Who's That Gal: Lauren Acquista, Vice President of Product Strategy at Quicken Loans

Name: Lauren Acquista
Occupation: Vice President of Product Strategy at Quicken Loans
Currently living in: Detroit, MI
Hometown: Detroit suburbs
Currently reading: What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz
Favorite healthy habit: Daily meditation
I never leave home without____: tinted lip balm

Let’s start with the basics. What does a product strategist do? What sparked your interest in this field?

I’m currently leading consumer product and enterprise insights as a product strategist at Quicken Loans. A product strategist defines and delivers value at the intersection of what is desirable to customers, viable to business and feasible from a technical perspective. We’re behind solutions big and small—whether they are entirely new experiences or optimized existing features.

Growing up, I had no idea what career to pursue. I considered journalism, law and engineering. I ended up going to business school because I figured it would expand my perception of what might be possible. It paid off as I stumbled into product management before it was established – at least outside of Silicon Valley. I was part of the first wave of East Coast product management, and I essentially grew up with the field. I witnessed first-hand the benefits of bringing diverse teams of business, design and software engineering together to create and launch new products and offerings to consumers.

Looking back, there are so many elements of the fields I considered when I was young in the work I do now. At Quicken Loans, I am pushed to use these skills daily. The team and I are tasked with bringing modern digital solutions to an industry that is slow to update and it takes a broad approach to do that. Like a journalist, my job is to tell a clear and compelling story to stakeholders, working teams and partners. Like a litigator, we use logic to prove or disprove our theories. And like an engineer, we create scalable systems. That’s what I love about product management – it’s a little bit of everything!

What does your typical day look like?

After I wake up, I typically check Twitter and Google News, get ready, then eat breakfast prepared by my lovely husband. On the occasional day I don’t have early meetings, I’ll see my girls when they wake up, otherwise, I’m out the door before they rise. My days are jam-packed with exciting and interesting conversations, whether it is a one-on-one with a team member, a presentation to business partners or a collaboration with our designers and engineers. My favorite moments are when we create clarity out of ambiguity, challenge assumptions and test our hypotheses. I’m out the door by 5 p.m., at the latest, to get home to my girls for family dinner. After that, we’ll take a walk and then roll right into bath and bedtime. Their 7 p.m. bedtime gives me a chance to finish up work and prepare for the next day, plus squeeze in a little time for self-care with meditation or a quick show.

Why did you choose to work at Quicken Loans?

I was born and raised in the Detroit suburbs. I’ve followed Quicken Loans’ astronomical growth over the past decade and the impact they’ve made across America – particularly in my hometown. I’ll never forget watching Quicken Loans’ first Super Bowl commercial from my newly purchased apartment in Manhattan. The vision of the ad was, “Push button, get mortgage” and that really grabbed me. I couldn’t help but compare my recent home-buying experience to this vision of a seamless, turnkey solution. The idea of moving back home to Detroit to join so many driven, smart professionals working daily to solve this very real pain point felt almost like a higher calling. Through conversations over the next couple of years, I got to know the Quicken Loans team and the opportunity only became more exciting as I realized the people and the culture are completely aligned with my values: obsessed with finding a better way, client-focused and biased for action.

What are your biggest challenges as a leader?

As a working mom, my tendency is to try to optimize every minute of my time. My biggest challenge is balancing my desire to move things forward in a methodical, efficient way with the need to be patient and allow room for stillness. It takes years of practice, patience and dedication to achieve that balance and I am lucky to have worked at companies which supported that goal. At Quicken Loans, they have really enabled me to maximize my time in the office, as well as at home with my family.

What advice would you give to women aspiring to someday reach VP-level leadership roles?

Create opportunities to serve your teams with the unique knowledge and perspective only you can bring. Create a presentation, send a newsletter or hold a lunch and learn – anything to get your name out there as an expert in whatever you do exceptionally well.

How do you balance your career and your personal life?

Balance has always been a priority for me. I try to “walk the walk” and actively make decisions that support balance, whether it’s asking for help, saying no or proactively communicating my boundaries – and I encourage my team to do the same. As a leader, I’m extremely sensitive to that balance and encourage myself and my teams to work smarter, not harder.

I also have a stellar support system. My husband is a true partner who not only rises to the occasion but surpasses all expectations in terms of support and care. My friends and family are wonderful. The companies I’ve been a part of are progressive and understand when their team members show up rested and stress-free, they deliver better results.

What’s next for Quicken Loans? What’s next for you personally?

I’m always trying to expand my perspective. The real estate and mortgage industries are entirely new to me, and I’m excited to merge what I’m learning at Quicken Loans with what I know from my previous experience at American Express and United Technologies, whether it’s payments, loyalty or luxury. Expect to see even more awesome consumer technology out of Quicken Loans and Rocket Mortgage in the coming months and years!

Cameron Bruns Ewing is the managing editor of Just Us Gals. She works in Sales at HubSpot where she strives to make the tech industry more inclusive while also pursuing a degree in environmental sustainability from University College Dublin.