“Walk the talk”: How Product Manager Kiri Winfield embodies one of Nine’s key values

Spark awards: Nine’s values in action

Nine’s bi-annual Spark conference brings together over 500 team members from product, engineering, data, cybersecurity, and group IT to celebrate achievements and share strategic updates. The Spark awards recognise outstanding work within these teams, highlighting how individuals embody Nine’s values.

For Kiri, it was her unwavering dedication to integrity, transparency, and delivering on her promises during a secondment in a different team that made her a standout nominee. “I put my hand up to help out the audience team, and that was outside the scope of my normal role,” Kiri shared. At the time, she was an Associate Product Manager in the Platform Streaming team. When the Product Manager for the 9Now Web team resigned, Kiri proactively offered to cover the role during the recruitment period. She embraced the three-month secondment, leading the product roadmap for the team, and her work left a lasting impact beyond her temporary assignment.

From Associate to Product Manager: A journey of proactive growth

Kiri joined Nine in late 2023 and has already made a significant impact. Through various secondments across technology teams over the last year and a half, she’s gained a comprehensive understanding of Nine’s platforms from multiple angles. Kiri noted that “putting together the Nine picture and gaining a breadth of experience has been a career highlight for me. There are so many different brands that exist in the Nine ecosystem and varying product suites that come with that.” Her diverse roles allowed her to work on both backend systems and coding, as well as shaping frontend user experiences. Kiri’s hard work culminated in a recent promotion to Product Manager in the Consumer Platform team, a testament to her rapid progression.

Driving tangible results and collaborative success

Kiri was instrumental in improving the 9Now platform’s user experience. She was responsible for the new VOD (video on demand) playback page, which brought significant consistency and quality improvements to 9Now users. Kiri also helped with the transition of the web player architecture to Next.js, which gave the team more control over styling, reduced system dependencies, and allowed for faster iterations. Her efforts clearly show her ability to deliver on commitments and drive positive change for both users and the development team.

The essence of “Walk the talk”: transparency and psychological safety

For Kiri, “Walk the talk” boils down to “following through on doing what I say.” Beyond mere delivery, it encompasses transparency and honesty, especially when facing knowledge gaps. She highlights the “real sense of psychological safety” within the streaming team, where “it’s okay to not know everything.” This supportive environment empowers individuals, fostering integrity and open communication.

In her role, this translates to clear and candid discussions with engineering teams, stakeholders, and managers. Whether planning sprints, prioritising work, or communicating delays, Kiri emphasises setting realistic expectations and having honest conversations. This was evident during the development of Nine’s new ad experience, where an outdated player presented significant hurdles. Despite challenges leading to release delays, Kiri prioritised quality over speed, ultimately delivering a superior product to Nine’s consumers.

Nine’s opportunities for career growth

Nine offers a unique environment for professional development, cross-team collaboration, and innovative projects. Kiri’s journey is a prime example, including her involvement in diverse teams and even the demanding schedule of the 2024 Paris Olympics coverage. “Being able to come out of your typical working pattern and have an experience like that was incredibly fun and interesting,” she recalls, highlighting the opportunity to engage with various parts of the business, from broadcast operations to backend and frontend systems. The sheer variety and accelerated learning she’s experienced underscore Nine’s commitment to providing rich and diverse career paths.

Advice for aspiring technologists: embrace curiosity

For anyone looking to step into a technology role, Kiri offers valuable advice: “There’s no expectation to know everything, and having that kind of curiosity goes a long way.” She stresses the supportive environment at Nine, where asking questions is encouraged. “By being transparent and asking a lot of questions, people are so willing to help you out and accommodate that.”

Looking ahead, Kiri is excited about her new role in the Consumer Platform team, where she plans to continue embodying the “Walk the talk” value by maintaining open communication, collaborating widely, and approaching new challenges with humility. This rapid progression is a testament to Nine’s environment, which encourages employees to explore different facets of the business.