The people behind August’s conversation
Our August 2026 Product Conversations webinar brought together Bruce McCarthy and Phil Carter. This feature introduces the backgrounds behind their invitations and the complementary perspectives we wanted to bring to Pinnacle’s audience.
We selected this line-up to connect strategic roadmaps and stakeholder alignment with the growth challenges of subscription products. Bruce’s perspective on direction complemented Phil’s focus on sustained customer value and subscription business performance.
Bruce McCarthy
Founder of Product Culture · Co-author of Product Roadmaps Relaunched
The experience behind the invitation
Bruce McCarthy founded Product Culture and co-authored Product Roadmaps Relaunched. His work helps product teams develop their skills, communicate strategic direction and build stakeholder alignment. His approach connects roadmaps with the outcomes a team aims to achieve, while allowing plans to evolve as new evidence emerges.
Why we invited Bruce
We invited Bruce to connect product priorities with a shared strategic direction. His expertise was relevant to our audience’s questions about explaining roadmap choices, aligning stakeholders around outcomes and maintaining clarity when priorities need to change.
Can your stakeholders explain the intended outcome behind the next item on your roadmap?
Phil Carter
Consumer subscription growth expert
The experience behind the invitation
Phil Carter helps consumer subscription businesses develop growth strategies, models and processes. His product and growth experience includes work with companies such as Faire, Quizlet and Ibotta. His teaching focuses on improving consumer subscription growth and building a business around value that customers continue to receive.
Why we invited Phil
We invited Phil to connect product investment with the health of a subscription business. His expertise was relevant to practitioners assessing how customers experience value, where growth is constrained and which priorities can support stronger retention and sustainable commercial outcomes.
What would give customers a clear reason to keep using and paying for your subscription product?
The line-up connected shared strategic direction with subscription growth. We invited both speakers to help our audience consider how roadmap choices can support customer value and a stronger business over time.