Q&A with Irana Wasti, BILL’s Chief Product Officer

In August 2022, we were delighted to welcome Irana Wasti as BILL's new Chief Product Officer. Irana joins BILL as an experienced global tech leader and a passionate supporter of small businesses.

Before joining BILL, Irana was Chief Product Officer at Typeform, a global SaaS platform for audience engagement, serving 500 million digital interactions per year. Irana has also worked in leadership roles at GoDaddy, served on the board of Sage, and led product teams at Intuit and IBM.

Having moved her family from London to set up home back in California, Irana has spent the last few months leading her teams to chart the future of BILL’s product strategy. Irana’s goal at BILL: to deliver great products that empower your business, help integrate and manage your financial operations, and give you the confidence to optimize your financial future.

We spoke to Irana about her journey to BILL.

What brought you to BILL?

Irana: The decision to come to BILL was easy! I have always been passionate about delivering amazing products and experiences that equip and empower SMBs to succeed. I have had the opportunity to serve the needs of SMB’s around the world and witness the essential role that these companies play in communities and economies.

In my previous roles at companies like GoDaddy, I discovered more and more that SMBs are looking for digital solutions and advice on how best to run and grow their businesses, optimize their cash flow needs and achieve their financial future goals. BILL is at the forefront of this transformation, and I was so excited to join that journey.

What makes a technology product great? 

Irana: A great product experience is one that solves a critical need for its target customers - it should delight the customers and enable them to focus on what they are passionate about (their business)! Building and delivering great software products is the foundation of our work – but it’s only half the job. At BILL, we really believe that our products give SMBs the right tools they need to succeed, but we also believe that we can and should always strive to improve on this.

As Chief Product Officer, one of the most important tasks I have is to listen and be prepared to be surprised. Listen to feedback from our customers and partners, and listen to ideas from our employees. Whether it’s innovating to deliver new or different products, finding new ways to create awesome customer experiences, or streamlining integrations, our ability to always evolve, grow and improve is what makes a product truly great.

What do you see as the biggest trend influencing the development of technology products in the next five years?

Irana: Just as cloud computing has revolutionized the way we work and engage, I think the next five years will see huge advances in how AI is integrated into our day to day lives. AI is a complex trend, so the opportunity for BILL is to help bring these AI capabilities to SMBs. Product leaders are always looking for new and exciting ways to delight customers, and provide solutions that benefit them. We want SMBs to be able to leverage all the capabilities that AI offers - for example, by using AI to make it easier for customers to upload their bills and receipts, or find vendors and partners to engage with. 

You are a member of Fortune's Most Powerful Women Network. Why does diversity matter in the tech industry?

Irana: For a company like BILL, diversity is one of our most important ingredients for success. We have more than 400,000 SMBs customers, and we have millions of network members around the world. Every one of these businesses represents and serves a unique and diverse community, which is why every business has unique and diverse needs. To deliver experiences that serve the needs of our diverse ecosystem of customers and partners, we need to have a team that reflects and understands this diversity.

I am honored to be a part of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Network. Groups like this are incubators and amplifies for a more diverse tech industry. Improving visibility of senior women leaders in tech not only helps us best serve our customers now – it also helps encourage the next generation of women to study and work in tech. This is great for our industry, great for tech companies, and – most importantly – it’s great for the customers and communities we serve.