Jarno M. Koponen in a nutshell
Over 15 years of AI product/design, innovation and transformation leadership from startups to big organizations. Pioneering innovation impact in new product categories, scaling AI products from 0 to tens of millions of customers, and transforming organizations and operating models.
- Founding design leader in Zalando AI assistant taking it from idea to launch in 4 months, and scaling the experience from zero to over 50 million customers.
- Successful transformation leadership in multiple industries: new AI-augmented operational model for news media with new job roles and teams, agentic tooling and workflow for ecommerce product design and development.
- A self-learning personalized AI assistant with record-breaking engagement already a decade ago.
- Award-winning personalized content experiences, and fastest-growing personalized news media product serving millions of customers.
- Innovator of an UI/UX and AI method for predictive discovery, patent today cited by Google, Amazon, IBM and Microsoft.
- Work featured e.g. in The New York Times, NPR, Fast Company, TechCrunch, Forbes, Mashable, and MIT Technology Review.
Outstanding track record of leading multidisciplinary teams and organizations to drive trail-blazing customer experience innovation powered by AI and Machine Learning. Embracing entrepreneurial human-centric approach.
Exceptional communication skills leading into popular keynote talks in international conferences and widely read expert articles in notable publications such as Fast Company, TechCrunch and VentureBeat.
Right now…
Jarno is currently leading product design for Generative AI, Agentic AI and Personalization, Recommendations, Search and Browse at Zalando, which is one of the leading tech companies and the number one fashion platform in Europe. Previously, Jarno led digital transformation in media sector as a first-ever Head of AI & Personalization at Yle News & Current Affairs, in the Finnish public service media company Yle.
More about Jarno
Jarno is highly skilled in developing product design strategy and leading product design vision in complex customer-facing projects and tooling initiatives that leverage deep-technology. He has a great track record on taking impactful and innovative products from a concept phase to public launch to deliver award-winning customer experiences and great business impact from startups to market leading companies (e.g. Random/Futureful, Yle, Zalando). Read more ⚡️
Jarno has been leading digital transformation to drive effective applications of new technologies in critical business areas. Similarly, he has designed and developed new operational models to drive business transformation. He has an entrepreneurial mindset and a proven ability to build and drive productive multidisciplinary teams and organizations that embrace creativity and innovation.
He has written expert articles on product design, personalization, artificial intelligence and leadership e.g. on VentureBeat, Fast Company and TechCrunch. Most recently he has written on Fast Company about the transformation of product design leadership caused by the emerging generative AI technologies. Read more ⚡️
His internationally recognised work has been covered by notable publications such as The New York Times, Fast Company, Vice, NPR, Forbes, Oxford Reuters Institute, The London School of Economics and Political Science, and MIT Technology Review among others. Read more ⚡️
He has also coined Koponen’s law of personalization: every digital experience that can be personalized algorithmically, will be personalized algorithmically.
My approach
I practice multidisciplinary approach to create human-centric and sustainable products and organizations. My work combines humanism, data science, and design—of which I have two Master’s degrees from.
I dive deep into the technology… To combine meaningful content, AI and user experience. To bring together human curation, machine learning, design thinking and business.
I’m driven by impact. At heart, I’m an entrepreneur.
I lead by example and trust in continuous scenario thinking. Well-thought alternatives are key for making enlightened decisions. I give responsibility and expect accountability. Trust creates ownership and commitment. Systematic self-reflection is key for learning and progress.
I believe in continuous iteration. Dare to think differently but test your ideas ruthlessly. Be consistent and persistent in the face of challenges.
My leadership mantra is simple: define the mission and direction together, calibrate the focus and goals together, find the right rhythm together and a state of iterative peace emerges, in which you have a working compass to proactively navigate the things present and future.
Life isn’t just work. I read, cycle and enjoy art in various forms. Legos keep fascinating me. Also, I used to be a musician.
Connect
📧 [first name].[last name](you-know-it) gmail.com
Jarno M. Koponen 