Dave Pinke

Digital Executive

Product & Operations
Leadership

I’ve spent my career with one goal: making products that are as useful as they are beautiful. Currently, I lead Digital Systems at PLI, where I support our leadership by translating high-level vision into the specific priorities that keep our digital ecosystem moving forward.

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18+ Years Experience
500M+ Users Globally
2.1k+ Students Taught

Trusted Leadership

Proven impact at world-class organizations.

I’ve spent the last 18 years as a product manager for some of the world’s most recognized media and financial brands, including Sony Music, Viacom/MTV, Disney/ABC, Bloomberg, and Condé Nast. That foundation in product is what drives my work today as the head of Digital Systems at PLI.

I lead a large, multi-disciplinary department of business analysts, QA professionals, project managers, and content specialists, focusing on the broader systems that make innovation possible. My goal is to serve as a strategic partner to executive leadership, providing the high-level program management and operational clarity needed to turn ambitious ideas into reality. For me, it’s about building the organizational alignment required to launch products that actually resonate (an approach that has helped reach over 500 million users globally).

Stocktwits
Bloomberg
Condé Nast
PLI
GQ
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Stocktwits
Bloomberg
Condé Nast
PLI
GQ
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The New Yorker
Disney
Golf Digest
Vogue
News Corp
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The New Yorker
Disney
Golf Digest
Vogue
News Corp
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Teaching a class

Educator & Thought Leader

Shaping the next generation of product minds.

I believe the best way to master a craft is to teach it. Whether I'm teaching Product Management or Design Thinking, my goal is always to bring hard-earned industry insights into the classroom and bridge the gap between academic theory and real-world practice.

  • check_circle Adjunct Professor at NYU & Pace University
  • check_circle Corporate Trainer for O'Reilly Media
  • check_circle Curriculum Development for Product Strategy

AI Leadership

Building (and Scaling) with AI

I’ve always believed the best AI strategies are born from actually getting your hands dirty. Instead of just talking about the future, I work directly with advanced models to architect and code the custom tools we need for our most complex challenges. Beyond building products, I lead the rollout of AI-assisted QA across our entire portfolio of apps and sites, ensuring we scale our innovation while keeping our quality sharp.

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Representative concepts modeled after original internal tools. Data is simulated.

WeShould Platform

Founder & CEO

App Startup Founder

I founded an app called WeShould in 2013 because I saw a genuine need for a better way to coordinate socially. What started as an idea grew into an innovative platform where we successfully raised over $100k+ in angel funding and built a highly engaged user base. While the app was eventually sunset, it remains one of my most defining learning experiences—testing everything from my product instincts to my resilience as a leader. Our unique take on social planning even earned us features in TechCrunch and the Apple App Store.

App Store Featured 🚀 TechCrunch Featured 💰 $100k+ Raised

school Education

Fordham University

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Pace University - Lubin School of Business

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

person Personal Interests

When I'm not building products or teaching, you can find me exploring new technologies, enjoying a round of golf, or spending time with my dog, Laika.

sports_golf Golf
pets Laika (Dog)