CTO Confessions Brought to you by IT Labs

While some tech leaders are focused on the tech, others are focused on spreading the gospel of tech into the halls of politics and decision-making. One such leader is Chris Holmes, a Peer in the House of Lords, who dived deep with TC on topics such as tech and leadership, but with a bit of twist. From his first steps into the tech world, all the way to where he is now, the story of Chris Holmes is one we’re sure will captivate you and give you quite a lot to think about. Key takeaways from the podcast are: - How developing a passion for tech can help you develop a perspective on what to do - Why it’s important to be present – both with people and for people - How can we see the opportunity in the world around us Our Guest: Chris Holmes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lord-chris-holmes/ Website: https://www.channel4.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

In this frantic age, in this frantic world, there is no shortage of demand for more, and more, and more – but what happens when an industry vital for the functioning of modern society is under sustained and increasing pressure? Tech jumps in to help it, ease the burden, and modernize it. Meet Tamás Petrovics, Co-founder & CEO at XUND - an Austrian healthtech start-up. Tamás and two of his friends decided to start a company that will help ease the burden on one of the biggest sectors in the world – healthcare. From how he leads his teams, all the way to his vision and mission for the company, our TC Gill had a good, long chat with Tamás about all of this, and much more. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • How prioritizing people and culture can set you up for long-term success • Make people passionate about what they’re doing • Why scratching an idea itch is almost always a good idea Our Guest: Tamás Petrovics LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamas-petrovics/ Website: https://xund.ai/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Air travel is one of the cogs keeping businesses running, and that’s why it’s vital that airports run as smoothly as possible, and technology plays a crucial role in keeping things flowing. To learn more about how it all goes down and all the gears moving in the background, we talked to Maruice Jenkins, Director Information Systems and Telecommunications at Miami International Airport, who guided us through the works, his journey, and the complexity and intricacies of airports. Key Takeaways: • How responsibility helps people grow and develop • Why innovation in the air transport industry is ripe for the taking and could be a massive game changer • Casablanca (yes, the movie, it has some crucial points that tech leaders can learn from Our Guest: Maurice Jenkins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maurice-jenkins-iap-c-m-b0b99016/ Website: https://www.miami-airport.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

We live in the era of distractions, and truth be told, our attention spans have shrunk in the past few decades, so staying vigilant and focused while doing some things – such as driving, for example – is becoming a bit difficult. But of course, tech giveth, and now we have a way to ensure that our short attention span and weak focus are not a nuisance or a hazard in traffic. One such company is ‘dreyev’ and our TC Gill sat down with the company’s co-founder and CTO, Roberto Sicconi to learn more about the problem dreyev solves in the market, his own journey in the world of technology, and how he roles as a leader. Key Takeaways: - How bridging existing tech can help elevate tech-in-development - Why decisions have more profound impact if they’re quickly implemented - Why dreaming big is important when diving into innovation and technology Our Guest: Roberto Sicconi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertosicconi/ Website: https://www.dreyev.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

People often talk about how some industries will never get fully teched-up due to the “human element” and the limitations that come with technology, and they might be right – but they were wrong about insurance. Just take a look at Lemonade – an insurance company redefining what it means to be in the business. To learn more about how this company works, and the tech-dealings behind the scenes, we got Ori Erez, their Director of Engineering, who sat down with us to talk in depth about Lemonade, his own tech journey – from young age to present day, and dive deeper into the issues of the industry and how he roles as a leader! Key Takeaways: - How allowing your business to grow without drowning it into processes and structures can help your teams stay more creative and flexible - Why sometimes evidence works better than providing comfort - How hiring carefully can help you passively attract the talent you’re after Our Guest: Ori Erez LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orierez/ Website: https://www.lemonade.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Technology, and specifically IT technology has helped turn dreams that every human being has had at least once – to fly, to dive deep, to be able to reach other people – and now, at the forefront of it all, are people lie Alexander Oelling, CDO at Volocopter, who are at the forefront and pioneering in the world of UAM – Urban Air Mobility – in which vehicles like their Volocopter give us a glimpse into a future filled with flying cars, but allowing us to enjoy it in the here and now. Our TC Gill sat down with Alexander to talk about his tech journey, his leadership style, and his advice worth in gold for techies and aspiring tech leaders. Key takeaways: - How ensuring a product is ready is all about safety and security - Why creating teams the proper way will always deliver - How time is not a real obstacle when it comes to entering the world of technology and IT Our Guest: Alexander Oelling LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderoelling/ Website: https://www.volocopter.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexoelling Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Blockdaemon is all about blockchain nodes – the plumbing behind all blockchain operations. What was once a complex procedure to launch, is now a piece of cake. Businesses can now dip their toes in the world of blockchain, and Blockdaemon is here to empower them. TC sat down with Blockdaemon’s VP of Engineering, Lloyd Moore to talk about his journey in the tech world, his leadership style, and of course- more about Blockdaemon. Key Takeaways: • How creating a simpler blockchain infrastructure can help improve business usage • Why getting bigger is not about going slow - it’s about delegating • How trust is the one thing that underpins leadership and the decisions we make Our Guest: Lloyd Moore LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moorelloyd/ Website: https://blockdaemon.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/iolloyd?lang=en Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Sometimes tech leaders don’t have the technical expertise or knowledge as you’d expect, but they have the business acumen and understand technology, and do what all tech leaders should – be catalysts for other to succeed and enable them to be better, day in, day out. Michael Okwusogu, Founder and CEO at Value X Partners is one such tech leader. An investment banker by making, he’s been involved in technology from day one, and has only gone deeper ever since. He sat down with our TC Gill to talk leadership, what drives him, and spill the beans on his experience throughout the ages. Key takeaways: • How communication is all about comprehension, and not just exchange of information • Why bringing external partners onto projects needs to be justified and very clear • Why data should give you insights, rather than just indicators Our Guest: Michael Okwusogu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelokwusogu/ Website: https://valuexadvisory.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

In the world of tech, the things you can do for research, for development, for creation – are simply limitless. And Michele Nati, Head of Telco and Infrastructure Development at IOTA Foundation, is working on the things that are right up there with some of the most exciting tech, IoT and blockchain. Our TC Gill sat down with him for a chat to learn more about Michele’s journey, his leadership style, and what keeps him up at night. From his beginnings in the industry, all the way to how he leads his team now at IOTA, there was a lot to learn from Michele – a conversation we’re sure will blow your mind when you learn more about how he approaches everything. Key takeaways: • How flatness in company structure opens dialogue and enables alignment • The importance of “minimum viable ecosystems” • Why work-life balance is important for long-term success Our Guest: Michele Nati LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelenati/ Website: https://www.iota.org/

A software engineer by training, but a tech leader by making, Jayant Chaudhary, CTO at Eproxim, threaded a path that is as interesting and amazing as you’d expect from someone who first planned on studying literature and history. But he didn’t, and what the world of literature may have lost, the world of IT has gained. With more than 30 years of experience in the world of IT, there was loads that Jayant talked about when he sat down with our TC Gill - from his beginnings, through his current job, all the way to what has and hasn’t worked for him as a leader. Key Takeaways from the podcast: • How facing fears and putting them into perspective can get you performing at your best • Why transparency is a huge enabler • How focusing your work on helping people will pave your way to success Our Guest: Jayant Chaudhary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jchaudhary/ Website: https://eproxim.com/