Software People Stories

In this episode, Hasan Siddiqui, a veteran in the IT industry, recounts his extensive and diverse career in the software and technology industry, offering valuable insights and advice along the way.  He starts with his academic beginnings, influenced by the late Professor V Rajaraman, and traces his journey through various pivotal roles at companies like Burroughs, Unisys, and TCS. He discusses hi...

My guest today is Ravikiran Pothukuchi, the leader of Dassault Systèmes’ Enterprise Portfolio business in India. In this conversation, Ravi shares his journey from his humble beginnings in a small village in India to becoming a key player in Dassault Systems' business landscape. Ravi dives deep into his upbringing, education, and multiple career transitions that shaped his professional life. Key h...

In this episode of the Software People Stories, my guest Ben Wilcox is the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at ProArch.  Ben shares his fascinating journey from building a web hosting business as a teenager to his current role as CTO and CISO at ProArch. Ben discusses the evolution of his career, his involvement in various projects, and the ever-changing landscape of...

In this episode of Software People Stories, Shiv is in conversation with Yaron Schneider, co-founder of Diagrid and a seasoned developer and entrepreneur deeply involved in the open source movement. Yaron shares his origin story, starting from programming at age 11 to his current role as co-founder of Diagrid. He discusses his early foray into university education, experience in the military, and...

Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Madhavan Jagannathan (Maddy) , Instrument and Control Engineer by training, software technologist by experience, and financial explorer at heart. With over two decades of experience across HCL, Adobe, EMC, Dell, and VMware, Maddy brings together deep tech, systems thinking, and a passion for financial markets. Gayatri introduces Maddy, highlighting 17 y...

Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Rupam Tandon,  Financial Executive with 30 years of experience across banking, asset management, and insurance. She’s also a certified Independent Director (IoD), ESG specialist, and startup mentor. She talks about her journey starting in a small town to traveling the globe and literally spreading her wings. Gayatri Kalyanaraman, Host for Software Peopl...

In this episode, Shiv is in conversation with Mike Maynard, the Managing Director/CEO of the Napier Group, a PR firm. Mike shares his unconventional career journey from electronics engineering to marketing and recounts his initial interest in mathematics and eventual pivot to electronics engineering, sparked by a school project.  Despite enjoying engineering, he realized his strengths lay in expla...

In this episode, Shiv is in conversation with Prasad Chodavarapu, Co-Founder & Managing Director at Aganitha.ai In this conversation, Prasad, a tech veteran turned bio-pharma enthusiast, discusses his unique career trajectory from software development to founding a startup in the life sciences space. Prasad shares his journey, starting from his early days in tech during the nascent stages of the i...

In this special episode celebrating seven years of the 'Software People Stories podcast, hosts Anita Shiva, Shiv, Gayatri, and Chitra reflect on their journey. They discuss the origins, challenges, milestones, and personal experiences of managing the podcast, offering insights into what kept them motivated. The conversation also touches on the evolution of the podcast, notable guests, and some...

In this special episode of 'Software People Stories,' , our guest is Dr. Krishna Prasad, known more popularly as KP from the 'Full Stack Leadership Cast.' KP shares his journey into podcasting, inspired by the host's longstanding podcast. They discuss the concept of full stack leadership, emphasizing a holistic approach to leadership that impacts business, influences people, and focuses on self-de...

In this episode, Shiv is in conversation with Naresh Choudhary, Senior Vice President, Quality & Productivity, Infosys Ltd. Naresh shares his career journey starting from humble beginnings in Mumbai, studying engineering at VJTI, working at Arvind Mills, and eventually contributing to Infosys for 25 years. The discussion covers his transition from manufacturing to IT, the influence of mentors, var...

In this episode, Shiv is in conversation with George Mundassery, former SVP and Global head, AI and Automation with Tech Mahindra. George shares his extensive journey in the IT industry, starting from his early days with Tatas in power systems to his role in automation and AI implementation. George recounts his experiences working with various technologies, including mainframes, real-time systems,...

My guest today is Michael Ferranti, VP of Marketing at Unleash. In this conversation Michael recounts his journey from the banking sector to the tech world starting during the 2008 financial crisis.  He explains how the launch of Amazon's cloud services led him to join Rackspace, a leading hosting provider at the time.  Michael emphasizes the importance of culture in a company’s success and delves...

Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Sunil David, Digital Technology Consultant |Ex-Regional Director(IOT)- AT&T  we discuss What does it take to evolve from installing multiplexers in the 90s to becoming one of India’s most respected IoT evangelists and startup mentors? In this episode, Sunil David shares his three-decade journey across telecom, IoT, and digital transformation.  Early Car...

In this episode Shiv is in conversation with Jason Casey, CEO and co-founder of Beyond Identity. Jason talks about his early fascination with technology, his career trajectory, and how he entered cybersecurity. He describes Beyond Identity's mission to eliminate passwords and improve identity verification. Jason shares insights on staying ahead in cybersecurity, touching on topics like AI, supply...

In this interesting conversation with Eric Müller, Product Engineering Associate Director at Work & Co, part of Accenture Song, he shares many nuggets including: - The importance of balancing perfect architecture with practical, implementable solutions. - Acknowledging and managing technical debt efficiently. - Understanding business needs to prevent over-engineering. - Creating high-performing te...

My guest today is Steven Puri, founder of the Sukha, that offers solutions to help individuals increase their productivity through being in a flow state. Steven was a senior executive at DreamWorks Pictures and 20th Century Fox, who has successfully transitioned into the tech industry. He shares his career journey, from producing computer graphics for movies like 'Independence Day' to his ventures...

In this episode of Software People Stories , Gayatri Kalyanaraman speaks with Shikha Munjal , Associate Director Fidelity International, about her dynamic journey across technology, finance, people management and community building. Shikha Munjal’s story begins in a small town in Haryana , where she pursued computer science engineering —a choice influenced by her father’s vision rather than her ow...

My guest today is Harish Chandramowli, Co-founder & CTO of Flair software. In this conversation, Harish talks about his journey from his early university days in India at Amrita University to leading roles in major companies like Bloomberg and MongoDB. He articulates his shift to a niche field combining software engineering with security, his experience at Johns Hopkins University, and his eventua...

In this episode of Software People Stories , Gayatri Kalyanaraman speaks with Dr. G Uma , Professor in the Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering and Dean of Institutional Development & Alumni Relations at NIT Trichy. An alumna herself, Dr. Uma reflects on her 27-year journey in academia, her pioneering work in MEMS technology, and her deep commitment to guiding future engineers. Fr...

My guests today are Cultural engineer-anthropologist Allen Batteau, Ph. D. and design anthropologist Christine Z. Miller, Ph. D., co-authors of the book:  Tools, Totems, and Totalities: The Modern Construction of Hegemonic Technology Christine Miller is a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and Allen, a retired professor from Wayne State University. They share details of their int...

My guest today is S Parthasarathy, better known as Spart who is the founder at CuedIn Technologies. In this episode, Spart shares his extensive journey in the software engineering field.  Spart's story begins with his initial projects in COBOL programming at Tata Burroughs and the World Bank, working on critical systems in retail, logistics, and financial sectors.  He recounts his impactful stint...

My guest today is Galvin Widjaja, founder and CEO of Lauretta.io …. In this episode he talks about: Origin story : Galvin Widjaja shares his origin story, including his background and how he got associated with the AI industry . Entrepreneurial Journey : Galvin discusses his transition from a quant finance background to becoming an entrepreneur in the AI space . AI and Computer Vision : Insights i...

I am in conversation with Tom Elliott, founder of Ocuroot and former Engineering Productivity lead at Yext,  Introduction: Tom Elliott shares his career journey, starting from his early interest in computers to his current role in Dev tooling . Career Insights: Tom discusses the challenges of entering the industry during the financial crash and his transition from contract work to a full-time role...

My guest today is Thanos Diacakis, Software Delivery Coach & a Fractional CTO. We covered a wide range of topics that included: Insightful Experiences : Thanos shared many insightful and thought-provoking experiences and perspectives, particularly on software delivery life cycle improvements without explicitly using terms like Kanban  Balancing Work and Personal Life : Thanos emphasized the import...