CTO Confessions Brought to you by IT Labs

In this episode, we have the former CTO of Ocado, a company that is a huge operational and business success story in the UK. As part of his leadership and the work he does on various boards for the UK Government, Paul Clarke is a huge advocate for digital twins, which are models that allow us to run real--world simulations. And as we progress to make these twins even more sophisticated, the aim of Paul and other leaders in the digital space is to integrate them to run even larger and more sophisticated model runs. Some takeaways from the conversation with Paul: • The power and potential of 4 converging technological advances ◦ Artificial Intelligence ◦ Machine Learning ◦ Digital twins ◦ And the Internet of Things (IoT) • How Ocado Ltd is actually a technology company, with food delivery service being just the thin veneer of what it did and spun off. • The huge potential of governments’ use of their oceans of data and Digital Twins.…not to mention the impact of policy change and infrastructure projects) Our Guest: Paul Clarke LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulchristopherclarke/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

In this information-obsessed modern world, marketing takes on many forms. And a word that gets banded around a lot (and quite rightly) is brand. For Omobono, the brand isn't just logos and fancy billboards; it's more than that. The CTO from Omobono, Marcus Lambert, joins us to tell us about its importance and how an organization's brand can be enhanced digitally. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Organizational trust layered into every nook-and-cranny of the business is the key to lasting transformation. (Omobono's story around this is a must-hear -- truly inspiring!) • Transparency creates clarity. It is a simple, sometimes painful, quite powerful tool that all establishments need to embrace for better leadership throughout the org. • The lessons learned from oscillating between small companies and large corporates and back again. Our Guest: Marcus Lambert LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcuslambert/ Website: https://www.omobono.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/omobono_digital Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

In this podcast, we look at an interesting B2B startup called Fashion Cloud. In particular to its CTO, Florian Klemt. The business idea that was born out of a strategic pivot shows great promise. It's morphing into something bigger and providing more supportive avenues for end clients. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • A human-centric leadership style has a great ROI. One that can't be pinned down in a spreadsheet or ledger but exists non the less • The pivoting tool in the business toolbox is an important device that should be employed readily to adapt to market needs • Maintenance and looking after legacy systems is highly recommended. It's not sexy, but tech leaders ought to appreciate the investment that's gone into these systems and work to keep them maintainable. Our Guest: Florian Klemt LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-klemt-44a83352/ Website: https://fashion.cloud/en/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Niches don't get any tighter than this. Our guest Hamed Sadeghian, President and CTO of Nearfield Instruments, shares with us his journey in a super high-tech, high- science market. From his metrology in the oil and gas industry to the measurement of atoms, he now heads an organization that helps chip manufacturers sharpen their cutting edge. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Sanitizing your vision and making it your war • What you need to be able to lead effectively in an entrepreneurial company • Finding a pain and ensuring the solution is what the customer wants • The kinds of people and teams you need in an R&D space • Creating visibility for the customer so they know where you’re going Our Guest: Hamed Sadeghian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamed-sadeghian-76490ab/ Website: https://www.nearfieldinstruments.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

In this episode, we talk to a tech leader who initially had very little desire to become a CTO. However, once the journey began, not only was he a success, but he also came to appreciate and love the role. His passion shows and is a great inspiration to try things you think you don't want. Maksym Schipka, the CTO at Vortexa, shares his tech journey and what's worked, and is working for him. Just to put into perspective the importance of Vortexa's operation, it tracks more than $1.8 trillion of waterborne energy trades per year. That's a great deal of ka-chings! Their work and innovations disrupt the way the energy markets operate, creating visibility into the very opaque world of seaborne energy trading. His desire (and deeper purpose) to solve problems and face difficult challenges led Maksym to solve technical goals and even more complex ones like strategic and the dynamics of leading people. His desire to create elegant solutions in his leadership serves the business, the people, and his own leadership. The key takeaways from the conversation with Maksym are: • The amazing payoffs of taking small, uncomfortable steps --new realizations regarding what interests you and what doesn't, plus the willingness to face fear, risk and dislikes to make adventurous, inspired career choices. • How data and, machine learning are being used to disrupt the energy trading system – a disruption that serves and enhances the work of traders and the industry as a whole. • The power in a leader being willing to become redundant in many of the tech activities and business operations. When your teams need you less, you are succeeding immensely as a leader. This reminds me of the quote from Nanny McPhee, "When you need me, but do not want me, then I must stay. When you want me but no longer need me, I have to go.". • The importance of attachment and detachment in leadership, and how to allow teams and people to grow and expand their responsibility. Our Guest: Maksym Schipka LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mschipka/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vortexa/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vortexa Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Security has always been a part of human needs beyond those sitting at the lower echelons of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Through our inventiveness, we create new domains of attack and subsequent security needs. In these modern times, the digital world has many doors and windows, and that's the topic we touch on in this episode. Tom Meehan of CONTROLTEK USA joins us to share his thoughts on this subject and his leadership style. Tom is an author and speaker in various technical spaces, so we are honored to have him on CTO Confessions. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Embrace the likelihood of failure and get moving, welcome experimentation, and adapt. Some failure has to be part of your journey. • Tom's suggestion around investing in your self-growth as a leader (less Netflix and more reading) • The sophisticated art of keeping companies secure: ◦ Especially in these COVID times where people inadvertently keep opening up security windows and doors ◦ The ongoing battle to get on the winning edge of security without thinking you've worked it out ◦ Awareness that the technology you are using to stay one step ahead of the attackers is the same technology they have. The book that Tom authored can be found here: Evolution of Retail Asset Protection: Protecting Your Profit in a Digital Age https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evolution-Retail-Asset-Protection-Protecting-ebook/dp/B07RMKQ5MN/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Tom+meehan Our Guest: Tom Meehan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-meehan/ Website: https://www.controltekusa.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/tomsitlogic

It's great when you meet a leader who takes an elegant approach to making life easier. i.e., using a leadership style to bleed ownership into the organization. One such tech leader achieving this with his personal, well-defined philosophy on work and life is Shane Emmons. As the CTO of TeamSnap, not only does he talk about this philosophy, he has also positioned it out there for all to see on his LinkedIn profile. Then, as a man of integrity, he brings it to life in his daily work and leadership. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • The power of providing trust from the word go in your organization • The perspective that all tech decisions are business decisions • The importance of enjoying work and making sure your people are as well • Sharing of a new perspective on diversity and success Not only does Shane coach and mentor business leaders in the industry, he also teaches at the University of Michigan. Listen in on this episode for awesome advice grounded in a wealth of experience. Our Guest: Shane Emmons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-emmons/ Website: https://www.teamsnap.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/semmons99 Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Tech leaders not only lead organizations to create products, but often lead transformations also -- transformation of people, processes, and of course tech. In this podcast, Michele Sollecito shares his thoughts on his role and how he works to make sure projects come in on scope and on time through the wonderful women and men engineers doing the work. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Why integrity matters. i.e., Doing the right thing even when no one is looking. • How software development isn't just about delivering fast, but rather represents the art of creating something that can be maintained and extended in its complexity, without ending up in a technical debt dead end. • Avoiding continuous isolation by leading and facilitating environments that create interrelationships within a team, between teams, and in the wider organization. Our Guest: Michele Sollecito LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelesollecito/ Website: A better way to handle your money | Revolut : https://www.revolut.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SollecitoM Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

For all those who have hired a car, do you think it's a smooth process? Could it be easier? Well, our tech leader guest from "hiyacar", Marc Roberts, tells us about how they are smoothing out the wrinkles in this much-needed service. Having been involved in a previous venture that didn't quite make it to success, Marc shares how the market and driver information systems have evolved enough to make it viable. Listen to Marc Robert's' wisdom about leading the technological aspect of this venture and how he and his colleagues lead the way to hire cars easy as "ABC." Key takeaways from the Podcast: • Running a startup with high ticket assets and keeping them secure • Getting-out-of-the-way-style leadership • The power of having a clear mission Our Guest: Marc Roberts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcroberts/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hiyacar/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/marcroberts Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

In this podcast, we talk to Hazel Olivier, the CTO of Nimbla, a company serving medium-sized organizations' financial well-being (through insuring their invoices). Hazel has been instrumental in leading Nimbla's platform's modernization while strengthening its robustness. Thus, allowing Nimbla to offer a much-needed self-service financial lifeline 24/7. In the podcast, we look at how Hazel has been spearheading her career in the tech industry ,as well as her passion for security and working with remote teams with differing cultural communication styles. An important set of subjects in a global and interconnected world we all operate in. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Security! Security! Security! Stop making it an afterthought -- bake it in from the beginning. • Awareness around some of the holes you could be creating in your security walls. • Leading in tech as a woman. • The cultural nuances when it comes to the UK, South Africa, and India. Our Guest: Hazel Olivier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hazelolivier/ Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nimbla/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)