True Edge Tuesday with Carwyn Anzani
Carwyn has turned potential risks into opportunities—spotting issues early and leading his team to quickly pivot, ensuring seamless project progression and exceptional outcomes.
For me, the crucial part of the OE mindset is being in the detail of every part of the project—from engineering to business impact to consumer insights."
In engineering, it’s not enough to find the right solution—you have to anticipate the wrong ones, too. For Carwyn Anzani, Design Manager on the Ninja Thirsti team, being proactively paranoid isn’t just a mindset—it’s a strategic advantage, marked by an ability to foresee challenges long before they surface and to design with the unseen already accounted for.
During the prototype phase of Thirsti, Carwyn sensed a potential risk with the new CO₂ actuator—the crucial component that punctures the bottle and injects carbonation. Something about it wasn’t sitting right. Rather than waiting for failure to prove him right, he got ahead of the curve. He initiated rigorous testing to confirm the issue and brought the risk straight to SharkNinja leadership, ensuring full transparency.
But he didn’t stop there. Carwyn rallied his team to brainstorm not one backup, but five. Each alternative design was prototyped, tested, and validated—all without derailing the project timeline. Thanks to Carwyn’s vigilance and “how might we” approach, the team turned a looming risk into a showcase of agility, speed, and engineering excellence.
Hear from Carwyn
What does it mean to be Outrageously Extraordinary (OE)?
From an engineering and product perspective, it’s always pushing to have the best possible product. When you’re confronted with a new issue or realize that the project is tracking in the wrong direction, it’s about taking that in stride and having a “how might we” approach to reach a solution. Making sure we leave no stone unturned so that we can deliver amazing products in a tighter timeline than our competitors and at a better price and performance.
True Edge is described as “a key principle of the OE mindset, combining vigilance, innovative insight, and strategic solutions to create a competitive advantage that is exceptionally hard to replicate.”
What’s your True Edge, or what are you working to build?
For me, the crucial part of the OE mindset is being in the detail of every part of the project. This is important for the engineering detail but also extends into the wider project and business. Understanding how the product will be presented in marketing materials, how saving a few cents here or there might affect the profit and loss for the business or how a consumer insight from the wider market might give us an extra advantage over our competition is crucial to SharkNinja’s True Edge.
I am looking to build this mindset and a culture of excellence in my own team and across the project teams to make sure we stay curious and constantly challenge our assumptions. Communicating daily with the other stakeholders on the project and having all of this information allows both myself and the team to make quick, pivotal decisions on the overall project as well as the detailed design of the product itself.
Can you share examples of how you live OE?
Collaborating with all of the teams across the project and taking a positive attitude to solving new pain points or adjusting course based on new information. No team should exist in a silo at SharkNinja. It’s only through constant ping-pong communication that we can stay aligned on the direction of the project and ensure we deliver the best possible experience for our consumers.
What makes working at SharkNinja special?
There is a culture at SharkNinja where everyone wants to get involved and help bring the best out of each other. Being able to bring in people from other projects to review issues or help with hacks is a great way to share learnings and cultivate ideas.
This extends beyond the individual offices to the teams spread out across different time zones and continents. In the time I’ve been at SharkNinja I’ve been able to connect with colleagues from co-op to VP level across the entire company and have always found people willing to help and make sure that every product is as good as it can possibly be.
Please join us in congratulating Carwyn for being this week's True Edge Tuesday!
About True Edge Tuesday
At SharkNinja, we strive for the outrageously extraordinary in everything we do, driven by our True Edge – the super skills that set us apart. This cornerstone of the Outrageously Extraordinary mindset harnesses innovative insight and strategic solutions to create a competitive advantage, empowering us to positively impact people’s lives every day.
True Edge Tuesday celebrates team members who go above and beyond, showcasing what it means to reject the status quo and embrace the extraordinary.
