CTO Confessions Brought to you by IT Labs

When growing teams and helping people develop is something that comes naturally to you, you know that your leadership skills are on point – so what’s left when you have that mastered? You help businesses grow by helping them utilize the latest, most cutting-edge technology out there. This is exactly how I would describe the work Scott Buchholz, CTO at Deloitte Consulting, has been doing. I sat down with Scott to talk more about his leadership style, the work he’s been doing for Deloitte, and waiting for him to give up the gems of knowledge and experience worth their weight in gold – and he has delivered! Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Telling stories helps bring people into the fold, giving them a better grasp of the task/project ahead; - Diversity of thought is paramount for growth and progress; - Finding the right role models is the fast-track to success; Our Guest: Scott Buchholz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/buchholzscott/ Website: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en.html Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

We all know the joke – Excel spreadsheets are the thing that holds whole industries together and holding them from collapsing – and the truth is that a lot of data is stored in them. But sifting through all that data can be an arduous task, and the need for a solution that would do it faster and more efficiently is there. Fortunately, there’s a company named Coherent, that does a lot of this work, helping businesses extract valuable inputs from these vast seas of data, and I have Coherent’s Senior Technology Director, Nick Leimer, here to talk about it. From his journey in the world of tech, his leadership style, all the way to his views on how to improve teams – we talked in depth about all of these topics and much more! Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Why diversity in character and perspectives is more important than finding like-minded people - How changing roles and workplaces is important for growth and knowing what suits you - Failing is the gateway to learning, and allowing people to fail can be invaluable for growth Our Guest: Nick Leimer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-leimer-05851611/ Website: https://www.coherent.global/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Being a leader is not just about innovating new technologies that make people’s lives easier – following the newest trends and emerging technology is also important. These can help tech leaders get a better feel of what the next big thing in the world of tech will be, and how they can help make their businesses better and more efficient. One such leader that does both is Hanna Helin, Global Head of Tech Innovation at London Stock Exchange Group, who sat down for a chat with me in November 2022, sharing her experience, know-how, and leadership secrets! Key takeaways from the podcast are: - adaptation and perspective are important in growing companies, as they require different approaches - Maintaining close connections with clients can help tremendously in your work - Being flexible in changing roles can help you grow tremendously Our Guest: Hanna Helin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahelin/ Website: https://www.lseg.com/en Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Tech leaders are people that reach for the stars – some literally, some do it by pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to ensure that the lives of humans become easier and simpler. And then, there are those that have done both, but have found the “earthly experience” with technology to be far more important. Noy Grisaru, R&D Group Manager at Optimove, belongs in the latter – and he sat down for a chat with me to talk about his journey in tech, the work he’s been doing for Optimove, and how he leads his teams. Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Why sometimes going with your gut feeling can be counterproductive; - The path to learning something new starts by asking a question - The importance of putting customers first Our Guest: Noy Grisaru LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noy-grisaru-994bb810b/ Website: https://www.optimove.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Tech leaders are known for tackling hard issues – ones that require a lot of work and know-how in order to solve them, and in turn, help improve the livelihoods of people, and help businesses grow! Well, meet Simon Munch-Andersen, CTO at Ultimate, a tech leader of the type I described above, and one who sat down for a chat with me, as he shared everything from how he started out in tech, through his experience around the industry, all the way to the amazing work he’s doing now for Ultimate! Key takeaways from the podcast are: - Projects need to be handled and approached on a team level, not an individual, as this way all team members will have the sense of being part of something; - Why having more smaller decisions is better than making big ones that can destabilize your project and your team - The true value of leadership comes when your teams are capable of making decisions on their own; Our Guest: Simon Munch-Andersen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonma/ Website: https://www.ultimate.ai/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

You don’t become a tech leader by just having the skills and then one day you decide you’ll take on a leadership or C-level position and that’s it. Well, it takes a lot more than that. It takes the willingness to tackle issues but also enable people to grow and develop, and become leaders of their own making. Marcus Campbell, CTO at Hermes Logistics Technologies, is one such tech leader, and of course, I had to have him on CTO Confessions. With 20+ years of experience in tech, Marcus covered in depth all the work he’s doing for HLT, how his road has been so far, and gave his advice worth its weight in gold. Key takeaways from the podcast are: -Collaboration is the one way that teams can move forward and achieve success and growth at the same time; -Patience is key – as a leader you’ll need it in order to ensure your focus stays on point, and that your team stays on course; Our Guest: Marcus Campbell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcuscampbell100/ Website: https://www.hermesworld.com/int/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Getting early into new, emerging technologies is a double-edged sword – it means that you might strike gold, or you might specialize in technology that might become obsolete. Well, in the world of tech leaders, all knowledge is golden, and it can help leaders become drivers in their own niches, and provide real value to both companies and teams. This is the perfect way to describe the path that Richard Billington, CTO at Netcall, has been on, as he sat down for a chat with me to talk all things tech – from what Netcall does, all the way to his leadership style, how he’s developed, and what his experience as a CTO has taught him. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Why sometimes suffering from imposter syndrome can have a positive outcome • How flexibility and open-mindedness can help you endure hardships • Why partnerships and relationships are crucial in growing quickly Our Guest: Richard Billington LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardbillington/ Website: https://www.netcall.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

An architect turned techie, Petr Mitev had his head turned by technology, as this allowed him to create the things he wanted – the way he wanted. Growing in both skills and experience, he decided to make the lives of architects a bit easier – by working on providing solutions that are simpler, better, and less time consuming. So, how does a tech leader like Petr reach the point at which he’s at? How did it all go down? What sort of a leader is he? The answers to all of these questions and many more can be found in this episode, as I sat down with him and we had a good chat on all things! Key takeaways from the podcast are: • How injecting technology can help drive businesses and industries; • Why sustainability is important in the world of design and construction Our Guest: Petr Mitev LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petr-mitev/ Website: https://enscape3d.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

How many times have you heard someone in tech say that they hate tech or computers, yet they’re all into it and are using their skills and know-how for the betterment of mankind through their work by helping develop services and technology that are good? Us neither, but here’s Eddie Flaisler, Head of Products Engineering at Lob, whose journey, experience, and motives are not fitting of your standard tech leader and tech maverick, but it’s a story that you’ll definitely want to hear – a story that is just as exciting, motivating, and inspiring as you’d imagine. A full-on exchange between me and Eddie, right on that click button. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Effective leadership is about balancing business needs and the human ideals that drive a company; • Making people decisions in a vacuum is a risky business; • Resource planning is more about taking into consideration the effects it can have on people, rather than just the business itself; Our Guest: Eddie Flaisler LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-flaisler-660a9039/ Website: https://www.lob.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

As tech leaders are curious people and interested in everything tech-related, their mind is not fixed on one area – but rather on an idea. The idea is that they can put their skills and experience to use and provide value to communities and people worldwide – a vision that can drive communities forward. And one such tech leader is Ed Alford, the CTO of New Look, who sat down with me for a short but deep chat that involved it all – from the start of his career, through his development as a leader, and into the now – on what his company is doing – and also the future. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • Remember that as leaders we’re not ‘in charge of people’, but ‘we have people in our charge’, meaning we have to take care of them, and that’s our main job. • Omnichannel Experience • How vision is the one thing that can give you the drive to move forward no matter what Our Guest: Ed Alford LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-alford/ Website: https://www.newlook.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)