GCS Leaders Series

Andy Grzess , Chief Technology Officer at Smarttech247 , is our guest for this week! We discuss with Andy the process of building a team based on innovation and ideas, his personal experience as a leader, not following stereotypes when hiring, and using cybersecurity as an enabler. Andy is an experienced CTO with a passion for cybersecurity. In his role at Smarttech247, Andy leads the delivery of...

We have Neil Redmond , Director of Cybersecurity in PwC , on the show this week! He speaks with David about the increasing importance of security as a business enabler, the changing face of cybersecurity in our mobile world, and creating a leadership team based on trust and expertise. He also shares some advice for CEOs about listening to your CISO and CRO and predicts cybersecurity skills will li...

This week, we got to sit down with Mike Burke , Managing Director of BOE Varitronix European Operations. Mike and David discuss how communication is the most important thing for a leader, running a global sales team, the macro economics of the electronics industry, and innovative technology pushing forward devices. They also talk about how to remain positive in challenging times - which can be dif...

In today's episode, David sits down with Head of Development at doctari , Claus Höfele !  Claus shares his experience of developing in a high speed, agile way while working in a highly regulated environment, making the transition from programmer to leader, the attractions of working in Berlin and the medtech industry, and producing a product with purpose. They also cover the innovative tech i...

We have Ewen Mcpherson on our Leaders Series this week! As Senior Director of Application Development at Discover Financial Services , he speaks with David about running a large global team, building a development team that is passionate and diverse, the future of mobile payments, and financial technology. Ewen has responsibilities for all application development and architecture for Discover Fina...

We've got a special episode this week with two guests on the show from Arabesque! We invite Yasin Rosowsky , co-CEO, and Gemma Chambers , Head of Operations to the Leaders Series where they discuss with David the tech stack used to build an AI product, how AI can promote sustainability in the world of investment, and what it was like leading a software team during a product launch in a remote envi...

For our episode 7 this week, we welcome Ross Humphrey , Tech Lead at Validus Risk Management , to the show! Ross discusses with David his experience joining a new team as a leader during lockdown, implementing new processes into a remote team, and the importance of strategy and vision in successful software development. They also talk about the differences between large corporate culture and worki...

We welcome Deb Aspinall , Interim Consultant with BBC Studios Ltd., to Episode 6 of the Leaders Series! She discusses the main hiring challenges of the last year, guidance for those struggling to connect with their teams remotely and build engagement, and the staff attraction and retention landscape post-COVID. Deb has worked as an HR Generalist and Resourcing Leader across Tech, Media and Enterta...

David speaks with Norah Cullen , Senior Solution Engineering Manager at Salesforce, about driving people-based solutions, making sure you are present as a leader with remote teams, delivering solutions to customers who need to adapt quickly, and ensuring that diversity is also inclusive and is led from the top in a natural way. They also touch on the importance of data insights and collaboration t...

Ash Gawthorp, Co-founder of Ten10, discusses the strategy behind creating an academy business, the disconnect between computer science and the computing requirements in business, using the academy model to build diversity in the workplace, and training in a virtual environment. Ash is one of the co-founders of Ten10 and has been with the business since 2008.  He has 23 years experience across...

David speaks to Mary McCormick , Senior Director of Sales at NetSuite Oracle, about the importance of passion as a sales leader, mastering different communication types in the post-COVID world, how 2020 was the year of connection, and how 2021 may be the year where we need to disconnect to prevent burnout. Mary McCormick, Senior Director of Sales at NetSuite Oracle, has a focus on rebuilding sales...

Matt Dorian and David talk about the mindset of a quality engineer and the importance of curiosity, the changing face of quality and automation, starting a new role in a virtual world, and using innovative technology to improve product quality. Matt is a leader in software engineering quality assurance, currently Director of Quality Engineering at Elsevier. Matt focuses on promoting best practice...

We're kicking off our season 2 with Dave Fenton , VP of Services at Ancoris, a Google Cloud services supplier. David sits down with Dave to talk about working in disruptive industries and future proofing your business, developing graduate communities within your business to keep your business fresh and competitive, and reacting quickly to business opportunities. The two Dave's also discuss the Goo...

For our final episode of Season 1, David sits down with Peter Heath to discuss the resilience of the IT channel during economic upheaval, the changing role of a leader in a growing company, and the importance of focussing on the customer in a technology-based role. They also speak about how working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial culture can create excitement in a role. A senior executive with ov...

We're excited to bring on Jason Briggs , Executive Director of RDK , to the Leaders Series this week. David and Jason discuss the definition of RDK as a technology and how collaborative innovation is changing the worlds of telecoms, wifi, and broadcast. They also talk about the experience of leading an open-source community during COVID, building product in a careful incremental way with a focus o...

This week, David catches up with Martin Smale , the former CIO of Synamedia , about the changing role of CIO over the last few decades and the importance of IT and digital for modern business strategies. They also discuss creating a relaxed open culture in your teams and delivering what is necessary for a business... at minimum, a viable product. Martin has over 30 years’ experience of managing la...

It was a pleasure to have Joseph Blass on Episode 16. He is the CEO of Ezekia and Not Actively Looking , and is a leading innovator in the recruitment world. Joseph and David have a conversation about the importance of customer satisfaction, creating a strong team where everyone feels passionately about the product, and having an innovative mindset where you lead the market and compete with yourse...

David sits down with Susan Maddison , Senior Manager at Discover Financial Services and talks about using psychology in leadership, developing automation to drive creativity and productivity in technology, and improving diversity in tech. They also discuss running global teams remotely and the importance of reacting quickly to challenges in business. Susan has 20 years of adventures in IT and curr...

Denise Magrath , a Senior Transformation and Change Manager, speaks about dealing with challenging transformation programmes, creating hybrid solutions for customers in a post-COVID world, and the improvement in diversity and equality in IT and the long road ahead before reaching a truly equal and inclusive environment. She also discusses with David the challenges of job searching in the present t...

Dragomir Kovacevic, Founder of JPyramid, talks about the pace of innovation during lockdown, building secure and cost-effective data structures, developing complex solutions remotely, and Quantum technology and the advantages it brings for business. JPyramid is working with leading Retailers and Engineering Companies to transform their customer experience through the use of Artificial Intelligence...

We welcome Hannah Smith , Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist at Vitech Systems Group to the series. David and Hannah speak about the changing face of talent in the post-Covid world, using these opportunities to create more diverse workforces, developing and delivering successful Talent and staffing projects, and the importance of the onboarding process. Hannah is a Sr. Recruiter, managing a vari...

We have Jack Godau from VRR Consulting UG (haftungsbeschränkt) discussing consulting in a remote environment, a digital evolution rather than transformation, going digital in the public sector, and GDPR and trust in the digital world. Jack talks about the upturn we'll see in digital projects in the fall as many companies had put them on hold during the peak of the pandemic. But the need for compan...

Karl Harris from Westcoast Limited joins us on this episode to talk about developing a high performing team, working within a highly adaptable workplace, the importance of cybersecurity in keeping a business safe, and opportunities for businesses as lockdown eases. Karl is responsible for driving forward efficiencies and operational excellence within the group from an IT perspective. In his role o...

We had the pleasure of having Michael Garcia join us from Enable Technology . David talks to him about creating an outcome-driven business, the battle for cloud superiority, and the growing influence of MSteams, the latter of which he mentions in the clip below. By utilizing these platforms to its fullest potential, he says, you can get the most value from your investment. Michael has spent his en...

Connor Heaney joins David on episode 8 of our Leaders Series! They discuss how important it was to create a workforce management strategy for remote teams at CXC Global , even before the pandemic. He speaks about his own experience delegating and creating an international leadership team and explains how they have built a new platform that streamlines onboarding processes across different location...