Thought Leadership
Ideas That Travel. Insights That Endure.
A Voice Forged in Practice, Not Theory
Matthew Olugbemi is a Director of Product and COO with over a decade of hands-on experience leading product teams, driving AI adoption, and delivering digital transformation at scale — across South Africa, the USA, the UK, and beyond. His writing does not originate from observation. It comes from the inside of real product rooms, real engineering sprints, real stakeholder pressure, and real decisions that affect real users.
He writes because the gap between what product leaders know and what gets written down is too large. His mission — whether through a book, a peer-reviewed paper, a guest article, or a ten-minute LinkedIn post — is to close that gap for the next generation of builders, leaders, and thinkers.
PUBLISHED WORKS · AMAZON
Three Books. One Mission: Equip Product Leaders.
All three titles are available globally on Amazon. Each one addresses a different stage of the product leadership journey — from foundational craft, to strategic command, to personal reinvention.
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
The Product Manager’s Playbook
A complete guide to mastering the foundations, strategy, and go-to-market success of modern product management. Written for practitioners at every level — from aspiring PMs to senior leaders who want to sharpen their edge. Launched to industry recognition at a sold-out event in Johannesburg and acknowledged by leaders across the global product community.
LEADERSHIP & STRATEGY
The Strategic Product Leader
For product managers ready to step into genuine leadership — not just managing backlogs but shaping company direction, building high-performing teams, and owning the outcomes that move businesses forward. Co-launched with The Product Manager’s Playbook and featured at the Johannesburg Product Conference.
CAREER TRANSITION
Starting Over
A deeply personal and practically useful guide and framework to resetting your career and pursuing the path that genuinely fits you. Praised by professionals across Italy, the USA, Nigeria, and the UK. The book gives permission and a plan.
ONLINE EDUCATION
Teaching the Next Generation of Product Leaders
Diploma in Product Management, Agile, Analytics, and AI
Matthew created and hosts a full diploma-level course on Alison — one of the world’s largest free learning platforms — covering the complete modern product management toolkit: discovery, roadmapping, Agile delivery, data analytics, and AI integration. Nearly 2,000 learners from across the globe have enrolled, spanning the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
The course was built from the same thinking that informs his books and mentorship work: that access to world-class product education should not depend on where you were born or what you can afford.
≈ 2,000 learners enrolled worldwide
YouTube Product Management Channel
Teaching the Next Generation of Product Leaders
The Product Lab with Matthew OlugbemiA dedicated channel for product management thought leadership, innovation, and career guidance. 1,000+ subscribers. |
Insights & Thought Leadership
Maryland’s AI Workforce Needs Product Thinkers, Not Just Coders
Maryland is investing in AI skills and workforce development. Product leader Matthew Olugbemi explains why coding alone is not enough, and why product thinking is essential to turning AI into useful, trusted solutions.
LINKEDIN THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Articles for the Professional Community
Matthew publishes consistently on LinkedIn — substantive, practitioner-level writing on product, AI, leadership, and career growth. Each article is written to leave the reader with something they can use.
From the world’s largest product management community to the United States Artificial Intelligence Institute, Matthew’s thinking has been accepted, featured, and recognised by the platforms that set the conversation.
Rise of the Shadow AI: Hidden Risks Lurking in Your Organisation
An examination of unofficial AI adoption inside enterprises — when employees use AI tools outside sanctioned channels, and the governance, security, and compliance risks that follow.
Platform: LinkedIn
Product Roadmapping in the Age of Uncertainty: Adapting to Change While Maintaining Direction
How product leaders can build roadmaps that hold conviction without becoming brittle — a practical look at adaptive planning, stakeholder alignment, and the discipline of structured flexibility.
Platform: LinkedIn
My 10 Timeless Lessons from a Decade in Product Management
One of Matthew’s most-shared LinkedIn publications — a distillation of ten years of hard-won insight into principles that hold regardless of sector, seniority, or geography.
Platform: LinkedIn
The Product Manager’s Role in Product Launch: From Vision to Execution
A comprehensive framework for the launch lifecycle — covering pre-launch strategy, cross-functional coordination, GTM alignment, and post-launch learning loops.
Platform: LinkedIn
Customer-Centric Product Management: Beyond Buzzword to Business Bedrock
Making the case that customer-centricity is not a value on a wall but a set of disciplines embedded in how a product team discovers, decides, builds, and measures.
Platform: LinkedIn
When Paths Align: A Full-Circle Moment in Product Leadership, Mentorship, and Purpose
A reflective piece on the intersection of professional achievement and personal purpose — one of Matthew’s most personal published works, an AHA! moment of full circle where he met one of his mentees on a project that he was also on as a consultant. This widely resonated with readers navigating the tension between career success and meaningful work.
Platform: LinkedIn
Books, Ideas,
& Global Platforms
PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH & SCHOLARLY CONTRIBUTIONS
Rigorous Research for a Global Academic Audience
Matthew’s scholarly work spans corporate governance, digital economics, technology adoption, and international development — published in European-American academic journals, international conference proceedings, and co-authored in a Springer-published book. His ResearchGate profile has accumulated over 100 citations and 1,000+ reads.
Digital Transformation in Developing Countries: South Africa, Ethiopia, and Belize
ResearchGate — 1,000 reads milestone (Sept 2025)
Published
Does Corporate Social Responsibility Alleviate Poverty in Nigeria? A Critical Analysis of Some Selected Listed Organisations
European-American Journals — 100+ citations
Published
Employing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to Explain Digital Video Marketing Adoption and Sales Performance in Selected Nigerian MSMEs
European-American Journals · Vol 11, Issue 1 (July 2025)
Published
Social Media Marketing and the Performance of SMEs: A Study of Ikeja LGA, Lagos State, Nigeria
Ilorin Journal of Human Resource Management (IJHRM) Vol 9, No 1, 2025
Published
Investigating Institutional Policies and Research Collaborations with Students and Study Leaders
International Conference on Green & Sustainable Development, Rwanda 2025 — University of Kigali JFMS
Published
AI-Driven Imaging and Diagnostics in Smart Healthcare Systems (pp. 77–95)
HealthTech Horizons: AI-Infused Metaverse Solutions for Smart Healthcare Systems · Springer
Published
How Urban Music Affects Church Music
Academia.edu — most-read article · 5,874+ views · 187 bookmarks
Published
How Worship Can Makes a Man Better
Academia.edu — most-read article · 5,874+ views · 187 bookmarks
Published
FULL PROFILE DIRECTORY
Find Matthew’s Work Across Every Major Platform
All links are verified and active. His writing, research, and teaching are distributed across multiple authoritative platforms.
AMAZON
All Three Books
The Product Manager’s Playbook, The Strategic Product Leader, and Starting Over — all available globally.
MIND THE PRODUCT
Guest Writer & Top Read
Two published articles; one ranked Top Read of April. Published alongside global product executives.
USAII
Expert Contributor
Expert Insight published by the US Artificial Intelligence Institute; AI Transformation Plan accepted.
SPRINGER
Co-Author · HealthTech Horizons
Chapter contributor to a Springer-published academic book on AI and metaverse solutions in smart healthcare.
ORCID
Researcher Identity
Unique research identifier connecting all academic contributions to a single verifiable profile.
GOOGLE SCHOLAR
Cited Academic Record
Full citation index, h-index tracking, and research impact metrics across all published academic works.
ALISON Learning
≈2,000 Learners
Diploma in Product Management, Agile, Analytics, and AI. Free. Global. Growing.
RESEARCHGATE
Researcher · 100+ Citations
Peer-reviewed research on digital transformation, CSR, and development economics — 1,000 reads and growing.
ACADEMIA.EDU
5,874+ Views
Most-read article: How Urban Music Affects Church Music. 144 followers. 6,554 public views total.
NEXFORD UNIVERSITY Washington
Featured Profile
Published spotlight on Matthew’s career journey and product leadership at one of Africa’s largest banks.
European American A JOURNALS
Peer-Reviewed Papers
Multiple papers on CSR, poverty alleviation, digital marketing adoption, and Nigerian enterprise development.
YOUTUBE
The Product Lab with Matthew Olugbemi
A dedicated channel for product management thought leadership, innovation, and career guidance. 1,000+ subscribers.
MEDIA, AWARDS & RECOGNITION
When the Industry Takes Notice
ADPList Top 100 Most Influential Mentors in the World — 2026
Recognised among 2026’s Most Influential 100 Mentors on ADPList — the global mentorship platform trusted by 800,000+ members across 140 countries. Matthew has delivered mentorship sessions across the USA (38), UK (24), Nigeria (16), South Africa, and UAE. He holds Multiple Top 1% Mentor in Product Expertise badges (March, April, May, August 2025) and a Top 10 Site Reliability Mentor designation (June 2025).
Television — NuView TV Book Launch Interview
Matthew appeared on NuView TV for a feature interview on The Product Manager’s Playbook and The Strategic Product Leader, discussing his journey, his mission in product education, and what the books mean for practitioners across Africa and the diaspora.