The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Innovation Analyst (L1) / Junior Intrapreneur
1-2 yearsSkills to master
- Conducting market research, scheduling and supporting customer interviews, documenting experiment results, learning the Lean Startup process, basic prototyping.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivers accurate and insightful research summaries.
- Independently manages small, well-defined tasks within a venture.
- Proactively identifies and flags potential issues to their supervisor.
- Demonstrates a strong desire to learn and take on more responsibility.
- 2
Product Analyst / Junior Product Manager (from a Tech/SaaS company)
2-3 yearsSkills to master
- Customer discovery, hypothesis testing, agile product development cycles, understanding user needs, basic market analysis.
You're ready to move on when
- Proven ability to translate user needs into product features.
- Experience working in an agile environment, managing a backlog.
- Strong analytical skills to interpret product usage data.
- A clear interest in early-stage product development and market validation.
- 3
Management Consultant (Junior level, focused on innovation/strategy)
2-4 yearsSkills to master
- Structured problem-solving, hypothesis-driven analysis, stakeholder management, presentation skills, market research, business case development.
You're ready to move on when
- Ability to quickly grasp new industries and business models.
- Strong communication and presentation skills, especially to senior audiences.
- Experience working on strategic projects with ambiguous outcomes.
- A desire to move from advising to actually 'doing' and building.