TPM Stories — Aisha Asanova from Crowdstrike
Interviewed by Betty Luk
I was born in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I completed my undergraduate studies in Business Administration there and then moved to the United States in 2012. Currently, I work at CrowdStrike as a Technical Program Manager, leading strategic Data Science initiatives that are crucial to the company. At work, I excel in building relationships between stakeholders and technical teams. In my personal life, I organize fun events and trips to explore the world. So far, I’ve visited 28 countries spanning four continents, and I have plans to explore Africa and Antarctica.
Connect with Aisha on LinkedIn.
Tell us about your career journey — how has your career transformed and how did you become a TPM?
My career journey has been far from conventional, and it may resonate with other TPMs who’ve taken a similar path. I’ve worn multiple hats, honing the skills necessary to excel in my role as a TPM. It all began in a project support capacity, where I was responsible for on-site user acceptance testing. In that role, I gained insights into pre-sales engineering, post-sales processes, and customer success implementation. This experience served as my gateway into product management. As I gathered detailed requirements from various stakeholders, I realized the critical role these insights played in shaping our software roadmap and product backlog. Guiding customers through the entire problem-solving and technical success journey is both challenging and rewarding — dealing with endless bugs, finding creative workarounds, and de-escalating issues while providing on-site support.
For me, every program represents an opportunity to push boundaries, exceed expectations, and create innovative solutions. My willingness to adapt, shift roles, and acquire new tools for my professional toolbox eventually led me to my current position at Crowdstrike.
Where do you think TPMs can add the most value? What ways can TPMs contribute to the business’s success?
TPMs play a crucial role in program success. I always imagine a TPM as a skilled conductor, orchestrating a symphony of teams across different quarters. A TPM’s value lies in helping distill program complexities into elegant simplicity, bridging the gap between technical intricacies and strategic vision. TPMs translate complex concepts into actionable tasks, enhance program quality, and ensure everyone performs at their best. They help create a clear picture where technical initiatives align with corporate goals, ensuring that the programs the team supports directly impact the company’s strategic vision. TPMs facilitate communication, fostering collaboration and synergy. In summary, TPMs are the glue that holds complex projects together, propelling the business toward success!
You worked in product management and customer experience before becoming a TPM. How have your previous roles shaped you as a TPM?
Working across software development and healthcare industries, I developed credibility and fluency in both domains. Recognizing an opportunity, I assumed the role of a ‘glorified translator.’ This involved bridging the gap between business stakeholders — frontline healthcare providers, administrative staff, construction workers and executive leadership. By understanding their perspectives, needs, and priorities, I could effectively communicate technical solutions and provide valuable inputs. Listening to customers and empathizing with their business challenges became second nature. As a TPM, this customer-centric mindset guides my decision-making. I continually evaluate how technology offerings can address real-world issues faced by our users. Whether optimizing processes, improving user experiences, or aligning with business goals, my background in customer experience informs my strategic thinking.
What is the most memorable program that you have driven as a TPM? What made it so memorable?
One of the most memorable programs I managed as a TPM was the “False Positive Mitigation Rules Engine.” Our mission was to create a solution that allowed machine learning operators to adjust on-sensor ML models delivered via cloud updates. Collaborating with Data Scientists during this program was both challenging and rewarding. During this program we faced tight deadlines and resource constraints. However, we carved out space for additional experimentation, resulting in two critical rules. First, we developed Centroid-based rules that identified specific regions in the feature space containing desired hashes. Second, we crafted Micromodels — compact versions of our powerful Operating System Machine Learning (OSML) models. The impact was significant: Crowdstrike’s ML models could now be updated within days, bypassing the usual weeks-to-months sensor release timelines. This effort exemplified CrowdStrike’s core value: “One Team, One Fight”.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a TPM? How did you overcome it?
As a TPM, one of the most significant challenges I’ve faced is striking the right balance between strategic leadership and tactical execution. On one hand, we’re responsible for high-level planning, ensuring alignment with business goals, and driving cross-functional collaboration. On the other hand, we’re deeply involved in day-to-day execution, removing roadblocks, and ensuring timely delivery. TPMs often wear multiple hats. While this versatility is valuable, it can lead to scope creep — taking on tasks beyond the original role. Managing expectations and setting clear boundaries is crucial. Juggling competing priorities — long-term strategy versus urgent operational issues — requires constant recalibration. TPMs must prioritize effectively to avoid burnout and maintain focus.
As Steve Jobs said “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”
In your current role you collaborate with ML (machine learning) teams and there’s a lot happening in the AI field right now. How has that impacted your work and how do you keep up with the latest developments?
Recent advances in AI technology, like large language models (LLMs) and other generative tools, offer great potential for improving cybersecurity. Making humans as effective and efficient as possible begins with giving them the best tools for the job. As a TPM supporting the Data Science team, I actively participate in our monthly Data Science & Data Engineering Guild sessions, which aim to foster a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and innovation. These sessions provide a platform for sharing insights, discussing new advancements, and exploring practical applications of cutting-edge technologies. Additionally, I subscribe to our internal AI Newsletter, which keeps us informed about new model releases, Red-Teaming efforts in the LLM space, and general AI news.
TPMs — What’s your story? If you are interested in contributing or sharing your story, please reach out!
