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

Claudia is Co-Founder of Eat Safe App. Eat Safe makes eating out straightforward for those with allergies and intolerances by finding restaurants that match dietary requirements. Using her extensive experience in software development, Claudia was responsible for bringing this idea to fruition. She has mastered a broad range of languages and was previously head of Android App development at Gumtree. As a gifted communicator, Claudia knows the importance of soft-skills in tech. She believes communicating technical challenges to non-technical people has been a key ingredient in her success. Show Notes: 0.31 Focusing on building products that solve ‘real world’ problems. 6.07 Combining commercial awareness with technical ability. 9.03 Understanding where you fit into your company’s vision. 10.17 Recognising where you have room for personal development. 14.36 Claudia’s tech inspirations. 18.18 The challenges in the early phases of a startup. 21.30 The steep learning curve in running your own busine

Ezgi Ture is a former BI & Analytics Manager at ODEON Cinemas. Ezgi is a specialist in Banking, Business Analysis, Customer Insight, Segmentation and Data-driven Analytics. Ezgi’s role bridged the perennial gap between IT and business. Keeping a foot in both worlds gives her a unique insight into the challenges faced by data leaders in large organisations. On the podcast she also offers some helpful advice for those looking to get ahead in the data sector. Show Notes: 0.32 London vs Europe, whose more excited about data. 3.41 Moving to London to get the best data career. 5.54 Ezgi’s career progression in data. 7.58 Optimising your current tech. 16.15 Misconceptions about the uses and business outcomes of data. 24.11 Advice for those seeking a career in data.

Dat is the Head of Data Science at Idealo Internet. Dat can build data teams as well as data systems. He believes creating a well-balanced team of individuals is crucial to the success of any data science project. Dat has a passion for finding candidates willing to learn with a ‘can do’ attitude. On today’s show, Dat shares his recipe for creating the perfect data team. Show Notes: 0.30 The cultural difference between Germany and the UK. 3.32 Raising capital for your startup 5.25 Where did Dat’s interest in technology develop? 6.36 What skills suite a data science career? 8.47 Hiring data professionals 11.08 Tackling misconceptions around data science 12.11 Attracting the right talent to data science 15.24 Hiring a well-balanced data science team 16.45 Dealing with the frustrations around hiring 17.37 Core attributes that make a great data scientist 20.13 Collaborating with other teams as a data scientist 22.17 Moving into management

Michael Copeland is the Chief Technology Officer at Kout. If you dread the thought of shopping, this podcast is for you. As the CTO of Kout, Michael’s goal is to gamify e-commerce by creating a platform that lets users win big discounts on millions of products. This revitalises shopping by introducing an element of chance and excitement. Kout is still in its infancy. It found funding in 2015 from Collider.io, the UK’s #1 tech accelerator. In that short time, the platform now boasts Amazon, Nike, Unilever, & Samsung as its partners. Michael has been at the wheel during this period of evolution and growth. He is well versed in dealing with the challenges thrown out by a constantly changing eCommerce space. He came on the show to chat about innovation, VR, and the dread of clothes shopping. Show Notes: 0.31 Thinking up startup ideas. 4.03 Understanding what users want. 5.46 What Kout does. 9.30 How Kout distributes its product. 12.54 Industry leaders in gamification. 15.08 Does e-commerce

Max founded Finimize.com in 2016 and quickly became one of Forbes ‘30 under 30’. His goal is to help millennials see through financial jargon and empower them to participate in financial markets. A serial startup entrepreneur, Max knows exactly what’s needed to get ahead in the rapidly expanding fintech market. Show Notes: 0.30 Background and career progression. 2.52 Getting involved in startups. 5.20 How to engage your key demographic online. 8.39 Investing heavily in data. 12.14 Best practices on building out a tech team. 14.42 Why you should encourage being vocal about failure. 15.49 What are your secrets of success?

Gary Reid is the Managing partner and founder at Tutch media. Gary specialises in growing marketing agencies. He has spent his entire career working with companies building brands and marketing strategies. Having spent countless hours assessing the internal workings of marketing agencies, Gary is well placed to know what works and what doesn’t. Show Notes: 0.29 Working with small agencies. 3.01 Motivating people to work for small agencies. 5.47 Does agency work pose a recruitment challenge? 7.49 Determining what ‘good’ looks like in today’s job market. 11.47 Looking to other agencies of inspiration. 14.50 IT specialist salaries. 19.39 Difficulties in allocating time for staff training. 20.51 How have your professional pain points changed over your career? 22.52 Do you see a future with less agencies?

“I see UX like a function of product design because it’s less about the look, feel and structure of a product and more about behaviours and getting into the psychology of the user” Alex is the Head of UX/ UI and Product Consultant at WM Reply. Alex believes UX is a function of product design and he has spent most of his professional life combining the two disciplines. With a background working for companies like; Satago, Comet & Millermedia7 he is an expert in bringing together UI, UX and Product Design. And in doing so, making something far greater than the sum of its parts. An expert at bringing together teams, Alex can communicate a company’s goal to various departments in a way that drives greater cohesion. He has a sharp eye for web design which he uses to dissect the inner workings of Facebook’s business model on this show. Show Notes: 0.32 Peer-driven behaviours. 6.06 De-centralising the internet. 12.56 Commoditising creatives. 19.01 The UX & UI talent pool. 23.14 Diversify

Ryan Cone is VP of Data Operations at DotDash. A natural leader, Ryan has spent more than 9 years leading a data engineering team at DotDash. His teams have been responsible for designing, developing, and enhancing the company's platform through strategic data acquisition and multi-layered data architecture. Data is a continually expanding discipline. Growth in the sector has resulted in the creation of many new roles. Trying to keep track of them can get confusing. Ryan cuts through the jargon and outlines in plain English exactly what data professionals are doing to benefit your company. Show Notes: 0.29 Ryan’s career in data. 3.01 Taking soft skills seriously. 4.09 Is there a linear path into data? 5.05  Team diversity. 7.41 Adapting your skills to work in tech. 8.57 Adopting best practices in data management. 10.19 The difference between data operation and data engineering. 12.43 The creative side of data. 14.35 The monetary value of data. 16.17 Overseeing large-scale cloud migrations. 17.5

Richard Benjamins is the data and artificial intelligence ambassador at Telefonica. Richard was named as one of the 100 most influential people in data-driven business (DataIQ 100). He is a frequent speaker at big data & analytics events and strategic advisor to BigML. He has held a number of big data management positions across Telefonica, working tirelessly to provide people with the ability to communicate using secure, state of the art technology. Richard is a scholar as well as a leader. He has published more than 100 scientific papers on artificial intelligence, knowledge-based systems, and the semantic web. A gifted communicator, he makes complex concepts easy to digest. He uses these skills in this episode to dissect the difficult ongoing challenges in the data sector.     [invitations_for_slack] Show Notes: 0.29 Background and career progression.   2.27 The evolution of data. 9.24 Are we ‘running before we can walk’ in regards to data? 12.54 Difficulties in determining the ROI of a data team

Christian Moroy is the Co-Founder & CTO at Edge Health. Christian’s aim is to make hospitals more effective and efficient with Artificial Intelligence. Whether that’s by using algorithms to increase available bed spaces or by using AI to make sure theatres are being utilised to the full. Christian splits his working day between coding and client meetings. Conveying the benefits of AI to non-technical people is a crucial part of what he does. He uses the same skills on today’s podcast as he explores exactly how AI is revolutionising the healthcare sector. Show Notes: 0.35 Selling the practical applications of AI to clients. 4.39 What does ‘good’ look like in terms of AI? 5.40 Validating AI to clients. 8.11 Why drew you towards the healthcare sector? 9.54 Things you want to do vs. Things you have to do. 11.13 AI-driven practicality 14.01 Emerging opportunities in the health tech space. 16.00 How to deal with unexpected problems. 17.19 What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?

Greg Hawkins is the Chief Technology Officer at Starling Bank. Starling is a mobile-only current account that gives people full control over their money and data. Greg is bringing his customer’s finances into the present with an app that harnesses the full power of modern tech. Moving beyond the traditional confines of an app and cash card, Starling makes financial management effortless and empowering. In essence, it’s a bank that doesn’t look much like a bank at all. Greg joined Starling as the Head of Engineering before progressing to CTO. Working during a period of rapid expansion, Greg has relied heavily on agile methodologies. He combines his agile mindset with his proven track record of introducing change and improving development practices. This has made him a one-stop shop for advice on managing teams in an agile way, Fintech app development and the disruption Blockchain is sowing in society.         Show Notes: 1.05 Learning to code. 2.45 Technology as a solution to real-life problems. 4.18 Mak

Chris Osborn is the Chief Technical Officer at Voxy Over 4 million people in 150 countries have expanded their horizons by learning English through Voxy. Launched in 2010 it was one of the most disruptive technology startups that year. Chris, Voxy’s CTO, has been instrumental in ensuring the company’s continued growth. Chris is a serial startup entrepreneur and has been the in the first dozen employees of 3 successful startups. Building up business, acquiring assets, and selling companies are what makes Chris tick. His experience in the startup world given him a unique perspective on managing startup acquisitions, keeping a handle on company growth, and dealing with disruption. His conversation with Andy centres around these topics. In addition, Chris shared his views on transparency and culture in management. Show Notes: 1.05 Acquiring a startup and issues when a company changes hands. 4.35 People are your companies main commodity and building a culture and organizational structure. 6.52 Managemen

Jamie Khoo is an associate director of marketing sciences at Mindshare. If the Police get into trouble, they call the SWAT team. If the analytics or programmatic trading team hits a roadblock... they call Jamie Khoo; the bridge between media, tech, and general analytics. Seven years at Mindshare have made Jamie an expert in using data to streamline processes in media & advertising. He is also responsible for training new staff on the world of media & media analytics tools. Jamie has a real knack for explaining the applications of analytics in advertising and is a big proponent of ‘data-driven’ thinking. In the episode, Jamie shares his thoughts on the growing influence of automation as well as the importance of encouraging creativity when working with data. Show Notes: 1.28 How did you get involved in data science? 3.52 Why do you think the data science space has become so confused? And how do you navigate the cross-functionality now demanded of tech professionals? 8.11 The difficulty of

Emmanuelle Johaadien is the Director of commercialisation at Visa. She’s the woman who turns ideas into money. With a focus on FinTech authentication, payments, and telecom - she has honed her skills working for companies such as the Department for Transport, British Telecom PLC and the Greater London Authority. Emmanuelle’s taken managerial positions in a variety of industries. And she has a keen eye for a spotting the juicy job opportunities that others might miss. She’s also an expert in self correction; cutting your losses and moving on when a career change doesn’t go your way. Underpinning all this is her forward thinking leadership style which places transparency & communication at the heart of her management mentality. We discuss all this and more on the podcast and Emmanuelle lays out her strategy for removing the bias inherent in your own management style. Show Notes 1.07 Emmanuelle’s career progression and professional interests. 2.17 Do you enjoy moving from project t

Harley Richardson is the design and development director at Discovery Education UK Harley Richardson has spent the last decade at the cross section of education and technology. Working his way up the ranks at Discovery Education, he now provides high quality digital content to primary and secondary schools throughout the UK. His ten-year stint at Discovery has given Harley a unique insight into how technology has transformed education. He is an expert in managing remote workers and navigating the (sometimes tricky) office politics that surround the implementation of new tech. The episode centres around the ways companies engage with and consume content. Harley discusses how companies that see content as currency can survive in a ‘free content’ world. Show Notes: 1.30 Advice for people starting a career in tech. 11.00 discussing various approaches to career development. 15.30 Approaches to hiring. 18.00 How are remote workers and flexible working changing the face of the industry. 26.00 What techno

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Isaac Jospehson, the SVP of Data Platform at Viacom. On the show they discuss how to create consistency across your team. Andy asks Isaac how he deals with disruption. They also chat about balancing your soft skills and technical skills. Isaac tells Andy how he quantifies the ROI of a data team. Isaac Josephson is an executive with two decades of digital media experience building products and businesses for best-in-class brands. Prior to Viacom, he was on the product leadership team at Audible - Amazon's audiobook division. There, he oversaw the company's primary web, mobile web, and mobile app experiences. Show Notes: 1.07 Having a sense of purpose in business and a vision. 3.13 People care about outcomes and thinking about the bottomline. 5.03 Creating consistency across your team to ensure your aligned with your business's goals. 6.27 When you look back at your career do you chuckle at some of the behaviours you undertook at work? 7.50 How do you navigate disrupti

‘I went to a local authority in the midlands to chat to them about making an investment in Data. I was put on the spot by the chief constable, he let me talk about the benefits of Data in a business sense. When I’d finished he asked isn’t there something far more profound here? In the sense that there’s a moral imperative to use Data to identify and help individuals in crisis’ Richard Walker is the associate director of public sector advisory at KPMG UK. Richard works with public sector clients to unlock the value in their data. He believes that the better use of data is critical to the future of public services. As an associate director Richard has experiences leading teams in the public sector where every choice is underpinned by cost. This has given him a knack of making business savvy decisions and leading a team with limited resources. He used his 30 minutes on the podcast to stress the importance of Data in the public sector and highlights how it has, in real terms, saved people's lives.

Johnnie Ball is currently the Chief Data Scientist at Fluidly. In a previous life though he was a busy trader working for one of London’s top brokerages. This diverse background has given Johnnie many unique skills that he has carried forward into his career in data science. With such a varied CV Johnnie is an expert at navigating career change. He is also well versed in transferring his skills from one career to another. All the while using the knowledge he’s gained over the years to grow as an individual and lead a Data Science team. He used his 30 minutes on the podcast to chart his career progression and highlight some of the lessons he learned when moving from job to job. “It’s not like the Wolf of Wall Street, but it is a high pressure, highly competitive environment. But I did enjoy it” - Johnnie on the trading floor Show Notes: 1.05 Johnnie’s experience on a trading desk. 2.38 The unique skills picked up trading. 3.03 Working a career that requires you to be competitive. 4.18 Having an a

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Isaac Jospehson, the SVP of Data Platform at Viacom. On the show they discuss how to create consistency across your team. Andy asks Isaac how he deals with disruption. They also chat about balancing your soft skills and technical skills. Isaac tells Andy how he quantifies the ROI of a data team. Isaac Josephson is an executive with two decades of digital media experience building products and businesses for best-in-class brands. Prior to Viacom, he was on the product leadership team at Audible - Amazon's audiobook division. There, he oversaw the company's primary web, mobile web, and mobile app experiences. Show Notes: 1.07 Having a sense of purpose in business and a vision. 3.13 People care about outcomes and thinking about the bottomline. 5.03 Creating consistency across your team to ensure your aligned with your business's goals. 6.27 When you look back at your career do you chuckle at some of the behaviours you undertook at work? 7.50 How do you navigat

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Bruce Pannaman, a Data Scientist at Busuu. On the show they discuss the links between Business Intelligence and Data Science. They also chat about the direction Data Science is heading and where it’s taking society. Show Notes: 1.06 When do you need to start building a data science team. 3.41 Moving from business intelligence into Data Science. 6.02 Proving out your concept to make business sense. 7.59 Did you have to collaborate with a lot of other teams when building your data team. 9.30 Finding talent for the Data Science role. 12.22 Founding a Data Science community outside of work. 13.54 Bruce’s background and career progression. 15.11 The creative aspect of Data. 18.33 Looking to the future where do you see Data heading? 20.01 Silicon roundabout. 23.25 Discussing office culture and remote working. 24.15 How is Data going to evolve?