Product Consultant | Product Leader | Head of Product
PROFILE
I joined a tech scale up at the start of 2017 where I honed the craft of Product Management, learning from the co-founder and CPO. A product with an NPS of +80, I learned how to build products that delight customers. Since 2021, I have successfully launched Accounting products for both Tide Platform and Starling Bank. At Tide, I drove the product’s growth to £5.2m ARR within 20 months of launch. At Starling, I led the acquisition and full integration of an accounting software company, onboarding 30k customers within the first 3 months of launch.
CORE SKILLS
- Strong leadership skills, driving engagement within teams
- Experienced people manager, coaching and developing teams of product managers
- Experienced product manager, working collaboratively to launch numerous products and features
- Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with experience presenting and speaking in public to many different groups and size of audience
- Proficient in G-Suite & Microsoft Office
- Proficient in business intelligence software Looker, Heap and Google Analytics
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Starling Bank, Head of Product, Business Tools London, UK | 2025 - present
Fully licensed UK bank offering digital-first business finance solutions
- After a successful contract in early 2025, brought in on permanent basis to complete the acquisition of Ember, an accounting software company, and to fully integrate the Ember product into Starling to become Starling Accounting
- Launched product within 6 months of acquisition completion, with responsibilities ranging from regulatory compliance and governance to go-to-market strategy
- 30,000+ subscribers within first 3 months, plus ~1,900 customers filing through Accounting, surpassing the lifetime filing total of Starling’s previous bookkeeping tool
Ruth Broderick Consulting, Product Management Consultant Remote, UK | 2024 - 2025
Self employed
I help companies of all sizes drive product success. With over a decade of experience, I offer interim product management services, and mentor both founders and team members in honing their product management skills. I streamline processes to prioritise effectively, understand customer needs, and deliver impactful results. I specialise in strategy, discovery, and delivery, with a proven track record of launching products from 0 to 1, managing cross-functional initiatives, and ensuring seamless execution. My services are ideal for organisations looking for short-term leadership or expert support to accelerate their product goals and make meaningful progress.
Tide Platform, Head of Product London, UK | 2021 - 2024
Series C all-in-one business finance platform
- Worked directly with C-Suite to define revenue targets, influence decisions and communicate updates
- Grew Accounting ARR from 0 to £5.2million within 20 months of product launch
- Mentored and guided product managers across the company
- Developed product strategy and 0 to 1 release plan and roadmap for Tide member Net Zero product, a carbon accounting tool to aid Tide customers on their net zero journey
Lead Product Manager
- Led a product area consisting of four product teams, creating area strategy and overseeing team strategies. Line managed and coached product managers of various seniority, focussing on their growth and development
- Built an Accounting product from 0 to 1 within Tide Platform, launching MVP within 8 months of joining, then building up a product team to drive continued growth and find product-market fit
- Defined roadmap and KPIs and tracked data to make data-based decisions to further develop the product
- Worked with Product Marketing to develop and execute go-to-market strategies to ensure successful market entry and adoption
- Introduced product methodologies to wider Tide product community, driving change within the organisation to become a product-led company
FreeAgent, Group Product Manager Edinburgh, UK | 2017 - 2021
Scale up, listed on LSE AIM in 2016 and acquired by Natwest Group in 2018
- Led a product group consisting of three product teams, overseeing their strategies and providing guidance where needed
- Line managed and coached three team members, responsible for their development
- Championed the product and product management practices to influence and lead opinion across the organisation
- Continued to product manage one product team, with all the responsibilities of Senior Product Manager, as outlined below
Senior Product Manager
- Reported to the Chief Product Officer, responsible for understanding the overall company and product strategies and driving the strategy and direction of the team
- Set a clear vision, strategy and direction within the team, motivating and supporting them to deliver their best work
- Identified new opportunities which further the company towards its goals
- Responsible for writing impactful OKRs that are inline with team and company objectives
- Owned the monthly reporting of team-level OKRs and KPIs, gaining expertise in Re:Dash and Looker BI software
Product Manager
- Responsible for development and maintenance of FreeAgent’s primary product, including invoicing and banking features
- Regularly engaged with users and used feedback to shape decisions
- Executed the wider product development workflow from initial stakeholder requirements, through prioritisation into design, development, release and measurement
- Understood the technical aspects of the problem, the product domain and the market, and using this to inform product decisions
Standard Life, Senior Digital Product Owner Edinburgh, UK | 2011 - 2016
UK-based financial services company providing pension and savings products to individuals and businesses
- Responsible for delivery of market-leading pensions reform digital product, enabling customers to withdraw from their pensions online
- Navigated digital transformation of a legacy product
- Other roles include Proposition Architect, 4 placements within Sales & Marketing Graduate scheme over two years, and Sales & Marketing Intern in the Intel Team
EDUCATION
B.Sc Mathematics at The University of Edinburgh, First Class Honours
INTERESTS
- I am highly active and regularly enjoy crossfit, climbing, sailing and hill walking
- I actively follow rugby, formula one, cycling, climbing and football, travelling to matches/races and following events on TV