The Next Generation of News Product Leadership: Welcoming the Fifth Cohort of the NPMC!
29 news professionals from across the globe will strengthen their product leadership skills through the News Product Management Certification program
The News Product Management Certification (NPMC) is proud to welcome its fifth cohort! This new group of mid-to-senior-level professionals joins us from across the globe to refine the technical and strategic leadership necessary to lead product-driven change within their organizations.
Run by the News Product Alliance in partnership with the J+ program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, the program is constructed around a blend of high-level instruction and personalized support.
Over the next 3.5 months, participants will learn directly from industry leaders at organizations such as Yahoo, POLITICO, Chicago Public Media, and Netflix, while benefiting from dedicated coaching support from experts with deep proficiency in AI strategy, subscription growth, human-centered design, and the technical frameworks that sustain modern newsrooms. This hands-on training allows cohort members to gain experience in audience development, revenue sustainability, product design, and AI implementation, all while applying these tools and frameworks to the specific challenges inside their own news organizations, and working on a capstone project as a final assignment.
“Our alumni have been stepping confidently into leadership roles across the industry after going through the NPMC program,” says Feli Carrique, Executive Director of the News Product Alliance. “By strengthening these individual leaders, we are ensuring that the future of journalism is shaped by those who know how to build sustainable, audience-first organizations.”
Meet the Newest Cohort
This group of 29 product thinkers represents 13 countries, bringing together a diverse array of expertise, from Directors of AI & Innovation to Newsletter Editors and Product Engineers. You can view the full list of participants below.
“Participants are proving every day that the skills they’ve mastered and the connections they’ve forged during the program are fundamental to successfully launching new products and navigating the complexities of modern media,” says Marie Gilot, Executive Director for J+. “This community continues to support one another long after the program has ended, creating a lasting network.”
With support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, this cohort also includes a group of participants from U.S. local newsrooms, part of a shared commitment to strengthen the product leadership pipeline that the industry urgently needs.
The NPMC has already trained over 120 professionals across four cohorts. Applications for the next cohort, running from August to December 2026, will open in April 2026 —subscribe to our mailing list to stay updated! Newsrooms can secure spots by contacting npmc@newsproduct.org.
Meet the 29 participants in the fifth NPMC Cohort
You can read about the participants’ experiences by clicking on the photos.
