Jirka Helmich
ex(CPO @ Mews 🦄)
I help B2B SaaS orgs shift to the product operating model.
Prague, Czechia
About
The product operating model is the way of running an organisation where teams own problems worth solving, and decisions come from evidence rather than opinion.
A McKinsey study of 400+ publicly traded companies found that a modern approach to product is strongly correlated with faster revenue growth and brand success. That's not a coincidence — it's what happens when a team stops shipping features by request and starts making judgment calls about what's actually worth building.
I did this at Mews, first as a builder and then as CPO through its unicorn journey. That included the COVID reset — when hospitality was cut in half overnight and we had to rethink the whole product function, and the product strategy with it. AI is creating a similar kind of whiplash for B2B SaaS right now. The operating model is what gets you through.
How I work with companies
Growth advisory
Working with leadership on strategy, prioritisation, and the operating model. Typically a multi-month engagement.
Coaching & mentoring
1:1 with CPOs, heads of product, and engineering leaders. Also group trainings for product orgs.
Fractional leadership
Occasionally stepping in as a part-time CPO or product lead when a company needs senior presence for a defined window.
Mews · 2014–2023
Nine years at Mews, from four customers to a unicorn.
Joined as employee #9, with four customers in Prague (two of them friends & family). Spent the first four years running engineering, then built the product function starting in 2018.
Led engineering alongside the CTO-to-be. Introduced CI/CD early. Grew and managed the dev team up to 35.
Started the product function with one designer and one content writer.
CPO. Scaled product to 45, back down to 15 during COVID, then up to around 85 by the end. 20 empowered squads.
Left. Mews crossed unicorn status in the round that closed shortly after, and is now on a $2.5B Series D (EQT, 2026).
What I'm up to now
Advisory collective for B2B SaaS growth
A small group of senior operators helping companies adopt the product operating model and run data-driven.
Raising the bar for CZ & SK product
Community for senior product leaders in Central Europe. Launched late 2025.
From Code to Company
A course that nudges engineering students toward missionary careers, not mercenary ones.
Where you'll find me
Mentoring at conferences, running workshops, on the stage of the occasional podcast, or deep in a whiteboard session with a leadership team.
Mentoring zone at the Engineering Leaders Conference, Prague 2026.