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

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Ian Hayfield, DevOps manager at Ancoa. Ian is a DevOps evangelist and is a strong advocate of applying it’s methodology to business. His previous roles have seen him working for high profile names such as IBM. Ian’s previous roles have seen him diagnosis database issues and resolve them. He was also in charge of developing and deploying database RPMs, monitoring and host configuration. On this show Ian talks to Andy about Automating DevOps, how best to manage a DevOps team and having a DevOps team with a broad range of skills. They also discuss Ian’s background and career development and his transition into management. Show Notes: 1.10 The necessity for technologists to be multifaceted in their disciplines. 3.01 How do you decide what new skills you need to learn to keep developing? 5.18 How did the teamwork and learning dynamic work at IBM? 6.06 The advantages of “getting thrown in the deep end” as a learning process. 6.44 The skill of being aware of what is nece

In this episode Andy Davis talk to Sina Jazayeri, Director of software engineering at inrhythm, founder of color code.Io and host of the drunk web podcast. Sina is a front end software designer and developer who focuses on performance, User Interface and User Experience. His podcast show is a series of conversations between web professionals while drinking more than necessary. Every episode features a different guest, a topic close to their heart and their favorite choice of drink. In the show Sina shares his best time management tips to keep on top of your busy work schedule and why it’s important to build trust and honesty into your people management skills. They also discuss stepping out of your comfort zone professionally and personally and how this can help your management career. Show Notes: 1.18 Managing your team, workload, external projects and podcasts. 4.14 How efficient you can be with your own time. 8.01 Trust and honesty in people management. 11.36 What activities are you engaging i

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Leslie Coelho, who has recently become a technical architect at Netcel. Leslie is a reductionist at heart and enjoys turning complex problems into simple solutions. He also enjoys working with clients to deliver out standing products and achieve results. Leslie has come on the show to chat to Andy about technology and its impact on business. They also discuss the reasons to use emails or a phone call, how to not over-complicate things and education the new generation. Show Notes: 1.11 How did you first get into technology and what was it about computer specifically for you that got you really interested in them. 4.21 How did your career progress and where did your career start? 6.40 What big changes have you seen in technology since you started your career and what has stayed the same? 9.27 Have we become obsessed with speed in computing? 10.26 We expect so much more for our computers but we understand a lot less about how they actually work. 12.49 Is there a prob

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Eoin Woods, CTO at Endava. Eoin is a professionally qualified technical architect, with over twenty years of experience in the capital markets and technical software product domains. He has worked successfully across the delivery lifecycle from development engineer to manager and in architecture roles from application architect to lead architect to head of architecture. On the show he chats to Andy about the importance of continued professional development as an engineer. They also touch on the AI disruption of white collar jobs, the step up to CTO and exciting new developments in the tech industry. Show Notes: 3.10 Growing up with computers and technology. 5.35 Getting experience during university. 7.21 Code camp. 8.59 Incentivising companies to offer training. 12.34 Future disruption in white collar jobs. 14.07 The 2 things that attract Eoin to a company. 16.08 Find out where a job can take you. 18.28 The ability to keep learning as an engineer. 20.01 Getting di

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Simon Halkyard, Talent acquisition partner at Shop Direct. Simon is currently responsible for the Analytics, Customer Management and Credit Risk Talent Acquisition functions at Shop Direct. Previously he was responsible for designing and implementing the Talent Acquisition recruitment strategy for Shop Direct's new London office, attracting, engaging and hiring world-class tech talent. On the show Simon discusses making the transition from agency recruitment to internal recruitment. He also shares his strategies for retaining staff, developing a positive work culture and navigating on-boarding interviews. Show Notes: 1.09 Making the transition from a recruitment agency to internal recruitment. 3.22 Building relationships with internal recruitment. 4.33 The pressure of working in internal recruitment. 5.12 Do you have to make a conscious effort to prove to the people you're hiring that you are interested in their sector. 6.15 Navigating technology and recruitment.

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Caroline Carruthers & Peter Jackson, the authors of the Chief Data Officer's playbook. The CDO’s playbook is a practical guide and a must read for data leaders building the foundation and value creation from data. In the show they discuss the role of a CDO and dispel many common misconceptions surrounding the title. They also chat about the difficulty some businesses have when trying to discern the ROI of their data teams and they chat about the direction that Big Data is heading in. Conversation finishes with talk about Caroline and Peter's first book. Show Notes: 1.54 The role of the CDO and tackling the common misconceptions around the role. 5.35 The pressure on the macro economy to invest in data. 8.06 Discussing why a disproportionate about of industry leaders are saying they’re not seeing an ROI in their data teams. 10.49 Navigating the lack of understanding some people have around the role of a data team. 12.36 Dissecting the head of monetization role

In this episode Andy Davis Talks To Craig Ellis, the CTO at the go-ahead group. Craig has developed a varied skill set over a vast career working for institutions such as BT and Network rail. With a proven track record of developing technical and innovative departments globally delivering to challenging objectives. He’s also been at the forefront of next-generation networks from pre-sales to post-incident with extensive vendor and network assurance experience. He’s chats to Andy about negating the disruption caused to a business by the rapidly developing technology sphere. They also discuss humanising the interview process and workplace, differing approaches to leadership and the necessity to be multi-skilled in today’s tech market. Show Notes: 3:00 to 10:00 Kicking off a Career in Amsterdam. 10:00 to 18:00 Conversation and Technology Simplicity. 18:00 to 22:00 End-Users and Engaging Account Managers. 22:00 to 28:00 Real-Time Pressure: UEFA to Euston. 28:00 to 31:00 The Dutch Honesty, Management isn

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Jeremy Keith, the Technical Lead and co-founder of the design agency Clearleft in Brighton. Jeremy has been writing on his personal site, adactio.com, for over fifteen years. He also written a number of books: DOM Scripting, Bulletproof Ajax, HTML5 For Web Designers, and most recently, Resilient Web Design which you can read for free online. He also created Huffduffer.com a site for creating your podcast of found sounds. On the show they discuss throwing your ideas and projects out into online technology communities, using forums and tech sites to get feedback on your product and getting over the self-doubt you can have about your project. They also touch on Jeremy’s career as a writer and how writing books differs from creating podcasts and blogs. Show Notes: 1.38 The open source nature of online technical communities. 7.44 Has the quality of open source software and information decreased due to the ability to share it so easily. 10.23 The positive effects of puttin

In this episode Andy James talks to James Rix, senior project manager at Romonet. James is Skilled at working across international locations and coordinating international teams to deliver high quality projects. He has an excellent technical understanding of building pathology, technical power and cooling infrastructure requirements in data centres, combined with a solution oriented approach to project management. On the show he chats to Andy about the challenges and rewards of managing teams in different countries. They also discuss navigating different cultural conventions in business and how technology is changing workplace dynamics. Show Notes: 1.06 Managing projects in various countries. 2.58 Addressing an individual in a meeting not the room. 4.14 Navigating different cultures. 5.45 Different approaches to doing business. 7.18 What are your company’s internal dynamics like. 8.19 How did your career take you to Asia? 10.30 Growing as a person and a leader in East Asia. 12.34 What are the cur

In this episode Andy Davis talks to Brian Hills, Head of data at the data lab innovation centre. Data Lab aims to bring together industry, the public sector, universities, colleges, schools and the public to learn about and promote data science. In this episode Andy Davis talks to Brian Hills, Head of data at the data lab innovation centre. Data Lab aims to bring together industry, the public sector, universities, colleges, schools and the public to learn about and promote data science. In his role at the Data Lab Brian leads the Data Science team and was the programme Chair for DataFest17, the first festival of data innovation held in Scotland. His career in data spans many high profile companies including Hewlett-Packard and Skyscanner. On the show he discusses promoting data science, building a strong data science team and communicating data science successes to other parts of your business. He also chats to Andy about creating a brand for your data team and what attributes need to be present in a person

In this episode, Andy Davis talks to Stuart McHugh, I.T manager at Bates Wells Braithwaite. In his role managing the IT Department he deliver strategy, deployment, training and operational support to his team. Outside of his full time technology based work Stu has been awarded vExpert status for 2012 -17. On the show he discuss the advantages and strategies of external networking, differing approaches to communicating within a business and how best to get your department's voice heard in a large company. They also touch on management and leadership styles. Show Notes 1.09 Progressing in I.T 2.45 Podcasts as a networking tool. 5.45 Discussing the uses of blogs and podcasts in a professional environment. 7.30 What particularly about VMware has motivated you. 9.33 What is the typical structure of an I.T team in a Law organisation. 11.55 Discussing the communication difficulties present when technical departments speak to non-technical ones. 14.56 How to Develop leadership styles. 15.15 Ways to get yo