Meet the New AskNicely Chief Product Officer, Paul Shingles: Driving Forward Product Excellence

We are thrilled to introduce Paul Shingles, who has recently joined Team Purple as Chief Product Officer. With a wealth of experience in product development and an infectious enthusiasm for innovation, Paul is poised to lead the AskNicely product strategy into its next exciting phase. We sat down with Paul to ask about the experience he brings to AskNicely, his professional journey in hyper-growth companies and his vision for the future of AskNicely.

‍World Class Product Foundations

‍To kick off our conversation, we asked Paul what drew him to the role of CPO at AskNicely. He explains that the product itself was one of the biggest influences: 

“Having been an AskNicely customer myself, I've seen firsthand the power of leveraging customer feedback for actionable insights. I have to say, the AskNicely product is awesome! Aaron and JB built a phenomenal initial product that took the NPS market by storm”. 

With a rock solid foundation, Paul is excited to lend his expertise and experience to drive AskNicely’s product development to new heights. 

“Together with Kirsten and the leadership team, we'll be laser-focused on pairing a kick ass product with a winning go-to-market strategy. With some more of that GSD execution I’m well known for, AskNicely is poised to become the next breakout global success story from New Zealand.”

Paul’s Professional Journey: Leading Global Hyper-Growth Companies to Success 

Paul's professional path is as dynamic as it is impressive. After spending 6 and a half years in London sharpening his innovation and product development skills at Barclays, Paul returned to New Zealand and joined Pushpay, an early-stage team that bloomed under his leadership as COO, into one of NZ’s top tech success stories. 

At Pushpay, Paul was pivotal in integrating product and engineering functions with go-to-market strategies, fostering a product that resonated across different markets.

“As employee #8, I was on the ground floor of what became one of NZ’s top tech company success stories. I left in early 2017 with the company dual listed on the NZX and ASX, knocking on the door of $100m in ARR and a bona fide NZ Unicorn.”

After Pushplay, Paul was brought on as the Chief Commercial Officer at Timely, where he transitioned from operational to growth-focused roles, leading sales, success, and support. His leadership helped navigate Timely through the challenges of COVID-19, showing resilience and adaptability that underscored his strategic prowess.

“After Pushpay I was introduced to Ryan Baker and the Timely team. After putting the acid on the Pushpay Sales and Marketing teams in my role as COO, I wanted to prove to myself that I could also take the heat and own the growth number from the other side of the fence.” 

Since then, Paul has committed his career to helping SaaS companies grow and thrive. His drive for continuous growth and his commitment to the SaaS community in New Zealand brought him to AskNicely, where he’s excited to leverage his extensive background to amplify the product’s impact. 

“Paul’s growth stage experience, commercial product instincts and bias for action were evident in our first conversation and have already been felt in his first few weeks on our team. Together, we’ll shape our product into the growth catalyst for service businesses committed to using customer feedback to drive action.” – AskNicely CEO, Kirsten Newbold-Knipp. 

Let’s Talk CX.

One of our favorite questions to ask here at AskNicely is “Can you tell us about your most memorable customer experience?”... Paul says his answer to this question is easy. 

“This is easy, it has to be aboard the Disney Wonder when it came down to NZ late last year.”

Paul, his wife Racheal and his two children Ryan and Elizibeth, spent three nights aboard the Disney Wonder and received the most phenomenal level of service at every touchpoint. 

“It truly showed what could be achieved when everyone in the team understands the importance of great service and everyone is incentivised to deliver it. It makes it hard for you to book an experience with any other company because the yard stick is set so high you know that if it’s not Disney, it will likely disappoint.”

This kind of world-class experience is exactly what the AskNicely product is designed to help service brands achieve, through the effective use of frontline feedback and recognition. Under the leadership of Paul, the product is set to redefine how people-powered businesses approach customer experience, by making frontline empowerment, and real-time, actionable feedback a cornerstone of their operations. 

The Future of AskNicely with Paul Shingles 

Since joining AskNicely, Paul has been impressed by the warm welcome and the collaborative spirit of the team, and he explains that he’s most excited about “turning the vision into reality.”

“I know first hand the value of using AskNicely to capture customer feedback and turn it into action. Helping to focus on getting that feedback where it matters most, at the frontline, is going to be an exciting journey, and one I can’t wait to get stuck into.”

With Paul at the helm, the AskNicely product is set to revolutionize the way service brands approach customer feedback, helping brands deliver awesome experiences, every time. 

Welcome aboard Paul, let the journey begin!