Sanjana
Arun
Product Lead at eBay
"The AI Cross-Functional Leader: Turning Models into Product Decisions"
"The AI Cross-Functional Leader: Turning Models into Product Decisions"
Wed May 13 - 5:50 PM EDT/New York (See in local time)
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05/13/2026 5:50 PM
05/13/2026 06:10 PM
America/New_York
#WTGC2026
"The AI Cross-Functional Leader: Turning Models into Product Decisions"
#WTGC2026
"The AI Cross-Functional Leader: Turning Models into Product Decisions"
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"The AI Cross-Functional Leader: Turning Models into Product Decisions"
"The AI Cross-Functional Leader: Turning Models into Product Decisions"
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Session: The AI Cross-Functional Leader: Turning Models into Product Decisions
In my experience working at the intersection of data science and AI, initiatives rarely fail because of models. They fail because teams don’t align.Product, data science, and engineering often operate with different incentives, languages, and definitions of success. The result is promising AI work that never turns into real user or business impact.
In this talk, I’ll share a practical leadership framework for leading cross-functional AI teams - where product, data, and engineering move together instead of in parallel - drawing on my experience as a PM working closely with data science and AI teams.
We’ll explore how to translate model outputs into product decisions, align success metrics across disciplines, and build trust between highly specialized teams.
Attendees will leave with concrete, actionable ways to lead AI initiatives more effectively - even without being the most technical person in the room.
Key Takeaways
- A practical framework for leading cross-functional AI teams - learn how to align product, data science, and engineering around shared goals, metrics, and decision-making.
- Turning model outputs into product decisions - understand how to move from technical insights to clear product actions that drive real user and business impact.
- Aligning success metrics across disciplines - learn how to define shared measures of success that prevent misalignment and stalled AI initiatives.
- Building trust across highly specialized teams - gain leadership techniques for working effectively with data scientists and engineers without needing deep technical expertise.
- Confidence to lead AI initiatives as a non-technical leader - walk away with tools to lead AI-driven work with clarity, influence, and confidence, especially for women stepping into leadership roles
Bio
Sanjana Arun is a Product Leader at eBay, where she leads strategy and execution for AI- and data-driven search advertising products in a large-scale marketplace ecosystem. Her work sits at the intersection of product, data science, and engineering, focusing on building responsible AI systems that balance user trust, advertiser growth, and long-term platform health.With experience working on complex, cross-functional AI initiatives, Sanjana is passionate about translating technical innovation into real-world impact. She is especially interested in how leaders can effectively guide teams where product, data, and engineering come together, and how thoughtful leadership shapes the success of AI-powered products.
Beyond her day-to-day role, Sanjana is an active mentor and contributor to product communities. She is deeply committed to supporting and amplifying women in tech by encouraging greater visibility, confidence, and leadership in AI and data-driven roles.
