Product Tank Leeds – July 2026

ProductTank Leeds returns on Wednesday 8 July 2026, hosted by Channel 4 at The Majestic, City Square. Three speakers cover distinct corners of product management: the realities of running a TV app at scale, what it actually means to be a PM when AI is doing more of the work, and what product practice looks like inside a smaller organisation where the tidy frameworks rarely apply.

Steve Down, Senior Product Manager at Channel 4, opens with 'Behind the Streams: The untold story of TV App Product Management' — a look at what goes on behind a streaming product that millions of people use without thinking about. Chris Leyland, Head of Data at TickX and a former PM, follows with 'Being a PM in the age of AI', drawing on his shift from product to data to talk about how the role is changing. Rebecca Copley, Head of Product at RotaMaster, closes with 'The reality of "messy product" in smaller orgs' — the kind of talk that tends to resonate with anyone who has tried to run a product function without the headcount or the runway to do it properly.

Each talk runs approximately 20 minutes, followed by audience Q&A. Light bites, canapés and drinks are provided. The format is designed to leave time for conversation: ProductTank Leeds events consistently draw a mix of PMs, founders and product-adjacent people from across the Leeds and Yorkshire tech scene.

ProductTank is a global community of product people. The Leeds chapter has been running regular meetups for several years, giving local practitioners a place to hear from peers rather than vendors. Channel 4 has a significant presence in Leeds following its national headquarters relocation to the city, and has hosted and supported a number of community tech events since.

Why attend

All three speakers are practitioners talking about their own work — not consultants selling a methodology. Steve Down's talk on TV app product management is a rare look inside a major broadcaster's digital product team. Chris Leyland brings a data-side perspective on AI that is grounded in having actually been a PM. Rebecca Copley's session on smaller-org product work addresses something that most PM content ignores entirely.

The event is free, includes food and drinks, and runs until 8:30 PM. Channel 4's Leeds office at The Majestic is a well-known venue in the city centre, easy to reach after work. If you work in product in Leeds, this is one of the more substantive evenings on the calendar.

Agenda

• ~18:00 Doors open, networking, light bites and drinks
• ~18:20 Steve Down (Channel 4) — 'Behind the Streams: The untold story of TV App Product Management'
• ~18:45 Chris Leyland (TickX) — 'Being a PM in the age of AI'
• ~19:10 Rebecca Copley (RotaMaster) — 'The reality of "messy product" in smaller orgs'
• ~19:35 Audience Q&A
• ~20:00 Networking
• 20:30 Close

Speakers

• Steve Down — Senior Product Manager, Channel 4. Speaking on the untold story of TV app product management.
• Chris Leyland — Head of Data (formerly Product Manager), TickX. Speaking on being a PM in the age of AI.
• Rebecca Copley — Head of Product, RotaMaster. Speaking on the reality of messy product in smaller organisations.