In Conversation
Arzoo Mittal for Bold. Brilliant. Unstoppable.
Read the transcript
Arzoo Mittal: You influence by building relationships, by creating value, by listening, listening to your customers, listening to your stakeholders, listening to your engineers and your designers.
What does being an Influential Woman mean to you?
Arzoo Mittal: What does being an influential woman mean to you? I don't think influence is about how many people know your name. I think it's about how many people believe in themselves because they watched you. Hi, I'm Arza Mittal. I'm a product and transformation leader, speaker, mentor, and a lifelong learner, with a background in technology, product and business transformation. This question is deeply personal to me. You see, I grew up in a small town of India, in an environment where there there are still significant gaps in education and opportunity for women. You may ask, why does that matter? Well, because when you grow up in an environment where you do not see many women as leaders. Sometimes you don't even imagine yourself as one. You do not necessarily have a role model who looks like you, or someone who makes you think, that could be me. So a big part of my journey has been challenging those beliefs and redefining what I thought was possible for myself. For me, influence means having a positive impact on someone else's life. Inspiring them to take a bet on themselves, into doing something that they've always wanted to do, but were too scared. Or too limited by their own beliefs. And being a woman, for me means being unapologetically yourself. In a world that has not always been designed for women. My own career has been a reflection of that journey. I started my career as a software engineer, building technology behind the scenes before transitioning into product management and leading from the front, and honestly, that transition was not easy. A lot of the barriers were not external, they were internal. Questions like, do I belong in that room? Am I good enough? Can I really do this? Sometimes the biggest barrier is not someone telling you no, it's learning to tell yourself no before someone else could. So I kept pushing myself, challenging those beliefs, and that journey taught me something important about influence. As a product manager, you do not necessarily have a formal authority, you influence by building relationships, creating value, and listening to your customers, your stakeholders and your teams. And I think leadership as a woman is very similar. You don't have to have any authority to have influence. All you have to do is being willing to show up, use your voice, create value, and make space for others. And this is why I continue to share my journey on platforms like LinkedIn, mentor through platforms like ADP List, Cherry on Deck, and be part of communities like LeanIn, Women in Product, and Women in AI because every once in a while, someone will say, I watched you when I was just starting out, and I wanted to show up the way you do. Or they'll tell me something I shared or a workshop I ran, genuinely change the way that they think. And honestly, there is no feeling like that. Because it's not just validation, it's impact. And that's why I believe we need more women in AI, technology, data science, finance, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Because you do not need someone to tell you that you belong. All you need is to see someone like you doing it. That makes you think, I can too. For me that responsibility comes with influence. So what does being an influential woman mean to me? It means having the courage to be yourself, the confidence to take up space. The humility to keep learning, the generosity to make space for others, and it also means being willing to go first. And when you do go first, do not shut the door behind you. In fact, open it wider, and every time you rise, bring another woman with you, because that to me is influential women.
Her Story
About Arzoo
Arzoo specializes in fintech, product strategy, enterprise AI, and the practical application of emerging technologies with 11+ years of experience building technology, data, and AI products across JPMorgan Chase, Capital One, TransUnion Thoughtworks, Oracle Cerner and Honeywell. Her perspective is grounded in a simple principle: AI creates value not simply when an organization deploys a model, but when it changes how work gets done. She speaks and writes about enterprise AI strategy, AI adoption, workflow transformation, responsible AI, and the path from experimentation to measurable ROI. Beyond her professional work, Arzoo actively contributes to the technology and startup ecosystem as a mentor, speaker, and judge.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Arzoo
01What do you attribute your success to?
Arzoo attributes her success to the people and community around me who have consistently pushed me and believed in my potential. In her words - "So much of that credit goes to my parents, who instilled in me the core values of hard work, passion, and staying focused on a clear goal. Having a strong support system that backs you up, challenges you, and encourages you to strive higher is what ultimately makes reaching your goals possible."
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Two pieces of advice have deeply shaped my journey:
- Stay hungry and curious. Always be eager to learn, adapt, and grow especially in today’s rapidly changing landscape driven by AI. When technology evolves in split seconds, remaining adaptable and curious is essential.
- Start before you feel ready. Women in particular often struggle with imposter syndrome, believing we must meet every single qualification before stepping up. Raising your hand and putting yourself out there even when you don't feel 100% prepared demonstrates a willingness to learn and growth mindset that leads to real progress.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Build your portfolio now. You don’t need a job to start building your product portfolio. For example, for someone wanting to break into product management, you can begin building product muscle today by simply doing product teardowns analyzing an app like Spotify to evaluate what works well, what needs improvement, and how different customer segments use it. Exercises like this sharpen your product muscle and strategic thinking.
Take advantage of hands-on opportunities with organizations like Cherry on Tech to gain real-project experience. With AI tools readily available, it’s easier than ever to bring ideas to life. Get your hands dirty, build things, and put your work out there.
Finally, build in public. Share your progress and gather feedback from friends, family, and your LinkedIn network. Showcasing your skills on public platforms or pitching ideas at events helps you demonstrate your abilities, connect with people who need your skill set, and organically grow your network.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The Biggest Opportunity: There is a massive opportunity in product management right now. While AI can handle writing, summarizing, and content creation, it cannot make strategic decisions or discern good ideas from bad ones. That essential gap is where human judgment comes into play. Product managers who can leverage AI tools while applying sharp critical thinking and decision-making will thrive.
The Main Challenges: The primary challenges stem from broader shifts across the tech industry. As AI automates routine tasks, engineering and product team sizes are shrinking where you might have previously needed a team of ten, you may now only need two. This shift has contributed to significant tech layoffs, which creates real uncertainty, particularly for professionals on work visas.
The Silver Lining: Even with industry-wide layoffs, new opportunities are constantly emerging. AI has dramatically lowered the barrier to building new products, sparking a surge in innovation and early-stage startups. Whether that means launching your own venture or joining an agile, emerging team, the market continues to offer compelling paths forward for adaptable product leaders.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
1. Continuous Growth & Diverse Perspectives
“Stay curious, keep learning, and never stop evolving.” That belief has shaped a career spanning software engineering, product management, fintech, AI, venture, public speaking, and startup judging. Seeking different perspectives is equally important because the best ideas often come from challenging assumptions and seeing a problem through someone else’s lens.
2. Creating Opportunities, Connecting People & Purposeful Work
“Success is more meaningful when you can use it to open doors for someone else.” Connecting people is something that comes naturally, whether it’s helping founders meet investors, introducing professionals to mentors, or bringing people together through events. Mentoring, judging startups, volunteering, and organizing communities are all ways to turn experience into opportunities for others.
3. Curiosity, Courage & Doing Hard Things
“Start before you are ready.” Moving from engineering into product, and later into enterprise AI, venture, and public speaking, meant repeatedly stepping into unfamiliar territory. Curiosity creates the willingness to explore; courage creates the willingness to act. The hardest challenges have often been the ones that created the greatest growth.
4. Spirituality, Self-Leadership & Leading by Example
“You have to learn to lead yourself before you can lead others.” Spirituality provides an important foundation for staying grounded through uncertainty and change. Self-awareness, accountability, discipline, and integrity are central to that philosophy. Leadership is ultimately about setting the example, listening well, serving others, and creating space for people around you to succeed.
5. Resilience, Optimism & Purpose
“Difficult seasons can led to long term growth.” Resilience is not simply about pushing through challenges; it is about continuing forward with perspective, optimism, and purpose. Setbacks and uncertainty can become opportunities to learn, adapt, and gain clarity about what matters most.
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