Politely Pushy with Eric Chemi

Move over Rami Malek as Mr. Robot. There’s a new ethical hacker in town, bucking stereotypes about women in STEM – and did we mention that aside from her work protecting systems from dangerous hackers, she has also been an actor? Today’s guest is Gabrielle Botbol, an offensive security consultant at Desjardins. Growing up in France, she was encouraged to pursue her interests in literature and acting but gravitated to technology and designing websites. As is a common theme among women we’ve interviewed, girls are often discouraged from pursuing their passion for STEM and encouraged to work in more traditionally female-dominated industries. Luckily, that is now starting to change. Gabrielle discusses how she left the world of acting to become a cybersecurity pen (penetration) tester hired to hack systems for organizations to make those systems hack-proof against those with malicious intentions. As she explains to our host, she is nice and one of the good guys…but don’t mistake her kindness for weakness! She will quickly discover how, when and where you plan to attack if you’re an unethical hacker. That’s why companies and government agencies turn to her for her expertise. In addition to being a cybersecurity pen tester, Gabrielle is a blogger and podcast host (of CS by BG) with close to a decade of experience in cybersecurity. She serves as an advisory board member for the Canadian Cybersecurity Community, the first and most active Canadian cybersecurity network in Canada, as well as the Cyber School. She also recently became a mentor for CyberGirls, a 1-year fellowship equipping young women with globally sought-after cybersecurity skills. Hear from our very own Ms. Robot about the important work she does and why it’s so in demand in this exciting new episode. 

When you think of cybersecurity, you immediately flash to personal PCs and IoT devices, an organization’s critical assets - and yes, those are all essential components to consider, but today’s guest Francis Cianfrocca, CEO at InsightCyber discusses how his company looks out for and services even bigger corporations that experience a trickle down attack from an organization’s breaches. InsightCyber not only keeps an eye out to stop breaches before they happen using the most highly refined AI, but they focus on large facilities like  power plants and manufacturing centers due to the surprising and incredibly sneaky ways these large facilities are compromised. He details how InsightCyber is the future of “physical cyber security” and talks about the need to shore up actual machines (cybersecurity goes beyond personal PCs, personal devices and IoT devices!) and protect them. With InsightCyber’s proprietary AI designed to weed out any false positive alerts, the company quickly spots rogue devices in physical networks and preempts cyber attacks by detecting any potential trouble before it can strike. What Francis explains is that essentially, cybersecurity is everywhere! And hackers are all over any opportunity they can seize. You'll be fascinated by our guest who was concerned with the subject of cybersecurity before the Internet browser was even invented! Tune in to find out more and prepare to be fascinated. 

Today’s guest is Sebastian Grady, president of Rimini Street, a company of seasoned engineers that deliver exceptional third-party enterprise software support. Rimini Street tackles customers’ challenges with products from companies like Oracle, SAP, JD Edwards, PeopleSoft and Siebel, saving clients up to 90% of their total enterprise software support costs. Sebastian discusses why clients prefer outsourcing to going back to the big companies for constant upgrades, how his company saves clients money and exhaustive efforts, and what makes an exceptional support team. He also discusses how the impending recession affects a company like Rimini Street which tends to do well despite adverse economic changes that instill fear in the rest of the world. And wait, did we hear that correctly? Did Sebastian just mention JLo?! Tune in to find out why. 

Today’s guest is Colin Banas, MD, an internal medicine doctor and chief medical officer of DrFirst, which started as an e-prescribing company before becoming an innovative health IT technology company with strength in medication management. What is the “Healthiverse?” Banas explains and details how DrFirst unites healthcare stakeholders who align to improve patient outcomes, connecting people to information by making inroads to clean and complete data. He talks about the healthcare challenges that his company’s technology addresses and the role of big data and analytics on patient outcomes. He also discusses how the Health IT space is known to overuse jargon and why it’s so important to keep conversations clear so buzzwords don’t convey apathy or cause patients to tune out.  What does AI really mean when it comes to HealthTech? Banas shares his simplified approach to understanding it so that the “tech” in HealthTech isn’t taking over for doctors connecting with patients. This is something that’s particularly valuable in an age when so much has become remote! 

Today we welcome Sarah Spence to the podcast. Sarah is the CEO of Toronto-based Tadiem, the parent company of three agencies. Tadiem stands for Talent and Decency in Equal Measure and this mantra has helped Sarah see The Great Resignation through a different lens, providing her with an understanding of employees and their thought processes, as well as why her company was not hard hit by this worldwide phenomenon.

Today’s guest is Rob Enderle, owner of the Enderle Group. He is a tech and business analyst, thought leader, and journalist who was once ranked number 1 for his influence in the U.S. and Europe and named to the top 10 in Asia. Today, analyst rankings are not a thing, which could be the way crypto is headed in the future (Rob has mixed thoughts on the subject and that of NFTs - which you’ll have to tune in to find out!). He discusses the breadth of work and effort required to remain a top-notch tech and business analyst, why he would never want to be a CEO (and the challenges CEOs face), and the roadblocks for smaller companies approaching larger analyst firms. Rob reveals how defying the advice to choose a specialty was the best move for his career and how being a generalist - having focused on personal tech, servers, security storage, e-commerce, etc. - helped him keep up with topical and relevant sectors. He also discusses how important it is for businesses to find the proper analysts and gain and maintain their trust, and cops to the “reality show” he’s watching with both amusement and horror: Elon Musk Gone Wild.    

When you see Steve Carell use a Blackberry as his character Michael Scott on The Office, do you assume Blackberry was an advertiser? Very often, when we see brands on TV, we figure they paid for play, but here’s a surprising fact: 60% of companies don’t actually pay production companies to appear on a show. There’s often a partnership and process benefitting both parties. Today’s guest, Stacy Jones, who specializes in marketing and branding with her pulse on pop culture, explains how these types of collaborations work, how influencers are an asset to promoting a company and the different types of influencers brands work with and how they’re chosen. She details how partnerships between brands and companies develop and how influencers are instrumental in marketing. As CEO of Hollywood Branded Inc., Stacy has 25 years of experience in the industry and a background in theater, so she understands firsthand why production companies need brands, and why it’s so important to have someone facilitate these relationships. Her work has enabled companies to place products in the center of storylines as props that get mentioned by major stars. Stacy is also the host of the podcast Marketing Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them). 

Did you watch the Black Mirror episode “Smithereens” starring Topher Grace? In the Netflix special, Topher’s Jack Dorsey-like character is so focused on meditation and seeking life purpose that he’s fled his tech company for the wilderness, neglecting the chaos wrought by technology and social media.Well, today’s guest isn’t Topher and no, it’s not Jack, but it’s someone we find to be interesting and much more reliable (than what Netflix led us to believe about the former Twitter head). Our guest found a way to blend tech with life purpose, making a positive impact across industries. Peter Capuciati, CEO and founder of Bluon, is bringing sexy back to the world of HVAC.He’s one of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet and worthy of his own Black Mirror doppelganger. The trained physicist went on to become a real estate success, thriving in that industry by his late 20s!  Then? Well, just like Topher in the wilderness, he decided to meditate. And instead of passing on the torch of industry success to the likes of an eccentric Tesla inventor, he took his scientific knowledge and applied it to a solution that now helps countless businesses after developing a refrigerant suited for $2 trillion of equipment.From science guy to real estate hotshot to…”HVAC Hero”, Peter ensures that Bluon offers tools, training, and support to technicians in the field and cuts out obstacles businesses would otherwise face. You’ll be enthralled by his eclectic and unexpected journey, how he made a necessity feel like a luxury, and how his company easily connects HVAC technicians with parts, resources and local distributors. Tune in to hear more from this fascinating entrepreneur who is so focused on impacting positive change in the world that he didn’t stay on that freaking mountain! (No shade, Topher - er, Jack. But come on; after you meditate, you must activate!)

Americans Trust Local News Over Social Media and 67% Trust Local over National News. Politics may be dividing the nation, but if there’s one thing that unites Democrats and Republicans it’s the local TV news. This medium now ushers in more viewers than national news and is appealing to a surprisingly younger demographic. In fact, local TV news has a bigger audience than either national or cable news combined and most shockingly, 18-34 is the fastest-growing demographic. Eric Chemi’s newest podcast guest, Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media discusses this and so much more.

Elia Wallen, CEO and founder of Hotel Engine, discusses revolutionizing corporate travel. He shares insights on how his platform simplifies hotel bookings for businesses, especially in the wake of COVID-19. Elia highlights adapting to market trends, like the increased demand for refundable rates, and the challenges of scaling in a competitive landscape. He elaborates on the importance of data in maximizing revenue and emphasizes the value of in-person collaboration in a remote-working world. Elia’s journey is a testament to innovation during adversity.