About the Event
Event Details
Autumn has a back-to-school feel, even for those of us long past it. It’s a natural time to step back and ask where product work is heading, and where you want to be heading with it.
This evening brings together 5 people who see the product industry from very different angles:
- Balaji Gopalan, Freelance Product Consultant, who works across a range of companies and stages and sees how product teams are actually operating right now
- Michael Hashizume, Product Recruiter at GuruLink, who sees what hiring managers are asking for, what candidates are running into, and where the market is moving
- Rosemary King, Fractional Product Leader and Product Leadership Consultant, who works with early-stage companies and product leaders and brings a perspective on leadership, team dynamics, and how product organizations are evolving
- Justin Ing, Senior Manager of Product Management, Scene+, who brings experience across digital products, e-commerce, AI, and transformation, as well as mentoring and teaching the next generation of product managers
- Adam Aronson, Product Leader at Advantage Group International, who brings a senior product perspective on building customer-focused products, leading teams, and connecting product decisions back to business needs
Together, they’ll look at what’s actually shifting in product right now: how teams are being structured, what companies expect from product people, and how AI is changing the day-to-day work.
From there, the conversation turns to what that means for you, whether you’re growing in your current role, thinking about your next move, or looking for ways to keep sharpening your craft in a market that looks different than it did a year ago.
What you'll take away
- A clearer picture of how product roles and teams are changing right now.
- What employers are actually looking for when hiring product talent in the current market.
- How AI is changing the day-to-day work of product people, and where human judgment still matters.
- A better sense of which skills are worth investing in as you think about your next role or level.
- Perspectives from both inside product organizations and the recruiting market.
- An evening with product people from across the GTA navigating many of the same career questions.
Event Tickets
This event is open to everyone! TPMA is now free to join, but membership is required to attend.
Tickets cost $15 for regular TPMA Members and $11.50 for Community-Builder level members. Update your membership here.
Your ticket includes a drink and a selection of light snacks.
Event Agenda
5:30 – 6:00 PM — PM Networking (in-person only)
6:00 – 7:15 PM — Panel Discussion and Q&A
7:15 – 8:00 PM — PM Networking
Location
In-person @ BrainStation - 482 Front St W, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0W1 or via Zoom
Accessibility
For any accessibility concerns, please reach out to us at info@tpma.ca.
Read Speaker Bio
Balaji Gopalan is a highly-recognized and sought-after product and entrepreneurship mentor, advisor and educator in the Canadian startup industry. Most recently, Balaji was co-founder and CEO of MedStack, orchestrating its exit in late 2024 after 10 years of operation. Before MedStack, he held senior roles at D2L, BlackBerry, Bombardier Aerospace and several startups. Balaji is Founder Institute's Most Supportive Mentor for Canada and serves in several voluntary mentor capacity with incubators and is currently operating as a fractional CPO in the digital healthcare space, and teaches Entrepreneurship at Toronto Metropolitan University. Balaji holds an MBA from Queen's University and an Engineering Degree from the University of Toronto.
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Michael brings over 15 years of experience as a Principal Talent Partner at GuruLink, where he has helped thousands of professionals navigate their careers from job search and upskilling to negotiation and career transitions. He works directly with both candidates and hiring teams across startups, scale-ups, and enterprise organizations, giving him a unique perspective on what truly gets people hired in today’s market.
In addition to his role at GuruLink, Michael is the Head of Training & Customer Success for PathPilot, an AI-powered career coach built by GuruLink. He is currently leading a 6-part webinar series designed to help professionals leverage AI for smarter job searching, resume and cover letter optimization, upskilling strategies, interview prep, compensation insights, and negotiation tactics.
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Rosemary is a product leader who has specialized in software development, agile enablement and lean methodologies since 2010. She has worked across diverse domains including government, finance, retail and enterprise. After starting her tech career in the New York City start-up scene, she moved into consulting and has spent time with ThoughtWorks and Pivotal Labs London. She has done freelance consulting and training with incubator programs like start-up bootcamp, done UX research on four continents and has built and scaled business models for Fortune500 companies as well as start-ups.
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With over 20 years in the corporate arena and recent experience in the dynamic startup world, I bring seasoned leadership, strategic insight, and a steadfast commitment to delivering impactful results. I am deeply motivated by opportunities that drive positive change—especially within organizations that prioritize environmental responsibility and sustainable practices.
I’m now seeking to channel my expertise and passion into a mission-driven organization that shares my vision for a healthier, more sustainable future. I'm looking to connect with teams that value purpose as much as profit and are dedicated to creating a meaningful impact on our world.
If you know of opportunities where I can contribute to a culture of sustainability and innovation, I would love to connect. Let’s work together to make the world a better place for generations to come.
Read Speaker Bio
I am a motivated leader satisfying customers providing them elegant useful products. Growing teams and nurturing talent is a personal passion. To achieve scale I have successfully partnered with learning scientists, data scientists and search engine experts, empathetic product designers and pragmatic engineers in addition to myriad business partners. The products we have co-created profitably achieve their Jobs to Be Done. Goals:* Comprehensively understand customer needs* Deliver category leading productsKey Accomplishments:* Nurtured product scale and maturity at two firms that have been acquired and another which went IPO* Fixed multiple turn around product initiatives including introducing high-stakes Virtual Shareholder Meeting events platform* Collaboratively grew ARR 30% in two years at bootstrap startup* Grew and mentored multiple product teams* Modernized products across EdTech, Public Libraries and Investor Relations serving millions of annual users in each sector* Launched innovative adaptive learning feature pilot to save $9MM annually

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