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

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Rafael Rocha, the Chief Transformation Architect at Edanlit Techlab & Consultancy. On the show they discuss the composition of an A.I team. Andy asks Rafael about how company culture intertwines with artificial intelligence. They also discuss the direction A.I is heading and they chat about how to get staff on side when trying to instigate an A.I cultural change. Rafael has 30 years experience in leading transformation roles on projects up to £83M. He currently working at Edenlit Techlab and Consultancy working on Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and Blockchain, with leading business professionals and technologists. He has extensive experience and specialisms in Customer Experience/CRM, BPR, Target Operating Models, Intranet, e-Commerce and ERP. Show Notes: 1.09 How does an A.I team look? 4.46 A.I professionals fulfilling a hybrid role. 7.54 Instigating a cultural shift in a business when on-boarding a data/ A.I team. 12.11 The positives of having a com

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Marcel Kornblum, head of creative technology at BBH London. They discuss the importance of taking a macro perspective in business, navigating company culture and working freelance and for agencies. For the last 4 years Marcel has been the senior technical resource at two of London's most renowned creative agencies. He has freelanced as a hands on developer and twice been a startup founder. Prior to this he has helped grow a company from 4 to 50 employees and won over 40 advertising awards, working in London and New York as a tech lead. Marcel has worked client side, agency- and production- side, for dev shops and startups. Show Notes: 1.08 What do you think are the biggest changes that have happened in the technology world since you started your career. 4.33 The mentality of thinking from a macro and business standpoint when working in tech. 6.39 Do you think that the outcomes and goals of tech departments haven’t changed. 7.38 Do the projects you’re working on have t

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Ian Mortimer, a lead DevOps Engineer at Slalom Consultancy . On the show Ian tells Andy about working in a Kubernetes environment. They also discuss DevOps as an approach to work. Andy also asks Ian about innovation and how he continually tries to innovate at work. Ian is a lead DevOps Engineer with a focus on platform automation and high availability implementation. He is skilled in Go, Web Applications, AWS, Rancher, Kubernetes, and Agile Methodologies. Ian is a strong engineering professional with a Bachelor focused in Communications from Boston University. Show Notes: 1.09 Working in a Kubernetes environment. 7.11 How do you decide what technologies to invest in? 11.14 DevOps as an approach and attitude to work. 13.30 How do you perceive innovation. 16.56 The simple things people overlook when trying to innovate. 21.06 Ian background and career progression. 23.54 How will DeOps evolve over the coming year? 27.17 The sharing economy brought about with the adven

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Ben Sanders, the COO at Pockit. He chats to Andy about his role and responsibilities as a COO, why it’s important, when on-boarding, to hire people who share your company’s vision and the new skills you need to learn as a manager. They also touch on the exciting advancements happening in the technology sphere and Ben's personal motivations for working in technology. Ben is passionate about private-sector solutions for urban issues. He’s a senior executive at Pockit a fast-growing FinTech 50 tech startup aiming to become the world's most inclusive bank. Show Notes: 1.29 How does your approach to workplaces change due to their size. 4.13 Managing a team is a whole new skill set. 7.05 What’s your take on the role of COO and is it true that it’s a very diverse role. 10.28 Was the excitement around the space you're company is working in a big motivator for you. 12.42 When you’re bringing new people onto your team is it important that they have a belief in your company's

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Charlotte Morris, the CMO for SkinNinja. SkinNinja a break through UK app, which identifies what's in our skincare products, from contact allergens to carcinogens. Using its proprietary technology to identify risks from over 800k products and using its tech to then provide healthier, safer alternatives. On the show Charlotte explains how marketing is a revenue generator for business and how marketing professionals need to be multi-disciplined to truly succeed in their careers. They also discuss how Charlotte got into mentoring and why she feels compelled to help others who are starting their careers. Show Notes: 1.12 Marketing and tech as revenue generators. 7.04 Having to be multi-disciplined in tech now. 13.45 Having to continually learn and adapt in tech and marketing. 16.42 What are you working on at the moment that you feel really passionate about. 19.41 Thinking through all your options when starting a career and finding a mentor. 22.47 Charlot

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Killian Faughnan, the CISO at Interoute. They discuss the makeup of a typical security team. Killian tells Andy about how he stays ahead of security threats. Andy asks Killian about his responsibilities and why he chose to do an MBA. Killian is an information and cyber security professional with a background in technical security (engineering, architecture, pentesting), security governance (risk management, compliance), and business administration. Show Notes 1.08 Killian’s background in security and why are we paying so much attention to security now? 2.30 Did you always think you’d end up in the security sector? 3.58 Does the wealth of backgrounds present in the security sector make it an interesting place to work at the moment? 6.12 What does your typical security team look like? 7.58 What are your responsibilities? 10.38 Killians thought process behind doing an MBA. 12.12 How tech makes you constantly pursue learning. 14.31 What is it about the security consult

In this Episode, Andy Davis talks to Jon Peterson, Development Manager at Argus Media. They chat about why team leaders need to reinforce to their staff the importance of building software that solves problems. They also touch on internal communication issues in business and how to best explain your technical goals to non-technical people. Jon is an experienced technologist and leader, focussing on product development, development team building, and adjusting corporate culture to fit with new digital trends. His vast career experience covers UX, Knowledge discovery, workflow integration & access control and identity management. Show Notes: 1.17 What were the first technologies you learned and how difficult is it to learn new technologies once you’ve learned the basics. 4.50 What strategies did you employ when trying to learn some new tech. 6.44 Confusing company culture and personal development. 10.26 Do you find other departments can influence culture and that can be counter productive for the tech

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Jonathan Leedham, B.I manager at Reed.co.uk. On today's podcast he chats to Andy about the differences and widening gap between Business Intelligence and Big Data and how this diverging fields are sculpting the skillsets required for entry level employees. They also discuss whether the business outcomes of a company are ever affected by technological advances and look at the pro’s and con’s of taking a purely data driven approach to your business problems. Jonathon’s varied career has taken him from working with I.T outsourcing companies right through to public sector work with the NHS. Underpinning all his efforts has been the desire to fit the most appropriate technological solution to a business’s problems and, where necessary, throwing in the B.I Life ring to rescue employee’s drowning in Data. Show Notes: 1.12 Differentiating B.I and Big Data. 3.32 How did you decide what was the best fit for you out of B.I and Big data. 4.33 Is A.I and automation affecting the sk

In this episode, Andy Davis talks to Phil Wood, a people partner at Swoon Editions. They discuss personal development, internships and retraining staff. They also chat about the importance of having a social element to your business and the best practices for on-boarding. Before working for Swoon Editions Phil worked for MVF, one of the fastest growing marketing technology companies in the UK. He has also spent time as the Head of Talent for Transport for London and a Resourcing and Organisational change manager for the Olympic delivery authority. He graduated from Essex university with a Bsc (Hons), in Sports and exercise science. Show Notes: 1.06 What areas of HR do you feel can be disrupted and what areas are changing. 3.37 What were your experiences like when you were being trained for your career and how’s that different from the realities of your role. 5.50 Personal development, internships and being a responsible employer when coming to on-boarding. 9.00 The difficulty when retaining staff in

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Adam Fineman, Head of I.T Operations at Euro Office. They discuss finding candidates that are the right cultural fit for your company, differing methods to keep your team motivated and innovating and coaching and training your staff. Show Notes: 1.06 How and when did you make the transition into managing people. 2.30 When did you become aware how important communication skills are in business. 3.16 Do you think introverted people are harder to manage? 4.19 For your teams do you have any strategies that keep them motivated and innovative. 5.32 What are the important thing for you in terms of the culture within your team. 6.52 Teamwork and why you need to get on with your peers. 7.38 Avoiding burying people’s personalities at work. 8.46 Ensuring a candidate’s personality is a fit for the company when onboarding. 9.49 Teaching technology skills and finding the right cultural fit for a candidate. 10.31 Technology as a candidate’s market and having higher retention

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Adam Gill, the CRM at Totaljobs group and the founder of Sirius.Red. They discuss Adams blogging career and how blogs can help with one’s creative processes and problem solving. They also discuss transitioning into management and the importance of team dynamics. Show Notes: 1.09 Had you always planned to write a blog? 2.32 Does writing a blog help with your creative process and solving problems? 4.21 Blogging as a tool for articulating difficult concepts. 5.51 Getting management ideas from your blog creation. 7.30 Do you take inspiration from your team when writing your blog? 8.49 What was your initial transition to management like? 13.58 What’s your current management situation now? 16.46 The importance of team dynamics when managing a business and a team. 19.18 Continual learning and the rapid pace of change in technology. 21.42 Have you always subscribed to an agile methodology? 23.53 Do you consider yourself a technologist and what technologies are you m

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Cyrus Bulsara, Head of Data services at the Children’s Society. They discuss applying creativity to Data, making a move to a management position and how technology is changing the workplace. Cyrus is a highly motivated and dynamic database and analysis manager. He has 9 years experience in delivering team leadership and data services, including; segmentation, analysis, imports, policies/procedures, gift processing, data cleaning and user support. He also has over 10 years fundraising experience in the not-for-profit sector. Cyrus’ fundraising skills and experience include; direct mail appeals, membership programmes, copy-writing, segmentation and analysis. He has been described as a 'calm, problem-solver' and have a proven track record of project management including target-beating direct marketing campaigns and implementation of new systems and technology. Show Notes: 1.06 Is Data a creative artform. 1.57 Do you encourage your team to be creative when looking at Data.

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Barry Green, the Chief Data Officer at the Bank of Ireland. He chats to Andy about how best to manage a data team. They also discuss how to instigate a cultural shift in your company to make it more data focused. Barry Green is a Chief Data Officer with a consistent record of delivering business and change programmes. He has achieved this through strong financial, process, consulting and relationship management skills. He also possesses excellent programme management experience in a variety of operating environments. Barry is adept at networking and communicating across an organisation to effect change. Show Notes: 1.06 The role and evolution of the CDO? 2.26 Managing the broad set of individuals who work in Data. 6.25 From your experiences do you find you have to manage the expectations that people have around data. 10.04 Using data as a means to instigate cultural change in a company. 14.07 Being persistent when trying to convert your staff to a data way of think

In this episode Andy Davis talks to John Louis Petitbon, Sr Director, Platform Engineering at Lifion by ADP. Johnlouis discusses the role of SRE’s with Andy. They chats about the similarities SRE’s share with the DevOps methodology. Andy also asks Johnlouis about his move into management and later leadership. Johnlouis is a Senior technology professional specializing in TechOps, SRE and DevOps. He is experienced in building teams and managing rapid growth in small to medium enterprises. Show Notes: 1.09 What are the responsibilities of SRE? 4.17 Is there a linear path into a SRE team? 14.22 Do you see SRE as a methodology similar to agile? 19.45 Johnlouis Background and career development. 23.13 Johnlouis’ first steps into management and then leadership. 28.48 The importance of continued learning. 31.23 Do you think SRE’s are going to evolve in the ways that they operate?

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Rashi Khurana, the Director, Engineering for eCommerce Images and Contributor experience at Shutterstock. On the show they discuss how to get more women in tech. Andy also asks Rashi about her own career development and mentoring. They also chat about having the right approach to business and the best practices when leading a team. Rashi is currently leading the technical teams for the eCommerce platform and the Contributor experience at Shutterstock, New York City. Previously, she has worked with Orbitz Worldwide where she use to own and manage the Landing Page framework and Infrastructure. The framework involved creation and launch of dynamic and flexible landing pages with customization and personalization built in it. This also involves the business facing tool that contributors can use to generate content and publish landing pages. Show Notes: 1.10 Rashi’s career background and development. 3.13 Are the traditional methods of educating technologist obsolete? 5.

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Brian Lord OBE, the Managing Director, Cyber, at PGI Protection Group International. On the show Brian talks to Andy about how much cyber security has changed over the past 20 years. They also discuss how to educate businesses about the dangers of cyber crime. Andy asks Brian about how much progress we’ve made as a society in regards to our cyber security. Brian served in the Royal Corps of Signals from 1984 to 1992 before joining the civil service. He then worked for GCHQ for 21 years before leaving as deputy director for intelligence and cyber operations. In 2013 he joined the PGI Protection Group International. He has been described by the telegraph as a leading thinker in the sector of cyber warfare. Show Notes 1.10 How much different are the fundamentals of cybersecurity. 5.27 Have the principles of online safety changed? 9.03 Educating people about cyber security. 12.31 How much progress has society made when it comes to online security? 17.51 Are people acting

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Usman Hamid, Head of infrastructure services at the BBC. On the show they discuss how companies can use innovative ways to retain staff. Andy asks Usman about how he got into a career in infrastructure. Usman also chats about his management style and recruitment process. Usman is a highly experienced, ITIL certified, multilingual Senior IT Leader, with expertise in delivering effective business critical IT solutions across both the private and public sectors. He also has a proven track record of leading business improvements on a global basis. He has been working in the ICT industry for over 14 years, and has played an integral role in identifying solutions and driving forward change on both a national and international basis. This has resulted in improved business efficiency and significant cost savings. Show Notes: 1.07 What’s the typical path into infrastructure and how did you get in to infrastructure? 4.18 Technology and music. 6.10 Discussing non traditional an

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Josh Willcock, DevOps manager at the charity learning consortium. On the show they discuss the advantages of working with a startup mentality. Josh also chats about how his role helps him build good work practices. Andy asks him whether his work is inspiring others to take up DevOps as a career. Josh is a DevOps manager for third sector and corporate organisations. He develops the infrastructure to support hundreds of members for the open-source Moodle LMS. He has been part of large scale projects inside of Moodle, outside of Moodle and the environment it resides upon. Show Notes: 1.07 What Josh is working on. 4.06 Do you feel your process builds good habits. 5.06 Have other people been inspired by the work you are doing? 8.24 Working with a startup mentality and talking about scale. 11.57 Working in a startup environment gives you more skills when moving to a bigger company. 13.19 Josh’s background and career development. 18.10 Did your company's approach to busin

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Jason Foo, the CEO at BBD Perfect Storm. On the show they discuss the role branding plays in marketing technology. Andy asks Jason about the best practices for fostering a positive work culture. They also chat about the lessons Jason has learned in his management position. BBD Perfect Storm mission statement BBD Perfect Storm is a new kind of agency for the new age of marketing. We help organisations become the Go2Brand in their category. We do this by helping brands to deliver on their purpose. We help brands challenge and shape culture by creating useful and entertaining communications, things and experiences. We combine brand storytelling with the possibilities of technology and insights from data to help brands make sense of and navigate through the always on, always connected world of consumers. Show Notes 1.12 The role of branding in technology. 3.49 The collaboration between marketing and technology. 5.28 How do you collaborate with your clients? 6.24 Jason

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Simon Lascelles, he was recently made the Director of IT operations at LGSS. They discuss combining skills in sports and business, implementing changes in your business process and keeping an eye on office culture. Simon is an enthusiastic, innovative and dynamic commercially minded International CIO with a proven track record of delivering business change and transformation across a range of SME, FORTUNE 500 and FTSE 250 organisations. He is comfortable owning technology life cycle from commercial assessment to strategy definition, and leadership of efficient operations. Show notes: 1.10 Background and initial interests when starting your career. 3.46 Sheffield Hallam, rugby and enjoying university. 6.06 Sports skills, coaching and applying them to business. 7.40 Discussing the lack of training when moving into a leadership/ management position. 9.30 What was the harder for you to adapt to, the technical aspects of your role or the management aspects? 11.25 Are we