Talking with Tech Leaders

Nick Lambert wants you to hold onto your own data. Right now, as CEO of Dock Labs AG , he’s harnessing the blockchain to create verifiable credentials – replacing the out-of-date and inaccurate records held by some third party (who are often more interested in making a profit than protecting your privacy).  And, in his previous role with MaidSafe, he worked on creating a decentralised data network...

Just as the digital revolution has changed the way we do our shopping, manage our money, and interact with each other (among other impacts), today’s tech has completely rewritten the rulebook for business. From internal communications and people management, to customer relations and product development, everything is touched by digital. Which all makes Digital Transformation one of those get-it-ri...

Gordon Weston is a geek. A highly successful and talented geek. A geek with an impressive track record of leadership in software engineering. A geek that we should all look up to. Above all, he's a geek that's proud to be a geek. And he says that, if you're a geek, then you should be proud to: "Get your geek badge out! Wear it with pride! This is what we do. This is what you lo...

Charting Chris Leckie’s career isn’t just a tour of the biggest names in Scotland’s business landscape – Amazon, FanDuel, WoodMac, to name a few. It's also the story of the rise of digital design itself. From his first steps after graduating, working as a web developer in Dundee’s burgeoning digital sector, to becoming a senior leader with the biggest brands in the country, it’s an impressive...

When the pandemic yanked millions from their offices, to work from their kitchen tables and spare rooms, it came with a whole new way of working. New habits, new tools. This was remote working. Or, at least, that’s what we thought.  Our guest for this episode of Talking with Tech Leaders, Gary Walker, has a different view: this was not true remote working, just lots of the usual office-based appro...

There’s not much about Project and Programme Management that Chris Green couldn’t tell you about. He’s delivered the kind of projects that transform businesses and (ultimately) save lives – leading programmes and portfolios with the likes of BAE and the NHS. Now, as the director of Pro PMs , he’s offering his expertise to a vast range of clients across all sorts of sectors.   In this episode of Ta...

For some of us, getting insight from data can seem like a dark art – like looking through tea leaves for prophesies that no one else can see. Not so for someone like Marta Portugal, Director of Data Science at Forth Point and guest for this episode of Talking with Tech Leaders. Chatting with host Michael Phair, Marta offers us a glimpse into the world of commercial Data Science, and into the caree...

When we launched the Talking with Tech Leaders podcast, Colin Clive is exactly the kind of guest we had in mind. From an early age, he’s been elbow-deep in computing – programming with display models in high-street shops with his friends and creating a system to tackle the massive admin burden of his paper round. Since then, he’s charted a career path from technology development to senior leadersh...

Adam Dallis has always been fascinated by computing. When most of us were playing video games, he was hacking high scores – so no matter how well his brother was doing, Adam always came out on top. Today, as Software Development Manager at Amazon, he’s putting that technical curiosity to good use on something a wee bit bigger than tetris.  We spend the tenth episode of Talking with Tech Leaders di...

Following on from our fascinating chat with Dave Kerr in episode 8, we’re talking to another of the founding members of Bridgeall (another of the three ‘titans’, as host Michael Phair dubs them) – Stephen Beer, Managing Director. As ever, you’ll hear all about Stephen’s own journey through the tech industry – from his undergraduate degree and PhD in Software Engineering, his work with Oracle and h...

When Dave Kerr finished his computer science degree and started off in his first job, it was a time before there was a computer on every desk. He’s spent a long time working in technology. Along the way, he’s led change in the public sector, navigated a deregulated energy sector and founded a SaaS business that brought innovation to libraries around the world.   As today’s host, Michael Phair, put...

Episode seven of Talking with Tech Leaders shows – yet again – that you don’t always need to take the most obvious route to leadership and expertise.  Laura Casci, Head of Delivery for Scotland at BJSS , didn’t leave school with a bundle of qualifications, and she didn’t wait for the honours year of her degree, either. Today, she’s a true leader of the tech sector in Scotland – and this episode is...

In this episode, we’re talking with Jenn Fenwick , a superstar of the executive coaching scene and the head of Rebel Road Coaching. She’s not just coached all sorts over the years, but she also climbed up the greasy pole herself – having reached the dizzying heights of Global Talent Director, before following her passion into supporting others. Chatting with Michael Phair, Jenn talks through her c...

In episode five of our Talking with Tech Leaders podcast, Michael Phair of Be-IT talks with globally renowned Agile coach, Scott Seivwright. A born storyteller, Scott takes us through some of the highlights of his career – from rubber factory to pre-internet banking to leading member of the Agile community, letting us in on some of the insights and lessons he’s learned along the way. They also dis...

To finish off Talking with Tech Leaders for 2020, we have a special Christmas treat for episode 4. Michael Phair has handed over the interviewer's mic (MS Teams account) to Be-IT Managing Director, Nikola Kelly. She's joined by Ben Stewart, Senior Engineering Manager at Skyscanner – someone tailor-made for this podcast. He's not just full of technical knowhow, but also has some real...

In the third episode of our Talking with Tech Leaders podcast, Michael Phair of Be-IT talks with seasoned technology leader, Andrew Doyle. Andrew has had a fascinating career to date – most recently serving as CTO of ARM.  He tells the story of how he got there, starting from university, through to his early steps in a consulting environment, what he learned from his time travelling and the experi...

In the second episode of our Talking with Tech Leaders podcast, Michael Phair of Be-IT talks with CEO of Sales Agility, Dale Murray Having taken over the Stirling-based software company in 2017 – at the impressively tender age of 27 – Dale has overseen some impressive growth for their flagship product, Suite CRM. Dubbed the world’s most popular open-source CRM, it has been downloaded more than a m...

To kick off our new Talking with Tech Leaders podcast, Michael Phair of Be-IT talks with lockdown phenomenon, Dan Reed. As well as Head of Platforms at Barclays, Dan is the founder of Career Dad – a father-focused podcast, blog and website offering advice and entertainment in equal measure.  Michael and Dan talk through the rise of Career Dad, Dan’s impressive career path and how working from home...