Beyond the Blue Badge

Creating a more positive place with technology policy and ethics  Julie Inman-Grant has over 30 years of experience in the corporate, government and non-profit sectors, working at the intersection of technology, public policy and online safety. She started her career as a legislative assistant in the US Congress, and later joined Microsoft in 1995 as the second government affairs professional in the company’s Washington, D.C. office. In her 17-year career at Microsoft, Julie held various public and government affairs roles including leading Internet safety, privacy and security first for APAC and then globally. After serving in leadership roles at Twitter and Adobe, Julie is now the Australian eSafety Commissioner. In this Beyond the Blue Badge episode, Julie shares her perspective on online safety challenges today and how she brings passion, persistence, and purpose to everything she does. 

Making the most of markets, people and leadership Jan Muhlfeit joined Microsoft in 1993 after being with Software602 (then a startup), and he said it was one of the best decisions in his life. It’s been 10 years since Jan left his 22-year career at Microsoft, and he has carried forth the focus on unlocking potential. When Jan left the company, he was Chairman of Europe and now he coaches executives and Olympic athletes, runs seminars for global corporations, speaks at universities, helps children explore their strengths, and authors books. In this Beyond the Blue Badge episode, host Sabine Morlock talks with Jan about approach to markets, people, and leadership. 

How data science and generative AI are changing the world — for good.  In his last role at Microsoft, John Kahan headed up what would become Microsoft’s AI for Good efforts. To this day, John continues to use data and AI to help solve the world’s problems whether it’s via his work with Aaron Matthew SIDS Research Foundation at Seattle Children’s hospital or advising organizations that include U.S. Venture, MidOcean Partners, Stagwell, Novartis Foundation and the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Rich Kaplan talks with John about advances in data science, AI for Good and the evolution of artificial intelligence. 

The path to board service starts with planning, networking When Steve Guggenheimer left Microsoft as a corporate vice president in 2020 after a 27-year career, he had already been thinking about what he wanted his next career milestone to be — board service. He started laying the groundwork for that while still at the company, and now he is a non-executive director for HSBC Holdings, Forrit, Leupold & Stevens and the Software Acquisition Group. He’s also an advisor to 5G Innovation Labs and Tensility Venture Partners. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, Steve talks with host Rich Kaplan about his Microsoft career, the intentional steps needed to find corporate board positions and why your network truly matters.

Corporate investing with Adam Coccari Advice for startups eyeing corporate venture capital Adam Coccari leads Intuit Ventures. Before that, he was on the early Microsoft Ventures team, which became M12. Before that, he was a startup founder. Adam shares insights about differences between venture capital and corporate venture capital, or CVC, advice he has for startup leaders and more when he talks with host T.A. McCann.

Embracing change leads to great growth, success In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Michael Rawding talks with Eriko Asai, co-founder of Trinity Indo-Pacific Partners. Before starting her strategic advisory firm, Eriko held notable positions that included director of policy outreach, legal and corporate affairs for Microsoft Japan and President of GE Japan. Eriko and Michael talk about leading while female in Japan, the strengths, challenges and opportunities for business in Japan, her next chapter and words of wisdom for everyone to find what that looks like.

Insights on embracing change in a dynamic world  In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Michael Rawding interviews Haresh Khoobchandani, a former Microsoft leader who is now a vice president at Autodesk and the author of “Growth by Choice.” Haresh discusses his leadership philosophy, trends and opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region, and advice for current and aspiring leaders in this rapidly changing world.

In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Rich Kaplan talks with former Microsoft executive Jeff Raikes, who shares his journey before, during and after working at Microsoft. In the final part of this three-part episode, Jeff talks about leading the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the work he and Tricia Raikes are doing with The Raikes Foundation, being part of a Major League Baseball ownership group and being part of the startup ecosystem.

In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Rich Kaplan talks with former Microsoft executive Jeff Raikes, who shares his journey before, during and after working at Microsoft. In Part 3 of this three-part episode, Jeff talks about the opportunities to land business and key strategies he worked on at Microsoft that helped change the world and what he learned from the leadership at Microsoft.

Early learnings from early Microsoft In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host Rich Kaplan talks with former Microsoft executive Jeff Raikes, who shares his journey before, during and after working at Microsoft. In Part 1 of this three-part episode, Jeff talks about how he went from a farm in Nebraska to working in technology and how he got interested in software while working at Apple Computer, where he was involved in the development of VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet. He also reveals how he got a call from Steve Ballmer, who recruited him to join Microsoft in 1981. He also delves into what it was like in the early ‘80s as an early employee of the company.