Chandra (CJ) Jacobs

With 20 years of experience leading teams to excellence across product, engineering, and data, CJ has a proven track record of building high-performing, autonomous teams that iteratively deliver working software using lean startup principles and a global mindset. As a product executive, CJ specializes in transforming organizations into accountable, results-driven, data-informed, and product-led businesses. Her expertise lies in sustainable growth, employing scaled startup processes and people-first leadership honed over a career spanning diverse industries, business lifecycles, and teams. CJ excels in helping small to mid-size businesses, teams, or products scale efficiently while unlocking greater business value, as well as assisting large companies in improving product development efficiency and eliminating waste.

CJ believes that great product experiences stem from great people and exceptional company environments. This philosophy centers on always putting people first. Leveraging her experience as a startup founder, CJ inspires others through a shared mission and vision and excels at uniting diverse stakeholders to achieve common goals. As a product leader, CJ drives results by managing product portfolios with a startup mentality, uncovering and pivoting toward new opportunities through calculated risks.

At MediaNews Group and Tribune Publishing, CJ leads a 10-scrum-team product development and analytics organization, overseeing global product and technology experiences across digital publishing and agency business lines. Her approach is agile, lean, and oriented around minimum viable processes, guiding the organization through a transformation from a build-to-scale mindset. This transformation is anchored in four core principles: transparency, discipline, boldness, and collaboration.

Previously, at Travelport, CJ led a 40-person high-performing product team managing a $20 million air commerce platform portfolio across five product lines generating $1.7 billion in revenue. Delivering software through 20 teams across three Scaled Agile Release Trains, she aligned the team with a product vision focused on prioritization, data-driven decisions, and lean, pragmatic, and strategic thinking. This effort enabled the team to achieve a three-year cost reduction and platform performance strategic goal six months early, saving the company $50 million. Additionally, CJ spearheaded the company’s first data product strategy, monetizing data science investments and delivering a 10x return within six months.

Passionate about working globally, CJ has collaborated across cultures, customs, and continents. She has visited over 100 countries, lived in four, and worked in three. Currently based in Denver, CJ resides with her husband, Brendan, and their cats, Freya, Chaucer, and Newton. She enjoys traveling, exploring the mountains, discovering the Denver food scene, and embracing new experiences.