Hire Them or Become Them - Product Manager / Designer / Forward-Deployed Engineer
A fireside panel with a product manager, a designer and a forward deployed engineer on what their jobs ACTUALLY involve. For business owners who want to build or hire a tech team without getting burned, and for people who want to break into tech as one of these roles. Meetup 06 of the AI Power Users series.
🎙 ABOUT THIS MEETUP
This is Meetup 06 of the AI Power Users series, a free fortnightly community in Singapore for people learning to put AI to work.
This one differs from our usual build-along nights. It's a fireside panel, and it exists because of two questions that keep coming up in this community:
From business owners: "I want to build in-house with a tech team, but I don't understand these roles well enough to hire them. How do I tell a good one from a confident one?"
From everyone else: "I want to get into tech as a PM, designer or forward deployed engineer. Where do I actually start, and has AI changed the way in?"
Same three jobs, two very different reasons to understand them. So we're putting all three on one stage: a product manager, a product designer and a forward deployed engineer, answering both sides honestly.
🎤 Your panel:
• Adrian, product manager at GovTech, previously Grab • Chip, product designer, ex-Grab • Lennie, forward deployed engineer at IMDA
🧠 What we'll cover:
→ What each job ACTUALLY involves day to day, not the LinkedIn version
→ For business owners: what to look for when you hire each role, the red flags a non-technical founder would miss, and when a role is NOT worth a full-time hire yet
→ For career-switchers: how each panelist would break in today without a CS degree, and what a portfolio that gets replies looks like
→ Where each role is heading as AI takes over more of the production work
👤 Who this is for:
• Business owners and founders planning to build or hire a tech team
• Professionals who want to move into tech as a PM, designer or forward deployed engineer
• People already in one of these roles who want to compare notes
• Anyone curious how modern tech teams actually work
You don't need a technical background. That's rather the point.
⚙️ What you'll need:
• Just yourself. It's a panel night, so no laptop required.
• Come with a question. The registration form asks for one, and the best ones get asked on stage.
📅 Wednesday, 30 July 2026
⏰ 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM SGT (Doors from 6:00 PM)
📍 CBD. Full address goes out once your RSVP is confirmed.
📋 Run of show:
6:00 PM. Doors open
6:30 PM. Start, sharp. Welcome and introductions
6:50 PM. Panel session starts
8:20 PM. Audience Q&A
8:45 PM. Networking
9:00 PM. Close
❗ Important notes:
🍕 Food is not provided. Eat your dinner first, or grab something on the way in.
🎟 Free registration. Please fill in all required fields, including a valid personal LinkedIn profile. This helps us keep the room genuine and everyone safe. Registrations are subject to approval.
📸 Photography, audio and video recording may take place. By attending, you agree to this. We're committed to a respectful, inclusive space where curiosity and real connections thrive, free from harassment of any kind.
Free to attend. Part of the AI Power Users meetup series in Singapore.
Hosted by Keith Teo - Head of Product and Founder, trainer at SMU Academy, ex-Grab PM.
Can't make 30 July? Join the AI Power Users WhatsApp group and you'll be first to know when the next one opens: Join WhatsApp Group