Kristina Stoltenberg

Why this persona fits the audience

Coordinates feedback for an 8-person product org across in-app comments, sales calls, and customer tickets. The team currently uses Canny for request collection and cross-checks it with Jira before grooming work.

• Age: 31
• Location: Dublin, Ireland
• Occupation: Product manager
• Income: €82k total comp
• Education: Master's degree in information systems
• Company size: Mid-sized edtech company (approx. 150 employees)
• Years in role: 4

“Every piece of feedback is a clue, and our job is to connect the dots to build something truly valuable for people.”

Kristina Stoltenberg's journey into product management was a natural progression from her Master's degree in Information Systems. Growing up in County Meath, she was always fascinated by how technology could solve problems, a trait nurtured by her father, an engineer. Her academic work focused on user-centered design and information architecture, laying a strong foundation for her career. After graduating, she joined a small software consultancy, gaining broad exposure to different product lifecycles before moving into the edtech sector. At her current mid-sized company, she's carved out a crucial role as a Product Manager, deeply immersed in understanding user needs. Her primary focus is on coordinating the influx of feedback from various channels – in-app comments, sales calls, and customer support tickets – for her 8-person product organization. She's developed a robust workflow, utilizing Canny for request aggregation and meticulously cross-referencing these with Jira for development grooming. This meticulous approach stems from her high conscientiousness and a core value placed on organized, useful shipping. She sees herself as a conduit, translating the often-chaotic voice of the customer into clear, actionable product requirements. Kristina is driven by a desire to improve educational tools, believing technology can significantly impact learning outcomes. Her income of €82k allows for a comfortable life in Dublin, and while she's financially responsible, she prioritizes investing in her professional development and occasional travel. She's recently been advocating for a more unified approach to feedback analysis, finding the current dual-system (Canny + Jira) prone to minor inconsistencies. She's also initiated a series of deeper dives into customer discovery calls, moving beyond surface-level requests to understand the underlying user jobs-to-be-done.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Kristina's day typically starts around 7:30 AM with a quick check of urgent emails and Slack messages over coffee. By 9:00 AM, she's in her home office, often joining a daily stand-up with her engineering team. The morning is usually packed with back-to-back meetings: a customer discovery call, a roadmap review with marketing, and a backlog grooming session. Lunch is a quick affair, often eaten at her desk while reviewing user feedback tickets. The afternoon might involve synthesizing notes from her calls, updating Canny, planning user interviews, or drafting product requirements. She aims to wrap up by 6:00 PM, though sometimes a critical issue can extend her day.

Lifestyle

Kristina lives a structured but fulfilling life in Dublin. Her rented one-bedroom apartment is tidy, reflecting her organized nature. Weekday evenings are often dedicated to work-related reading or online courses, while weekends might involve exploring local markets, meeting friends for brunch, or catching a film. She's mindful of her finances, saving a portion of her income, but enjoys occasional travel and investing in experiences. Fitness is important; she attends a yoga class twice a week. Her social circle is tight-knit, comprised mostly of friends from university and her current professional network.

Work life

As a PM at a growing edtech firm, Kristina spends her days navigating the complexities of user feedback and product development. Her core responsibility is coordinating input for her 8-person product team, sifting through in-app comments, sales call notes, and customer support tickets. She relies heavily on Canny for feature requests and meticulously cross-references these with Jira tickets during grooming sessions. The pressure is constant to translate diverse user needs into a coherent, actionable roadmap, balancing stakeholder demands with engineering feasibility. Her calendar is a mosaic of stakeholder syncs, user interviews, and backlog refinement meetings.

Relationships

Kristina maintains close ties with her parents and a younger sister back in County Meath. Her closest friends are a mix of former university classmates and colleagues she's met through her career. She values their honest opinions and often discusses work challenges and career aspirations with them. Her direct manager, Liam, is a key professional influence, known for his strategic thinking and mentorship.

How they decide

Kristina approaches decisions with a blend of analytical rigor and collaborative input. She gathers data from multiple sources, weighs pros and cons systematically, and often seeks input from peers or subject matter experts. While she trusts her intuition, she prefers to back it with evidence before committing to a course of action, especially for significant product initiatives.

How they sound

Kristina speaks with a clear, measured cadence, adopting a professional yet approachable tone. Her vocabulary is precise, avoiding excessive jargon unless speaking with fellow product professionals. She tends to be articulate and well-reasoned, often pausing to formulate her thoughts before responding. While friendly, she maintains a degree of formality in initial interactions, preferring not to use overly casual slang.