”
02:03 – Guest Introduction: Francesca Cortesi
“Francesca, former Chief Product Officer at Hemnet, helped scale the product and led the company to a successful 2021 IPO.”
03:22 – From Milan Fashion to Stockholm: The First Career Pivot
“I worked in fashion, got a translator job in Sweden, and decided to move.”
07:10 – Facing Rejection and Redefining Identity
“I tried returning to fashion, but it wasn’t working, time to move on.”
10:13 – Discovering Product Management Through Curiosity and Questioning
“I kept asking questions, turns out, that curiosity led me into product management.”
15:20 – What Francesca Had to Unlearn
“As a product manager, I had to leave behind what worked before, it’s always contextual.”
19:56 – Transition from Individual Contributor to Product Leader
“My first leadership role taught me to stop copying others and find my own style.”
24:54 – Why Role Expectations Must Be Rewritten During Scaling
“Too many questions about roles and success? That’s your sign to pause and redefine expectations.”
27:52 – Realizing Where She Thrives: The Scaleup Stage
“My sweet spot? Companies ready to scale after finding product-market fit.”
37:24 – From Operator to Advisor: Unlearning and Redefining Impact
“New roles come with new expectations, especially the ones you set for yourself.”
