CTO Confessions Brought to you by IT Labs: Recent Episodes
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Hi my name is TC, and I’m honored to be hosting the CTO Confessions podcast brought to you by IT Labs. In our podcast we tackle the subject of leadership, how to deal with hard issues facing your business and we try to get closer to the world of those fantastic women and men that hold it all together with different priorities that rarely get appreciated.
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Episode 207: Feedback loops, optimizing campaigns, and leading with Dustin Jackson by IT Labs
If you create psychological safety for your team, they will see failure as an opportunity, not as a shameful mistake.
In this episode of CTO Confessions, TC sits down with engineering leader Swarnim Kumari for a candid conversation on what it actually takes to build and scale high-performing teams. No fluff — just hard-earned lessons and sharp one-liners that'll stick with you long after the episode ends.They cover why hiring fast isn't the same as hiring right, why 2 a.m. firefighting is a red flag (not a badge of honor), and why AI without purpose is just noise. Whether you're managing your first team or leading an entire engineering org, this one's for you.What you'll take away:→ 2 a.m. problem-solving isn't hustle culture — it's a broken system→ AI needs a clear purpose, or it has no place→ Don't scale the system before the business is ready→ Ditch the formal meetings. Build a culture of ongoing communication insteadAbout Swarnim Kumari: Swarnim is an engineering leader with experience across Senior Engineer, Engineering Manager, and Director of Engineering roles. She specializes in scaling high-performing teams, improving delivery practices, and building reliable, customer-focused systems — always at the intersection of technology, product, and people.
Assuming you know what motivates people is often what disconnects you from them.In this episode of CTO Confessions, Ravi Soni, VP of Engineering at Curative, shares why strong leadership starts with curiosity — not conclusions — especially in complex, high-stakes environments like healthcare.Ravi brings a calm, practical perspective shaped by years of scaling SaaS platforms, modernizing legacy systems, and leading teams through real change. From staying close to the technical craft as a leader, to rethinking motivation, to why healthcare still needs urgent digitization, this conversation is a thoughtful reminder that the best leaders ask more than they assume — and listen more than they speak.
Trying to build things perfectly is often what stops them from working at all.In this episode of CTO Confessions, Stephen Cope, CIO at Astrak, shares why aiming for 80% is usually more than enough — and how letting go of perfection helps teams move faster, learn sooner, and build technology that actually gets used.Stephen brings a thoughtful, grounded perspective shaped by years of leading real change, from navigating self-doubt to introducing AI in ways that support people instead of overwhelming them. This is a warm, honest conversation about progress, simplicity, and why your people matter far more than any tech stack ever will.
Alexandre Goedert, VP of Engineering at SurePay, sat down with our host TC Gill for our podcast CTO Confessions to discuss what it really means to lead from the core—where people, architecture, and cross-team alignment intersect.💬 What you’ll hear in this episode:✅ Why architecture should start within teams—but needs cross-team alignment at scale✅ How people and soft skills become critical as engineers move into leadership roles✅ The hidden challenges of cross-team architecture and modern GenAI frustrations✅ Why leadership can become lonelier the higher you go💡 “The higher you go up in an organization, the lonelier it can be.” – Alexandre GoedertWhether you’re leading multiple teams, navigating complex architectures, or growing into senior leadership, this conversation offers thoughtful perspectives on building healthy teams and scalable systems—without losing the human side of tech.
Regulation isn’t a roadblock; it’s the guardrail helping blockchain grow up.In this episode, Tim Sabanov, CTO at Zumo, joins TC Gill to break down the hype, the misconceptions, and the slow-but-purposeful pace of regulation shaping the future of digital assets.From decentralization to the Web2–Web3 shift, this conversation gives tech leaders a clear, grounded view of where blockchain is headed — and why patience might be its greatest advantage.
Chaos isn’t the enemy, unmanaged chaos is.In this episode, Kader Sakkaria, Global Head of Data Technology (DoE) and Delivery at Gallagher, joins TC Gill to unpack why chaos can actually fuel innovation when leaders know how to harness it.From cultural transformation to navigating complexity in fast-moving environments, this conversation is a practical guide for tech leaders looking to turn disruption into opportunity.
In this episode, Andrew Overholt, VP of Engineering at Mozilla, joins TC Gill to explore how Mozilla lives its mission, putting users first, leading with humility, and shaping the future of an open and accessible internet. From policy to innovation, Andrew shares how democratizing tech can (and should) influence how we build the web.
In this episode of CTO Confessions, TC Gill sits down with Eddie Pecker, CTO at APEXX, a payment orchestration platform trusted by enterprise companies worldwide. From comparing technical debt to mortgages to breaking down what “deploying with confidence” should look like in 2025, Eddie brings a refreshingly practical view of leadership, AI, and security in fast-moving tech teams.
From Hollywood special effects to cutting-edge AI - this episode covers it all.Join Michael Natkin, Former SVP of Software Engineering at Glowforge, and TC Gill as they dive into why AI is imperative in today’s tech landscape, how creativity and innovation intersect, and what leaders can do to keep their teams inspired in the age of automation.
In this thought-provoking episode, Wes Bailey returns for round two with TC Gill to explore one of the boldest questions in tech leadership today: what happens when innovation, AI, and adaptability redefine the very essence of a CTO?This conversation is part wake-up call, part survival guide for the future of tech leadership and it might just make you rethink your next career move.
How do you lead through culture shifts, acquisitions, and organizational change, without losing sight of people?In this episode, Adan Pope, Senior VP at TAG, shares insights on leadership during high-stakes transitions. From building tension maps to understanding organizational dynamics, his perspective highlights how leaders can turn uncertainty into clarity and growth.This conversation is a masterclass in leading with methodology, empathy, and foresight during times of change.
Technology is advancing faster than ever, but what keeps it meaningful is the human side behind the solutions.In this episode, Falko Buttler, CTO at Lantern, shares how he balances innovation with empathy, scaling tech platforms that support people through life’s most sensitive moments. From early iOS development to leading large-scale transformation, Falko brings insights on building tech that truly serves.This conversation is a reminder that even in an age of AI, leadership must be anchored in human connection.
Aleksandra Gjinovska, Head of Technology at IT Labs, sat down with our host TC Gill for our podcast CTO Confessions to share her journey as a woman leading in a male-dominated industry and how mentorship, saying no, and organizational support shape future leaders.Whether you’re scaling teams, mentoring future leaders, or striving to foster inclusive leadership, this conversation is full of insights that will inspire and challenge you.
Naresh Singh, Partner and CTO at Lenox Advisors, sat down with our host TC Gill for our podcast CTO Confessions to discuss how technology is reshaping wealth management from AI-driven data systems to leadership grounded in both technical foresight and servant leadership.Whether you’re navigating financial services, driving transformation through technology, or leading high-performing teams, this conversation will inspire and equip you with practical insights.
Allen Cheung, SVP of Engineering at UJET.cx, sat down with our host TC Gill for our podcast CTO Confessions to explore how AI is reshaping the tech industry and why some programmers resist this transformation.Whether you’re building teams, navigating the shift to AI-powered engineering, or simply looking to embrace growth through change, this conversation will challenge and inspire you.
What can the Marines teach us about leading high-performing tech teams? A lot more than you might think.In this episode, Bob Hackney, CTO at PerfectServe, shares how a mission-first mindset translates from the battlefield to the boardroom, delivering results without sacrificing your people. His “double win” approach is all about achieving objectives while growing and empowering teams.Whether you’re scaling a tech org, running global teams, or simply looking to lead with empathy and impact, this conversation will challenge and inspire you.
In this episode of CTO Confessions, we sit down with Reinaldo Ynchaustegui, CTO in the asset management space, for an overview of what it really takes to lead in tech. From dissecting how to automate a tech team’s workflow without losing the human touch to exploring the critical role of emotional intelligence in leadership, Reinaldo shares insights from the frontlines. Tune in to hear the realities behind the role and the balance between tech and people.
Can good leadership be taught or does it come down to who you are?In this episode, we sit down with Wes Bailey, Founder at Par Not Far, for a refreshingly honest conversation about leadership, bureaucracy, and why some of today’s sacred practices might need to go.If you’re tired of corporate speak and want something real, this is the episode for you.
How can we separate real innovation from hype? In this episode, Joel Krooswyk, Federal CTO at GitLab, joins TC Gill for a thoughtful deep dive into the evolving role of AI in development, hiring, and leadership. Joel brings 25+ years of experience across private and public sectors and this conversation hits that perfect balance of vision and pragmatism. Tune in now and explore the full story!
What happens when deep technical knowledge meets real-world domain expertise?In this episode, TC Gill is joined by James Long, CTO at Palomar, to explore what it takes to lead with clarity in a high-stakes environment. From modeling risk to building strong, cross-functional teams, this conversation is packed with practical insights for tech leaders.If you're looking to sharpen your leadership edge, this episode delivers.
In this episode, we sit down with Michael Finnegan, Chief Technology Officer at Cognosos, to rethink what’s possible with RTLS (Real-Time Location Services) in the AI era.Michael shares how he’s achieving more with less data, offering a fresh perspective on crafting smarter, scalable tech solutions. From reimagining product development to embracing real-time insights, this episode is packed with practical takeaways for tech leaders.Tune in now and discover how to flip the script on traditional tech thinking.
What makes great software truly customer-centric? In this week’s episode, Chris Huff, former CTO at Rent Group, joins TC Gill to break down the real secret behind building products that actually serve users. Spoiler: it’s not about adding more features.
From cinematography to the C-suite? Yes, you read that right. In this episode, TC Gill talks with Chris Geiser, CTO at DCG ONE, about an unconventional leadership journey that blends creativity, marketing, and tech strategy.If you’re into leadership lessons with a personal twist, this one’s for you.
What happens when a company grows through acquisitions but wants to keep the startup spirit alive?In this episode, TC Gill sits down with Ed Frederici, CTO at Appfire, to explore how to build harmony in a scaling tech company, without crushing innovation. From preserving entrepreneurial culture to building strong, autonomous teams, this one’s packed with insight.
This week, TC Gill is joined by Oleg Korenfeld, CTO at CMI Media Group, to unpack how technology transforms health and wellness marketing. From traditional media to data-driven strategies, Oleg shares insights on building scalable solutions that deliver real campaign value.Expect stories on innovation, strategic tech adoption, and the evolving role of marketing tech leaders.
What makes great tech solutions truly effective? It’s not features, it’s outcomes. In this episode, TC Gill speaks with Drew Morrell, Head of Engineering at Workiva, about why user-centered design, agile thinking, and purposeful product development matter more than feature counts.Tune in for insights that cut through the noise and get to the core of what product teams should focus on.
In this episode, Eric Levin shares his journey to becoming CTO and how taking calculated risks shaped his leadership style, one that's purpose-driven and people-focused.Key takeaways:- Why calculated risks are essential for growth- How transparency can strengthen team dynamics- Why embracing hard, boring tasks matters for leadershipTune in for an honest look at leadership in action.Important Risk Information: GCM Grosvenor (NASDAQ: GCMG) is a global alternative asset management solutions provider across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return investment strategies. Investments in alternatives are speculative and involve substantial risk, including market risks, credit risks, macroeconomic risks, liquidity risks, manager risks, counterparty risks, interest rate risks, and operational risks, and may result in the possible loss of your entire investment. No assurance can be given that any investment will achieve its objectives or avoid losses. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. The views expressed are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a forecast, a guarantee of future results, investment recommendations or an offer to buy or sell securities by GCM Grosvenor. All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice in reaction to shifting market, economic, or political conditions. GCM Grosvenor® and Grosvenor® are trademarks of GCM Grosvenor and its affiliated entities. ©2025 GCM Grosvenor L.P. All rights reserved. Our Guest: Eric Levin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/levin-eric/ Website: http://www.gcmgrosvenor.com Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, Joe Hsy shares his approach to leading with innovation while balancing the benefits and risks of emerging tech—especially AI and data privacy. From scaling teams without micromanaging to aligning technology with real business value, Joe offers thoughtful insights for every tech leader.Key takeaways:- Ethical use of data and building trust- Balancing AI’s potential with its risks- Leading without micromanaging- Using tech to enhance in-location customer experiencesOur Guest: Joe Hsy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joehsy/ Website: https://inbound.raydiant.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
How do tech leaders build scalable, sustainable systems without descending into chaos? Rob Molchon, CTO of Vestwell, shares his insights on structuring order in fast-moving tech environments. We also take a quick trip down memory lane to see just how far tech has come.Key takeaways from the podcast are: – Clear ownership ensures tasks get done without constant oversight.– Strong foundations start with the right team in the right positions.– Change is inevitable; managing it wisely is key.Our Guest: Rob Molcon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-molchon-2160652/ Website: https://www.vestwell.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
The tech sector can be highly specialized, especially for leaders in biotechnology. In this episode of CTO Confessions, host TC Gill chats with Guy Yachdav, Senior Director at Immunai. Tune in for insights into his leadership journey.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Academia and tech intersect in exciting ways, like using machine learning to predict the unpredictable.- Leadership in both fields means helping individuals transition, fostering self-leadership, and easing onboarding.- Rapid tech changes demand easy-to-adopt tools and opportunities for hands-on learning.Our Guest: Guy Yachdav LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gyachdav/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode of CTO Confessions, Dan Van Tran shares how AI and tech power the authentication of collectibles, from cards to video games. We explore AI-driven pricing, scaling tech teams, and servant leadership in a unique industry.Key takeaways:- AI’s role in authenticating and valuing collectibles- Why emotions matter in price estimation- The challenges of scaling and leading with transparencyOur Guest: Dan Van Tran LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dantran/ Website: https://www.collectors.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, we explore how emotions and technology work together to support employee growth. Tune in for a thoughtful discussion on what happens when technology meets emotions within the context of an organization.Key takeaways from the podcast are:- Aligning executive vision with employee execution fosters a unified direction.- Unstructured company survey language reveals emotions and intent, now decipherable with technology.- Encouraging risk-taking empowers employees to experiment and grow.- Balancing uniqueness with shared experiences enhances relevance and appeal.Our Guest: Armen BerjiklyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armenb/Website: https://www.betterup.com/Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode of CTO Confessions, TC Gill talks with engineering leaders Matt Culver & Nomaan Ahmed from Super.com about how data-driven decision-making shapes both engineering and company culture. They explore the role of data in leadership, team dynamics, and fostering a strong workplace culture.Key Takeaways:- Measuring the right things, even intangibles like happiness, helps build a strong organizational foundation.- Leaders must listen, adapt, and embrace feedback to avoid blind spots and poor decisions.– Hiring for cultural alignment and fostering organic team connections strengthens the workplace.Success depends on a team-driven mindset, the ability to pivot, and a shared vision.Our Guests: Matt Culver & Nomaan Ahmed LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattculver/ & https://www.linkedin.com/in/nomaanahmed/ Website: https://www.super.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
What makes a great tech leader? Savas Karas, CTO of CAPREIT, believes it starts with kindness, support, and open feedback loops. In this episode of CTO Confessions, he shares how fostering a strong culture helps teams stay motivated, aligned, and unafraid of challenges.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - A shared vision keeps teams focused on meaningful goals.- Honest feedback leads to better decisions and stronger teams.- Embracing failure encourages innovation and growth.- Kindness builds trust, the foundation of great leadership.Our Guest: Savas Karas LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savaskaras/ Website: https://www.capreit.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode of CTO Confessions, our host TC Gill and guest Daniel Natic dive into the complex role of leadership in tech, exploring the balance between managerial expertise and deep technical knowledge.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Tech leaders must stay sharp. Keep up with trends, drive change, and understand your team’s decisions.- Treat tools as resources, set aside ego and focus on efficiency.- Challenge the status quo. Streamlining operations is key; change is inevitable, lead it.Our Guest: Daniel NaticLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-natic/Website: https://finquery.com/careers/Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode of CTO Confessions, we explore the dynamic relationship between educational standards, student engagement and the role of artificial intelligence. Listen to Todd Ellermann’s perspective on how these elements intersect and how they are shaping the future of EdTech.Key takeaways - EdTech companies must understand state-specific standards to succeed in U.S. K-12 education.- Engaging students used to TikTok-like content is a growing challenge.- AI in assessments sparks debates on integrity, skills mastery, and EdTech’s role.Our Guest: Todd EllermannLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddecus/Website: https://www.imaginelearning.com/Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
On this episode of CTO Confessions, our host, TC Gill, is joined by Yaron Inger, Founder of Lightricks, who reveals the unfiltered story behind scaling an AI-driven company. Yaron shares the lessons learned during their growth, emphasizing the importance of managing cashflow, deciding to change their business model and navigating all major growth challenges while staying humane and making difficult decisions.Key takeaways from the podcast are:- Drive meaningful transformation by anchoring your efforts to clear, purpose-driven goals rather than change for its own sake. Prioritize initiatives that align with the business’s strategic vision to avoid unnecessary disruptions and ensure resources are allocated effectively. - Begin with a deep understanding of what the business needs to achieve. This clarity is much needed to inform the design and implementation of the supporting technology. - Examine past actions and learn from the experiences of other organizations. Many valuable insights are hidden in previous efforts, offering opportunities to drive transformational change by leveraging what has already been tried and tested. Our Guest: Yaron IngerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaroninger/Website: https://www.lightricks.com/Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, our host, TC Gill, sits down with Conlath Alcock, Client CTO at T-Systems, to explore how understanding an organization’s current state and learning from the past can set the stage for a strong foundation and successful transformation.
In this episode of CTO Confessions, host TC and Tim Vasil, CTO of LeanTaaS, explore humble leadership, discussing Tim’s journey from solo contributor to leading high-performing teams, his approach to feedback, building a human-centric culture, and knowing when to delegate.
In this episode of CTO Confessions, host TC Gill chats with Ivan Kusalic, CTO of green tech organization Enpal. Ivan’s diverse career has shaped his unique approach to tech leadership, rooted in curiosity, empathy, and a commitment to transparency and growth. He shares candid insights on leading in the renewable energy industry, inspiring tech leaders of all levels.Key takeaways from the podcast are:Curiosity and empathy: Drive innovation and connection.Transparency: Encourage feedback and learning from mistakes.Tech alignment: Bridge tech and business effectively.Our Guest: Ivan Kusalic LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ikusalic/ Website: https://www.ivankusalic.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, TC, our CTO Confessions host, and Skyler Nesheim, the CTO of Dwolla, discuss the strategies and mindsets that have propelled his career in the competitive and dynamic world of FinTech. A hidden world that we all use without knowing it.Key takeaways from the podcast are: Develop a framework to prioritize core, unique technology that drives your business while leveraging SaaS solutions for non-core needs to enable responsible, sustainable growth. Utilize thoughtful questioning, such as "What problem are we solving?" and "What are we optimizing for?" to align teams, challenge assumptions, and drive better decision-making. Emphasize the value of documenting decisions, potential second-order effects, and leveraging mental models to improve collaboration, knowledge sharing, and future problem-solving abilities.Our Guest: Skyler Nesheim LinkedIn: Skyler Nesheim | LinkedIn Website: https://www.dwolla.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, we sit down with Jeremy Hodges, the CTO of Live Oak Bank, a digital-only small business bank. Jeremy shares his passion for customer-centric technology, his approach to balancing innovation and compliance, and the importance of addressing organizational weaknesses. Hear how Jeremy cascades his audacious vision throughout the company and empowers his teams to drive real impact. This is a must-listen for any tech leader looking to elevate their leadership game.Key takeaways from the podcast are:Jeremy’s unwavering focus on delivering technology that truly serves the customer’s needs is a masterclass in putting the user first. His team’s deep dive into the voice of customer research – a model all tech leaders should emulate. Navigating the complex regulatory landscape of banking is no easy feat, but Jeremy has found a way to enable his teams to innovate within the guardrails, keeping roadblocks at bay. Jeremy’s willingness to confront the “shadows” in his organization, both at the individual and team level, demonstrates a level of self-awareness and courage that all leaders should aspire to.Our Guest: Jeremy Hodges LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrmyhdgs/ Website: http://www.jeremyhodges.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this CTO confession session, we get insights from a VP of Engineering on Building High-Performing Teams. Join us as we dive into the mind of Farzona Pulatova, a seasoned tech leader who has navigated the industry’s complexities with grace and innovation.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Farzona emphasizes the importance of creating a transparent, empathetic work environment where teams are empowered to focus on what matters most, fostering high performance and innovation. - Farzona's insights on ruthless prioritization and embracing change equip leaders with strategies to navigate uncertainty, modernize systems, and position their organizations for sustainable growth. - Farzona's passion for mentoring women in tech and addressing systemic inequities inspires us to act and create a more inclusive, equitable future for underrepresented groups in the industry.Our Guest: Farzona Pulatova LinkedIn: Farzona Pulatova Website: https://www.earnest.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this session of CTO Confessions, we get an unvarnished look into the trials, tribulations, and hard-won wisdom of a tech leader who’s stepped into the arena of huge challenges and turned things around. Key takeaways from the podcast are:- Misha's key message is that mistakes and failures are inevitable, but they are also your greatest growth opportunities. Lean into the lessons your missteps can teach you. - Misha emphasizes the critical importance of deeply understanding your customer's needs and designing intentional experiences rather than getting caught up in the latest shiny new technology. - Misha advocates for creating a work environment that encourages small, low-risk experiments to test hypotheses and iterate rapidly towards product-market fit. Failure is fuel for progress.Our Guest: Misha Makara LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mishamakara/ Website: https://www.mishamakara.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, our host, TC Gill sits down with Catherine Miller, the Chief Technology Officer of Flatiron Health. Catherine shares her passion for using data and technology to improve cancer treatment and drug development - a truly purposeful mission. We dive into Catherine's journey to the CTO role, the challenges of leading through different growth phases, and her authentic, empowering approach to leadership. If you're an aspiring tech leader, get ready for insights that will inspire you to make a real difference.Key takeaways from the podcast are: Passion for using technology can be a huge driver in improving lives, especially when it comes to innovation in healthcare. Exploring different ways to navigate the evolving challenges of leading through startup growth and into a mature enterprise, with a critical focus on technical debt management. The gifts that a transparent leadership style gives to your team members. How it becomes a model for others to emulate, invites autonomy while also providing clear direction and constraints.Our Guest: Catherine Miller LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-miller-0177142/ Website: https://flatiron.com/Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Madalina Tanasie, CTO of Collibra, shares her insights on AI governance, data intelligence, and SaaS evolution. She highlights how advancements in AI have democratized technology and emphasizes the need for solid data governance. Tanasie also stresses the importance of meaningful work for engineers to drive innovation. Her perspectives offer valuable guidance in navigating the tech industry's rapid changes.Key takeaways from the podcast are: Embrace change and new technologies. Stay ahead by welcoming advancements, especially AI. Instead of fearing it, integrate AI into your operations enthusiastically and make it a core part of your strategy. Connect work to meaningful outcomes. Ignite passion in your leadership and team. Ensure that engineering work is tied to meaningful customer results, keeping your engineers motivated and engaged. Accept failure as part of the process. Focus on moving forward and view failure as a learning opportunity. Embrace setbacks as part of the journey to continuous improvement and problem-solving.Our Guest: Madalina Tanasie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madalina-tanasie/ Website: https://www.collibra.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Vijay Karunamurthy, Field CTO at Scale AI, joins CTO Confessions to discuss his career in AI and the future of generative models. Vijay shares lessons from early neural network research and his time at YouTube, where he helped build recommendation systems. He explains his role translating customer needs to product roadmaps and ensuring ethical, transparent AI development. The conversation explores AI's potential to enhance understanding of complex issues through multimodal interfaces. Vijay offers advice on entrepreneurship and gaining new perspectives through direct conversations.Key takeaways from the podcast are: Fine-tuning AI models for real-time use cases like robots and self-driving cars will democratize access to AI. Leveraging direct conversations with customers, researchers, and experts will help you gain new perspectives and challenge assumptions. Testing is paramount as it will determine how safe, usable, and effective AI will be in the future. Our Guest: Vijay Karunamurthy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vjkaruna/ Website: https://scale.com/Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this insightful episode of CTO Confessions, listeners are treated to an in-depth exploration of technology and leadership through the experiences of Andreas Westendörpf, CTO of Emma. His journey, from a budding software engineer to an influential technology leader, is a central theme. The episode covers the crucial role of good architecture, with a focus on the MACH Alliance's contributions to e-commerce. It delves into the significant impact of organizational structure on technology, advocating for empowered, interdisciplinary product teams. Additionally, the episode sheds light on topics like technical debt and the essence of software development, all while underscoring the necessity of empathy in the tech industry.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Empathy is Key in Bridging Technology and Business - Mutual understanding between technical and non-technical teams is crucial for effective collaboration and problem-solving. - Organizational Dynamics Shape Software Development - The structure of an organization significantly influences its software architecture. Implementing effective team structures and interdisciplinary approaches can lead to more innovative and efficient product development. - Continuous Learning and Community Engagement are Essential - Engaging with peer networks, podcasts, and tech blogs is vital for staying updated and tackling the complexities of technology leadership. Our Guest: Andreas Westendörpf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/westendoerpf/ Website: https://team.emma-sleep.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
TC Gill converses with Adam Siegel, co-founder of Recurate, a trailblazing retail tech startup. Siegel discusses his transformative journey from early computer enthusiasm to pioneering sustainable solutions in the retail sector. Listen in as he shares insights on creating a remote-first, mission-driven company culture, the challenges of balancing product development with market demand, and his unique approach to tech leadership in the dynamic startup world.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Leadership by Example and Service - The effectiveness of leading through personal involvement and prioritizing team support and empowerment. - Adapting in the Startup Ecosystem - Strategies for managing rapid changes, focusing product development, and keeping teams motivated amidst the unique challenges of startup environments. - Harmonizing Sustainability with Business Objectives - The importance of integrating sustainable practices into business models to create a beneficial impact on both the environment and the retail industry. Our Guest: Adam Siegel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammsiegel/ Website: https://www.recurate.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, TC engages with Rob Phillips, the Vice President of Software Engineering at UDig, a Richmond-based consulting company. Phillips delves into his journey from a passionate technologist in his youth to a seasoned leader in the tech industry. He shares valuable lessons on transitioning to senior leadership, the importance of understanding and articulating company problems, and the art of empowering teams for high performance. The conversation also covers the challenges of remote leadership, the balance between data-driven insights and business goals, and the importance of hiring competent team members. With a blend of personal anecdotes and professional wisdom, this episode is a must-listen for leaders and aspiring leaders.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Doer to Strategist Shift: Embrace the shift from task execution to strategic thinking and decision-making, focusing on broader organizational challenges. - Fostering Innovation and Safety: Create a culture where experimentation is encouraged and learning from failures is valued, promoting innovation and adaptability. - Data and Agility Balance: Achieve a balance between data-driven insights and organizational agility, making informed yet swift decisions in line with company goals.Our Guest: Rob Phillips LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rophilli/ Website: https://www.udig.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Join us in a compelling conversation with Robert Matsuoka, where he unveils his transformative journey from a tech-centric role to a strategic leadership position. In this episode of CTO Confessions, Robert delves into the art of delegation, the dynamics of building effective teams, and the criticality of nurturing talent. He also sheds light on managing remote teams and establishing meaningful rituals in today's distributed work environments. Packed with practical insights, this episode is a must-listen for those navigating the intricate balance between technology and leadership.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Leadership Over Technical Expertise: Matsuoka emphasizes that being a tech leader is more about leadership skills than technical prowess. He acknowledges the importance of having a solid technical foundation but stresses that the primary role of a tech leader is to guide, inspire, and manage their team effectively, rather than being the most technically proficient person in the room. - The Art of Delegation and Organizational Building: A significant part of Matsuoka's leadership philosophy revolves around effective delegation and organizational structuring. He highlights the importance of understanding team dynamics, recognizing the varying levels of talent within a team, and strategically delegating tasks to ensure optimal productivity and growth for both individuals and the organization. - Adapting to Remote Work and Cultivating Culture: Matsuoka discusses the challenges and strategies of managing remote teams, emphasizing the need for creating new rituals and practices to maintain a strong organizational culture. He advocates for intentional interactions and structured meetups to foster collaboration and connection among team members spread across different geographies. Our Guest: Robert Matsuoka LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmatnyc/ Website: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this enlightening episode of CTO Confessions, Alessio Garofalo, the CIO/CTO of Oxagon at NEOM, delves deep into his multifaceted journey from the NATO military fields to the forefront of tech innovation. Drawing from his rich experiences in defense, tech giants like Amazon, and his entrepreneurial ventures, Alessio shares invaluable insights on leadership, adaptability, and the rapid evolution of technology.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Hands-On Leadership - Delving one level deeper and understanding the intricacies of tasks can foster better decision-making and team understanding. - Focus on What Matters - In the whirlwind of innovation and tasks, prioritizing core objectives and reducing dependencies can lead to more impactful results. - Complementary Team Dynamics - Instead of seeking like-minded individuals, finding team members with diverse skills and perspectives can lead to a more holistic and effective team.Our Guest: Alessio Garofalo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessiogarofalo1985/ Website: https://www.neom.com/en-us/regions/oxagon Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Michael Jones is a seasoned technology leader with a rich history in steering digital transformation and scaling platform businesses, especially within PE and PLC landscapes. As Chief Technology Officer at uSwitch, Michael was pivotal in navigating the company through three significant exits: an MBO to LDC, a £190m trade sale to Zoopla, and a monumental £2.2bn sale to Silver Lake under ZPG.
In this episode of CTO Confessions, TC Gill welcomes Pierre Arman, a Partner – Global Tax SaaS Go-to-market Leader at EY, based in Dubai. Pierre dives deep into his role at EY, discussing the intricacies of tax technology, particularly in the realm of VAT and GST automation. As the conversation progresses, Pierre shares his insights on leadership, the importance of authenticity, and the challenges and rewards that come with leading a team. With a passion for practical solutions through technology, Pierre emphasizes the significance of being proactive, taking risks, and the profound satisfaction of seeing team members succeed.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Leadership is an Attitude - Leadership isn't about titles but is fundamentally an attitude. True leaders fill gaps, take initiative, and are proactive. - Value of Authenticity - Being genuine and consistent in leadership builds trust. Leaders should be ready to give credit and take blame. - Nurturing a Team's Growth - Despite challenges, the satisfaction of seeing team members succeed is unmatched. Most will reciprocate trust and guidance tenfold.Our Guest: Pierre Arman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierrearman-saas-leader/ Website: https://www.ey.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode of CTO Confessions, the conversation dives deep into the intersection of technology and the legal realm. Featuring insights from Alex Bazin, listeners are granted a look under the hood of the legal world, revealing the transformative effects of AI and tech innovations. Bazin's candid discussion offers listeners invaluable leadership insights and communication strategies. For those aspiring to climb the tech leadership ladder, this episode is packed with actionable advice, book recommendations, and perspectives that challenge conventional thinking. Key takeaways from the podcast are: - AI Streamlining - AI and technology are streamlining legal processes, enhancing accuracy and eliminating mundane tasks for junior staff. - Leadership Balance - Effective leadership balances trust with communication, avoiding micromanagement yet maintaining alignment. - Business First - Successful tech leadership prioritizes business needs, leveraging diverse tools to address specific challenges. Our Guest: Alex Bazin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-bazin/ Website: https://www.lewissilkin.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this enlightening episode of CTO Confessions, TC Gill dives deep with Benny Keinan, VP of R&D at Windward, a tech veteran who's seen the evolution from Commodore gaming to leading the R&D at Windward, a maritime tech giant. Benny shares his passion for startups, the transformative power of APIs, and the importance of people in any tech journey. He emphasizes the strength in admitting what you don't know and the value of continuous learning. Join us as we sail through Benny's tech voyage and gather pearls of wisdom from his vast experience. Key takeaways from the podcast are: - The Power of APIs - how they can be really transformative, especially when they're flexible and powerful. They allow for innovation on top of innovation, opening up possibilities that even the creators hadn't imagined. - People Over Everything - The right team can make or break a project. It’s important for oneself to be surrounded with individuals who prioritize doing the right thing over politics or personal gain. - Strength in Admitting Ignorance - The power of saying "I don't know." Is immense. It's a sign of strength and confidence, paving the way for continuous learning and growth. Our Guest: Benny KeinanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkeinan/ Website: https://windward.ai/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
TC Gill welcomed Jon Santee, Senior Director of Information Technology Operations at iRhythm Technologies with a unique journey from computer science studies to a passion-filled career in technology. Jon's approach to leadership is marked by his earnest desire to help others, a guiding principle that's shaped his professional growth. The conversation covers critical topics such as the evolving concept of work-life flow, the challenges of security in the ever-changing tech landscape, and the often under-discussed transition from an individual contributor to a leadership role. Jon's genuine reflections provide valuable lessons for tech professionals at all stages of their careers. Whether you're navigating the seismic shifts in technology or looking to inspire your team, Jon's perspective offers both inspiration and practical guidance. Key takeaways from the podcast are: - The Power of Authentic Leadership - Jon Santee emphasizes honesty and constant learning in leadership, encouraging leaders to strive for their best without seeking perfection, fostering empathy, and growth within the team. - Ownership and Humility - The conversation underscores the importance of owning decisions, being humble enough to change direction, and learning from mistakes, which enhances resilience and adaptability. - Knowing When to Pivot - Recognizing when to move away from a failed path and having a supportive organization that encourages innovation and discernment between real opportunities and tech fads are highlighted as essential for success. Our Guest: Jon Santee LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-santee/ Website: https://www.irhythmtech.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode of CTO Confessions, TC Gill welcomes Casper Rasmussen, CEO, CTO, and co-founder of Monta, a company building software for electric vehicle charging. Casper shares his journey from gaming to programming, his passion for road biking, and the evolution of his leadership style. The conversation dives into Monta's growth, the challenges of onboarding customers, and balancing current problems with future planning. Don’t miss out on Casper's insights into transitioning from a technical to a business leader and the importance of mentorship and asking questions! Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Emphasize Onboarding and Understand the Purpose: Properly onboard team members and ensure alignment with the company's mission. Understanding and communicating the core mission will align individual efforts with broader goals, fostering development and customer-centricity. - Iterate and Don’t Fear Failure: Don't wait for the "perfect" idea to start. Choose a market you believe in and begin iterating. Initial ideas may evolve, and that's normal. Embrace failures as learning opportunities and continuously adapt for success. - Balance and Charisma in Leadership: Cultivate charismatic leadership while recognizing the importance of work-life balance. The ability to "switch off" from work emphasizes the need for balance in leadership, contributing to sustained success and personal well-being. Our Guest: Casper H. Rasmussen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casper-h-rasmussen-63b13922/ Website: https://monta.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this captivating episode of CTO Confessions, host TC Gill sits down with Paul Dorney, CTO at BOSSCAT an inspiring tech leader, to delve into a remarkable journey filled with startup experiences, both challenging and triumphant. Paul's unwavering passion for problem-solving and servant leadership shines through as he shares invaluable insights on building a collaborative and inspiring work environment. Join them as they explore how Paul's team at BOSSCAT is revolutionizing the home ownership experience, leveraging technology to simplify maintenance and renovation tasks. Discover how they empower homeowners and contractors alike to save time and enhance productivity. Key takeaways: - Foster Open Communication: Cultivate a culture of open communication and idea sharing among team members. Stay connected to the team, encourage asking questions, and seek input from diverse perspectives to fuel innovation and creativity. - Cultivate Servant Leadership - Be a leader who values and supports the team's growth and excitement. Find intriguing projects and problems for them to tackle, fostering a collaborative and engaged environment. - Build Strong Foundations - Tackle growing pains in companies by implementing robust systems and thorough documentation. Maintain meeting discipline in Agile practices, focusing on concise and effective sessions for increased efficiency and communication. Our Guest: Paul Dorney LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauldorney/ Website: https://bosscathome.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
An episode which can be described simply as ‘enlightening’, TC Gill engages in a captivating conversation with Andrei Lopatenko, the VP of Engineering at Zillow, as they explore the critical elements of cultivating a culture of innovation and continuous learning in the realm of tech leadership. Andre shares his journey from an individual contributor to a tech leader, emphasizing the importance of mentorship and embracing challenges. Drawing from his experiences at Google, he highlights the significance of transparent communication, fearlessness, and open-mindedness in promoting innovation. Andre discusses how he brings these learnings to Zillow, aligning team missions with the company's strategy. Key takeaways: - Fearlessness and Openness Culture - Foster a culture that embraces fearlessness and openness, encouraging transparency, open communication, and learning from failures for enhanced innovation and team performance. - Continuous Alignment with Company Mission - Regularly align team missions, visions, and strategies with the overall company mission to focus on high-impact initiatives and drive effective contributions to the organization's growth. - Embrace Continuous Self-Development - Commit to continuous self-development as a tech leader or CTO to stay updated with industry trends, improve skills, and inspire teams for sustained success. Our Guest: Andrei Lopatenko LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lopatenko/ Website: https://www.zillow.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this captivating episode, TC Gill engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Nick Peddy, the Chief Technology Officer at CLEAR, exploring the dynamic realm of technology leadership and the intriguing biometric security industry. With a wealth of experience and wisdom, Nick delves into the essence of servant leadership, stressing the significance of trust, open communication, and cultivating team growth. Amidst the challenges of company growth and compliance, Nick shares valuable advice on optimizing the hiring process, encouraging tech leaders to embrace challenging roles for personal growth. This episode is a true gem, empowering tech leaders to view software engineering as an art and inspiring teams to thrive in the ever-evolving tech landscape. Key takeaways: - Embrace Challenges & Growth Opportunities - Tech leaders should fearlessly take on challenging roles to foster personal and professional growth, driving innovation and discovering new solutions. - Foster Trust & Open Communication - Cultivate a culture of trust and open communication within the team to encourage collaboration, idea-sharing, and support. - Prioritize Face-to-Face Connections - Recognize the value of in-person interactions, even in remote work environments, as they enhance creativity, team dynamics, and meaningful connections. Our Guest: Nick Peddy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickpeddy/ Website: https://www.clearme.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Join us in this exciting episode as we sit down with Andrew Philips, the CTO of Skyscanner, a leading player in the online travel search and comparison market. Discover how Skyscanner goes beyond the traditional flight search experience, aiming to inspire travelers, as well as Andrew shedding light on the challenges of scaling the business and maintaining efficiency with a lean team. Furthermore, you can also learn about his journey in the world of tech – from his beginnings all the way to today, coupled with everything he’s learned, and his advice worth its weight in gold!Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Grant autonomy with boundaries - empower your teams to make decisions within their expertise while setting clear guidelines to maintain alignment. - Streamline processes for efficiency - optimize workflows, remove bottlenecks, and automate tasks to maximize productivity and drive business growth. - Leverage AI practically - focus on practical applications of AI to bring tangible benefits to your products or services, like Skyscanner's use of AI to enhance user experiences and provide personalized recommendations. Our Guest: Andrew Phillips LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewjhp/ Website: https://www.skyscanner.net/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
“Imagine a world where people of all ages and walks of life, have access to similar knowledge, resources, and can gain new insights and skills, where everyone who wants to get an education is able to access and complete their degrees.” - this is one thing that the guest on this episode, Michelle Lee, CTO at ITHAKA, said during the episode, and it’s just one of the many gems she dropped in our short but incredible conversation we had around her life, her work, and her journey in the world of tech!Key takeaways from the podcast are: - A customer-centric approach is essential for effective technology leadership, emphasizing the importance of understanding and meeting the needs of users to drive innovation and achieve long-term success. - Embracing failure as a learning opportunity: Learning from failures and mistakes is crucial for personal and professional growth, and it's something that you need to embrace throughout your entrepreneurial journey. - The significance of passion and purpose: Pursuing a venture driven by a genuine passion for making a positive impact in the world can be a driving force for success. Our Guest: Michelle Lee LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelee1/ Website: https://www.ithaka.org/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We often see people going against the odds, achieving the unthinkable, and pushing boundaries, but how often do you see someone making it their life's work and being successful at it? Meet Robert Mannino, CTO of Sanguina – a biotech company that develops tools to help people act on their health through accessible science and technology. Rob sat down with me, as we talked about his struggle with anemia, the work he’s been doing for Sanguina, and his journey in tech – from his early days to today. Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Look around your teams for a solution, before you look for it outside of your company - Exhaust options before you declare something a failure – especially when the outcome is difficult to predict - Learn from the leaders you admire, and you’ll grow in the right direction Our Guest: Robert Mannino LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-mannino-phd-53127155/ Website: https://sanguina.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Building, creating, developing – these are all activities all tech leaders simply love. And as leaders, they are skilled at nurturing the flames of others – the flames to build, create, develop, analyze, or simply put, to follow their drive towards creating a better tomorrow. I had the chance to have a good talk with one such leader – Jamie Smith Webb, CTO at Numan, who shared with me his journey to becoming a tech leader, his experience in various industries, and his incredible insights he’s amassed from working with a variety of teams.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Composing your team is a matter of adaptibility and proper leadership, especially when they are diverse in nature - Knowing how and when to ask for help will help you grow, but also establish relationships - Setting expectations - understanding and aligning expectations is crucial for effective leadership on all levels Our Guest: Jamie Smith Webb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiesmithwebb/ Website: https://www.numan.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Tech leaders are drivers – they inspire people and draw them to ideas, concepts, new projects, and motivate them to be better by getting them to align with their MO and way of thinking – to a healthy extent, that is. I had the chance to talk about all of this with a tech leader who is working with a team diverse in skill – but also in culture, something that requires some serious leadership skills in itself – Krenar Muhidini, Director of Software Development at EML, who sat down with me to share his journey and experience in the world of tech, and hear his advice on leading teams – worth it’s weight in gold. Key takeaways from the podcast are: - user experience can sometimes defy logic, but - listening is the precursor to understanding, and is key to building trust between your teams and achieving goals - in order to achieve high discipline, you need well-defined processes that are easy to follow and understand Our Guest: Krenar Muhidini LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krenarmuhidini/ Website: https://www.emlpayments.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Growing to become a tech leader means you’ve had your fair share of attempts to do something, and with that – a fair share of failures that you’ve learned from. But in the end, you’ve grown and have learned how to think like a leader, the importance of your team, and how to keep one eye on the big picture, the great idea. One leader that encapsulates all of this is Mijo Duric, CTO at Creative Car Park, who sat down with me to talk about his journey in the tech world, how he rolls as a leader, and what his experience all these years have taught him. Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Financial stability is the one thing that can give you the true freedom to truly experiment, learn, and grow as a professional and leader; - Hiring and retention is one of the most important aspects of leadership – surround yourself with good people - Work smart, not hard – drowning in your work can keep you from looking at the big picture and learn about the business and essence you’re working for Our Guest: Mijo Duric LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mijoduric/ Website: https://www.creativecarpark.co.uk/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
The road of to becoming a change-maker, a tech leader, is – unlike in many other industries – anything but a straight line. But the traits that all tech leaders share are adaptibility and willingness to learn and grow. Enter Tramale Turner, CTO at TaxBit, who sat down with me to discuss his journey, the things he learned, and how he rolls as a leader! Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Recognizing patterns is the best way to solving problems, as well as finding areas in which you need to improve - Having difficult conversations on how and why something occurred is a good way for everyone to grow together - Adaptive leadership will allow you to get a grasp on things much faster, and also connect with people on a much deeper level Our Guest: Tramale Turner LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tramale-turner-31b24a/ Website: https://taxbit.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
The tech leaders of today greatly differ from the tech leaders of yesterday – from their scope of work to their mindset, skills, and approach – a lot of things have changed. Basically, what changed was the answer to the question “What does it mean to be a leader?” - and with me here on this episode to help answer that question is David Germain, Group Chief Information Officer, who sat down with me to talk about all things leadership – from his journey through the world of tech, through his approach and perspective, all the way to his insight and experience worth their weight in gold.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - The importance of not letting stereotypes hold you back from achieving your dreams - Never take your eye away from the big picture - As a leader, your skillset must be diverse if you’re to drive people forward Our Guest: David Germain LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidcgermain/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
How do tech leaders roll? What are they all about? What really is important for tech leaders and their approach? On the hows and whys, I got Jonathan Rigby, a senior engineering leader, who sat down for a chat with me, and we dived deep into his personal journey in the world of tech – from his beginnings, through today, all the way to what’s in store for the future and what he’s learned so far, coupled with advice and insights from him – all worth their weight in gold! Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Building a successful technology company requires a strong leadership team that can work together effectively. - Deep understanding of the company's core product or service is important as it can help engineers make better decisions and ultimately drive business success - Leaders must strike the right balance between management and technical skills in order to get the best out of their teams and empower them Our Guest: Jonathan Rigby LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-rigby/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Data and AI are the thing of today that is shaping the world of tomorrow – at a rate that is both exciting and scary. Some people, like Databricks’ CTO, Robin Sutara, have a vast experience in the field, and are using it to create solutions and services that help business leverage and use the data they have, to drive businesses forward. I sat down with Robin to talk about her journey in the world of tech, the leadership style she practices, and how she sets about tackling problems and finding solutions for customers and her teams.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Collaboration and communication are essential in building successful products - Prioritizing diversity and inclusion leads to better business outcomes - Ethics and responsibility are critical in the development of technologyOur Guest: Robin Sutara LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-sutara/ Website: https://www.databricks.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
All public places get busy at some point in time, but nothing is as busy is airports – the run around the clock and they must do so with incredible precision and efficiency, as incidents and events that stop the flow of people and planes can cause a domino effect that can be hard to mitigate once it gets going. In this episode, I have the CTO of Manchester Airports Group, John Hudson, who sat down for a chat with me to talk about the work he does for them, how he rolls as a leader, all the way to sharing some bits of wisdom stemming from the experience he’s had as a techie and a tech leader.Key takeaways from the podcast are:•How to create champions from the people you have•The importance of succession plans and how they work•Why enjoying yourself while learning is importantOur Guest: John HudsonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hudson-11588b2a/Website: https://www.magairports.com/Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Wearing a perfume means one thing – you feel good about yourself and you radiate that self-confidence. So in today’s digital era – how can we find those smells that will help us show our swagger and style? Well, a rocket-scientist-turned-tech-leader, Andrei Rebrov, CTO & Co-founder of Scentbird, seems to have found the answer to this question, with the work that he’s been doing for his company doing just that. In this episode, I sat down with Andrei, as he shared his experience and know-how from the world of tech!Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Find a great mentor if you’d like to grow properly and learn much more in a shorter period - The importance of having the right tools to execute strategies and ideas - Why proper communication is important among different departments in order to ensure seamless flow of business and information Our Guest: Andrei Rebrov LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrebrov/ Website: https://www.scentbird.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
When growing teams and helping people develop is something that comes naturally to you, you know that your leadership skills are on point – so what’s left when you have that mastered? You help businesses grow by helping them utilize the latest, most cutting-edge technology out there. This is exactly how I would describe the work Scott Buchholz, CTO at Deloitte Consulting, has been doing. I sat down with Scott to talk more about his leadership style, the work he’s been doing for Deloitte, and waiting for him to give up the gems of knowledge and experience worth their weight in gold – and he has delivered!Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Telling stories helps bring people into the fold, giving them a better grasp of the task/project ahead; - Diversity of thought is paramount for growth and progress; - Finding the right role models is the fast-track to success; Our Guest: Scott Buchholz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/buchholzscott/ Website: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en.html Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We all know the joke – Excel spreadsheets are the thing that holds whole industries together and holding them from collapsing – and the truth is that a lot of data is stored in them. But sifting through all that data can be an arduous task, and the need for a solution that would do it faster and more efficiently is there. Fortunately, there’s a company named Coherent, that does a lot of this work, helping businesses extract valuable inputs from these vast seas of data, and I have Coherent’s Senior Technology Director, Nick Leimer, here to talk about it. From his journey in the world of tech, his leadership style, all the way to his views on how to improve teams – we talked in depth about all of these topics and much more!Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Why diversity in character and perspectives is more important than finding like-minded people - How changing roles and workplaces is important for growth and knowing what suits you - Failing is the gateway to learning, and allowing people to fail can be invaluable for growth Our Guest: Nick Leimer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-leimer-05851611/ Website: https://www.coherent.global/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Being a leader is not just about innovating new technologies that make people’s lives easier – following the newest trends and emerging technology is also important. These can help tech leaders get a better feel of what the next big thing in the world of tech will be, and how they can help make their businesses better and more efficient. One such leader that does both is Hanna Helin, Global Head of Tech Innovation at London Stock Exchange Group, who sat down for a chat with me in November 2022, sharing her experience, know-how, and leadership secrets!Key takeaways from the podcast are: - adaptation and perspective are important in growing companies, as they require different approaches - Maintaining close connections with clients can help tremendously in your work - Being flexible in changing roles can help you grow tremendously Our Guest: Hanna Helin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahelin/ Website: https://www.lseg.com/en Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Tech leaders are people that reach for the stars – some literally, some do it by pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to ensure that the lives of humans become easier and simpler. And then, there are those that have done both, but have found the “earthly experience” with technology to be far more important. Noy Grisaru, R&D Group Manager at Optimove, belongs in the latter – and he sat down for a chat with me to talk about his journey in tech, the work he’s been doing for Optimove, and how he leads his teams.Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Why sometimes going with your gut feeling can be counterproductive; - The path to learning something new starts by asking a question - The importance of putting customers first Our Guest: Noy Grisaru LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noy-grisaru-994bb810b/ Website: https://www.optimove.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Tech leaders are known for tackling hard issues – ones that require a lot of work and know-how in order to solve them, and in turn, help improve the livelihoods of people, and help businesses grow! Well, meet Simon Munch-Andersen, CTO at Ultimate, a tech leader of the type I described above, and one who sat down for a chat with me, as he shared everything from how he started out in tech, through his experience around the industry, all the way to the amazing work he’s doing now for Ultimate! Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Projects need to be handled and approached on a team level, not an individual, as this way all team members will have the sense of being part of something; - Why having more smaller decisions is better than making big ones that can destabilize your project and your team - The true value of leadership comes when your teams are capable of making decisions on their own; Our Guest: Simon Munch-Andersen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonma/ Website: https://www.ultimate.ai/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
You don’t become a tech leader by just having the skills and then one day you decide you’ll take on a leadership or C-level position and that’s it. Well, it takes a lot more than that. It takes the willingness to tackle issues but also enable people to grow and develop, and become leaders of their own making. Marcus Campbell, CTO at Hermes Logistics Technologies, is one such tech leader, and of course, I had to have him on CTO Confessions. With 20+ years of experience in tech, Marcus covered in depth all the work he’s doing for HLT, how his road has been so far, and gave his advice worth its weight in gold.Key takeaways from the podcast are: -Collaboration is the one way that teams can move forward and achieve success and growth at the same time; -Patience is key – as a leader you’ll need it in order to ensure your focus stays on point, and that your team stays on course;Our Guest: Marcus CampbellLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcuscampbell100/ Website: https://www.hermesworld.com/int/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Getting early into new, emerging technologies is a double-edged sword – it means that you might strike gold, or you might specialize in technology that might become obsolete. Well, in the world of tech leaders, all knowledge is golden, and it can help leaders become drivers in their own niches, and provide real value to both companies and teams. This is the perfect way to describe the path that Richard Billington, CTO at Netcall, has been on, as he sat down for a chat with me to talk all things tech – from what Netcall does, all the way to his leadership style, how he’s developed, and what his experience as a CTO has taught him.Key takeaways from the podcast are:• Why sometimes suffering from imposter syndrome can have a positive outcome • How flexibility and open-mindedness can help you endure hardships • Why partnerships and relationships are crucial in growing quicklyOur Guest: Richard Billington LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardbillington/ Website: https://www.netcall.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
An architect turned techie, Petr Mitev had his head turned by technology, as this allowed him to create the things he wanted – the way he wanted. Growing in both skills and experience, he decided to make the lives of architects a bit easier – by working on providing solutions that are simpler, better, and less time consuming. So, how does a tech leader like Petr reach the point at which he’s at? How did it all go down? What sort of a leader is he? The answers to all of these questions and many more can be found in this episode, as I sat down with him and we had a good chat on all things!Key takeaways from the podcast are: • How injecting technology can help drive businesses and industries; • Why sustainability is important in the world of design and construction Our Guest: Petr Mitev LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petr-mitev/ Website: https://enscape3d.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
How many times have you heard someone in tech say that they hate tech or computers, yet they’re all into it and are using their skills and know-how for the betterment of mankind through their work by helping develop services and technology that are good? Us neither, but here’s Eddie Flaisler, Head of Products Engineering at Lob, whose journey, experience, and motives are not fitting of your standard tech leader and tech maverick, but it’s a story that you’ll definitely want to hear – a story that is just as exciting, motivating, and inspiring as you’d imagine. A full-on exchange between me and Eddie, right on that click button.Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Effective leadership is about balancing business needs and the human ideals that drive a company; • Making people decisions in a vacuum is a risky business; • Resource planning is more about taking into consideration the effects it can have on people, rather than just the business itself;Our Guest: Eddie Flaisler LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-flaisler-660a9039/ Website: https://www.lob.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
As tech leaders are curious people and interested in everything tech-related, their mind is not fixed on one area – but rather on an idea. The idea is that they can put their skills and experience to use and provide value to communities and people worldwide – a vision that can drive communities forward. And one such tech leader is Ed Alford, the CTO of New Look, who sat down with me for a short but deep chat that involved it all – from the start of his career, through his development as a leader, and into the now – on what his company is doing – and also the future.Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Remember that as leaders we’re not ‘in charge of people’, but ‘we have people in our charge’, meaning we have to take care of them, and that’s our main job. • Omnichannel Experience • How vision is the one thing that can give you the drive to move forward no matter whatOur Guest: Ed Alford LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-alford/ Website: https://www.newlook.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
When one operates in an extremely sensitive, heavily enforced, compliant environment, there is lots of work to tick the boxes and jump through required hoops. This is the case in the social services that are there to care for the well-being of people. This often results in many people who should be delivering care being redirected to administrative tasks, such as updating records and ensuring the correct steps are taken. A process on steroids that has to be fully auditable. In this episode, TC Gill, the Chief talking Officer (CtO) of the podcast series, sits down with a tech leader with a passionate mission in this space. Gary Pyke joins us to describe the challenge he and his teams address for the benefit of the people that deliver care and those that receive it. A really insightful discussion, with many takeaways for tech leaders and leaders in general.Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Getting clear and agile on the outcomes you are trying to solve• The magic of big-hairy-audacious goals• Avoid being data-rich and insight poor• Getting creative around complianceOur Guest: Gary Pyke LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-pyke/ Website: Vale of Glamorgan Council: Overview
Tax compliance, it turns out, is an edgy space to operate in. For example, at scale, manual handling of receipts and invoices can be a costly endeavor, and many large organizations default to safer shortcuts that prevent tax that could be claimed from being processed. It's a complex problem to solve with many variables that are at play. The scream for automation has been heard by "Blue dot." A Fintech company that has solved the headache through elegant automation. i.e., automated tax compliance systems that create healthier bottom lines. TC Gill, the host of CTO confessions, sits down with David to dig a little deeper into the details and the "why's" of why this is such a challenge. He also gets to go deep with David on his leadership insights and the art of enhancing communications in service of the collective work. A deep and thoughtful tech leader with some great insights to take away.Key takeaways from the podcast are: • The concept of "Forcing communications" to create transparency and better understanding in and around the teams • An anthropological view on the art of communication • Inspiration to be more grateful for the world around us and the work we do as technologists Our Guest: David Guedalia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-guedalia-565a374 Website: https://www.bluedotcorp.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
The stereotypes say that sports and tech don’t go well together, but the reality is, that tech has taken all sports to the next level. From gathering game data to performance analysis all the way to getting insight into what’s happening on a field – the marriage between sports and tech has been rather spectacular. In this episode, I talked with Ben Burdsall, CTO of one of the biggest sports technology companies in the world, Sportsradar – and we talked about it all: from his beginnings, through his learning process, and how he was shaped as a leader, all the way to what he does now with Sportsradar.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Why putting people first will help reduce potential depersonalization in big companies • How the concept of “mean time to innocence” can actually help businesses locate issues and respond faster • Why diversity in all its forms can help growth and well-being at workplaces
Our Guest: Ben Burdsall LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-burdsall-6ba2bb/ Website: https://sportradar.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Time – it's the one thing that no one can’t control, no matter their skill or know-how. And for small and medium businesses, getting the needed protection and insurance in time is essential. Meet Shay Mandel, VP of Engineering at Next Insurance, a company that provides insurance to small and medium-sized businesses at the click of a button, instead of waiting for weeks as it usually goes in the market nowadays. So how is Next Insurance doing this? How did Shay get to where he is? The answers to these questions and many more were answered in this episode, as our TC Gill sat down with Shay to dive deep in all matters of business and tech.>
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Why technical debt is not something that should be overlooked • How code has a way of showing you where progress and development can hit a snag • How technical debt can actually influence people’s decision to come on board
Our Guest: Shay Mandel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaymandel/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nextinsurance/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
As any tech leader looking to make their own path and do their own thing know that all their experience and knowledge will be fruitless, unless the idea they build on doesn’t improve the livelihood of people. In an age where everything seems to be already discovered, tech leaders like Brent Williams, CEO at Benekiva, come to the fore to show us that we’re wrong, and that there’s still much that we don’t know. Listen to his convo with TC, as they dive deep into Benekiva’s doings, as well as Brents journey to becoming a tech leader.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• How you can find opportunities in problems • Why going against nay-sayers can actually be more rewarding than just falling in line • How learning from great leaders can help you develop your perspective and approach
Our Guest: Brent Williams LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentewilliams1/ Website: https://www.benekiva.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
With everything getting digitized and slowly moving on to the virtual world, there are some industries and arts that are having a bit of a hard time adapting to the new normal. Sales are one of them. Making sales is hard to pull off in-person, and even harder to pull off online, but people like Chuck Hardy, Head of Engineering at Salesroom, have made it their goal to make it easier for people to reach their potential clients, and remove the obstacles that selling in virtual environments pose. TC sat down with Chuck to learn more about Salesroom, about his own journey to becoming a tech leader, and what drives him.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• The highest level of competency is knowing what you don’t know
• The importance of staying humble
• Bridging the skills gap is all about bringing the concept of learning to life
Our Guest: Chuck Hardy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjhardy/ Website: https://chuckjhardy.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
How would one define tech leadership? Is it all about innovation? About creating something that will serve humanity as a whole? Or maybe it’s about empowering people and nurturing them to become leaders on their own? It’s all of the above, and much more – but the one thing that drives our guest, Knowledge Officer’s founder, Ahmed El-Sharkasy, is to provide the platform for people who are looking to develop and improve their skills and become better at what they love doing! TC Gill sat down for a chat with Ahmed, to pick his brain on the important bits – his journey to becoming a tech leader, the way he operates, and what drives him – day in, day out.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• The highest level of competency is knowing what you don’t know
• The importance of staying humble
• Bridging the skills gap is all about bringing the concept of learning to life
Our Guest: Ahmed El-Sharkasy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elsharkasy/ Website: https://www.knowledgeofficer.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ahmed_Sharkasy
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Healthcare is a sensitive topic around the world, as it becomes bigger, and significantly more complex – not just from a technological perspective, but also from a financial and business as well. Enter Firefly Health – a virtual-first healthcare company that’s all about making healthcare more affordable and easier to navigate. Our TC Gill sat down with the company’s CTO, Mimi Liu, to talk about the company, her journey to where she is today, and how she goes about leading her teams!
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
- How important it is to see opportunity in crises
- Why diversity is not just about the difference in character, but also in how we handle and see stuff
- How tech can empower people in navigating their way through anything
Our Guest: Mimi Liu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/msliu/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/firefly-health/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
The third installment of our Stories of the Amazonian Tribe is here! For this one, we have Joe Trelin, an Amazon “recidivist”, meaning he had multiple “tours” with the company, working in various departments and in different positions. Charles sat down with Joe to talk about his time with Amazon, as we take a peek and a view on the culture inside Amazon, the processes, and learn more about the bits and pieces that make the big Amazon tick.
Key takeaways from the podcast:
- Everyone has a role to play in the process of innovation, and sometimes you need to be the spark that gets it all going
- How to function in ambiguity and unconventional roles
- How customer-centricity can impact product & service development
Our Guest: Joe Trelin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-trelin-6a89a7/ Website: https://authid.ai/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
While some tech leaders are focused on the tech, others are focused on spreading the gospel of tech into the halls of politics and decision-making. One such leader is Chris Holmes, a Peer in the House of Lords, who dived deep with TC on topics such as tech and leadership, but with a bit of twist. From his first steps into the tech world, all the way to where he is now, the story of Chris Holmes is one we’re sure will captivate you and give you quite a lot to think about.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
- How developing a passion for tech can help you develop a perspective on what to do
- Why it’s important to be present – both with people and for people
- How can we see the opportunity in the world around us
Our Guest: Chris Holmes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lord-chris-holmes/ Website: https://www.channel4.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this frantic age, in this frantic world, there is no shortage of demand for more, and more, and more – but what happens when an industry vital for the functioning of modern society is under sustained and increasing pressure? Tech jumps in to help it, ease the burden, and modernize it. Meet Tamás Petrovics, Co-founder & CEO at XUND - an Austrian healthtech start-up. Tamás and two of his friends decided to start a company that will help ease the burden on one of the biggest sectors in the world – healthcare.
From how he leads his teams, all the way to his vision and mission for the company, our TC Gill had a good, long chat with Tamás about all of this, and much more.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• How prioritizing people and culture can set you up for long-term success
• Make people passionate about what they’re doing
• Why scratching an idea itch is almost always a good idea
Our Guest: Tamás Petrovics LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamas-petrovics/ Website: https://xund.ai/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Air travel is one of the cogs keeping businesses running, and that’s why it’s vital that airports run as smoothly as possible, and technology plays a crucial role in keeping things flowing. To learn more about how it all goes down and all the gears moving in the background, we talked to Maruice Jenkins, Director Information Systems and Telecommunications at Miami International Airport, who guided us through the works, his journey, and the complexity and intricacies of airports.
Key Takeaways:
• How responsibility helps people grow and develop
• Why innovation in the air transport industry is ripe for the taking and could be a massive game changer
• Casablanca (yes, the movie, it has some crucial points that tech leaders can learn from
Our Guest: Maurice Jenkins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maurice-jenkins-iap-c-m-b0b99016/ Website: https://www.miami-airport.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We live in the era of distractions, and truth be told, our attention spans have shrunk in the past few decades, so staying vigilant and focused while doing some things – such as driving, for example – is becoming a bit difficult. But of course, tech giveth, and now we have a way to ensure that our short attention span and weak focus are not a nuisance or a hazard in traffic. One such company is ‘dreyev’ and our TC Gill sat down with the company’s co-founder and CTO, Roberto Sicconi to learn more about the problem dreyev solves in the market, his own journey in the world of technology, and how he roles as a leader.
Key Takeaways:
- How bridging existing tech can help elevate tech-in-development
- Why decisions have more profound impact if they’re quickly implemented
- Why dreaming big is important when diving into innovation and technology
Our Guest: Roberto Sicconi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertosicconi/ Website: https://www.dreyev.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
People often talk about how some industries will never get fully teched-up due to the “human element” and the limitations that come with technology, and they might be right – but they were wrong about insurance. Just take a look at Lemonade – an insurance company redefining what it means to be in the business. To learn more about how this company works, and the tech-dealings behind the scenes, we got Ori Erez, their Director of Engineering, who sat down with us to talk in depth about Lemonade, his own tech journey – from young age to present day, and dive deeper into the issues of the industry and how he roles as a leader!
Key Takeaways:
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How allowing your business to grow without drowning it into processes and structures can help your teams stay more creative and flexible
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Why sometimes evidence works better than providing comfort
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How hiring carefully can help you passively attract the talent you’re after
Our Guest: Ori Erez LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orierez/ Website: https://www.lemonade.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Technology, and specifically IT technology has helped turn dreams that every human being has had at least once – to fly, to dive deep, to be able to reach other people – and now, at the forefront of it all, are people lie Alexander Oelling, CDO at Volocopter, who are at the forefront and pioneering in the world of UAM – Urban Air Mobility – in which vehicles like their Volocopter give us a glimpse into a future filled with flying cars, but allowing us to enjoy it in the here and now. Our TC Gill sat down with Alexander to talk about his tech journey, his leadership style, and his advice worth in gold for techies and aspiring tech leaders.
Key takeaways:
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How ensuring a product is ready is all about safety and security
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Why creating teams the proper way will always deliver
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How time is not a real obstacle when it comes to entering the world of technology and IT
Our Guest: Alexander Oelling LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderoelling/ Website: https://www.volocopter.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexoelling
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Blockdaemon is all about blockchain nodes – the plumbing behind all blockchain operations. What was once a complex procedure to launch, is now a piece of cake. Businesses can now dip their toes in the world of blockchain, and Blockdaemon is here to empower them. TC sat down with Blockdaemon’s VP of Engineering, Lloyd Moore to talk about his journey in the tech world, his leadership style, and of course- more about Blockdaemon.
Key Takeaways:
• How creating a simpler blockchain infrastructure can help improve business usage
• Why getting bigger is not about going slow - it’s about delegating
• How trust is the one thing that underpins leadership and the decisions we make
Our Guest: Lloyd Moore LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moorelloyd/ Website: https://blockdaemon.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/iolloyd?lang=en
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Sometimes tech leaders don’t have the technical expertise or knowledge as you’d expect, but they have the business acumen and understand technology, and do what all tech leaders should – be catalysts for other to succeed and enable them to be better, day in, day out. Michael Okwusogu, Founder and CEO at Value X Partners is one such tech leader. An investment banker by making, he’s been involved in technology from day one, and has only gone deeper ever since. He sat down with our TC Gill to talk leadership, what drives him, and spill the beans on his experience throughout the ages.
Key takeaways:
• How communication is all about comprehension, and not just exchange of information
• Why bringing external partners onto projects needs to be justified and very clear
• Why data should give you insights, rather than just indicators
Our Guest: Michael Okwusogu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelokwusogu/ Website: https://valuexadvisory.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In the world of tech, the things you can do for research, for development, for creation – are simply limitless. And Michele Nati, Head of Telco and Infrastructure Development at IOTA Foundation, is working on the things that are right up there with some of the most exciting tech, IoT and blockchain. Our TC Gill sat down with him for a chat to learn more about Michele’s journey, his leadership style, and what keeps him up at night. From his beginnings in the industry, all the way to how he leads his team now at IOTA, there was a lot to learn from Michele – a conversation we’re sure will blow your mind when you learn more about how he approaches everything.
Key takeaways:
• How flatness in company structure opens dialogue and enables alignment • The importance of “minimum viable ecosystems” • Why work-life balance is important for long-term success
Our Guest: Michele Nati LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelenati/ Website: https://www.iota.org/
A software engineer by training, but a tech leader by making, Jayant Chaudhary, CTO at Eproxim, threaded a path that is as interesting and amazing as you’d expect from someone who first planned on studying literature and history. But he didn’t, and what the world of literature may have lost, the world of IT has gained. With more than 30 years of experience in the world of IT, there was loads that Jayant talked about when he sat down with our TC Gill - from his beginnings, through his current job, all the way to what has and hasn’t worked for him as a leader.
Key Takeaways from the podcast:
• How facing fears and putting them into perspective can get you performing at your best • Why transparency is a huge enabler • How focusing your work on helping people will pave your way to success
Our Guest: Jayant Chaudhary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jchaudhary/ Website: https://eproxim.com/
We’ve all seen techies turn into tech leaders, but professional sports players? Now, there’s a story right there, and Andrew Gomarsall, Executive Chairman at N2S, is here to tell it. From making his first steps on the rugby fields, all the way to what he does now, Andrew’s story as a pro athlete turned eco warrior is one that will show athletes and aspiring techies that there’s always a way, and that when it comes to leadership, business and sports have a lot in common!
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• New problems can be solved with existing solutions, one just has to look;
• Why are circular economies the future
• Threading the path less taken is all about values, character, and doing it the right way
Our Guest: Andrew Gomarsall LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewgomarsall/ Website: https://n2s.co.uk
Tech leaders are not just people who know how to lead. They’re people with an affinity for technology who enjoy helping others reach their goals, guiding them through projects and through their own professional journeys. And one such leader is Eric Harrison, Director of Engineering at Marketplacer, who sat down with our TC Gill to talk about his journey to becoming a tech leader, his leadership techniques, how well-being plays a role in success, and what can be done about it.
Key Takeaways:
• How the sense of belonging in teams can spur them to perform better
• Why the concepts and procedures that you put in place are only important if they work for your team
• How breaking down concepts and projects in smaller bits can help better delivery and better performance
Our Guest: Eric Harrison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubyeric/ Website: https://marketplacer.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
The second story in our Amazonian Tribe series is here! For this one, we have Kristin Toth, currently the President & COO at Fernish. But we’re here now to talk about her close to 8 years with Amazon, during which time she had a hand in delivering some of the flagship services which have made the company what it is today. From joining the company in its formative years, all the way to its meteoric rise, the insight Kristin has in the how’s and why’s of Amazon are pure gold!
Key takeaways:
• How to be an organizational “athlete” and make things happen
• Why measuring success is important, and can spur you to do better
• How going back to your own type of drawing board can help you recalibrate, and refocus
Our Guest: Kristin Toth Smith LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristintoth/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ktothsmith
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Some leaders are great at enabling change and providing a platform for others to grow, and of course, there are those that can see change, anticipate it, and help others integrate and adapt. Henrik Hvid Jensen belongs in this latter group. As the CTO of DXC Technology, he’s leading teams that provide services for companies, mainly modernizing them in ways that help them prepare for the future, but also retain what has worked for them best. Henrik believes that a global shared digital backbone for the circular economy ecosystem is a prerequisite for an efficient global circular economy and therefore for reaching the climate goals on time. For more info about his journey, invaluable leadership advice and his thoughts on new technologies such as blockchain, all you have to do is click play.
Key Takeaways:
• How making your business highly integratable with the business ecosystem can set you up for long term success
• Why blockchain might not be the future as some claim
• How digitization of circular economies pave the way for the future
Our Guest: Henrik Jensen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrikhvid/ Website: https://dxc.com/us/en Twitter: https://twitter.com/henrikhvid
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Tech leaders are life-long learners, and as such, they have their fair share of experience accrued through good, but also many bad experiences. In the crazy world of tech, burning out is not uncommon, but more often than not, it can be a lesson – which once learned, can help you become a real driving force, a leader. One such leader is Brian Leonard, CEO at Grouparoo, who sat down with us to share his journey in the tech world, what he does now, and spill some advice on leadership and teams that will definitely be worth its weight in gold.
Key takeaways:
• Why creating teams is like creating a functioning marriage between strategy, vision, and direction
• The reverse ETL – how collecting data and using it to create concepts can help growth
• How focus on I/we/it is important, and while the ‘it’ seems the more important, the I and we actually define it
Our Guest: Brian Leonard LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianl429/ Website: https://www.grouparoo.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bleonard
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We usually see techies turn into tech leaders by first earning their badges, and then moving on to create something of their own, but not many separate from the mothership as a company, and take that giant leap into leading. But for Matthew Bull, CTO at Elanco, did it and not only did he suceed, he managed to grow the company, and all of that in the space of two years! From having a clear vision on what needs to be done, all the way to ensuring teams are aligned, Matt’s path to becoming a tech leader, and his story with Elanco, will captivate you.
Key takeaways:
• How to set your business for success while digitally transforming
• Why divesting/acquisition can be a blessing in disguise in terms of technology and organization
• How start-up culture helps businesses grow and deliver by energizing everyone in a company
Our Guest: Matt Bull LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mswbull/ Website: https://www.elanco.com/en-us Twitter: https://twitter.com/mswbull
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
One would think that innovation in traveling is all about speed, right? Just getting to your destination faster. But the truth is, there is much more in terms of technology of what’s going on in this industry, and we have the bright mind of Amy Burr, President at JetBlue Technology Ventures, to shine some light on what it means to work in this industry, what her journey has been like, and some kick-ass leadership advice on what works and what doesn’t.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• The mindset of the leader – how it infuses into the organization, and can be crucial for success
• Always provide a suggestion to a problem when you’re going to someone
• Women leaders have it harder, and they need to keep pushing with questions and requests as they do, as the landscape is already changing
Our Guest: Amy Burr LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amydanielsburr/ Website: https://www.jetblueventures.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amydanielsburr
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
One might think that the world of finance is no place for techies and tech leaders, but let’s be honest here – tech mavericks have a way of developing tech that can take almost any industry to the next level. And here, we have Chris Goddard, CTO & Partner at G-Research, who’ll dive deep into the comings and goings in the world of algorithmic trading, and how tech can help take it to the next level. From his beginnings, all the way to where he is now, Chris’ story is one we’re sure will captivate you through and through.
Key takeaways:
• How internal trade shows help spread work evenly, and ensure on-time completion
• That technology is hard, and ever changing - to learn to accept that and be happy to learn from your past mis-steps
• How diversity in companies can help spread knowledge and educate teams about what others are doing in a growing company
Our Guest: Chris Goddard LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-goddard-8473bb102/ Website: https://www.gresearch.co.uk/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
At IT Labs, we like to see under the covers of industries outside the one we're in. In this episode, we have a real eye-opener – a glimpse into an industry we are all faced with (literally) but rarely know the technological shenanigans and magic that goes on in the background.
Dan Goldin, the VP of Engineering at TripleLift, shares his leadership wisdom and the challenges that TripleLift is helping solve in the world of marketing.
The key takeaways from the podcast are:
• The marketing space is bursting with innovation. Some advertising channels shrink or get squeezed, other ones open and expand, a healthy process in which evolution stems from ever-increasing competition and implementation of new ideas
• Getting a handle on the imposter syndrome. That little gremlin that we all have. Don't let it stop you from aspiring to be what you would like to grow into (in this case, a leader in tech). Stay creative, resourceful, and always be the rock-star that's going to make it.
• The crucial difference between being techy and tech leadership, and how to stay on course when transitioning from the former to the latter. It requires you to let go of some of those hard-earned skills and replacing them with new ones that'll help you grow into a leader who inspires people. Especially resisting going back to what you feel comfortable doing. Stay in the leadership space to prevent leaving a void there rather than keeping yourself busy doing what can easily be delegated to others.
Our Guest: Dan Goldin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangoldin/ Dan Goldin: https://dangoldin.com/ TripleLift - Programmatic Advertising Platform Reinvented: https://triplelift.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/dangoldin
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
The ways technology can be used are many, and most of the solutions help in the here and now, and make our lives simpler, and basically giving us the world in our hand. But can tech be used for prediction? Can we anticipate disruptions in markets? We have Philippe Ensarguet, Group CTO at Orange Business Services, who sat down with us to share his journey so far, what he’s doing right now, and lay out his wisdom on leading teams!
Key takeaways:
-You can’t buy a revolution, but you can buy the evolutionary changes that come with it
-How to achieve transparency by neutralizing information
-How meshing between teams and specialists in companies can life the company to the next level
Our Guest: Philippe Ensarguet LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippeensarguet/ Website: https://www.orange-business.com/en Twitter: https://twitter.com/p_ensarguet
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In the tech world, we all know that there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all solutions in terms of software, as every business and tech company has different needs, different MOs, and different goals. And technology procurement specialists – like Andrew Wood, Vice President – IT Sourcing at Proxima – come into the fore, with their expertise making lives of companies a million times easier.
TC Gill sat down with Andrew, and they went deep into his journey so far, what he does right now, and how he goes about transforming complex projects that help drive businesses forward.
Key Takeaways:
• How successful procurement delivers long-term success
• How agility applies to the procurement world
• How being approachable can help you lead with a light touch
Our Guest: Andrew Wood LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-wood-2b980212/ Website: https://www.proximagroup.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/andy45wood
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Tech leaders are people who know how to inspire and drive others forward, shake things up, and change our perspective. In simpler terms? They are just troublemakers. Well, we got one such troublemaker – Andrew Vorster, Founder at Innovation Catalyst – who also happens to be an amazing storyteller. Mix that up with his vast experience in the tech world, and you know this is going to be an episode you will enjoy through and through.
Key takeaways:
• How to start fires through storytelling
• Why working hard at creating collaborative systems can help a lot
• How building trust and relationships creates the magic in a business
Our Guest: Andrew Vorster LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewvorster/ Website: https://www.andrewvorster.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewvorster
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Leading tech in one of Britain's busiest airports (London Gatwick) - Servicing a million and one uses cases every day, all-day.
There are some complicated businesses out there, all with their demanding tech demands. Our guest on this episode of the CTO Confessions has a pretty challenging job on his and his team's hands. Nick Batchelor, Director of Information Technology at Gatwick Airport, imparts the wisdom of his years of experience leading in a high octane operation.
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The tech challenges that the 2nd busiest UK airport faces.
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Trying to create technology that supports ever-changing millions of dynamic use cases
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Creating stability at the core of an operation that can easily go wrong
Our Guest: Nick Batchelor LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-batchelor-120200157/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gatwick-airport/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/gatwick_airport
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Some would say that technology drives the world, and innovation is in the driving seat. Well, let’s meet one of these – we got Erik Wirsing, VP of Innovation at DB Schenker. He sat down with TC to share his journey from techie to tech leader, as well as how he roles as a leader, and how he approaches innovation as a process. If you’re into innovation, you’re going to love this one. If you’re not into innovation...seriously?
With Erik, we dived deep into what it means to be up-to-date with innovation, and how to navigate through that storm of innovation that we’re living through in this age of tech.
Key Takeaways:
• How being aware of the solutions available here and now can help you build for the future
• Why delivering things virtually can be the way of the future
• How to approach solving logistical problems on a larger and smaller magnitude
Our Guest: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-wirsing/ Website: https://www.dbschenker.com/global Twitter: https://twitter.com/erikwirsing
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We all dream of finding the next big thing in tech, and some of us may remember coming into contact with some of the biggest tech companies in the world before they made it big – but how about being there and contributing to the formation of some of the biggest brands? That’s a blessing, a privilege only a few have enjoyed, but we got one of these few here on our podcast – meet Saeed Amidi, the CEO of Plug and Play, the world’s largest early-stage investor and business accelerator, a company which invested early in brands like Google, PayPal, N26, and many others.
We sat down with Saeed to talk to him about how he approaches innovative ideas and start-ups, and what are the makings of a start-up that you can tell is destined for the stars.
Key Takeaways from the episode:
• Why hard work will always beat ideas
• How missed opportunities can sometimes be a blessing in disguise
• Why leadership is all about empowering people, and why sometimes leaders are viewed as an orchestra conductor
CTOs are naturally curious creatures, and some of them have unconventional journeys to becoming tech leaders. In this episode, we have Mike Couvillion, CTO at Kazoo HR, who is, and get this – a fighter pilot turned CTO. We can dive deep into the ‘how’ and ‘why’ and tell it all, but truth be told, you can hear it from the man himself by just clicking ‘Play’.
Key takeaways:
• Tech leaders should be skilled in the financial and business aspects of a business, not just the tech
• How the military actually has aspects of Agile methodology, which can help grow businesses and teams
• How hiring A-players will get you A-paying clients
Our Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-couvillion-alexaguru/ Website: https://www.kazoohr.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
As the world is leaning heavily on the digital sphere to deliver solutions and lighten to load on all aspects of life, there is an ever-increasing need for platforms that will help make important life decisions smoother and easier. Meet One Dome, a company developed to help make the process of choosing and buying your next home a lot, lot easier. We sat down for a talk with Turan Rustamli, One Dome's CTO, who shared the how's and why's behind this project.
Turan talked a lot about the rationale behind this project, its motivation, and how his leadership style helped style the company and its success.
Key takeaways:
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It's immensely important to be an active member of every group you're part of
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Seek out opportunities to learn, but also teach
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A holistic approach to an idea will always develop it into something valuable
Our Guest: Turan Rustamli LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rustamli/ Website: https://www.onedome.com/business/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/nehfy
In this episode, we get a glimpse into the industry that makes our everyday lives easier, safer, and flow seamlessly - cybersecurity.
Matt Clark, the VP of Technology & Product Development at Smiths Detection, joined us to share his experience as a tech leader. We covered everything - from his beginnings in the industry, all the way to the challenges he thinks we'll face in the foreseeable future, all with the purpose of shining a bit of light on an industry that is ever-present, yet invisible.
His unique leadership style and point of view all revolve around three focal points:
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How cybersecurity affects our everyday lives and how they're different from other digital systems;
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Steps crucial for proper product/service development, marketing, and selling;
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The consequences of our actions, and how they can shape the future of a company, as well as the market.
Our Guest: Matt Clark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-clark-2a7ba123/ Website: https://www.smithsdetection.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, we talk to Chris Clarke about his journey as the CTO and founder of EdTech company Talis. Having successfully scaled and sold the business, Chris now operates under the umbrella The Scale Up CTO - using his experience, success and mistakes to advise other businesses and startups on their scale up journey. Chris’s journey is one that’s rooted in the essence of technical leadership, and the turn from an individual contributor to becoming a catalyst for others.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
- How to build trust and respect by demonstrating it
- Why it's important to own the process of hiring, and the role of genuine employee experience in doing so
- Delivery success based on the perfect tension between Engineering, Product and User Experience - and how to integrate this successfully with Agile
A fellow podcaster, Ryan Purvis, Chief Information Technology Officer at HiLo Maritime Risk Management, is one of those techies that simply had it in him to lead. From starting out in Johannesburg as a developer, he quickly climbed through the ranks, doing gigs in various industries, before ending up in HiLo. Here, you can hear all about his journey to becoming a tech leader, how he leads, and what it means to hold yourself responsible for your actions.
Key Takeaways:
• How to never be the bottleneck to anything you’re doing
• How listening and trying to understand will lead your whole team to the solution
• Why accountability is paramount in not just company, but also personal growth
Our Guest: Ryan Purvis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanpurvis/ Website: https://hilomrm.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanpurvis
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Welcome to the start of a special series – in this series, we’ll be talking to techies and tech leaders who have worked at Amazon – the Amazonians – and how it has shaped their futures in the world of IT. And the one hosting this series will be Charles Griffith, CTO at MileZero, a Capstone Company.
Each of the individuals that will come on this series will bring their own unique brand of leadership and experience!
In this one, you’ll have the honor to meet Charles, as a nice intro in what we’re sure you’ll enjoy!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesgriffith/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Sustainability – it's the thing we hear more than once every day, in regards to human relationships, the way we work, and how we interact with the world around us and consume products. It all began as we started looking for ways to lower our impact on nature. One of the tech leaders driving us towards a more sustainable future is Ali Bouhouch, CTO & Digital Strategy Executive at SZENTIA, a company looking to revolutionize the skincare industry.
TC sat down with Ali to learn more about what drives him, how he got to where he is now, and how he leads his teams.
Key takeaways from this episode:
• How to nurture curiosity without becoming engulfed by it
• Why being your whole-self at work can be beneficial
• Why it’s important for leaders to make the first step in initiating contact with their teams
Our Guest: Ali Bouhouch LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-bouhouch-4774372/ Website: https://www.szentia.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Worldpay is a service that many of us have used, sometimes knowingly, sometimes through other vendors, but the truth is, it’s everywhere. But how does one company get to this level? We got Usman Bashir, Head of Engineering at Worldpay, down for a chat with our TC Gill, in which he got down to sharing his amazing journey to becoming a tech leader, as well as all the cool and amazing tech he’s into right now at Worldpay.
After honing his skills as an engineer, Usman then had the chance to learn from more experienced heads and hone his leadership skills, which is something he has taken to as a duck to water – everything from then on, as they say, is history. He has developed into a leader that drives teams with passion and support, enabling them to express by delivering high-quality services and products.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Why you should look for people who add to your culture, not the ones who like to align themselves to it
• Why teams need to be integrated into the feedback loops and how this helps the whole process of improving a product or a service
• How to lead people by letting go of control and still get the best results
Our Guest: Usman Bashir LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/usmanbashir80/ Website: https://online.worldpay.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/UzmanB
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
The open-source world is a wonderful democracy and meritocracy of innovation, software elements, and applications. Its creativity is incorporated into countless (if not all) major applications across the tech arena. But with it comes complexities. And in this podcast, we get to speak to Brian Fox, the CTO & Co-founder of Sonatype, about those complexities. In particular, the worrying world of security. Sonatype runs the central repository of Maven, where the world gets its open-source Java. A kind of Center of the open-source universe. Or at least one of them. Sonatype also focuses on developing a smarter, faster, and more secure software development for the open-source world and its clients.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• The new attack vectors that hackers are using to get their grubby hands on your systems and data
• Visual analogies for software development and the software supply chain and how they create clarity on the mistakes that are being made in the tech industry
• The impact that the SolarWinds attack is having on the regulation and practices for the software development industry (especially for critical systems)
Our Guest: Brian Fox LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianefox/ Website: https://www.sonatype.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sonatype
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Tech leaders are committed to solving problems that pester man on a daily basis while also focus on improving the livelihoods of people – but what about the ones that have no access to tech? To the internet? To the millions of gigabytes of content on the internet? Enter Andrew McCaughan, CTO at BuffaloGrid.
This techie is hell-bent on bridging the gap between developed and emerging economies, by working on a tech solution that will allow people to connect and gain access to the amazing world of the internet, or as he likes to put it “connecting the next billion”.
TC sat down with Andrew to learn more about his goals, his journey from techie to tech leader, and how he manages his teams and makes sure they feel they’re in the right place, doing the right thing.
Key takeaways:
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How being straight with what you can and can’t do breeds trust and support
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Why it’s okay to ask for help, even as a leader
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Why leaders should sometimes see themselves as facilitators
Our Guest: Andrew McCaughan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amccaughan/ Website: https://www.buffalogrid.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amogram
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Efficiency starts with leadership, and the best kind of leadership is the one built around the needs and capabilities of your teams. Meet Skyler Seamans and Shane Emmons, the two techies from TeamSnap – a company that provides spots management solutions. What got us really interested into these two and their company is their unique management method they invented, called Shape Up – a mixture of known Agile and Scrum methods which has made them a force to be reckoned.
TC sat down with them to learn more about what they do, what drives them, and how their Shape Up method has helped them get to where they are now.
Key takeaways from the episode:
• How assessing the size of problems can help you in finding solutions
• Why it’s important to get people behind ideas before implementing them
• Why methods that allow and encourage your employees to grow will always be a resounding success
Our Guests: Skyler Seamans and Shane Emmons LinkedIn: Skyler Seamans: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skylerseamans/
Shane Emmons: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-emmons/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We have this idea of data that it’s a bulk of information that helps us make decisions in the virtual world, but can it be used for something like renovating buildings and improving the efficiency in the construction world? Enter Japjit Tulsi, the CTO at Matterport, a company which is dedicated to making spatial data a bit more likeable, and the world a bit better.
Japjit’s journey is one that’s filled with many companies, both startups and large corporations, all which have helped him diversify his portfolio, and gain vast experience. He’s been in the industry for a quarter of a century now, and is one of the most impressive tech leaders we’ve had on our podcast:
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• How having a list of dos and don'ts regarding leadership can help you become more consistent
• Why hiring right is more about time, rather than approach or skill
• How visualization of data can help spur the next big thing in tech
Our Guest: Japjit Tulsi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/japjittulsi/ Website: https://matterport.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
There’s tons of payment methods and processors out there, but how many of them actually have their focus on transactions that are a make or break for users? Could be many, but one that really stands out is Flywire. And on the doings of this company, we have its CTO, David King, who sat down with our TC Gill to share the story of Flywire, and of course, his own journey in the world of tech.
From his beginnings in academia, through his start in IT, all the way to him becoming a tech leader, there’s simply not much that David King hasn’t done. He became a leader with no leader-training, but has grown into the role, learning how to delegate and trust teams, and through it, grow and develop brands.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• How transforming from techie to leader is all about getting away from the single contributor mindset
• How customer feedback can help you drive products and services forward
• Why alignment at the top is more important than alignment at the bottom
Our Guest: David King LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidking14/ Website: https://www.flywire.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/dking307
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Learning, we were taught, was all about having access to material, to content, to courses and all that – and while that’s true, with the ever-increasing availability of study materials now new questions arise – what about the process of learning? And one of the people looking to answer this question is Stepan Suvorov, CTO at Studytube, a company that offers courses to employees of companies, as well as offering services such as organizing learning activities, so everything one would need to get their game to the next level.
Here, TC picks Stepan’s brains on his road to becoming a CTO, his experience as a leader, and the change he has experienced along the way in terms of changing skills, changing titles, and roles. From his humble starts, all the way to what he’s doing right now, Stepan’s story is one that will definitely inspire many techies to the top.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• How to pivot from B2C to B2B, without nosediving to disaster by missing opportunities
• Why maintaining the resilience of the product helps scalability and maintainability
• How micromanagement does more harm than good in management
Our Guest: https://stepansuvorov.com/blog/follow-me/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stepansuvorov/ Website: https://www.studytube.nl/en/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevermeister?lang=en
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
End-of-life is a challenging time for loved ones. The bereavement process is difficult at the best of times, adding further challenges when the legal and financial questions arise from the event. Well, the guest we have on this podcast is working hard to make this smoother. John Catnach, the CTO of Exizent, is working hard with his team to create a smoother and more efficient process. It reduces time to find information, provides it to all the relevant parties, and eliminates duplication of information. This solution that Exizent is providing is a great example of how technology can make people's lives easier, even in the most trying of times.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Just how complex the bereavement process can be and how Exizent is providing a solution to that.
• The art of over-communication when working remotely (especially in the COVID-19 era)
• The importance of making yourself expendable so you can be agile, nimble, and free in your career with ease and elegance (not being so important you become pigeon holed into a project)
Our Guest: John Catnach LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncat/ Website: https://www.exizent.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In business development and in particular startups, we talk about pivoting whenever the situation has changed or an even better idea has emerged. One that solves a real problem and pain point in the real world.
Well, our guest in this episode of CTO Confessions, Eoin O'Brien, tells about a huge pivot that led to a big success. He is the CTO of Tracworx, a company that offers a cloud-hosted Wi-Fi-based patient flow management and asset tracking solution. This is all in the spirit of improving operational efficiency within organizations. Eoin joins us to share his leadership and startup journey and lessons learned so far:
Key takeaways from the podcast with Eoin are:
• Having a varied set of leaders allows for a blend of leadership that can create a strong foundation for success.
• Pivoting is not just a cool Jazz dance move, its an important and potentially high return business tool
• Build a good strong, resilient team around you, so your business has resilience in tough times
Our Guest: Eoin O'Brien LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoin-obrien/ Website: https://www.tracworx.ai/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/tracworx_
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
There are mountain ranges of it! There are oceans of it! Not only do we climb the mountains, but we also swim in it as well. Yes! We are talking about data. And yes, it's an understatement to say there is a bit of it about. To help us tech leaders get clarity on this bonkers situation, we have Arend-Jan Nijhuis, a data expert who joins us on CTO confessions, to share his experience and some tips about how to harness its potential. Also, some sharing of cases where the use of data went curly at the edges and created a huge undesirable impact.
Key takeaways from the podcast with Arend are:
• How companies and governments are using big data and the pitfalls and benefits of using it
• The gravitation towards harmonized systems so data can be shared in standardized forms
• Some tips on outsourcing (Arends experience)
• The importance of multidisciplinary teams so that innovation can emerge from the exportation of data
• The role of an analytical translator to help understand and use the data
Our Guest: Arend-Jan Nijhuis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arendjannijhuis/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArendJanNijhuis
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We are all served by them in these modern times. Those helpful men and women bringing our orders to our homesteads. The complexity of this last logistical mile becomes evident as one scales, and constraints become evident. Expected costs are being driven down, and time to deliver ever smaller. In this episode, we speak to the CTO of Stuart, a company in this space; Lachlan Laycok joins us to celebrate his lessons learnt and his team's efforts.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Making your life easier as a leader by employing people better than you
• How using data sharpens the edge of the competitive blade
• The importance of addressing the really good, the bad, and the damn right ugly. Those towers-of-knowledge and toxic members of your team
Our Guest: Lachlan Laycock LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lachlanlaycock/ Website: https://stuart.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Stuart_Delivery
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
A techie who started out as a system administrator, and slowly worked his way up the ladder, ending up as the Director of DevOps at TUI Travel Group, the world’s number one holiday business group – Christian Rudolph. We sat down with him in an episode, and he just let us pick his brain as we tried to see what’s really ‘techy’ that’s going on behind the scenes in a big corporation like TUI, as well as learn about his experience as a tech leader.
From his humble beginnings, all the way to leading teams in a big company, Christian has wisdom that we’re sure many of you would like to hear – from his advice on how to put together high performing teams, all the way to how he manages them, there’s not much else to say than: this is an episode you must hear.
Key takeaways from this podcast:
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How leading teams can actually help you maintain your passion
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Why maintaining team spirit is more important than ensuring efficiency
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How trust shapes teams and ensures longevity efficiency
Our Guest: Christian Rudolph LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-rudolph-592ab841/ Website: https://www.tuigroup.com/en-en Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrisru82
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Most tech leaders can be found plying their trade in the private sector, but there are those with big dreams and the willingness to make the world a better place by rolling up their sleeves, and getting down in the mud. Ian Gordon, Head of Data Architecture @ Highway England is just that. This starry-eyed young techie with big dreams and goals understood what it means to provide value for customers and users, and just set about doing that by working with a network bigger than the internet – the road network.
We talked with Ian about his journey through tech world, how he envisages roads in the 21st century, and how to find pockets of imperfection in which one can make a telling contribution.
Key takeaways from the podcast:
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How large amounts of data can actually hinder progress if they lack quality
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Why looking at the bigger picture is a “quick fix” when looking for areas in which you need to improve
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How do the public and private sector differ in terms of functionality and keeping up with the times
Our Guest: Ian Gordon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/igordon/ Website: https://highwaysengland.co.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/infradatas
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
What started out as a quest to develop a tool for management, tracking progress, and streamlining work processes, turned into a business which is helping other businesses deliver high quality products and improving workflow! The man behind this business? Gerry Sweeney, the Founder & CEO at Hornbill - a techie with a natural affinity for technology who loves automation and solving problems, and a tech leader with a vast experience in various IT fields.
In this episode, we talk with Gerry about his journey as a tech leader, how it started, how it’s going, as well as his thoughts on how teams can become more efficient, and why the concept of uniqueness in the tech world is so much more than just providing the next big thing.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
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How creativity is not always about something new, but an improvement on something existing
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Why focusing on providing value for your customers almost always delivers success
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How to learn from past mistakes by revisiting them every now and then
Our Guest: Gerry Sweeney LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerrysweeney/ Website: https://gerrysweeney.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/gerrysweeney
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
When we think of tech leaders, we usually think of people who knew where they wanted to be in the future, always with a clear picture of the destination, or position, that they were going after. And sometimes it’s like that, but it’s far from a straight line to the top – just ask Adam Leach, Chief Information Officer at Nominet. A techie who let the current drive him around the industry, but who knew how to take advantage of that and get to where he is now – a tech leader.
In this episode, we talked with him about his seemingly simple journey through the world of tech, his efforts in making the virtual space more accessible to users, and his effective hands-off approach when leading his teams!
Key takeaways from the podcast:
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How to lead teams with little effort and maximum focus on the important stuff
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Why it’s important to think creatively instead of preventively
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How awareness of problems in general makes it easier to look at them from various perspectives
Our Guest: Adam Leach LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamleach/ Website: https://www.nominet.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamhleach
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Aside from proficiency in his or her field, a tech leader must also know how to treat people fairly to get the best out of them, but also empower them. As Mike Villalobos, Director of Engineering at Fair.com, shared with us in this episode, a leader must be able to see the furthest, but never forget the valuable input of those around him.
“A high-performance team is not just about everyone delivering day-in day-out, they also need to feel they belong there, to see themselves doing it in that company for years to come - that’s the magic of leadership.”
Key takeaways from this episode:
• Transparency and open communication create a good working environment and motivates people
• Being proficient in a skill doesn’t automatically make you a leader
• Your team might have a better solution to a problem - trust them and listen to them
Our Guest: Mike Villalobos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcvillalobos
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
"The intersection of machine learning and real estate - Bringing data science to land investment decisions"
It's always interesting to hear from people who have traveled from one field and arrived at a very different one. Well, here is another great example of this. Marios Tsatsos, CTO of Honest AI, once was a scientist in the Quantum mechanics arena and had a doctorate in the field. He now transfers his algoristic and scientific mindset to a new field solving real business challenges.
Key Takeaways from the podcast are:
- Bringing the tools of science to business: Quantum scientist to Data scientist
- How the application of AI to real estate asset management speeds up the decision-making process by up to 30%
- How Honest AI is making commercial real estate investing great again
Our Guest: Marios Tsatsos LinkedIn: Marios Tsatsos Website: Artificial Intelligence for Real Estate Investors | Honest AI
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We here at IT Labs love people who are bees. What we mean by that is people with varied careers bring opportunities for cross-pollination. Cross-pollination of ideas and new ways of doing things. Like bee's these individuals are the backbone of innovation and industry leaps. They play an important part in the industry landscape, buzzing around doing their thing. Simultaneously, creating bridges for all kinds of concepts to travel and blend with the organization at the other end of that bridge.
One of these bees is Fabricio F. Costa, Senior Product Developer & Strategy Executive at Accenture. His varied experience and passions create an interesting tech leadership mix.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• The importance and balancing of communication. Managing how that is exposed. Not too much, and not too little.
• The emergence of data and its impact on the micro to the mega. The emerging tools will speed up the emergence of new insights
• Never forget the importance of seeing businesses as a collection of human beings. The lens through which any collective human endeavor starts.
Our Guest: Fabricio F. Costa LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabriciofcosta/ Website: https://www.accenture.com/us-en Twitter: https://twitter.com/ffalconi
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Some of the most dynamic and battle-scarred tech leaders are those that have journeyed through a startup journey. In this episode, we get to speak to a tech leader just like that. David Kell, our guest, describes how he left his university degree to start a successful series of startups. In this podcast, we talk about how Gyana's platform. A no-code, data science tool that is democratizing the art of using data that many companies have pooled up.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
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Seeing a gap in the market and solving a big challenge for many companies
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Looking at Maslow's hierarchy of needs for data
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How the tech leadership (and business leadership) wisdom to many leaders yearn for are already articulated
Our Guest: David Kell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kell-22203656/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gyana/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/gyaanaa
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Erik Dasque joins us for another episode of CTO Confessions, where he shares his intriguing journey of becoming a geek, de-geeking, and geeking up again. He shares his thoughts on the absolute importance of actively designing teams on an ongoing basis. Also, retaining and developing one's skills in the technical space can hugely serve one's tech leadership.
Key takeaways from the Podcast are:
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How to hire for success
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The importance of diversity in organizations
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The power of being a compassionate leader
Our Guest: Erik Dasque
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/formassembly/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edasque/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/edasque
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Any techie will tell you that APIs revolutionized the way we go about developing software, but with all the regulations bestowed upon the IT world, it’s only the best ones that meet the light of day and make a change in our everyday lives. Meet Cedric Fabianski, Co-founder and CTO @ Bearer, a techie with a burning passion for entrepreneurship and leading teams – by striking the right balance.
In our episode with Cedric, we listened carefully as he shared his experience in IT – from his beginning in the world of IT, through creating and leading teams, all the way to navigating his way through customer and client feedback.
Our key takeaways from this podcast:
• Why working remotely can help increase transparency and help improve teams
• How leaders can find their way through something unknown by asking the right questions
• How losing control is part of leadership, and is actually desirable
Our Guest: Cedric Fabianski
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We all consume TV shows and movies to feed our entertainment-hungry minds. And it’s no wonder why - the TV and movie production industries vie for our hearts and minds through elegant storytelling, immersing us in worlds that capture our hearts and expand our minds. Well, now we get to look under the covers of the industry, shining a light on a particularly important and unsung hero of this industry - the art of editing.
We speak to Stephen Tallamy, the CTO of EditShare, a company that works on simplifying editing and storytelling. Particularly as we have have been jolted into a remote work and the boundaries of the studio have moved further into the virtual space. Stephen shares the tech challenges and solutions in this industry along with his tech leadership tips.
• The demands of the TV and film production industry and how EditShare is making it an art in simplifying story telling through remote editing
• The spectrum of tech leaders(Clarity on tech leadership names)
• Riding the elevator(Communication skills for the organization spectrum)
Our Guest: Stephen Tallamy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephentallamy/ Website: Media Workflow, Storage and Editing Solutions | EditShare https://editshare.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephenTallamy
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
A mechanical engineer turned tech-wizz, Wayne Strydom is not your typical techie with roots set in coding or other IT discipline. He says it’s all about having the bigger picture in mind and understand systems and how they interact and function, and considering the success he’s had as the CTO & CIO @ Virtulab - we trust him.
“Building teams based just on skill and talent is a recipe for failure! Surround yourself and your employees with characters, especially the kind that can stick it out when the going gets tough!”
We sat down for a long, data-rich conversation with him, where dived deep into every aspect of his journey as a tech leader – from assembling and developing teams, all the way to his wishes which include a time machine and the possibility to see all press releases regarding tech development from the future. In short? An episode for the ages.
Key takeaways from this episode:
• Why building teams is much more than just matching needs to skills
• How to lead teams by only asking the right questions
• How a story is the foundation on which a product is sold
Our Guest: Wayne Strydom LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayneatcgtech/ Website: https://thevirtulab.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/waynestrydom1
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Developing high-quality service or tools does not guarantee success - you need to deliver it in a proper manner. That’s exactly what our guest Adam Dille, Senior VP for Product and Engineering at Quantum Metric is focused on doing, as he helps companies deliver tech that has the potential to solve everyday problems, as well as make our lives easier! His focus on continued product/service development is what drives the company forward, all the while helping ambitious startups meet the light of day.
“The better your product is - the more the end-user will expect from you. And a true leader will always anticipate these expectations and figure out how to meet them”
What we learned from Adam:
• Asking the right questions will always bring you closer to a solution
• Looking at data from various perspectives helps deliver a more complete product
• Closely-knitted teams understand every single piece of the puzzle, even the ones outside their domain
Our Guest: Adam Dille LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamdille Website - Quantum Metric https://www.quantummetric.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/quantummetric
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
For start-ups and established companies, it's never just about crunching and creating and pushing a product or a service out - that's why tech leaders must consider the short and long-term ramifications of every decision they make at every stage. We sat down with Vijay Venkatesh, a CTO and Product Development leader on various projects, shared his journey, and gave advice on finding the right balance in every aspect and process while leading teams in the tech world.
• Key takeaways from this episode:
• Quick ascent is all about adaptability and flexibility
• Constraints can solidify teams and make them more efficient
• Understanding the wishes and whims of customers and clients is a form of art
Our Guest: Vijay Venkatesh LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkateshvijay/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vijayv
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In our episode with Brian Roche (Director of IT @ Belfast City Airport), you can hear about his amazing journey which began with a job as a system administrator, then moving on to various positions in development and sales teams, before making the jump to executive positions. His goal and passion? To bring some simplicity to a world that is riddled with acronyms and complex structures - the tech world - and bring it closer to the average businessperson.
Key Takeaways from this episode:
• How education can help in the fight against cybersecurity threats
• Why it’s important to mentor young techies, and teach them about giving chances
• How technology can fail a business, and what leaders can do about it
Our Guest: Brian Roche LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brroche/ Website: George Best Belfast City Airport https://www.belfastcityairport.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Phil Wood is a man of many talents, all cored in his unabating curiosity. What started off as the need to know how things function and what they’re made off, led him to learn and develop, and eventually become the Director of IT Services at one of the most prominent airlines – easyJet.
In this episode, Phil shared his advice and experience, ranging from his unique leadership style with which he allows teams to lead themselves by letting them take the responsibility and giving them freedom, all the way to creating feedback loops that help not just a service or a product in work, but also future R&D.
All worth its weight in gold, we boiled down the episode to the following key takeaways:
• How to create high performing teams by allowing them to take on responsibility and authority;
• Why are feedback loops important in the development process of a product or a service
• How looking at the bigger picture and not just your product/service can help in ensuring end-to-end satisfaction for clients and customers.
Our Guest: Phil Wood LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-wood-2089a13/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Marketing comes in many forms, everything from the big brand advertisements for the masses, to smaller campaigns specific to local needs. Well, Marvia has created a platform that does just that. i.e., activating local marketing potential for big brands (e.g., Domino's Pizza). The CTO of this company, Merlijn Bruijnes, joins us to tell us all about what they do. Merlijn also shares his journey to becoming a tech leader, lessons he has learned and tips for other tech leaders.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• The challenging transition from software developer to Tech leader (letting go of one's baby)
• Helping large brands conduct marketing with a local flavor
• Creating a learning organization (a win for the business and a win for the people)
Our Guest: Merlijn Bruijnes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merlijnbruijnes/ Website: Marvia https://www.getmarvia.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/marvia
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, John Williams, the CTO at Amplience, shares his super hot tips from his years of service. We get to talk about the problem in the market that Amplience is solving and creating robust systems that reliably get the job at hand done.
The industry that Amplience sits in is the marketing space. It's created a system that provides personalized content for the myriad of devices and screen sizes people use, with a touch of personalization to make a brand really pop out for the target audience.
The key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Thoughts on creating an architecture that deals with extreme surges in real-time content creation. With the capability of handling high loads and baked in resilience to deal with parts of the system falling over
• When creating workplace cultures, see everyone as equals with equal voices to speak up. i.e. freedom of speech in the workplace.
• With the many voices chiming in, create an environment where the best ideas win.
• Design systems with the vision of the future in mind. With resilience and expected levels of demand.
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We all rely on it. Many of us use it without even realizing it. Some even joke it's in the base layer of the Maslows hierarchy of needs. If you haven't already guessed, it's the internet. You will be surprised to know that the fifth biggest economy globally (the UK) is lagging behind many other modern nations concerning internet coverage and bandwidth to people's homes and businesses. Well, the Strategy Director at CityFibre joins us on a discussion about how he and his team are working hard, working smart, and working fast to upgrade the nation's digital infrastructure. It cannot be stressed enough how important a resilient and fast internet is for a service-based nation like the UK.
The key takeaways from the podcast are:
• The reason why the UK is so far behind other developed nations
• What CityFibre is doing to create a better, more resilient, and faster internet
• The leadership and culture that is creating a high-performing and adapting organization to deliver quality results
Our Guest: Clayton Nash LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claytonnash/ Website: https://www.cityfibre.com/ (CityFibre - The UK's alternative digital infrastructure provider) Twitter: https://twitter.com/CityFibre
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Here at IT Labs, we love disruptors. Particularly a disruption in a stuffy industry, drowning in its old ways. Guy Duncan from Tide joins us to tell the story of the company he is tech leading to create exactly that kind of disruption. Tide is a Fintech carving out a nice chunk of the market by focusing on customer needs (time, ease, and smooth service). We particularly touch and gravitate around Guy's leadership approach that encompasses Yoga and mindfulness.
So the key takeaways from the podcast are:
• All through the lens of a Yogi
• The powerful art of finishing (the motto: "Stop Starting, Start Finishing")
• The art of interpreting various industry trends and using them as a foundation for technology and product planning
• The importance of setting the levels of abstraction in a business right, and how it improves performance and interoperability
Our Guest: Guy Duncan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncanguy/ Website: https://www.tide.co/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TideBusiness
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, we speak to Anna Dick, CTO of an innovative startup call HIRING HUB. It provides a B2B service to help rate and track the quality of recruitment agencies. We speak to her about the exciting objectives and growth of the business. Also, the problems she and her team are working to solve in the recruitment space. The recruitment industry is a highly competitive market with varying levels of trust and the ability to deliver on the hiring needs of their end clients.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• How you don't need to come from a traditional software background to become a tech leader.
• How HIRING HUB is aiming to address the diversity biases that are endemic in the recruitment process. Helping agencies see how well they are doing and what actions will serve them in getting better.
• Overcoming the challenges of working remotely.
Our Guest: Anna Dick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-dick-b4bb434/ Website: https://www.hiring-hub.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/hiringhub
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We are pleased to be hosting another podcast with a tech leader in the construction industry. An industry that is ripe for innovation and digitalization. Our guest Vicki Reynolds, CTO at i3PT, is doing just that. In light of the disaster that unfolded here in the UK (the Grenfell Tower disaster), the construction industry is going under a much-needed update around standards, compliance, and auditing. Vicki, who originally started as an actress, found her fulfillment in solving big challenges in the industry. Her story and journey are interesting and inspiring.
Key takeaways
• You will hear about the pain points of the building industry and the solutions that Vicki and i3PT have developed
• How digitizing the construction industry creates a better audit trail to save lives
• Why diversity of people in the industry is positively impacting how business is conducted. Confirming what many of us knew already. That people of different genders and ways of thinking was always good for business.
• You will hear how careers can take interesting routes. Vicki's hunger to make things better and the love of solving big industry challenges have led her from a very different industry to a place of work she loves.
Our Guest: Vicki Reynolds LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reynoldsvicki/ Website: https://i3pt.ie/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Some companies are getting ready to use their data. Some businesses drive growth by using it in parts of their operation. In this podcast, we speak to a business that's milking their data for everything they can get. The Modern Milkman is on a mission and they are proud to call themselves a data-driven business. James Renshaw (the CTO) and John Hughes (Data warrior) at The Modern Milkman join us in this podcast to share their stories and tech-leading efforts. The Modern Milkman, a wonderful, fun business, brings the milkman service tradition into the 21st century with tech and modern-day data analysis, with a planet life-affirming mission to eliminate plastic. That's right! A business built on the grounds of doing something wonderful for all of us and thrive at the same time.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• How the morning milkman service is modernizing
• How driving the business with data in the driving seat can create a sharp and nimble edge of business dexterity
• Holding your workforce with care and considering their future and career growth create a high-performing business team for an all-around win/win.
Our Guest: LinkedIn: James Renshaw https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-renshaw-02a879a/ Website: https://themodernmilkman.co.uk/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ModernMilkman_/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
From time to time, we come across a very niche organization. One that has evolved with the industry over many years. Well, Airport Information Services is one of those businesses, creating Flight Information Display Systems and Aeronautical Billing Systems for the industry. Rick Goold, the managing director of said company, joins us to speak to his journey as a tech leader and how he and his business have carved out a successful piece of the airport industry.
Rick's career has spanned many evolutions of the IT industry, therefore he has a noteworthy perspective on things that have passed and things to come.
Key Takeaways from the podcast are:
• How AIS serves the airport industry and gets their products hitting the bull's eye
• Ricks journey as a tech leader from early mainframes to the modern digital world we are immersed in
• How as a business leader, you can set up feedback loops and let them have a life of their own (user groups for people who use the product)
Our Guest: Rick Goold LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-goold-698a8422/ Airport Information Services: https://www.linkedin.com/company/airport-information-systems-limited/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
It's a shame we rarely get to speak to someone who oversees important aspects of an industry that many of us use. In the context of this podcast, it's the airport industry. Wouldn't it be great to take a peek under the covers of this business arena to appreciate some of its complexities, challenges, and direction? Well, in this episode, we are doing a bit of that peeking.
Nicholas Woods, the CIO of the Manchester Airports Group (MAG) joins us to share his leadership journey. The challenges this industry is facing and aspirations for the future. To get an idea of Nicholas's leadership scope, MAG owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted, and East Midlands Airports in the UK. Not one, but three airports.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Examples of leadership that worked and didn't work
• Designing, operating and maintaining tech in an airport
• Aspirations for the future of the industry
Our Guest: Nicholas Woods
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ngwoods/
Website: MAG (Airports Group) https://www.linkedin.com/company/manchester-airports-group/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
The world of technology opens up endless avenues of possibilities. It's an enabler and creator of healthy businesses (i.e., the bottom line). So, it's wonderful to come across a business that uses technology to create success in acquiring and selling unique items. And when we say unique, we mean one-off items. So, the guest of this podcast works for a business just like that. The VP of technology, Brian Powell at EVERYTHING BUT THE HOUSE (EBTH), tells us all about his operation, his team's challenges, and how they are solving them.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Finding the sweet spot in Lean, Kanban, and Scrum to create high performing teams
• Adapting to huge differentials in demand on a platform
• The ins and outs of being part of a business that sells anything from old collectible watches to Picasso paintings
Our Guest: Brian Powell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/powellbriang/ Website: http://www.ebth.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EBTHofficial
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
For tech leaders heavily involved in the software development and deployment processes, ranging from embedded software to more user-facing applications, you'll love this.
Anders Wallgren, the Vice President of Technology Strategy at CloudBees joined us to share a few things. Nope! Correction. Shared LOADS of things about the benefit and importance of having a smooth end-to-end development process. Being a software developer in the past (I'm a geek that managed to de-geek), I know the pains and benefits of getting this right. The investment in automation and auditing-as-you-go saves many headaches and Kerr-chings (money) over and over again. The system that Anders and CloudBees have created is just awesome. Especially for high compliance industries.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• How automation can become your implicit auditing
• How tech leaders can enable companies to balance governance and developer freedom with a win/win scenario
• The benefits of taking two steps back to make huge leaps forward in the efficiency of your value delivery
Our Guest: Anders Wallgren LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anderswallgren/ Website: https://www.cloudbees.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/anders_wallgren
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We all hope for a day when we don't need to mention, or even be surprised, when we see women leading in tech. But, until that wonderful moment arrives, we will celebrate a marvelous leader's journey and her leadership practices. Bela Labovitch, the VP of engineering at athenahealth, joins us to share her story and why she has much gratitude for her job. And importantly, how she makes the role effective and delightful for her people, the end customer, and the business itself.
We also look at the problem that athenahealth is solving in the market and how it allows doctors and similar professionals to focus on what they love doing by adding ease and automation to important aspects of their business operations.
Key takeaways from the podcast with Bela are:
• The importance of metrics and measuring
• The power of a tool we all have as leaders--mindfulness and how that can be enacted to great effect on all aspects of the role
• How companies can help create more diversity within their companies and encourage girls and women into tech
Our Guest: Bela Labovitch LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bela-labovitch-333a7b/ Website: Cloud-computing in healthcare | athenahealth : https://www.athenahealth.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/athenahealth
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
You would believe it, but four billion people in the world do not have an address. We take it for granted in first and 2nd world nations. But imagine not having a framework to get things to you. Shocking! This is why Emre Turan, the tech leader of UNL Global, leads the tech to create the internet of places. An addressing system to bring people out of address poverty. Maybe we in more modernized countries will adopt the same system. Thus creating a standardized global standard.
Key takeaways from the podcast with Emre are:
• The importance of creating a system that anywhere in the world can have an address
• Making sure external outsourced teams are invited into the fold of a company. Please don't treat them differently
• Using data to create self-healing maps
• The importance of reading the book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. It raises awareness around a bug that all of humanity has and will serve your leadership immensely.
Our Guest: Emre Turan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eturan/ Website: https://www.unl.global/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/emre_turan
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
We all see big stock markets trading shares in big companies, with their stock-tickers showing the ups and downs of an organization's perceived value. Imagine if you could invest in, let's say, a sports stars career or the local shop down the road. Well, this is the platform that tZERO's CTO, Amit Goyal, is working on. He joins us to share his trials and tribulations, not forgetting the successes in creating this novel trading system.
The key takeaways from the podcast are:
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How a more democratic trading system will create investment and growth opportunities in some weird and wonderful places
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Slicing big projects into manageable small value deliverables enhances the Agile space
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The importance of reducing the delay of developed code getting into the production space. Ultimately to ensure developers don't get disconnected from their work and technical debt doesn't sit around out of sight.
Our Guest: Amit Goyal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-goyal-302a0852/ Website: https://www.tzero.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/tZERO
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Many enlightened businesses work hard to make their brands and relationships with their customers stronger and more human, and that's exactly what Wistia does. For those who think that's obvious, well, there are many businesses out there that do the exact opposite. Either intentionally or unintentionally).
The CTO and co-founder of this interesting startup joins us to share his leadership learning and the importance of building that human face of the business one video at a time. With the bonus of making the process super easy and effective.
The key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Creating the right funding model for your startup can have a positive impact on the way you run and do business
• Learning from Brendan's reflections of leading through tough decisions (tapping into the wisdom of the organization)
• Leading with remote teams and making sure they become autonomous and effective development machines
◦ Especially getting the decision making and set of power closer to the cross-functional teams doing the work
Our Guest: Brendan Schwartz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanschwartz/ Website: http://wistia.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/wistia
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, we talk to a tech leader who has turned a technical ship around. Her leadership resides in a cancer intelligence organization that uses data science to help oncology care teams better personalize treatment and improve drug toxicity management for their patients. Denali Lumma, the VP of engineering at Project Ronin, shares her story and her leadership. Particularly on how she, her peers, and team pivoted a troubling technical situation and created a state of technical flow in the organization. The best part is the improvements in care for patients. Feedback loops of care went from a month to days. Allowing carers to be agile in improving the conditions of patients and enhancing their quality of life. Maybe even saving lives.
Key takeaways from the podcast with Denali are:
• The concept of technical-debt-event-horizon (the point of no return)
• How Agile can absolutely work. It can be a success if you keep going, learn from mistakes, and don't see it as some magic formula out of the box. You have to be agile about Agile. Let it guide you, rather than dictate
• The huge power of healthy feedback loops. Find the important ones and enhance them
• How systems and industries create incentives that really aren't helpful. Even damaging
Our Guest: Denali Lumma LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denali-lumma-1330061/ Website: https://www.projectronin.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
With technology permeating and threading through all industries, it's surprising when you come across an industry that has further growth in the digital space, giving the tech leaders in that arena the opportunity to spearhead an industry evolution. This is exactly what our guest Rajiv Peter, the Director of Digital Technology at Notting Hill Genesis, is doing. Under his leadership and tech team, the company creates opportunities for more growth, efficient operations, and insights from the data they collect.
Like the host, Rajiv has Dyslexia. He is not bestowed with the luxury of moving super quickly through tasks that others would glide through. But like many challenges, he has adapted and created his own mechanisms and leadership style to thrive.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Using the gift of Dyslexia to lead in a better way (Visual vision)
• The power of trusting your teams
• Preparing a business to be able to collect the right data for the next evolution so they can sense and adapt aspects of the businesses direction
Our Guest: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajivpeter/ Website: https://www.nhg.org.uk/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, we have the former CTO of Ocado, a company that is a huge operational and business success story in the UK. As part of his leadership and the work he does on various boards for the UK Government, Paul Clarke is a huge advocate for digital twins, which are models that allow us to run real--world simulations. And as we progress to make these twins even more sophisticated, the aim of Paul and other leaders in the digital space is to integrate them to run even larger and more sophisticated model runs.
Some takeaways from the conversation with Paul:
• The power and potential of 4 converging technological advances
◦ Artificial Intelligence
◦ Machine Learning
◦ Digital twins
◦ And the Internet of Things (IoT)
• How Ocado Ltd is actually a technology company, with food delivery service being just the thin veneer of what it did and spun off.
• The huge potential of governments’ use of their oceans of data and Digital Twins.…not to mention the impact of policy change and infrastructure projects)
Our Guest: Paul Clarke LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulchristopherclarke/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this information-obsessed modern world, marketing takes on many forms. And a word that gets banded around a lot (and quite rightly) is brand. For Omobono, the brand isn't just logos and fancy billboards; it's more than that. The CTO from Omobono, Marcus Lambert, joins us to tell us about its importance and how an organization's brand can be enhanced digitally.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Organizational trust layered into every nook-and-cranny of the business is the key to lasting transformation. (Omobono's story around this is a must-hear -- truly inspiring!)
• Transparency creates clarity. It is a simple, sometimes painful, quite powerful tool that all establishments need to embrace for better leadership throughout the org.
• The lessons learned from oscillating between small companies and large corporates and back again.
Our Guest: Marcus Lambert LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcuslambert/ Website: https://www.omobono.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/omobono_digital
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this podcast, we look at an interesting B2B startup called Fashion Cloud. In particular to its CTO, Florian Klemt. The business idea that was born out of a strategic pivot shows great promise. It's morphing into something bigger and providing more supportive avenues for end clients.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• A human-centric leadership style has a great ROI. One that can't be pinned down in a spreadsheet or ledger but exists non the less
• The pivoting tool in the business toolbox is an important device that should be employed readily to adapt to market needs
• Maintenance and looking after legacy systems is highly recommended. It's not sexy, but tech leaders ought to appreciate the investment that's gone into these systems and work to keep them maintainable.
Our Guest: Florian Klemt LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-klemt-44a83352/ Website: https://fashion.cloud/en/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Niches don't get any tighter than this. Our guest Hamed Sadeghian, President and CTO of Nearfield Instruments, shares with us his journey in a super high-tech, high- science market. From his metrology in the oil and gas industry to the measurement of atoms, he now heads an organization that helps chip manufacturers sharpen their cutting edge.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Sanitizing your vision and making it your war
• What you need to be able to lead effectively in an entrepreneurial company
• Finding a pain and ensuring the solution is what the customer wants
• The kinds of people and teams you need in an R&D space
• Creating visibility for the customer so they know where you’re going
Our Guest: Hamed Sadeghian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamed-sadeghian-76490ab/ Website: https://www.nearfieldinstruments.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this episode, we talk to a tech leader who initially had very little desire to become a CTO. However, once the journey began, not only was he a success, but he also came to appreciate and love the role. His passion shows and is a great inspiration to try things you think you don't want.
Maksym Schipka, the CTO at Vortexa, shares his tech journey and what's worked, and is working for him. Just to put into perspective the importance of Vortexa's operation, it tracks more than $1.8 trillion of waterborne energy trades per year. That's a great deal of ka-chings! Their work and innovations disrupt the way the energy markets operate, creating visibility into the very opaque world of seaborne energy trading.
His desire (and deeper purpose) to solve problems and face difficult challenges led Maksym to solve technical goals and even more complex ones like strategic and the dynamics of leading people. His desire to create elegant solutions in his leadership serves the business, the people, and his own leadership.
The key takeaways from the conversation with Maksym are:
• The amazing payoffs of taking small, uncomfortable steps --new realizations regarding what interests you and what doesn't, plus the willingness to face fear, risk and dislikes to make adventurous, inspired career choices.
• How data and, machine learning are being used to disrupt the energy trading system – a disruption that serves and enhances the work of traders and the industry as a whole.
• The power in a leader being willing to become redundant in many of the tech activities and business operations. When your teams need you less, you are succeeding immensely as a leader. This reminds me of the quote from Nanny McPhee, "When you need me, but do not want me, then I must stay. When you want me but no longer need me, I have to go.".
• The importance of attachment and detachment in leadership, and how to allow teams and people to grow and expand their responsibility.
Our Guest: Maksym Schipka LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mschipka/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vortexa/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vortexa
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Security has always been a part of human needs beyond those sitting at the lower echelons of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Through our inventiveness, we create new domains of attack and subsequent security needs. In these modern times, the digital world has many doors and windows, and that's the topic we touch on in this episode.
Tom Meehan of CONTROLTEK USA joins us to share his thoughts on this subject and his leadership style. Tom is an author and speaker in various technical spaces, so we are honored to have him on CTO Confessions.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
• Embrace the likelihood of failure and get moving, welcome experimentation, and adapt. Some failure has to be part of your journey.
• Tom's suggestion around investing in your self-growth as a leader (less Netflix and more reading)
• The sophisticated art of keeping companies secure:
◦ Especially in these COVID times where people inadvertently keep opening up security windows and doors
◦ The ongoing battle to get on the winning edge of security without thinking you've worked it out
◦ Awareness that the technology you are using to stay one step ahead of the attackers is the same technology they have.
The book that Tom authored can be found here: Evolution of Retail Asset Protection: Protecting Your Profit in a Digital Age https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evolution-Retail-Asset-Protection-Protecting-ebook/dp/B07RMKQ5MN/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Tom+meehan
Our Guest: Tom Meehan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-meehan/ Website: https://www.controltekusa.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/tomsitlogic
It's great when you meet a leader who takes an elegant approach to making life easier. i.e., using a leadership style to bleed ownership into the organization. One such tech leader achieving this with his personal, well-defined philosophy on work and life is Shane Emmons. As the CTO of TeamSnap, not only does he talk about this philosophy, he has also positioned it out there for all to see on his LinkedIn profile. Then, as a man of integrity, he brings it to life in his daily work and leadership.
Key takeaways from the podcast are: • The power of providing trust from the word go in your organization • The perspective that all tech decisions are business decisions • The importance of enjoying work and making sure your people are as well • Sharing of a new perspective on diversity and success
Not only does Shane coach and mentor business leaders in the industry, he also teaches at the University of Michigan. Listen in on this episode for awesome advice grounded in a wealth of experience.
Our Guest: Shane Emmons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-emmons/ Website: https://www.teamsnap.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/semmons99
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Tech leaders not only lead organizations to create products, but often lead transformations also -- transformation of people, processes, and of course tech. In this podcast, Michele Sollecito shares his thoughts on his role and how he works to make sure projects come in on scope and on time through the wonderful women and men engineers doing the work.
Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Why integrity matters. i.e., Doing the right thing even when no one is looking. • How software development isn't just about delivering fast, but rather represents the art of creating something that can be maintained and extended in its complexity, without ending up in a technical debt dead end. • Avoiding continuous isolation by leading and facilitating environments that create interrelationships within a team, between teams, and in the wider organization.
Our Guest: Michele Sollecito LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelesollecito/ Website: A better way to handle your money | Revolut : https://www.revolut.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SollecitoM
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
For all those who have hired a car, do you think it's a smooth process? Could it be easier? Well, our tech leader guest from "hiyacar", Marc Roberts, tells us about how they are smoothing out the wrinkles in this much-needed service. Having been involved in a previous venture that didn't quite make it to success, Marc shares how the market and driver information systems have evolved enough to make it viable. Listen to Marc Robert's' wisdom about leading the technological aspect of this venture and how he and his colleagues lead the way to hire cars easy as "ABC."
Key takeaways from the Podcast: • Running a startup with high ticket assets and keeping them secure • Getting-out-of-the-way-style leadership • The power of having a clear mission
Our Guest: Marc Roberts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcroberts/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hiyacar/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/marcroberts
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
In this podcast, we talk to Hazel Olivier, the CTO of Nimbla, a company serving medium-sized organizations' financial well-being (through insuring their invoices).
Hazel has been instrumental in leading Nimbla's platform's modernization while strengthening its robustness. Thus, allowing Nimbla to offer a much-needed self-service financial lifeline 24/7.
In the podcast, we look at how Hazel has been spearheading her career in the tech industry ,as well as her passion for security and working with remote teams with differing cultural communication styles. An important set of subjects in a global and interconnected world we all operate in.
Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Security! Security! Security! Stop making it an afterthought -- bake it in from the beginning. • Awareness around some of the holes you could be creating in your security walls. • Leading in tech as a woman. • The cultural nuances when it comes to the UK, South Africa, and India.
Our Guest: Hazel Olivier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hazelolivier/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nimbla/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Data, data, data everywhere! Sometimes I wonder if we’re going to drown in it all. Thankfully we have a super expert on the subject to join us to demystify some of the reoccurring topics in this arena. Roy Keyes, a data science and machine learning guru and expert in knowing what people to hire for this elusive new field of computing, tells us all in the time we had for the podcast. We got so carried away, it’s a long one.
He has written a book on the subject. Details can be found below.
The key takeaways from the podcast are:
• What is the definition of ◦ Data science ◦ Data analytics ◦ The various roles that gravitate around this industry • Some tips as to how to structure data people within the org • The challenges of hiring the right people for the job And much, much more
Details of Roy's book "Hiring Data Scientists and Machine Learning Engineers: A Practical Guide." : https://leanpub.com/dshiring
Our Guest: Roy Keyes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roy-k-213127128/ Website: https://roycoding.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/roycoding
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Oded Cohen, Chief Technology Officer at Nativo Inc, joins CTO Confessions to share his tech leadership style within an impressive, cutting-edge marketing company – a company that helps organizations sell high ticket items with looooooooong marketing and sales cycles. Nativo uses big data and agile processes to connect the brands to the desired target audience.
Some of the key takeaways from the podcast are:
• How distributing leadership and decisions makes complex development environments more manageable • How freedom, flexibility, and honest conversations help the best creative ideas emerge • The in and outs of selling advertising to premium brands for long-term brand engagement
Our Guest: Oded Cohen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oded-cohen-78678a17/ Website: Nativo - The Leading Native Advertising Platform: https://www.nativo.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/nativo
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Here’s your chance to get a small peek under the covers of Google. Paul Lawrence joins us from San Jose, California, to share his story and his work life at this prestigious company. In this podcast episode, Paul share about being selected to join Google, the onboarding process, and then what it’s like to be immersed in the Google culture. Don’t miss this treasure trove of insights from inside one of the most iconic tech companies out there.
Key takeaways are:
• Lessons for tech leaders from inside Google • An example of onboarding and how you can be quickly offboarded • The importance of trusting your engineers
Our Guest: Paul Lawrence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-lawrence-6a463b65/ Website: https://www.google.co.uk/about/careers/teams/engineering/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/google
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
A technology leader's needs from a city - How the right cities can drive innovation and growth
The environment can make a huge difference on culture. In turn, culture can make a huge difference to an organization's energy around Agility, innovation, creativity, and synergy with other seemingly unrelated industries. So we often talk about the environment and culture on a micro and macro level (teams and organizations). These always seem to be under the microscope, and for good valid reasons. What if, for a moment, we looked through a telescope at the bigger picture. What about the environment and culture of an entire city.
Well, in this episode, we get to meet and talk to James Cummings, Vice President of Business Development at London & Partners. He currently lives in Los Angeles, where he promotes London to organizations, including tech companies, to locate themselves in the UK's capital city. With all the trappings of success, through a huge pool of creative talent, hotbed of innovation, and strong governmental governance and support, many companies make a move to London to grow and take advantage of the fertile entrepreneurial soil of London.
Key takeaways from the Podcast are:
Who are London & Partners, and how they can help tech companies and their tech leadership
What tech leaders are looking for in a city?
How Cities can drive growth through Talent, R&D, Incentives, and simplicity of doing business
Examples of companies that have located in London and the success they made of it
Example's relationships between cities and how these can help each other by playing to each other's strengths
Our Guest: James Cummings LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-cummings-90b04514/ Website: https://www.londonandpartners.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/londonpartners
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Technology leaders sit in an incredibly important organizational seat in this day and age. Their role is to deliver technology and give the business the capability to compete, innovate, and stay relevant. Our guest on this CTO Confessions Podcast speaks to this subject. In particular, leadership plays a huge role in how their people go about their tasks and the incumbent culture their work emerges from.
Key takeaways from the Podcast are:
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The fundamental role of tech leaders and why it's not just about delivering technology.
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The part that documentation can play in supporting the work you do, and some inspiration around avoiding documentation debt. As we know, any debt, be it technical or the likes, always comes back to bite us on the backside if we don't address it.
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Thinking about your thinking when solving problems.
These are just to name a few with many more takeaways embedded in the Podcast. We hope you enjoy its as much as we did hosting it.
Our Guest: Alain Briancon, PhD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alain-briancon-phd-70115a/ Website: https://www.cerebriai.com/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Warby Parker is a big name in the spectacle industry, so it was exciting to have Sung Choi, their Senior Director of engineering, come onto the show and share his wisdom. Sung is a true Agilist and seated in a company that seems to create the perfect environment for the values and principles of Agile to thrive.
The key takeaways from the Podcast are:
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The power of leading with Integrity
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Aligning around values and principles to deliver customer-centric business value from the technology space
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Using the "commanders intent" to inspire a solution mindset in the teams and allowing autonomy to flourish
Our guest: Sung Choi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sung-choi-201b643/ Website: https://www.warbyparker.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/warbyparker
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
IT Labs takes pride in finding and speaking to CTOs with fascinating tech journeys. Well, here's another interesting one that started in the military and ended up at the helm of an organization's tech function.
Charles White, CTO at Foretnix, shares his journey and insights into areas that he is passionate about, from leadership to security and novel architectures. It would be safe to say Charles covers much wisdom-filled ground in this podcast.
One particularly striking aspect of Charles's voyage is how an injury changed his life path and in what manner he built on it. An inspiring lesson for all of us.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
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Becoming a CTO (The Journey from military to CTO)
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Leadership tips on creating high performing teams and holding the vision for your people
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The responsibility of leading and coordinating security and technology, with a share of next-generation advances
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What attribute-driven architectures are and how they can be something to consider
Our Guest: Charles White
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-white-030a177/
Company Website: https://www.fornetix.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fornetix
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
There is much talk about AI and ML (Machine learning). The terms are misused, and the hype around them creates much confusion. So what can they offer in real terms, if anything?
Well, Felix Hovsepian joins us on CTO confessions to clear up the subject and explore some interesting use cases. Key takeaways from the Podcast are:
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Why ML and AI are not the same things
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Examples of AI and ML
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Generative design
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AI at the Edge
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Being a tech leader in R&D
Felix is a colorful character with interesting ideas in several fields. After listening, share your thoughts on AI/ML. Are these fields starting to emerge from the hype cycle?
Our Guest: Felix Hovsepian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felixhovsepian/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlueManifold
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
The Lessons of Amazon: Tech Leadership Tips from an Insider
It's always interesting when you meet people that have navigated from one field into another. In this episode, we speak with a scientist that did a spectacular, successful, and exciting jump into the tech world. You may have heard of the company that our guest, David Glick, ended up in; Amazon! David Glick got emersed into the "Amazonian" culture, describing how it moulded his tech leadership. Now CTO at FLEXE (a flexible on-demand warehousing and fulfilment company), he shares his leadership wisdom.
Key takeaways are:
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The layer cake of leadership (how to enhance and advance your tech career
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Lessons from Leading in Amazon
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The truth about AI/ML
Our Guest: David Glick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidglick1/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flexe/
Our Host: TC Gill LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrtcgill/ Email: tc@it-labs.com
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
SME tech leader tips, from a successful serial startup CTO - Creating a startup culture in SME organizations for hyper-growth, innovation, and business survival
One of the consistent things we see here at IT Labs through our 'Teams as a Service' (TaaS) and Business Agility consulting is companies' need to have a startup mindset. Especially if they are in a phase of innovation to get one step ahead of competitors. Some of you may be thinking when wouldn't this be the case :) Well, many SMEs know the lessons but have forgotten them through their journey of growth. It's almost like growth creates some form of 'wisdom amnesia.'
Though IT Labs target audience is not startup's, but because we are learners, we actively seek out these nimble little organizations' voices to see what they are innovating and how they work. We desire to pick out their gems of advice and understanding through the lessons of success and beautiful moments of failure, to garner revived thinking for our community of technology leaders.
Well, Steve Books, CTO at Slingshot Technologies, joined us for an enlightening discussion on his serial startup journey. He's what we like to call a starter-upper. I know not a real word, but it's what we call someone who consistently gets involved in startups and nurtures them to exit. So here's your opportunity to get a look under the covers of someone with a startup mindset and see things in a little bit more detail.
Key takeaways from the Podcast are:
Lessons from a series of startups and exits
Tips on getting the most out of teams
How to make remote working work for you as a tech leader
Why business cannibalism is bizarrely good for your organization
Our Guest: Steve Books LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebooks/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebooks/) Website: https://www.getslingshot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/OnScaleInc
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Leading technology with a toothbrush - How to create customer-centric innovation and market disruption
Tech leaders sit at the heart of an organization. They are the enablers of the businesses in this digital world we live in. Decisions they make, impact the present, and mold the future.
In this episode of CTO Confessions, we speak to the tech leader of a very niche business. They have taken the simple toothbrush and added an impressive dimension to it. Marrying the world of personal preventative dental health care with that of dental insurance, through a technology-enabled toothbrush. What you might call "smart dental care."
Brian Hough, Dental Beams CTO, joins us to talk about his tech challenges and wisdom around creating a truly customer-centric product. He describes how, through organizational and tech leadership, Dental Beam creates a strong feedback loop between the development teams and the needs of the end customer. Forming tight awareness and close feedback loops to get the product offering absolutely right.
Key takeaways from the Podcast are:
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Why it's important to invest in development that sets the groundwork for future innovation and product agility
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Creating high performing engineering teams that fully own their work.
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How to improve the success of a product by having more eyes on the customer's needs
Our Guest: Brian Hough LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brhough/ Website: https://polished.js.org/ (OSS) Twitter: https://twitter.com/b_hough
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Humanizing AI - The future is not all AI dystopia & terminator (creating technology ethics, transparency, and fairness)
You hear a lot about AI. It's a bit of a buzz word, right?! Often misused and misreported. One area that is starting to get a lot of debate space is the ethics around this mystifying and still futuristic technology. It's an important subject that is starting to have an impact on our everyday lives. As we all know, the world we live in is full of data, and it's creating more and more consistently and relentlessly. With big data comes opportunities to be one step ahead, to help, to enhance human life, and on the dark side, oppress and control. So the subject of ethics around this subject is an important one. One that we should all take heed of. Especially us tech leaders out there.
Swathi Young shares her expertise in this Podcast, her hopes, and her vision for AI. Especially around the ethics and impact it has on us humans now, and in the future. Swathi is an expert in the field of ethics and AI. In fact, at the time of the recording of this Podcast, she was currently working with the US Government creating an ethics framework for this emergent technology
Key takeaways from the Podcast are:
What is Humanizing data?
How can we start considering the ethics of AI?
What is 'Sentiment Analysis'?
Tips for tech leaders on where to start when considering AI in their products and organizations
Our Guest: Swathi Young LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swathiyoung/ Website: https://integritym.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SwathiSambhani
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw )
A new shiny large-scale simulation tool for the SME toolbox - Democratizing super-computing power that's easy to use, low cost, and on tap
Whenever one reflects on huge steps in innovation, we usually see some disruptive democratizing of capabilities. Where the tools of the elite, and those with deep pockets, become available to the masses. Well, that's what this Podcast is about! It's about democratizing this ability to have the capabilities of large super compute platforms, brought to the toolbox of SME businesses.
In the context of this disruptive story is an interesting and passionate tech leader, David Freed. CTO of OnScale, a company that is leading the way in achieving the democratization of high-level computing for large scale simulation. David is a self-confessed computer engineering geek with a background in Physics, chemical engineering, and a PhD in fluid dynamics (in the context of Nuclear waste disposal). A heady mix of subjects all converging on a passion for bringing disruption to a niche market, thus gifting groundbreaking capabilities to the SME market.
David shares his desires and vision for OnScales platform, his leadership style to achieve this, and what he wishes for tech leaders out there.
Key takeaways from the Podcast are:
How novel solutions can bring historically expensive, out of reach capabilities to the masses by being bold, creative, and establishing cost-reducing ideas.
How businesses can accelerate innovation through affordable large scale simulations (removing complexity and need for deep expertise)
How to be a leader in a disruptive business and getting the best out of your teams
Our Guest: David Freed LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmfreed/ Website: https://onscale.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/OnScaleInc
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Tech-ing up the construction industry - Lessons from a construction industry CTO
Do you think the building industry is tech-savvy? It's a good question. To some degree, it's yes and no. Through this Podcast, we shine a light on the current state of affairs. It seems that the industry is on the cusp of a step-change. Its finally making attempts to bring technology and infrastructures that have advanced so many other sectors into its arena. Bringing technology, new tools, and the use of big data to strengthen its ability to create thriving, innovative, and efficient businesses.
Well, Jeff Olin, Vice President of Technology at HomeSphere, is a person with many years of experience from software programming, to project/product management, to leading technology groups. He joins us in this Podcast to share his thoughts on leading tech within his current role, in an industry that's finding its feet in the modern digital world. Jeff is clearly passionate about doing his part to help the construction industry catch up. Find out about what HomeSphere do, and the tips that Jeff has to offer on creating highly flexible architectures for customer-centric products, at two ends of the building industry (builders and their building suppliers)
Key takeaways from the Podcast are:
How the construction industry is picking up the technology pace, and how it can improve its bottom line
Creating an architecture that makes it easy to maintain and deliver customer-centric outcomes
Leading as a CTO with Agile in mindset
Our Guest: Jeff Olin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffolin/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homesphere/
Our Host: TC Gill LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrtcgill/ Email: tc@it-labs.com
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Episode 11: CTOs voice from the Banking as a Service Industry With Taylor Lilley
CTO's voice from the Banking as a Service Industry - Setting up high performing resilient remote teams and architectures
Tech leaders today are multi-faceted. There is the obvious requirement to understand technology, at least from a high level, but also a need to be business-minded and understanding what creates the best high-performing teams in one's leadership scope.
In this episode, Taylor Lilley joins us to give us an insight into his lessons over varied his journey. Taylor is the CTO at White Label MFG with a straight-talking style that gets the nub of where the challenges are and what the options are. Rewinding his timeline on experience, you get to see a colorful journey, one that started in the United States Marine Corps.
Key takeaways from the Podcast are:
Try not to treat your highly intelligent engineers as task doers (get the best out of your high IQ people)
Communications is the key to making remote teams deliver the outcomes you want
High-level tips on creating high volume resilient architectures
The importance of having a business head as well as a tech one
Our Guest: Taylor Lilley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-lilley/ Website: https://www.whitelabelmfg.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/whitelabelmfg
Our Host: TC Gill LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrtcgill/ Email: tc@it-labs.com
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
CTO's role in driving revenues for SaaS Companies - In sales, seemingly small things can make a huge difference.
Selling is an art, and like any art, we can use techniques to improve or suppress the probability of creating the desired result. In the modern world and COVID19 crisis, interactions in the digital world are becoming the norm rather than the exception. The normalities of face to face meetings have, at least for the short term, turned into a rarity. Thus, impacting the ability to develop a healthy rapport between the seller and potential client. Gene, a thought leader in the space of sales and company growth, shares his wisdom on how technology leaders can set up their sales representatives to tip the scales towards success. What appears to be small things can make an impact on online meetings, which smooth the path towards a sale or, at a minimum, a stronger client relationship. Gene is an author on the art of selling, who has lots of experience working with many large organizations to drive revenue growth, and a man with many years of experiential success for his clients. So, what Gene has to say to Tech leaders holds weight. His advice will help your organization's bottom line.
Our Guest: Gene McNaughton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genemcnaughton/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/genemcnaughton
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
CTOs as Champions for Innovation - Providing innovation to enterprises in uncertain times
Large cooperation's attempt to innovate internally, sinking vast amounts of money, balancing high levels of risk, and rarely succeeding in achieving the innovation opportunities they crave. So what can tech leaders within these organizations do?
Jeremy Basset, Founder and Managing Director of CO:CUBED, joined us for a conversation on how CTOs and tech leaders can be the champions of innovation by taking a rather different approach to invigorate innovation in an easy, de-risked way.
Quote
“... we're going into a new era now where it won't be... step-change transformation, but just ongoing incremental innovation that happens every day and over the medium to long term. [i.e. consistently] deliver[ing] ongoing transformation.”
Key takeaways from the Podcast are:
How can tech leaders of large enterprises maximize their ability to innovate?
How can corporates make innovation easy for themselves?
Our Guest: Jeremy Basset LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremybasset
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Transformation for Innovation with Deal Daly: Technical leaders part in the Innovation Game
As a tech leader, how do you transform your organization for innovation? And why you need to be involved in the first place?
Deal Daly, Field CTO at Hammerspace (https://www.linkedin.com/company/hammerspace/), joined us for an enlightening conversation on the subject. With many years in mergers and acquisitions, looking at technology from the outside-in. His journey gradually led him to lead infrastructure groups. For this reason, Deal has a very interesting perspective. He's a business person with an acquired technology angle. Now looking from the inside-out, he shares his learning and insights.
Key takeaways from the Podcast are: • Why must technology leaders become partners in enabling the entire business, not just in the capabilities of a product? • How tapping into the inherent curiosity of technical people can drive team performance and innovation. • Using the multiplier effort to drive and spread innovating behaviors.
Our Guest: Deal Daly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dealdaly101/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Welcome again for another tech leader's confessions. That right its a CTO Confessions podcast. This episode focuses on the journey of CTOs and, in particular, the expedition of Charles Griffith. An experienced CTO with an interesting passage from:
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Gaming industry
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To working at Amazon in the formative years
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And then to a Startup … and Exit
Be inspired to find the path for your journey and see how making it varied can lead to long term success. Creating a well-rounded tech leader. Investing in your journey from a place of awareness is a powerful leader trick to lead you to places where you want to be, rather than where you end up.
Our Guest: Charles Griffith
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesgriffith
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Greetings again for another installment of the CTO Confessions podcast. This episode focuses on the important role CTO's play in driving Sales and Marketing alignment. Our guest is LaCosta Lolly from GrowthSmart Consulting.
Key takeaways from the Podcast are:
How technology leaders can take Sales and Marketing to the next level!
The importance of tools and data strategy to support (not hinder) Sales and Marketing.
How a lack of alignment in sales and marketing can lead to disjoints in other parts of the business.
The importance of getting this right in organizations cannot be understated. You the CTO, have an integral part to play in helping Sales and Marketing align In their approaches.
So my challenge to you Technology Leaders out there is first listening to the Podcast. Secondly, see how the technology solutions you are supporting (or creating) can be repurposed to form alignment, rather than disjoints in the organization. Sales & Marketing and the organization as a whole will thank you for it in the end. Hey, it most probably will make your life easier as well.
Our Guest: LaCosta Lolly
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lacostal/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lacostalolly Growthsmart: https://twitter.com/GrowthSmart
PowerPoint slides used in the Video Podcast: https://www.it-labs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/CTOs-Role-in-Driving-Sales-and-Marketing-Alignment-by-LaCosta.pdf
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Once again, greetings, ladies and gentlemen. Jardena London joins me for a riveting discussion on Leading Transformations. On how exciting they are, and at the same time how painfully challenging they can be. In short, It's not for the faint-hearted.
Some of you may recall Jardena from a previous IT Labs Webinar: "Creating Structural Agility with Living Systems.", jointly presented with Sally Breyley Parker.
In this talk, we dig deeper into the role of CTOs in organizational transformations. We cover a number of angles including a few outlined here:
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The elements that create good transformation. What supports transformation and what does not.
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What Jardena has observed in her vast experience
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And the importance of the CTO and tech people in enhancing transformations.
Something in our discussion resonated with me. On how we need to get more of the technology folk talking to the business and supporting them. Especially CTOs. It's been something that I have been banging the drum about for a long time. Jarndena's view reinforced my belief that we need to break down boundaries with CTO's leading aspects of a transformation from their wealth of intellect, ideas, and passion for trying new technological ideas.
I hope you come away with as many good takeaways as I did.
Our Guest: Jardena London
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jardena/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jardena
Referenced Webinar in the Podcast: Creating Structural Agility with Living Systems (Guests: Јardena London & Sally Breyley Parker): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX0MXomfrrE&t=14s
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Episode 4:
DonorTrends Success story (from Innovation to conception, and a lovely happy exit)
Greetings again ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon. We have a special episode for you this time, the first in a series. We are calling them “Client confessions” where we invite current and previous clients of IT Labs to talk about their projects, businesses and where they are with them. The aim is to deliver insights and stories of success (and maybe even failures), this all being in in the spirit of providing value and shared learning. Anyway, back to this Client Confessions Podcast.
It was a delight to talk to Caity Craver & Ben Miller from DonorTrends about how they took an idea for helping non-profit organisations maximise donations to realisation. This was through a heady mix of sophisticated maths, big data analysis, a sprinkle of AI and inventive ways of presenting the information. A remarkable story of Innovation, conception to successful exit. And along their journey was IT Labs, turning a very manual time-consuming process into a product that was a win for everyone. This makes all of us at the office incredibly proud. We invite you to listen to their account. I hope you enjoy the discussion as much as I did.
Our Guests: Ben Miller & Caity Craver
Linkedin: Ben Miller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-miller-737b8/ Caity Craver: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitycraver/
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Hello, again, people. I hope you are keeping safe out there with the continuing Coronavirus drama. It turns out our next CTO Confessions podcast is in part once again related to the subject of navigating an organisation during these times.
Eugene Kovshilovsky (Евгений Ковшиловский), Senior Vice president of Engineering at US Auto parts, joins me for a discussion around how the automobile eCommerce industry is handling the Coronavirus storm. Eugene has vast experience across many sectors and carries a nice mix of technological wisdom, knowledge and skill, with the leadership qualities that bring his teams together (the human element).
The turmoil has shaken all layers of the Automobile industry. In the podcast, we discuss how the auto parts eCommerce industry works. I enter the discussion with Eugene, curious as to see how things have impacted it from a technological perspective.
Our Guest: Eugene Kovshilovsky
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kovshilovsky/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EKovshilovsky
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Episode 2: Principles for the foundation of technology-driven organisations - Herding the kittens in technology
Hello People. I hope you are managing to navigate yourself, your people and your organisation through these mind-boggling times. Our next CTO Confessions podcast is highly related to this subject of navigating an organisation in general, particularly in these times. That's leading others and includes leading yourself.
Banne, CEO and co-founder of IT Labs is joining me in a warm discussion on the subject. We are going to get together with a hot beverage and talk about Principles (and values) that help drive what you as a leader are trying to achieve. How principles combined with your unique style of leadership support you in herding those kittens in your organisation that just seem to run off in a different direction than don't serve you or the business very well. We will gravitate around a book that we both love (Principles by Ray Dalio). Principles are powerful. They help you make tough decisions; they allow people to align themselves around them. They can create a powerful flow of value delivery and productivity with minimal command and control (i.e. make your life easier). Come and have a listen and see how this can help your leadership and the dynamics in your workplace.
Our Guest: Branislav Gjorcevski
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/branislavgjorcevski/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bannegjor
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)
Hi my name is TC, and I’m honoured to be hosting the CTO Confessions podcast brought to you by IT Labs. So let’s talk about our first episode (drum roll…) “Business Agility in the context of the Corona Virus challenge“. Snappy title right? As if the world was not complicated enough with businesses having to navigate fast, dramatic changes in the market place, and also internally to the organization. Along comes a devastating pandemic that has us all disrupted in so many ways. So as a business leader, what can you do to keep the business afloat?
How can you keep all your crew happy? How can you lead in a time of increased VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity)? Listen to our podcast to get some insights from our Chief Methodologist, Mr Manoj Khanna. Hosted by TC Gill and all brought to you by IT Labs.
Our Guest: Manoj Khana
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manojkhanna/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/khannamanoj
To fill in our Questionnaire regarding Business Agility, please follow this link: https://us19.list-manage.com/survey?u=977e2d034e412e284039af7bd&id=a70d1552cc
Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)