Clinic Recording: How to Weather the Global Crisis

A workshop with practical advice from The Product Sherpa (Tanguy Leborgne) on how to best weather the current global crisis storm. In this 45-minute session, participants will learn more about a five-principle framework to get them covered for success. They will also learn specific tools that help them act on these five principles.

Bio of the presenter - Tanguy Leborgne

In 2020, Tanguy founded The Product Sherpa, a new-generation consulting and coaching venture that guides business leaders to success. Tanguy secures the most solid business vision and uncovers deep customer insights. He also works with teams on core business optimization, including product portfolio management, strategic pricing, business rationalization.

Previously, Tanguy established his expertise in product development, product management, business, and marketing as a general management executive.  Over the years, he has built deep market and industry knowledge in audio, video, and imaging solutions in high-tech both in B-to-B and B-to-C.

A charismatic leader and speaker, with expertise in identifying and distilling core priorities and communicating them to key stakeholders. Tanguy is also particularly skilled at listening intently. As a general manager, Tanguy has built a reputation as an extraordinary all-around executive talent. He has an unusual combination of strong fact-based analytical skills and freewheeling creativity that generates innovative answers to complex problems. Tanguy enables strong focus and team alignment, paving the way for success, and empowering everyone around him, from engineering to sales, to extraordinary accomplishments.

Passionate about authentic communication and teaching, Tanguy continues to be regularly invited by the University of California Santa Cruz to hold sessions on customer-centric product development. 

Most recently, Tanguy was Vice-President and General Manager for consumer headsets at Poly (Plantronics). He drove all the aspects of that $250M+ business: vision, portfolio strategy, product, and go-to-market execution with full P&L responsibility. Tanguy enabled strong alignment with product development and operations on sourcing strategies and supply chain. He also led a shift in channel strategy, working with sales on distribution rationalization and increased focus on eCommerce.

Despite substantial “headwinds,” Tanguy initiated and orchestrated a complete turnaround of the business. It led to a lighter touch model with shorter product development times (35 to 50% gain), improved profitability (up 25%), and better-orchestrated go-to-market in just two short years. When the company’s overall strategy shifted, Tanguy worked with the CEO and CFO to proactively and successfully execute the sale of the gaming portion to Nacon, a leader in video game publishing and gaming accessories. Tanguy maximized the transaction by narrowing the scope to an asset sale.

Before joining Poly/Plantronics, Tanguy held a variety of general management, product development, and management, and marketing leadership roles at Avid for seven years. As the owner of the product P&L, Tanguy helped significantly increase the profit contribution through revenue growth strategies, SKU optimization, and cost restructuring on R&D and manufacturing overhead. He mainly focused on implementing global development teams with offshoring growing from 10 to 40% of engineering teams. Tanguy led the shift of product development to SCRUM (Tanguy is a certified SCRUM Master). Tanguy also drove the definition of a new Product Life Cycle Management program leading to a better assessment of business opportunities and streamlining product roadmaps. As a recognized change agent, he successfully drove multiple turnaround efforts and M&A’s.

Over 11 years at Adobe, Tanguy held a variety of sales, product, and marketing leadership roles. He continuously championed best business practices, focus on global thinking, market-orientation, and innovation. Tanguy shifted his focus from regional (EMEA) to worldwide in 1999. He then directed the global harmonization of channel and marketing efforts by integrating local nuances in worldwide processes and educating regional teams on global imperatives.

Living in California with his family since 1999, Tanguy enjoys the outdoors and running. He has run more than thirty full marathons, including at least one on each of the seven continents. Tanguy is originally from France. He graduated with a Master of Sales & Marketing degree from Reims Management School, Reims, France (now part of NEOMA Business School) and completed the Stanford University Graduate School of business – Executive Education program. Tanguy keeps learning every single day and is an avid reader of business and strategy publications. The top of the list of his favorite authors and timeless books include “Principles” by Ray Dalio, “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman, and “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek.

Matthew Swinnerton