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

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Andrea Cavalieri, the CTO at Newsflare. In the show Andrea discusses combining his tech background with content creation and his role in the media. They also chat about his leadership style as a CTO and they look at some of the lessons Andrea learned when running his startup. Andrea specialise in content creation, capturing viral content and news events that are either; too breaking, too remote or too local for traditional news networks to cover. Show Notes: 1.22 Andrea’s background in technology and media. 2.21 Making and distributing content. 4.18 From a technical perspective what are the desirable skills you’d need to be productive in that industry. 6.41 How do you ensure you’re always using the most appropriate technology and how do you recruit for them. 9.19 Finding people who have a fundamental skillset that can be applied to broader technical challenges. 11.04 Has content creation always been something that’s interested you and how much is it a motivat

In this episode, Andy Davis talks to Adrian Barrett CEO and founder at Exonar. They discuss the challenging world of startup’s, the importance of technological innovation in moving tech industries forward. They also chat about the vital role of customer feedback. They also touch on choosing the right approaches in business and picking the best technologies. Adrian is a specialist in creating and growing innovative businesses his previous roles have been the international VP of Lumeta and VP of eloyalty. Show Notes 1.45 The challenges of Entrepreneurship and startups. 4.45 The importance of a team dynamic and work culture when forming a start-up team and business. 6.45 The recruiting strategy at Exonar. 8.15 Discussing Investment in new employee’s. 12.00 Talking about innovation and technology within tech industries. 15.00 Areas where we can see opportunities for innovation outside of technology. 17.10 The importance of customer feedback. 20.10 The issues around overthinking problems. 21.30 Pick

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Gerrit Niemeijer, CTO at Visible World Inc, about the changing face of office life, approaches to managing a tech team and the importance of maintain focus in your enterprise. Gerrit is a well-rounded technical executive who is specialised in innovative product development for the Media Industry. He has an in-depth understanding of Digital Video technology, Television Advertising technology, Cloud-based technology, and Big Data frameworks. He has built several development organisations and products from scratch. Deployed products with Cable Operators (MVPDs/MSOs), Broadcast television operators, Telco's, and Satellite Operators. Managed co-located teams as well as (internationally) distributed teams. Show Notes: 1.09 With modern advances in technology why do we need physical hubs to work from? 2.46 Is the 9 to 5 environment outdated? 7.12 What are your approaches as a manager? 9.43 The importance of keeping your goals in focus in a team. 12.46 Managing technical peop

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Nikunj Patel, an applications delivery manager. This podcast focuses on the changing role of technology over Nikunj’s career. It also tackles the effect A.I and machine learning could have on our lives and how to apply technology to your business goals. It also touches on Nikunj’s career and what motivates him to keep working in technology. Nikunj is a software delivery manager with a passion for development, testing and quality assurance. He has 20 years’ experience delivering quality software through various techniques and methodologies. His professional aim has always been to produce high quality software efficiently with a high level of assurance, using various test techniques, making use of automation to its fullest. Show Notes: 1.16 What technologies do we need to start looking ahead at and considering investing in? 4.45 Getting better at delivering for customer demands. 7.16 Usually the most technically advanced demographics in our society are the most obliviou

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Bridget Kromhout & Tim Gross. On the show they discuss DevOps and its links with your company's culture, the best practices for building a well rounded DevOps team and some of the misconceptions surrounding the DevOps title. Bridget Kromhout is a Principal Cloud Developer Advocate at Microsoft. Her CS degree emphasis was in theory, but she now deals with the concrete (if 'cloud' can be considered tangible). After 15 years as an operations engineer, she traded being on call for being on a plane. A frequent speaker and program committee member for tech conferences, she leads the devopsdays organization globally and the devops community at home in Minneapolis. She podcasts with Arrested DevOps and blogs at bridgetkromhout.com. Tim Gross: is a technologist, operations engineer and product developer. He is currently a principal DevOps engineer at Density. His previous career in high-assurance architecture has driven him to develop an operations mindset for robust and obser

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Adrian Wigley, I.T Service Manager at ShawBrook Bank, about Adrian’s route into the I.T profession. They also discuss pros and cons of a university education and the increased responsibility faced by technical people in the 21st century. Show Notes: 1.10 Having multiple careers over the course of your life. 3.15 Did you feel pressured into obtaining a degree. 7.03 The push back when trying to enter the working world without a degree. 13.11 The imagined differences between candidates with differing levels of education. 16.13 Talking about the increased responsibilities of technical people in the 21st century. 19.39 Product managers and combining business skills and technical skills. 22.23 Adrian’s experience seeing the I.T profession from a technical and business viewpoint. 25.03 Where do you see your career heading in the future?

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Martin Moran, Managing Director at InsideSales.com. They discuss how to keep your company’s vision in focus and ensuring there’s a creative curiosity throughout your team. They also touch on the ever changing technology landscape. Show Notes: 1.07 How did you go about founding your first company and the revolution in cloud computing? 5.53 The rate of change in technology and business. 10.01 Ensuring your business has a competitive curiosity and positive culture. 12.35 Allowing employees to have a creative space to work on projects. 14.10 What is necessary to survive in the current job market “Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable” 15.24 The importance of a clear vision when running a business. 19.20 Articulating your vision in a way that people can understand and how to manage that when times are tough. 22.16 Four disciplines of execution. 23.11 What is it that keeps you motivated?

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Raj Samani, a Fellow and Chief Data Scientist at McAfee. On the show they chat about how society values personal data and understanding the importance of personal security. They also discuss the importance of protecting ourselves online and how we are moving into a purely tech based future. Raj is an active member of Infosec community. He assisted in the RSA Wireless Survey for London in 2006. He also participated on the consultation committee for RIPA Part III Holds Ba(Hons) and an MSc in Infosecurity. Show notes: 1.22 What is it that has compelled you to get involved with the extra curricula activities around the tech industries. 3.26 Impacting change in the industry you operate in. 7.29 Education and online security. 10.43 Case study: Wannacry attack. 12.56 Understanding the reach of cyber and how it affects everyone. 15.02 Is education on cyber-security lacking. 16.06 Data as an asset and its value. 19.34 Is Data as valuable as we perceive it? 22.10 Balanc

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Deepak Rangayyan, Senior project manager of transformation at Kuoni Group. They discuss how best to manage your employee’s and how technology’s rapid growth is affecting the skills tech specialists need. They also chat about team dynamics. Deepak is an experienced Project and Key Account Manager. His main role involves Managing a portfolio of medium to enterprise projects. His specialities include; Business Development, Project Evaluation, Market Intelligence, Diversification Strategy, Procurement and Operations Management and Project Management. Show Notes: 1.10 Your thoughts and experiences as a project manager. 2.45 Is there a particular methodology you go through when you’re managing employees. 5.32 The fulfilling aspects of a role in management. 6.59 The projects that Deepak is currently working on and how the impact of technology on the workplace is affecting people’s skills. 12.51 Team dynamics and growth. 17.40 The continuing evolution of technical people.

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Szymon Rozga, the Head of Emerging Technologies at BlueMetal NYC. Szymon chats to Andy about his current project working with chatbots they also look at building a forward-thinking engineering team based around a positive work culture. They also discuss the move to remote working in the 21st century and the pros and cons this can have on a business. Szymon is a software engineer lead with years of experience with architecture and development of desktop, mobile and web applications. He is currently focused on building out technology delivery teams and growing delivery capacity and skill sets in Conversational UX chatbots and VR/MR technologies. He uses emerging technologies to create cutting edge experiences. Szymon is passionate about empowering engineering teams to constantly learn and push themselves and the technologies they are working with. Show Notes: 1.16 Do we still need to be working 9 to 5 in 2017. 4.26 Working remotely comes down to achievements as opposed t

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Ian West, Director of Digital Information at Project One. Ian talks Andy through his 15 steps any business should take to make their business GDPR defensible. Ian West is a business leader with proven skills in transforming, developing and realising maximum revenue and profit potential of business propositions in the Private & Public sectors. He has expertise in the complete market and business development processes from strategic planning, target marketing and solution positioning, whilst being focused on successful execution, exemplary deployment and exceptional long term service. Show Notes 2.32 How are we preparing for GDPR? 4.43 Why are people drawing parallels between GDPR and the year 2000. 7.17 Moving to Project One. 9.56 Understanding what your personal responsibilities are at a C-level when looking at GDPR. 11.19 Four key questions you need to answer to get to a defensible GDPR position. 19.26 If you don’t have a legitimate legal reason to be holding d

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Jeffrey Meyerson, host of Software Engineering Daily. On the show Jeff chats to Andy about the reasons behind starting Software Engineering Daily and the direction the show is heading. Jeff also shares some of his career advice for those starting a career in software engineering. Jeffrey Meyerson: After working for Software Engineering Radio for a few years and working at Amazon Jeff decided to form Software Engineering Radio as a full time career. The scope of software engineering is growing. If you use WordPress, Ableton or PhotoShop, you are a software engineer. If you use Facebook, you are a software engineer–you are helping build software. On a twenty year time horizon, there is no “opting out” of knowing how software works. But this is OK because learning about software is possible (and fun) no matter Show Notes: 1.07 How did you begin Software Engineering Daily. 2.14 How do you get the resources together to make a great show? 4.02 How did your career progress

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Andrew Graham, the C.O.O at Blippar. They talk about dismantling communication barriers in large companies, the role of a C.O.O and managing your own career progression. Andrew Graham is an experienced chief operations officer with a demonstrated history of working in the Financial Services, Technology, Digital marketing and advertising industry. Andrew is a Strong business development professional skilled in Corporate Finance, Business Development, Entrepreneurship, Strategic Planning, and Venture Capital. Show notes: 1.07 Cultural differences between the US, UK, other countries and the importance of effective communication. 4.39 When in your career did you get to the point where you had to liaise with various different departments and people. 7.26 Does it help to have an open dialogue before meetings to ensure both parties understand how each other is communicating. 9.09 Discussing the role of C.O.O. 12.17 The importance of having clarity of vision when worki

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Gordon Davey, head of cloud architecture at Willis Towers Watson. They discuss tackling the common misconceptions around Cloud, innovation and how it’s driving the tech industry forward and how cloud technologies are increasing efficiency in business. Gordon believes the term Cloud Computing is now over-used and still misunderstood but he enjoys helping organisations understand how to use it effectively. He tries to simplify and raise awareness of what cloud computing can do for enterprises, and help them adopt the right Cloud solutions for their business. Show notes: 1.14 Common misconceptions about cloud computing. 3.32 Has cloud been around long enough that it has always been the focus of your career? 5.00 Who were the early adopters of cloud technologies? 6.02 The effectiveness and efficiency brought about by cloud. 8.30 Are you surprised by the amount of businesses that haven’t adopted cloud? 10.08 Cloud allowing you to collaborate with other technologies eas

In this episode Andy Davis talks to David Morgantini, VP of engineering at TES Global. On the show today, he chats to Andy about the advantages remote working and of giving autonomy to your staff, trusting your staff to work flexibly and creating opportunities for your staff to excel. David Morgantini is a technical team lead with a decade of industry experience in hands-on software delivery. As a software craftsman and leader, he focusses on the pragmatic delivery of working software by adapting agile methodologies to the skills and needs of the team. Show Notes: 1.07 Looking for alternative paths for technical people who don’t want to go into management and going in to leadership from tech. 4.08 Do you think, from your experiences, people in tech are motivated by leadership roles. 8.32 Creating opportunities for people from a high-level position. 12.12 How KPI driven are you? 17.03 As a leader it’s important that the overall vision of a project or company should never change. 19.12 Impressing your

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Andrew Tenzer, the head of group insight at Trinity Mirror. They discuss how best to make sense of data, the various compelling projects Andrew has worked on and the importance of company culture. Show Notes: 1.06 Talking about the data and insights profession. 3.16 The challenge of structuring data to make any sense out of it. 5.03 Getting lost in data. 6.38 Background and career progression. 9.50 Building your career foundations then moving to a more compelling role. 11.13 What research were you carrying out at channel 4. 13.10 The sense of accomplishment that comes along with working a job you enjoy. 14.28 Transparency & Leadership. 16.36 Company Culture. 17.40 The importance of the recruitment process. 19.05 Team dynamics and great communication as a precursor to success in business. 22.36 What are your day to day responsibilities? 28.13 The creative freedom available to you when working in insights.

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Vince Russell, lead developer at Hawes & Curtis. Their talk focuses on getting into a constructive workflow as a developer, transitioning between a technical and management position and the changing hiring practices of tech companies. They also discuss the individual merits of university degrees as opposed to self-taught skills. Show Notes: 1.10 Is it impossible to get the product where it needs to be in development? 2.46 How much external consulting affects your work process when you’re working on a project? 4.28 Do you find being able to liaise between departments an important part of your leadership role? 6.09 How important is it for developers to get into a work flow? 11.20 Trying to reach a your personal “flow state” and how do you get into it? 13.21 Did you enjoy your transition into your management position? 14.31 Developing your management skill set. 16.03 Leadership in a creative environment. 18.51 Did you gravitate towards projects/ organisation you

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Mark Dodd, Head of Business at Consolidata and Co-Founder at Consolidata Labs. On the show Mark discusses the qualities that differentiate a good data professional from a great one. They also chat about why you need to be asking the right questions of your data sets to get the most value out of them and why business people are still hesitant to get involved in the technology aspects of their company’s. Mark Dodd is a data professional with diverse experience in building data solutions to client problems, particularly in the data management and analytics space. He has worked in IT for over 30 years in a large number of industries. He has always found delivering data solutions to be the most interesting part of his job. Statistical process control, data visualisation and finding unexpected insights from data are also things that engage Mark . Show Notes: 1.08 Differentiating a good data person and an outstanding one. 2.03 Having an understanding of the practical. 3.19

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Massimo De Marco, V.P of Engineering and Product at Depop. They discuss the transition into management, exciting technology on the horizon and the need to have both technical and people skills. Massimo De Marco has worked at several company’s including the IG Group, Jagex and Time Out. In his previous roles he’s been hired to define and structure all development processes, from business requirements to delivery, and help the company scale up. Massimo has always seen it as his mission to build a positive work culture and processes around his team. He feels this is the key to ensuring businesses are capable of scaling up to the next level. Show Notes: 1.09 How did you first get involved in technology. 3.08 Skilling up, learning in tech & what do you learn? 4.56 What was the level of technology much different when you moved to the UK. 6.11 Getting involved in mobile. 7.42 Pursuing a career in mobile technology. 8.31 Talking about Massimo’s role and his transiti

In this episode, Andy Davis talks to Bhaskar Dasgupta, the MD and Chief Operating Officer at UK export finance. On the show they discuss the importance of keeping your eye on the external factors that can affect your business, not losing sight of the practical applications of technology when running a business and the importance of continual learning and strategy development. Bhaskar Dasgupta: As the Chief Operating Officer of UK Export Finance, Bhaskar is responsible for the digital strategy, transaction management and operations for his department. Bhaskar’s mission is to ensure that no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance, he does this whilst ensuring no operating costs are paid by the taxpayer. Show notes: 1.10 The difference between thinking internally and externally in business. 3.00 What practices do you carry out to ensure you have a good understanding of external forces that may affect your business. 5.30 The importance of constantly having an outward view when going int