CPO Stories: Georgie Smallwood - Moonpig

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Oct 22, 2025

Georgie Smallwood, Chief Product, Technology & Data Officer at Moonpig, shares her impressive journey through leading product teams at N26 and Xero. She discusses the importance of creating 'moments that matter' in gifting and emphasizes that technology should connect people rather than distance them. Georgie explores the delicate balance of personalization and emotional connection, advocating for careful AI integration. She believes in empowering teams while maintaining necessary leadership and stresses the need for innovation governance in a rapidly changing landscape.

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ADVICE

Keep Org Structure Flexible

Design organisation structure to be flexible and avoid rigid, long-term locking.
Georgie recommends adjusting teams for the next 6–12 months and keeping changeable setups.

ADVICE

Use The Product Trio Pattern

Ensure each product team has a PM, engineering manager, and designer working as a trio.
Georgie says the trio dynamic is the pattern that consistently produces strong teams.

ADVICE

Balance Autonomy With Clear Direction

Balance empowered teams with top-down direction when business realities demand speed.
Georgie warns forbidding top-down input will halt a product organisation when urgent decisions arrive.

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On this episode, I speak to Georgie Smallwood. Georgie is Chief Product, Technology & Data Officer at Moonpig - the UK's best-known online gifting and greeting card platform. Georgie has built a global career leading product and technology teams at companies like N26, Xero, and Tier Mobility, before joining Moonpig to help transform a 25-year-old household brand into a modern, tech-driven organisation. In this interview, she talks about what it means to create "moments that matter", how Moonpig balances emotional connection with innovation, and how to lead when you're responsible for product, tech and data all at once.

We cover a lot, including:

Making technology more human: Georgie believes technology should make the world smaller, not bigger - by connecting people, not distancing them. At Moonpig, the goal isn't just to sell cards or gifts, but to help people express love and connection through meaningful gestures.
Product with purpose: Moonpig's mission is to be “the world's greatest gifting companion.” Every card printed represents a moment of love, humour, or memory between people. Georgie sees product management at Moonpig as building moments that matter, not just features.
Balancing connection and innovation: Moonpig has embraced AI and personalisation, but Georgie cautions against rushing ahead for technology's sake. Instead, the team focuses on introducing innovation in a way that feels natural and accessible to mass-market users.
Leading product, technology, and data together: As CPTDO, Georgie bridges three major domains. She admits she's not a data scientist or engineer, but focuses on seeking to understand - asking open questions, learning continuously, and leading through consistency rather than control.
On empowerment and leadership: While she values empowered teams, Georgie is pragmatic about balancing autonomy with business realities. She also believes true innovation needs governance, not chaos.

Check out Moonpig

Check out Moonpig's website: http://moonpig.com/, or their careers page: https://www.moonpig.group/careers/.

Connect with Georgie

You can connect with Georgie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georginasmallwood/.