CTO Confessions Brought to you by IT Labs

We’ve all seen techies turn into tech leaders, but professional sports players? Now, there’s a story right there, and Andrew Gomarsall, Executive Chairman at N2S, is here to tell it. From making his first steps on the rugby fields, all the way to what he does now, Andrew’s story as a pro athlete turned eco warrior is one that will show athletes and aspiring techies that there’s always a way, and that when it comes to leadership, business and sports have a lot in common! Key takeaways from the podcast are: • New problems can be solved with existing solutions, one just has to look; • Why are circular economies the future • Threading the path less taken is all about values, character, and doing it the right way Our Guest: Andrew Gomarsall LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewgomarsall/ Website: https://n2s.co.uk

Tech leaders are not just people who know how to lead. They’re people with an affinity for technology who enjoy helping others reach their goals, guiding them through projects and through their own professional journeys. And one such leader is Eric Harrison, Director of Engineering at Marketplacer, who sat down with our TC Gill to talk about his journey to becoming a tech leader, his leadership techniques, how well-being plays a role in success, and what can be done about it. Key Takeaways: • How the sense of belonging in teams can spur them to perform better • Why the concepts and procedures that you put in place are only important if they work for your team • How breaking down concepts and projects in smaller bits can help better delivery and better performance Our Guest: Eric Harrison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubyeric/ Website: https://marketplacer.com/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

The second story in our Amazonian Tribe series is here! For this one, we have Kristin Toth, currently the President & COO at Fernish. But we’re here now to talk about her close to 8 years with Amazon, during which time she had a hand in delivering some of the flagship services which have made the company what it is today. From joining the company in its formative years, all the way to its meteoric rise, the insight Kristin has in the how’s and why’s of Amazon are pure gold! Key takeaways: • How to be an organizational “athlete” and make things happen • Why measuring success is important, and can spur you to do better • How going back to your own type of drawing board can help you recalibrate, and refocus Our Guest: Kristin Toth Smith LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristintoth/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ktothsmith Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Some leaders are great at enabling change and providing a platform for others to grow, and of course, there are those that can see change, anticipate it, and help others integrate and adapt. Henrik Hvid Jensen belongs in this latter group. As the CTO of DXC Technology, he’s leading teams that provide services for companies, mainly modernizing them in ways that help them prepare for the future, but also retain what has worked for them best. Henrik believes that a global shared digital backbone for the circular economy ecosystem is a prerequisite for an efficient global circular economy and therefore for reaching the climate goals on time. For more info about his journey, invaluable leadership advice and his thoughts on new technologies such as blockchain, all you have to do is click play.  Key Takeaways: • How making your business highly integratable with the business ecosystem can set you up for long term success • Why blockchain might not be the future as some claim • How digitization of circular economies pave the way for the future Our Guest: Henrik Jensen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrikhvid/ Website: https://dxc.com/us/en Twitter: https://twitter.com/henrikhvid Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

Tech leaders are life-long learners, and as such, they have their fair share of experience accrued through good, but also many bad experiences. In the crazy world of tech, burning out is not uncommon, but more often than not, it can be a lesson – which once learned, can help you become a real driving force, a leader. One such leader is Brian Leonard, CEO at Grouparoo, who sat down with us to share his journey in the tech world, what he does now, and spill some advice on leadership and teams that will definitely be worth its weight in gold. Key takeaways: • Why creating teams is like creating a functioning marriage between strategy, vision, and direction • The reverse ETL – how collecting data and using it to create concepts can help growth • How focus on I/we/it is important, and while the ‘it’ seems the more important, the I and we actually define it Our Guest: Brian Leonard LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianl429/ Website: https://www.grouparoo.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bleonard Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

We usually see techies turn into tech leaders by first earning their badges, and then moving on to create something of their own, but not many separate from the mothership as a company, and take that giant leap into leading. But for Matthew Bull, CTO at Elanco, did it and not only did he suceed, he managed to grow the company, and all of that in the space of two years! From having a clear vision on what needs to be done, all the way to ensuring teams are aligned, Matt’s path to becoming a tech leader, and his story with Elanco, will captivate you. Key takeaways: • How to set your business for success while digitally transforming • Why divesting/acquisition can be a blessing in disguise in terms of technology and organization • How start-up culture helps businesses grow and deliver by energizing everyone in a company Our Guest: Matt Bull LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mswbull/ Website: https://www.elanco.com/en-us Twitter: https://twitter.com/mswbull Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

One would think that innovation in traveling is all about speed, right? Just getting to your destination faster. But the truth is, there is much more in terms of technology of what’s going on in this industry, and we have the bright mind of Amy Burr, President at JetBlue Technology Ventures, to shine some light on what it means to work in this industry, what her journey has been like, and some kick-ass leadership advice on what works and what doesn’t. Key takeaways from the podcast are: • The mindset of the leader – how it infuses into the organization, and can be crucial for success • Always provide a suggestion to a problem when you’re going to someone • Women leaders have it harder, and they need to keep pushing with questions and requests as they do, as the landscape is already changing Our Guest: Amy Burr LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amydanielsburr/ Website: https://www.jetblueventures.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amydanielsburr Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

One might think that the world of finance is no place for techies and tech leaders, but let’s be honest here – tech mavericks have a way of developing tech that can take almost any industry to the next level. And here, we have Chris Goddard, CTO & Partner at G-Research, who’ll dive deep into the comings and goings in the world of algorithmic trading, and how tech can help take it to the next level. From his beginnings, all the way to where he is now, Chris’ story is one we’re sure will captivate you through and through. Key takeaways: • How internal trade shows help spread work evenly, and ensure on-time completion • That technology is hard, and ever changing - to learn to accept that and be happy to learn from your past mis-steps • How diversity in companies can help spread knowledge and educate teams about what others are doing in a growing company Our Guest: Chris Goddard LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-goddard-8473bb102/ Website: https://www.gresearch.co.uk/ Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

At IT Labs, we like to see under the covers of industries outside the one we're in. In this episode, we have a real eye-opener – a glimpse into an industry we are all faced with (literally) but rarely know the technological shenanigans and magic that goes on in the background. Dan Goldin, the VP of Engineering at TripleLift, shares his leadership wisdom and the challenges that TripleLift is helping solve in the world of marketing. The key takeaways from the podcast are: • The marketing space is bursting with innovation. Some advertising channels shrink or get squeezed, other ones open and expand, a healthy process in which evolution stems from ever-increasing competition and implementation of new ideas • Getting a handle on the imposter syndrome. That little gremlin that we all have. Don't let it stop you from aspiring to be what you would like to grow into (in this case, a leader in tech). Stay creative, resourceful, and always be the rock-star that's going to make it. • The crucial difference between being techy and tech leadership, and how to stay on course when transitioning from the former to the latter. It requires you to let go of some of those hard-earned skills and replacing them with new ones that'll help you grow into a leader who inspires people. Especially resisting going back to what you feel comfortable doing. Stay in the leadership space to prevent leaving a void there rather than keeping yourself busy doing what can easily be delegated to others. Our Guest: Dan Goldin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangoldin/ Dan Goldin: https://dangoldin.com/ TripleLift - Programmatic Advertising Platform Reinvented: https://triplelift.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/dangoldin Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)

The ways technology can be used are many, and most of the solutions help in the here and now, and make our lives simpler, and basically giving us the world in our hand. But can tech be used for prediction? Can we anticipate disruptions in markets? We have Philippe Ensarguet, Group CTO at Orange Business Services, who sat down with us to share his journey so far, what he’s doing right now, and lay out his wisdom on leading teams! Key takeaways: -You can’t buy a revolution, but you can buy the evolutionary changes that come with it -How to achieve transparency by neutralizing information -How meshing between teams and specialists in companies can life the company to the next level Our Guest: Philippe Ensarguet LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippeensarguet/ Website: https://www.orange-business.com/en Twitter: https://twitter.com/p_ensarguet Intro and background music: Craig MacArthur - Power Shutoff (www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iB_jtauw)