Welcome to today’s episode of the groCTO Originals podcast, where host Kovid Batra interviews James Charlesworth, Director of Engineering, Sheffield Site Lead at Pendo, to discuss the common conflict between product and engineering teams. James brings over 15 years of experience in engineering and leadership to share strategies for fostering empathy, collaboration, and effective communication. He emphasizes the importance of understanding each team's priorities, the impact of misalignment, and how impactful one-on-one interactions can build trust within teams.💡 Highlightsa) Getting Candid👨‍💻 James’ background and early passion for tech🎸 Exploring creative non-tech hobbiesb) Professional Journey🎓 A pivotal moment: Choosing the wrong degree🧭 Navigating life and discovering your nichec) Key Takeaways💟 Bridging the ‘Product vs Engineering’ gap with empathy👔 The role and influence of Engineering Managers🤝 How frequent 1-on-1s build trust within teams🌱 Practical tips for introverts in techLooking for top tech mentors like James who can help you take up your new tech leadership role with confidence or guide you with your next career move? Sign up with groCTO Connect for 1:1 mentorship from top CTOs & tech leaders.Accelerate your journey towards success🚀🎧 Full EpisodeThis episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

Vladislav Maličević, the CTO at Jedox, shares insights from his remarkable 20-year journey in tech, starting as one of the company’s first developers. He delves into the evolution of Jedox from an open-source planning tool to a cloud powerhouse, highlighting key strategic shifts. Vlado discusses the competitive landscape, featuring giants like IBM and SAP, and reveals the intricacies of the buy vs. build debate in tech. His reflections on balancing innovation with user adoption offer invaluable guidance for aspiring leaders.

Welcome to another episode of exploring tech leadership! Today, your host Kovid Batra welcomes Leonid Bugaev, Head of Engineering at Tyk.With 20 years in IT, mostly with startups, Leo brings a fresh perspective on entrepreneurship and leadership. He’ll share his insights on navigating economic downturns, building strong engineering teams, and keeping motivation high in tough times. Leo’s focus on transparent communication and strategic priorities offers valuable guidance for thriving in any economic climate.💡 Highlightsa) Getting Candid👨🏻‍💻 Leonid’s introduction✨ Personal life & hobbiesb) Professional Journey🚀 Starting a business at 17 & working with startups💰 Side hustles & monetizationc) Key Takeaways📈 Understanding the patterns of economic downturns👩‍💻 How to build business context for Engineering teams✅ Avoiding chaos & maintaining motivation🎯 Leo’s strategic priorities during a recession💬 Building trust with transparent communicationLooking for top tech mentors like Leonid who can help you take up your new tech leadership role with confidence or guide you with your next career move? Sign up with groCTO Connect for 1:1 mentorship from top CTOs & tech leaders.Accelerate your journey towards success🚀🎧 Full EpisodeThis episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

Sergio Visinoni, a visionary Fractional CTO and Tech Advisor, discusses his intriguing journey from Software Engineer to solopreneur. He reshapes Maslow’s hierarchy for tech teams, arguing that stability and quality are essential before chasing innovation. Highlights include the power of data-driven decision-making, tailored strategies for team performance, and addressing challenges of change resistance. Sergio also shares insights on balancing life and career, along with the importance of clear communication to boost organizational performance.

Peter Peret Lupo, Head of Software Engineering at Sibli, brings over a decade of experience to the conversation. He discusses the significant impact of engineering metrics on organizational culture and delves into DORA metrics and their limitations. Peter emphasizes the importance of code collaboration and shares insights on tackling technical debt with objective metrics. He also explores the challenges of implementing metrics in teams, advocating for a collaborative approach that transforms data into tools for continuous improvement.

Ben Parisot, Software Engineering Manager at Planet Argon, brings over a decade of experience to the conversation. He dives into the DORA and SPACE frameworks, shedding light on how they boost engineering performance and team morale. Ben emphasizes the crucial link between team satisfaction and productivity. He also tackles challenges in measuring metrics, especially within legacy codebases, and shares strategies to enhance code quality through effective collaboration. His insights make for a compelling discussion about advancing engineering efficiency.

Welcome to today's episode of the podcast! Your host, Kovid Batra, sits down with Leigh Rathbone, Head of Quality Engineering at CAVU, with past contributions to various reputable organisations like Sony Ericsson & The Very Group.Leigh has been at the forefront of tech innovation, from developing the first touchscreen smartphone and smartwatch to working with AR, VR, and AI tech. In this episode, he shares his insights on the evolution of software testing and automation. Tune in to hear his thoughts on balancing human effort and AI in the tech world.💡 Highlightsa) Getting Candid👨🏻‍💻 Leigh’s introduction✨ Life-defining moment in Leigh’s careerb) Professional Journey📱 Building the first touchscreen smartphone & smartwatch at Sony Ericsson🚀 The beginning of automation with WinRunnerc) Key Takeaways📈 The evolution of software testing & growing trends🤖 How to effectively utilize AI in testing✅ Continuous upskilling & team collaboration techniques🎮 Hands-on testing approach to AR, VR & 3D gaming🙋‍♀️ The unique value of humans in testingLooking for top tech mentors like Leigh who can help you take up your new tech leadership role with confidence or guide you with your next career move? Sign up with groCTO Connect for 1:1 mentorship from top CTOs & tech leaders.Accelerate your journey towards success🚀🎧 Full EpisodeThis episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

Paul Lewis, seasoned tech leader, shares insights on team building from scratch & innovation alignment in tech teams. Discusses collaboration, hiring strategies, tech innovation, & communication in growing teams leading to success.

In this episode, host Kovid Batra is joined by Jacob Singh, CTO in Residence at Alpha Wave Global. Jacob's impressive career spans over two decades, during which he has held pivotal CTO and Director roles at renowned startups and organizations such as Blinkit, Sequoia Capital, and Acquia. Being a coder & a manager, Jacob understands the challenges faced by both developers & tech leaders and so, we’re super excited to bring to you his extensive knowledge of improving developer experience through this podcast.💡 Highlightsa) Getting Candid👨🏻‍💻 Jacob’s background & upbringing🇮🇳 Moving to India & career breakb) Professional Journey💼 Working in the US & later in India at Grofers (now ‘Blinkit’)🚀 Defining ‘Developer Experience’ & why it’s trendingc) Key Takeaways💻 What separates the tech cultures in India & the West?💟 Creating good DevEx for Gen Z & younger generations✅ Advice for leaders in misaligned organizations📈 How Grofers improved their developer experience🤖 Jacob on PRs, code reviews & utilizing AI tools for developmentLooking for top tech mentors like Jacob who can help you take up your new tech leadership role with confidence or guide you with your next career move? Sign up with groCTO Connect for 1:1 mentorship from top CTOs & tech leaders.Accelerate your journey towards success🚀🎧 Full EpisodeThis episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com

In this episode, host Kovid Batra welcomes Roman Kuba, VP of Engineering at a tech-based startup Tset. Roman brings a wealth of experience from his leadership roles at renowned organizations including GitLab, Cloudbees, and CodeSandbox.Roman explores the intricate dynamics of scaling a startup with a people-first approach, balancing effort & value delivery and overcoming challenges along the way by learning from one’s mistakes.💡 Highlightsa) Getting Candid🏆 Roman’s life-defining moments🇦🇹 Moving from Australia to Austriab) Professional Journey💼 Roman’s role & responsibilities at Tset🚀 The importance of a people-first approachc) Key Takeaways💪 Aligning & keeping young developers motivated🔍 Navigating the Zero-to-One journey⚖️ Balancing effort & value delivery at startups👨‍🏫 Advice for developers & aspiring engineering leaders🎧 Full EpisodeThis episode is also available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & more.Thanks for listening to the podcast. That’s it for today 👋1) Subscribe to groCTO — If you aren’t already, consider becoming a groCTO subscriber.2) Share amongst fellow Engineering Leaders and CTOs! Your referral empowers & builds our groCTO community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grocto.substack.com