Lab Top — 7 Questions with Sharon Zhou

Highlighting women in tech: meet Sharon Zhou, Product Manager on the SAP HANA & Analytics Augmented BI Team. Based in Shanghai, China, she is inspired by Steve Job’s “less is more” concept and urges new-starters in the industry to stay curious about new tech

1. Please explain: What is your specific job?

I work on the product management team of SAP Analytics. As a product manager, my key areas of focus are product innovation & operation, project safeguarding, ecosystem enablement and customer engagement for SAP Analytics Cloud. Additionally, I contribute to the strategic planning and product life cycle management of Crystal Reports.

2. Your initial inspiration to enter this industry?

During my first internship at Siemens, I used SAP’s solutions every day to create purchase orders and claim expenses. I realized it is necessary for an enterprise to operate with business solutions in this digital era. In my opinion, this industry is a growing industry and will continue to develop in the coming years.

3. Your most exciting project to date?

My most exciting project was to interview customers in different countries to understand their use cases and exceptions about the product.

4. Top skills that anyone who wants to work in tech needs?

Passion for technology, logical thinking, people skills and good execution.

5. What advice would you give to young professionals starting out in tech?

Stay curious for knowledge and find a company that has a structured process of product development and innovation to start your career, as this could help you build a solid foundation in this industry.

6. Your biggest role model?

Steve Jobs. I would say he was a great product manager rather than a successful entrepreneur in my mind. The “less is more” concept exists in every corner of his product. He led and shaped user habits through excellent product design. I think this is what I want to pursue in my career.

7. People or media to follow?