Venturi's Voice: Technology | Leadership | Staffing | Career | Innovation

Alexandru Toea is Lead Front End Developer at Yobota. Yobota's core banking platform allows established, and challenger financial institutions to launch innovative products in a fast and reliable way. Their mission is about creating the future standard of financial technology. The Yobota Platform allows established and challenger financial institutions to create innovative, user-centric financial products, and run them from origination and through the life of the account. Yobota's platform is proven on multi-million pound portfolios and runs some of the most innovative products in the UK market. During the podcast episode, we spoke about how Alexandru and his team at Yobota are using modern technologies to speed up and improve workflows in more "traditional" industries such as banking, and the importance of constantly be improving your software with the end-user in mind, along with advice for people who are on a similar mission.

Martin Reible is Interim Lead - Data & Insights Team at Oetker Digital. Helping to enable and shape data product development for Oetker Group companies, Oetker Digital & its ventures. Martin is currently leading Oetker Digital's Data and Analytics & Optimization teams. Aspiring to create & foster a team environment that is characterized by autonomy, trust & true ownership. Valon Buxhovi is Business Intelligence Manager at Oetker Digital GmbH, driving business towards efficiency, sustainability and growth. Valon is constantly looking forward to progress business intelligence, providing insights that guide the business ahead of the curve. Oetker Digital combines the Oetker Group's traditions with new digital concepts, innovations and business models. To name but a few, they support established brands such as Dr. Oetker, Henkell, Coppenrath & Wiese and Radeberger, as well as Oetker Collection hotels. Together they develop ideas for consumers of the Oetker Group's products in everyday li

Miguel Alvarez is Global CTO at AnalogFolk. AnalogFolk is a global digital creative agency, independently owned since 2008. Their mission is to use digital technology to make the analog world better – creating more intuitive customer journeys, enabling more customer-led uses of data, integrating seamless tech and building breakthrough campaigns. Winner of Campaign’s Global Digital Innovation Agency of the Year 2019. As CTO, Miguel is responsible for leading the AnalogFolk Global technology capability and overseeing the specialist teams across technical services. These include Research and Development, BAU and Technical Solution Delivery, Brand Innovation and Brand Acceleration. Leading the technology output and direction for the agency and its clients. As an Ambassador for Essential Costa Rica, Miguel promotes progression of the field of technology and builds bridges with other countries and brands. Recognised as one of the most successful graduates from Central America by Estrategia&Negocious magazine

Robert Hook is Managing Partner of Leap Beyond Analytics, and is a software engineer with over 30 years of experience in a broad range of industries, and with a very broad skill set. His passion is creating robust, high-performance software, with a desire to create the right solution first time, every time. He is particularly excited by and interested in the problems involved in extracting knowledge from large volumes of data, and in building complex, high availability, high-performance server-side software. During the podcast episode, we spoke about all things Data, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. As well as the future of the industry, the problems that occur when depending on Machine Learning to make human decisions, and the common misconception with BI and Data Science. Showtimes: 1:00 - A history of Leap Beyond Analytics and Robert's role there. 5:55 - The common misconception with BI and Data Science. 11:50 - The definition of data-centric architecture and development and what that mea

Sam Williams is Serverless AWS Solution Architect and Consultant | Developer Training at CompleteCoding.io. Complete Coding has years of experience taking projects from idea, through design and build, to deployment. They utilise Serverless and AWS to remove the barriers and deliver results faster. Sam previously worked at Mission Labs as Lead Software Engineer before making the move to Complete Coding, which has grown from a log of Sam's journey into software development, to a thriving YouTube channel, online course platform and Serverless AWS Consultancy. Complete Coding creates content to help developers make that step up to full stack developer. During the podcast, we spoke about everything software and careers. We talked about how Sam became a self-taught software developer from Aerospace engineering and what that change looked like. After that, we talked about how who is already in a software developer role can progress their career by planning and optimising the content that they're learning. Sam's

Is Leadership Learned or Innate? We sat down with Amit Patel, who is an Experienced Technology Leader with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Currently working as Director of Technology Design and Engineering at The British Heart Foundation. During the podcast, we spoke about Amit's career history up to this point, how Amit has developed his own leadership style, best leadership practices, pitfalls to be aware of, and advice for anyone who's taking on the new challenge of becoming a leader. Showtimes: 0:55 - An insight into The British Heart Foundation and Amit's role there. 4:06 - Amit's route into Technology and career history and journey to becoming Director of Technology Design and Engineering. 16:00 - Is an aspect of good management knowing when to step back? 21:00 - Being authentic as a manager and leader. 22:57 - The importance of having fun with your team as a leader. 23:55 - How to keep a team motivated and supporting your workforce during t

Founded by entrepreneur Lydia Jones in 2018, Housemates is both a marketplace and SaaS solution which allows students around the world book accommodation fast, secure and 100% online. Housemates enable global PBSA operators to convert students into bookings across all acquisition channels without the associated cost. Lydia's team has helped revolutionise multiple sectors for challenger brands such as Starling Bank and VibePay, along with those who have worked for established companies and governing bodies such as DEPT, Spareroom, the International Department of Trade and overseas student requirement specialists. Founded in December 2018, Housemates has already been listed at No. 14 in The Top 20 Startups to Work for in 2021 in Manchester. Housemates is a truly inspiring business, and we can't wait to follow its journey in the tech industry. During the podcast, we spoke about how Lydia has scaled the business so quickly to where it is today, how Lydia creates job fulfillment whilst challenging and supportin

Chris Grice is an Engineering Manager within the Order and Fulfil team at Sainsbury's Tech. Previous to Sainsbury's, Chris has worked in 3rd sector organisations, web agencies, radio, and now retail. During the podcast episode, we spoke about the logistics involved with planning an infrastructure with so many moving parts, the technology involved with staying ahead of the curve in one of the largest chain of supermarkets in the UK. As the business is ever-scaling, how does the tech team at Sainsbury's keep up with developments and changes in the technology world, to ensure the business is always progressing to meet consumer needs and demands, which is especially challenging during remote working and a pandemic. Chris also volunteers at a local Code Club, and has worked with local schools and LEAs to help bridge the digital skills gap in Greater Manchester, and also runs a local Meetup group around GraphQL in Manchester, with speakers from organisations such as the BBC, Hasura, and Moonpig. Showtimes 0:55

Currently, Jared Sheehan leads a dynamic Mobile Software Engineering organization for the Capital One Credit Card Line of Business. He is accountable for the delivery of 20+ teams supporting the Capital One flagship mobile applications (iOS / Android / Cloud). Additionally, Jared is an organizer / founder of 6 DC area meetups, multiple conferences (DevFestDC and Android Summit) and an extensive history of supporting the startup ecosystem through membership to several advisory boards. Joni Pepin is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, and spent 22 years in a variety of combat arms and combat service support positions before transitioning to the commercial tech space. He served as a communications officer specializing in designing and operating large-scale tactical networks before joining the U.S. Naval Academy as a military professor in the Dept of Computer Science. Joni now leads teams of mobile engineers in the development of Capital One's flagship apps used by over 22 million people. Joni is also an avid

Kevin Jolly is Head of Data and Advanced Analytics at Wunderflats, a Data-driven strategist, leader & author based in Berlin, Germany. As a member of senior leadership, Kevin leads the data & advanced analytics practice & design data-driven / Machine Learning solutions for Germany's leading marketplace platform for furnished homes. "The world creates data at an exponential rate. I harness, shape & derive value from this data through a structured process that combines design thinking & foundational people management skills to enable strategic decision making that drives transformational change." Kevin Jolly During the Podcast we spoke about Machine Learning in Wunderflats as a scale-up from BI, and the strategy involved in this process. Showtimes 1:00 - Where Wunderflats fits into the world of tech. 3:55 - How Wunderflats has scaled up from Business Intelligence using Machine Learning. 7:14 - Where Kevin finds resources for inspiration with Machine Learning. 10:50 - What people over

Sam Moore is Principal Engineer at Betterment. Betterment is a smart money manager offering everyday cash management, savings plans, and goals. Sam and his team at Betterment have recently decided to migrate from their existing native code to Flutter. As Betterment has taken the shift to 'mobile-first' Sam gives some amazing insight on how this has worked at scale, and how they have strategized the integration. This is a big decision for any business, so we hear what made Sam decide to make the change to Flutter, its benefits, and some of the pitfalls to be aware of along the way. We also discuss how to enthuse your fellow engineers about the migration to Flutter. Flutter is a UI toolkit created by Google for building beautiful, natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase. Showtimes 0:45 - Insight into Betterment and the service they provide. 3:00 - What the role of Principal Engineer entails. 5:18 - The migration to Flutter at Betterment and its benefits. 9:50 -

Dan Leonardis is Software Engineering Manager at American Express. Dan is a proven leader across Android and iOS platforms, has worked on android applications since 2009 and iOS since 2013. He has worked in all roles that are required to build successful applications, including building distributed systems, whether it's user experience, design, architecture, development or web services. Currently, Dan leads a team of engineers in developing new products, both personally and professionally. Being an effective leader is an essential part of running a successful business. Finding an effective leadership style that works best for you and your team may bring your business one step closer to success. However, there are many ways to be a great leader, you can choose and develop a leadership style that works for you, your team and your business goals. Leadership styles can vary hugely, so it's imperative that you understand your approach to maintain levels of productivity and fulfillment from your team. In the pod

Adeel Ejaz is Head of Technology at PrettyLittleThing. Adeel is a hands-on technology leader, with over 14 years of experience with product and technical leadership. He has held high-impact senior development and technical leadership roles, empowering global organizations across B2B, healthcare, and retail industries to achieve rapid growth through strategic business planning, process improvements, and technical management. In recent times, consumerism has changed dramatically, from physical brick-and-mortar to online shopping. This shift has put a huge demand and strain on eCommerce and fast-fashion platforms, and they're being pushed to their limits. In the podcast episode, we discuss how Adeel and his team have prepared for such a dramatic scale in business and popularity. Showtimes 0:50 - The service PrettyLittleThing Provides. 2:00 - Adeel's role as Head of Technology and what that entails. 2:20 - Building and Innovating for the future. 4:45 - Adeel's career and how he has worked his way to Head o

Nico Cortés is Talent Acquisition Specialist at Railsbank. Railsbank is a banking and compliance platform. It is a B2B company that connects a network of banks, financial institutions and compliance providers to companies that want to integrate global banking into their app or business. They have set out to make it super simple to access financial services by giving "access to global banking with 5 lines of code". Nico gives us some amazing advice for fellow Recruiters and an insight into the reason why Railsbank is so successful and why creating robust and dedicated teams is so powerful in any business. Making teamwork one of Railsbank's core company values, and a clear emphasis on self-managing teams that are empowered by great leaders to make their own decisions to achieve their personal and company goals. Showtimes 0:45 - What Railsbank provides as a Fintec service. 1:50 - Access to global banking with 5 lines of code! 2:30 - Nico's role and career history in Recruitment. 4:12 - How the business ha

Shahzaib Muneeb is Head of Development at Genflow, and Zamen Akbar is Head of People at Genflow. Genflow partners with influencers to help them build their own business and sell products to their audience. They work closely with clients to determine what products will sell the best for them according to their audience and analytics. They are a team of business managers who manage everything from product design, manufacturing, shipping, fulfilment, marketing, ads and the overall launch and strategy of the business. They have helped clients sell thousands of products worldwide, achieve millions (£) in sales, and ultimately build a long-lasting profitable business. Showtimes 0:45 - What Genflow does as a business and the specific service they provide to influencers. 1:25 - The history behind the concept. 3:00 - The development of the business and the different verticals that have been introduced over time. 5:20 - Preparing for the shifts in technology and in business. 7:40 - Where do you find new hires,

Amy Boyd is an advisor to start-ups and the Engineering Manager at Formidable: a tech consultancy business that helps your team work smarter, by optimising your design and engineering practices and defining your software needs. Amy is a self-taught coder who has worked in the start-up industry for many years and helped a wide range of team sizes and sectors, meaning she is adaptable and her knowledge is particularly expansive. She has recently taken a break from start-ups to join Formidable full time. On the podcast, we speak about Amy's career, what she's learned along the way and some of the pitfalls to be aware of when navigating through your own career journey in tech. Being a self-taught coder and working across many disciplines of the industry, Amy has a breadth of knowledge in relation to managing a team, avoiding burnout, and how to approach members of your team who may be experiencing burnout. We also spoke about the pros and cons of the tech start-up world and some of the warning signs to look out

Markus Windisch is CTO and Founder of Peerox GmbH. Peerox GmbH develops assistance systems for machine operators and technicians that combine machine learning with human experience. Their mission is to use software solutions to make employee knowledge available company-wide at any time and according to the situation, and to achieve a new level of production efficiency through the exchange of information between colleagues and machines. Markus and the team at Peerox have a modern approach to business and culture: "We have to avoid big major mistakes but if we make no mistakes, we are too slow. This is how we develop our software and also how we communicate with our customers. Big customers are used to companies promising them everything is possible. We emphasize our strengths, but we are very open concerning our weaknesses and limits, this is a brave approach, but it has worked so far - we don't promise more than we can fulfill!" Showtimes 0:45 - What is Peerox and what's the motivation behind the company

The Future of Data-Driven Healthcare at Tempus, with Luke Shepard & Alissa Ampezzan. Luke leads the Insights Engineering team and Alissa is Senior Director, Head of Product Design and Customer Experience. Tempus is a technology company advancing precision medicine through the practical application of artificial intelligence in healthcare. With one of the world’s largest libraries of clinical and molecular data, and an operating system to make that data accessible and useful, Tempus enables physicians to make real-time, data-driven decisions to deliver personalized patient care and in parallel facilitates discovery, development and delivery of optimal therapeutics. The goal is for each patient to benefit from the treatment of others who came before by providing physicians with tools that learn as the company gathers more data. Showtimes 0:50 - What exactly is Tempus and where it fits into the health-tech space 2:22 - Luke and Alissa's role at Tempus and career history 10:02 - Staying focused on the e

Clifton Jadoo manages technical and product recruitment at Foursquare. After graduating from Brooklyn College summa cum laude with a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Sociology and from NYU School of Engineering with a M.S. in Management with a double concentration in Project Management and Technology Management, Clifton found his way into recruitment and later refining his career into Tech Recruitment. Foursquare is a technology platform that powers leading business solutions and consumer products through a deep understanding of location. Clifton gives us some amazing inside knowledge about the industry along with actionable advice, and the main things to think about whether you're starting out as a recruiter, or looking to take the next step and level-up in your career. Show Times 0:45 - Clifton's role at Foursquare 2:20 - What Foursquare is as a business as an intelligence leader 3:20 - Clifton's career history and falling into recruitment as a young graduate 6:00 - The vastly different areas of rec

Andy Norton worked in software development at organisations both big and small, with a keen focus on people, delivery and pragmatic solutions based around agile, lean and DevOps practices. After graduating from The University of Salford with a degree in Computer Science and computing, he has worked in the field as a Software Developer, Senior Developer, Software Architect, and now finds himself as a Software Development Manager at FOOTASYLUM, which is a streetwear fashion retailer with 65 stores across the UK and an online store. Andy also mentors engineers, helping them to level up in their own career. He has spoken at various events and meet-ups across the U.K. on a wide range of technologies including Azure, Augmented Reality, DevOps and Serverless architecture. And is also a co-organiser of Lancashire Tech Talks meet-up. We spoke about finding simple solutions to complex problems, “what problem are we trying to solve?” or “what’s the outcome we’re looking for?” in the often complex world of DevOps and