Team Spotlight: Cher Han Lee, Lead Product Manager
This is our second post in an ongoing Team Spotlight series to introduce our UX designers and product managers.
Get to know Cherps
Cher Han, or Cherps, is the epitome of that Interesting Person you wouldn’t mind sitting next to on a plane for 14 hours. As StashAway’s Lead Product Manager on Corporate Solutions, he spearheads and innovates our B2B product offerings. But don’t be fooled by his affable exterior. He’s a triple threat as a PM with a background in both design and code, and he’s not afraid to make tough calls to deliver the best outcomes. 🙌
What makes Cherps really special is the passion and sincerity that he brings to everything that he does. It’s hard not to get infected by his positivity and playfulness! He’s always got interesting perspectives to share and it’s no wonder, having run his own photography business, and been a PM in an early-stage startup. In his free time, he’s a longtime volunteer at Readable who teaches kids English and a huge fan of board games.
How did you get into product management?
I started out as a UX designer in a young and scrappy startup. We wanted to help students learn and connect better with their teachers through online classes, but we didn’t know how real or painful this problem was, or whether people would pay for it. We quickly realised we needed to test and validate our ideas with potential customers, to figure out what we should focus our time and effort on.
That’s how I decided to take on this new responsibility — wearing both hats as a designer and a product manager! I’ve made mistakes, scrapped my knees, learned through it all.. and it’s been a crazy and rewarding journey ever since.
What do you enjoy most about product management?
Solving problems for our customers — that’s at the heart of it all. And I get to collaborate and work with smart, committed, and really awesome teammates!
I enjoy finding the balance between solving customer pain points, achieving business outcomes, and shipping great products, together with our designers and engineers. It’s challenging and incredibly rewarding.
Do you have a design philosophy?
“Be water, my friend.” I love this quote by Bruce Lee.
The full quote goes:
“Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water.
Now, you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow, or it can crash.
Be water, my friend.”
Just like water (haha), there are so many ways you can adapt and apply this philosophy to your life everyday. When testing a new product with customers, let go of your assumptions, and truly empathise and listen. When developing a solution, be creative and open. When making a tough decision, share your rationale clearly and firmly.
I do my best to embrace and live this everyday!
What’s one unique thing about you that you bring to the team?
Lots of positive vibes and energy!
In startups, we’re all going for these moonshots — big, ambitious, and audacious goals. Want to succeed? You’ve got to be extremely realistic and optimistic at the same time.
Do you have any tips for someone just starting out in product management?
Not sure about something? Experiment and test it as quickly as you can.
If you’re designing a new product feature, show it to your customers, and observe how they use it. Are they able to solve their problem? Are they excited and delighted, or just meh? Are they using the product in ways you hadn’t imagined before?
Pay more attention to what they do, rather than what they say. People can and will say all kinds of nice things to you — we’re social creatures, after all. How they act and behave often carry a lot more weight and honesty.
Most of all, have fun and enjoy what you do. Keep learning and growing. Stay curious always!
StashAway is hiring! Visit our Careers page for a sense of what it’s like to work with us, or check out open positions.
