Jan Mertens

CPO | Product & Business Leadership | Software · AI · Hardware | Bridging Technology, Market & Commercial | Building High-Performing Product Organizations

Berlin, Berlin, Germany

About

I build and transform product organizations at the intersection of technology and markets — developing teams and processes into systems that deliver measurable customer and business value. My career spans two distinct worlds: scaling product functions inside global corporations like Royal Philips and Lumileds, and building 0→1 product organizations inside high-growth tech startups like relayr (acquired by Munich Re for $300M). Across both, I've consistently delivered at the intersection of technology innovation and commercial impact. What I do best: - Lead and develop high-performing product organizations (up to 50+ FTE across Product, Design, Engineering, Data Science, Domain Experts and Product Marketing) - Build and launch AI & IoT-powered products from idea to enterprise scale - Drive business model transformation — from hardware manufacturing to SaaS and as-a-service models - Manage global P&L portfolios (up to $600M) with a sharp focus on growth, margin and customer value I hold certifications in AI Product Management (Duke University), Functional Safety (TÜV Rheinland), Scrum and Six Sigma, and I'm passionate about the future of industrial AI, predictive systems and customer-centric product thinking. Based in Berlin. Fluent in German and English, learning Italian.

Experience

  • Chief Product Officer at DINA Elektronik
    Feb 2025 - Present · 1 yr 5 mos

  • relayr (Full-time · 4 yrs 10 mos)
    • Vice President of Products
      Sep 2023 - Oct 2024 · 1 yr 2 mos

      Serve as VP Product of Relayr, an industrial IoT powerhouse purchased in 2018 by global reinsurer, Munich Re. We offer innovative as-a-service business models for our global industrial customers, along with AI-powered predictive maintenance solutions in key verticals and markets.

    • Director Product
      Jan 2020 - Oct 2023 · 3 yrs 10 mos

      • Ideated and developed an IoT-enabled Predictive Maintenance Solution for industrial equipment • Successfully grown the business from idea to growth and established strong collaboration with key industry partners • Built a team across Product, Design, Engineering, Data Science & Industry SME across offices in EU & US

  • Lumileds (4 yrs 10 mos)
    • Director Product Management
      Nov 2017 - Jan 2020 · 2 yrs 3 mos

      • P&L for a large, global automotive product portfolio across multiple technologies • Elevated profitability by >20% by leading portfolio strategy and continuous product innovation • Led & developed the Product Management Team based across EU & Asia

    • Global Senior Product Manager - Automotive Lamps
      Apr 2015 - Oct 2017 · 2 yrs 7 mos

      • P&L for a global automotive product portfolio • Managed product lifecycle from concept to end-of-life incl. product cost, pricing, sourcing strategy and sales & profit forecast

  • Philips (3 yrs 4 mos)
    • Global Product Manager Automotive Lamps
      Jan 2015 - Apr 2015 · 4 mos

    • Project Manager Automotive
      Nov 2013 - Dec 2014 · 1 yr 2 mos

    • Program Manager Global Markets
      Dec 2012 - Nov 2013 · 1 yr