On The Pulse

Pulse Group
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On The Pulse is where product, technology, and go-to-market leaders share what it really takes to build. Hosted by Ricky Burns and Tony Mulcock, founders of Pulse Group, the show features Directors, CPOs, CTOs, and senior product leaders in candid conversations about roadmaps, technical challenges, career milestones, and leadership lessons. Some episodes highlight individuals and the stories that shaped them. Others are deep dives into how teams solve real market problems, what’s working, what isn’t, and what’s next.

Episodes

  1. 4d ago

    How AI Is Reshaping Engineering Leadership With Matt Whetton

    What does the future of software engineering actually look like? In this episode, Richard Burns is joined by Matt Whetton, Chief Technology Officer at Acquired.com, to explore how AI is transforming engineering teams, leadership, and the skills needed to stay ahead. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience, Matt shares why he stepped away from the venture-backed world, what he's learned from leading engineering teams through periods of rapid growth, and why smaller, highly effective teams may outperform larger organisations in the years ahead. If you work in technology, product, engineering or leadership, this conversation offers practical insights into how the role of engineers is evolving and what that means for the future of the industry. Chapters 02:30 – Why Matt left the VC-backed world for a bootstrapped business 09:20 – Building smaller, more effective engineering teams 18:30 – The biggest differences between bootstrapped and VC-backed companies 35:40 – How AI is changing the role of software engineers forever Connect with Richard Burns LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmarcburns/ Pulse Recruit: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pulse-recruit/ Connect with Matt Whetton LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewwhetton/ Company: https://linkedin.com/company/10631317/ If you enjoyed this episode, please like the video, subscribe to the channel, and let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments. Produced by Vertical Drop.

  2. Jul 16

    From Agency to Startup, Brand Advocacy, and Building Faster in the Age of AI with Blake Moseley

    In this episode of On The Pulse, Tony sits down with Blake Moseley, VP of Product at JUUL, to talk about the career journey that's taken him from agency life in Australia to leading product teams in one of the UK's fastest-growing tech businesses. Blake shares how working in agencies shaped the way he thinks about leadership, problem-solving and innovation, why agency talent is thriving in startups, and what it really takes to build high-performing product teams. The conversation also explores the realities of leading through constant change, hiring people who challenge you, and why the best leaders aren't afraid to admit what they don't know. They also dive into the impact AI is having on product development, how it's completely changing the way products are built, and why keeping up with the pace of innovation has become both exciting and daunting. 00:00 – Tony introduces Blake and his journey from agency life in Australia to product leadership in the UK 03:15 – How working in agencies shaped Blake’s approach to leadership, problem-solving and innovation 08:40 – Why agency talent is thriving in startups and fast-moving businesses 13:10 – What it really takes to build high-performing product teams 18:25 – Leading through constant change and making decisions when things move quickly 23:50 – Hiring people who challenge you and why the best leaders don’t pretend to know everything 29:05 – The impact AI is having on product development and how it’s changing the way products are built 34:20 – Why keeping up with the pace of innovation is both exciting and daunting

  3. Jul 1

    Early Internet Pioneer to Product & Tech Leadership at Imperial College London with Kavita Kapoor

    Kavita Kapoor joins On the Pulse to share her non-linear journey from building one of the earliest web pages in the mid-’90s and working in Silicon Valley to leading product and technology across organizations including the BBC, Channel 4, Just Eat, micro:bit, and now Imperial College London. She discusses early experiences with bro culture and being told how to dress, the persistence that landed her a life-changing role at London 2012, and how securing a product manager title helped propel her into senior leadership. Kavita reflects on developing an authentic, compassionate leadership style, the challenges of fundraising as a female founder, and choosing values-driven work in higher education. She explains adapting product models to university governance, prioritizing cybersecurity, and her view of LLMs versus “true” AI, ending with advice on growth mindset, mentors, and continually challenging yourself. 00:00 Life Changing Call 00:50 Meet Kavita Kapoor 02:47 First Computers Spark 03:50 First Website Era 04:42 Seeing Internet Future 06:05 Silicon Valley Reality 07:22 Bro Culture Lessons 09:56 BBC Early Product Work 11:56 Breaking Into Olympics 15:07 Becoming Product Leader 16:26 Leadership Growing Pains 20:28 Finding Authentic Style 22:42 Comfort In C Suite 23:01 Microbit Global Scale 24:16 Side Hustles And Martial Arts 25:02 Funding Bias And Asia Network 25:56 Leaving Profit Driven Cultures 26:50 Choosing Imperial For Purpose 29:15 Elevation Over Transformation 32:02 Product Mindset In Universities 36:08 Governance Boards And Workstreams 39:28 Prioritising Value And Cybersecurity 41:26 AI Reality Check And Future Tech 47:20 How AI Changes Product Management 51:34 Leadership Advice And Mentors 53:27 Closing Thanks And Contact

  4. May 27

    Health Tech Product Leadership, Confidence & Building AI-Native Teams with Brigitte West

    In this episode of On the Pulse, Tony Mulcock (Pulse Group) sits down with Brigitte West, a senior product leader in health tech, to unpack her journey from studying medical sciences and founding an early beauty tech company to leading product, design, engineering, and clinical teams at executive level. Brigitte shares why she’s stayed focused on healthcare impact, how shipping real products (from early breastfeeding support tools to systems used in millions of NHS appointments) shaped her career, and what she looks for when hiring across regulated and non-regulated backgrounds. The conversation explores women in tech and self-belief, learning by doing versus waiting for permission, leading in scale-ups with ROI-focused “bets,” building international teams in India with autonomy and strategic context, and how AI is changing workflows, decision-making, and the boundaries between PM, design, and engineering. 00:00 Believe Before Ready 00:44 Podcast Welcome Intro 03:03 From Med Sci to Startup 04:53 Health Tech Calling 11:45 Impact Driven Product Work 14:58 Hiring for Motivation Balance 24:45 Women in Tech Mentors 29:28 Action Over Permission 34:29 Leading at Different Scales 36:09 Crafting Product Strategy 36:33 Org Design Follows Strategy 37:46 Aligning With CEO And CFO 38:38 Products As Portfolio Bets 40:07 ROI Mindset In Scaleups 42:11 Balancing People Process Politics 42:58 Planning For High Impact 45:00 Redesigning Work With AI Tools 48:29 Building Teams In India 54:46 Autonomy And Decision Speed 58:06 AI Experimentation Culture 01:00:52 Personal AI Workflows 01:05:38 Leading Through AI Change 01:07:14 Impact Over Frameworks 01:09:18 Advice For Aspiring Leaders 01:12:38 Final Thanks And Wrap

  5. May 14

    The Product Evolution: Navigating Retail, Leadership, and the AI Revolution with Fabrice Khullar

    In the debut episode of On The Pulse, host Ricky Burns sits down with Fabrice Khullar, a product leader who has spent over two decades at the forefront of digital transformation for some of the UK’s most iconic brands. Currently the Director of Product, UX, and Optimisation at Boots UK, Fabrice’s career journey spans senior roles at Sky, Sainsbury’s, and Selfridges, offering a unique perspective on how product management shifts between pure tech and large scale retail.  Fabrice pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to move from "delivery" to "discovery," how to handle the high pressure transition from individual contributor to leadership, and why the most important part of a product manager's role in the age of AI might be deciding what not to build.  In this episode, we discuss: The Career Pivot: How Fabrice moved from journalism and project management into the early days of product development at Orange and Sky. Retail vs. Pure Tech: The fundamental differences in managing products when your "customers" are right in front of you on the shop floor. The Leadership Leap: Moving from leading a product to leading the people who lead products, and the "dirty word" every leader must master: politics. The AI Revolution: What "vibe coding" means for the future of engineering and how product teams can use AI to accelerate roadmaps without losing the human touch. Agentic Commerce: Why the future of shopping is about "stacking channels" and meeting the consumer in their increasingly messy, multitasking lives. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to On The Pulse   02:40 - Fabrice’s journey: From journalism to product management   07:08 - Disrupting the industry: Lessons from Sky and Now TV   11:49 - The unique challenges of product management in retail   15:51 - Why "technical debt" is actually a product strategy problem   22:22 - The transition into leadership: Moving from leading products to leading people   35:53 - AI, vibe coding, and the future of engineering   44:47 - The next decade of retail: Convenience, fragmentation, and agentic commerce   53:16 - Closing thoughts and where to connect with Fabrice   Connect with us: Host: Ricky Burns: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmarcburns/Guest: Fabrice Khullar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabrice-khullar-4309153/Produced by: Pulse Group: https://pulserecruit.co.uk/ Don't forget to subscribe to On The Pulse for more candid conversations with the leaders building the future of technology and product strategy.

  • 5 Episodes

About

On The Pulse is where product, technology, and go-to-market leaders share what it really takes to build. Hosted by Ricky Burns and Tony Mulcock, founders of Pulse Group, the show features Directors, CPOs, CTOs, and senior product leaders in candid conversations about roadmaps, technical challenges, career milestones, and leadership lessons. Some episodes highlight individuals and the stories that shaped them. Others are deep dives into how teams solve real market problems, what’s working, what isn’t, and what’s next.

Information

  • Creator
    Pulse Group
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 On The Pulse
  • Show Website
    On The Pulse