Product Professionals: Insights & Resources

Best Fractional Chief Product Officers in New York City

Ryan Stevens
November 18, 2025
All Insights
Product Professionals: Insights & Resources

Best Fractional Chief Product Officers in New York City

New York City Fractional CPO Services

If you’re building—or scaling—a product team in the heart of the New York City-Newark-Jersey City area, you know the stakes: fierce competition, fast-moving markets, and a talent ecosystem as vibrant as the city skyline. That’s why turning to a highly experienced fractional Chief Product Officer (CPO) is often the smartest move. These are product leaders who embed part-time into organisations (down the hall or across time zones) and bring a full C-suite mindset without the full-time headcount.

At Digital Reference, we see the Fractional CPO model not just as a budget-friendly option, but as a strategic advantage—ideal for companies moving from 0-1, scaling post-Series B, or resetting their product-led operating model. The right fractional product leader delivers clarity, speed, and execution power.

In this guide, we introduce our curated list of top New York City-area fractional CPOs. We break down our research-driven selection methodology, showcase each leader’s unique strengths, and help you identify the right fit for your product stage and goals.

Our Methodology - Fractional Chief Product Officer Services

We evaluated product executives across the NYC region based on:

  • Proven product leadership as a CPO or Head of Product

  • Fractional readiness and experience embedding part-time

  • New York City market familiarity and strong local network

  • Product-first mindset—focused on PMF, discovery, GTM, and team-building

  • Alignment with Digital Reference values, including digital transformation, product-led growth, data-driven execution, and scaling product maturity

After analyzing profiles, content, and background materials, we curated—not ranked—a list of fractional CPOs who reflect the strengths of the New York City product ecosystem, with direct links so readers can explore each one further.

🌟 Highlighting Fractional CPOs in New York City

♦️ Brian Root

Founder and Principal at Noris Advisory

Founder and Fractional CPO of Rooted in Product LLC.
🔗 LinkedIn

Brian brings a decade-plus of hands-on product leadership and a grounded, customer-obsessed methodology. Known for his Rooted in Product framework, his approach blends deep user research discipline with pragmatic delivery execution.

🧩 Brian’s signature strengths include:

🌱 Customer-development rigor rooted in continuous discovery

⚙️ Systems-thinking mentality to scale product orgs and roadmap processes

💬 Coaching-first leadership style to level-up internal PM talent

📊 Strong focus on data-driven prioritization and product metrics

Brian excels with companies entering product-to-growth transition phases, especially startups shifting from founder-led product instincts to structured, scalable product practices.

♦️ Nita Stella

Fractional Chief Product Officer at The Fractionals 🔗 LinkedIn

Nita has held senior product roles in fast-paced environments where customer empathy, go-to-market alignment, and operational excellence are mission-critical. Known for holistic product thinking, she balances research rigor with business pragmatism.

🌟 Industry strengths:

💡 SaaS + B2B workflow platforms

🛍️ Commerce & consumer-enablement products

🧭 Human-centered, research-forward product development

Nita excels at helping organizations prioritize correctly, ensuring product teams deliver what matters—not just what's loud.

♦️ Tommi Forsstrom

Fractional CPO & Executive Advisor | Owner of Tommi Forsstrom Consulting
🔗 LinkedIn

Tommi is beloved in the product community for his no-nonsense leadership philosophy and his ability to elevate product teams into high-signal, strategic operating units.

🔥 Key attributes:

🎙️ Thought leadership in modern product operations

🧭 Clarity in strategic product positioning

📚 Product org coaching & PM talent development

🧠 Strong operator mindset with cultural discipline

Tommi is a fit for CEOs who want product to become strategic, empowered, and outcomes-driven, not feature-driven.

♦️ Greg Schirripa

Chief Product Officer (Fractional) at Stealth AdTech Startup
🔗 LinkedIn

Greg blends startup velocity and enterprise sophistication, specializing in product strategy for marketplaces, B2B platforms, and technology-enabled services.

🎯 Strengths:

🔄 Building scalable roadmap processes

📣 Strategic communication with boards & investors

🧩 GTM integration and pricing strategy

🌐 Experience across multi-sided ecosystems

His approach is structured, outcomes-driven, and deeply founder-aligned.

♦️ M. Chloe Mulderig, PhD

Founder | Executive Ghostwriter | Fractional CPO at MulderigDesign  🔗 LinkedIn

Chloe brings a rare hybrid of academic rigor, design-thinking depth, and product strategy excellence. Her PhD-backed approach to human-behavior research and innovation systems sets her apart in the product consulting world.

🧠 Chloe excels at:

🔬 Behavioral research + product insight generation

🎨 Design-led innovation + qualitative product frameworks

🧠 Strategic org design for creative product teams

🗺️ Innovation strategy for emerging categories

Chloe is ideal for orgs exploring new markets, future-focused product bets, or category creation.

♦️ Kevin O'Neill

Chief Product Officer at Precise.ai 

Fractional Chief Product Officer at DNAstack

🔗 LinkedIn

Kevin blends product management with growth, analytics, and lifecycle strategy. He's skilled at turning under-performing features into high-impact acquisition and retention engines.

📊 Kevin’s value:

🚀 Growth strategy + PLG

🔎 User analytics + experimentation

📦 Lifecycle activation and retention systems

🎯 Strong KPI discipline

His approach appeals to companies that need product acceleration tied directly to commercial outcomes.

♦️ Dave Reinhold

Fractional CPO and Founder of Venture CPO
🔗 LinkedIn

Dave has a long track record of leading products at scale, guiding companies through multi-product platforms, complex stakeholder ecosystems, and enterprise rollouts.

🔍 Dave’s focus areas:

⚙️ Platform & infrastructure products

🧩 Scaled product ops + PM systems

📐 Structured product planning and governance

🧠 Executive advisory for cross-functional leadership

He’s the advisor teams call when they need order, rigor, and mature product operating models.

♦️ Jeff Ng

Founder at Bubucha 

Product Advisor & Strategy at HappyFunCorp

🔗 LinkedIn

Jeff has led product and technology organizations through innovation cycles, digital platform launches, and category-evolving shifts. He brings an engineering-aware and market-aware lens to every strategic decision.

Jeff excels in:

🧠 Product + technology alignment

🏗️ Platform development

🌉 Translating business goals into engineering velocity

🧠 Strategic org leadership & scaling

A strong partner for venture-backed companies and transformation-stage orgs alike.

🍎 From Startup to Scale: New York City’s Top Fractional CPOs Leading the Way

If you're in the New York City–Newark–Jersey City area and struggling with focus, lacking senior product leadership, preparing to scale, or navigating complex regulated environments, a fractional CPO may be the right strategic move. We’ve spotlighted top fractional leaders with deep New York City market experience, selected for proven executive track records, regional presence, and readiness to drive product-led growth. Your next step: clarify your product leadership needs, connect with a few candidates (many offer introductory consults), and assess fit based on domain alignment, culture, cost, time commitment, and expected outcomes. Don’t miss our guide to:

At Digital Reference, we help organisations connect with the right fractional product leadership, assess product team maturity, and accelerate product-led growth. If you’d like our assistance in matching you with one of these experts (or exploring other candidates), let’s talk.

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