Tech Beyond Gender Talks

What happens when a learning designer with no coding background decides to build AI-powered solutions that put people first? In this episode of Tech Beyond Gender, Meena Satishkumar sits down with Lian Passmore — founder, ethical AI builder, researcher, self-taught developer, and mother of five — to explore her remarkable journey into technology. In just two years, Lian transitioned from organisat...

What does it really mean to be a mentor? In this episode of Tech Beyond Gender, Meena Satishkumar sits down with Sid Kumar to explore the art, craft, and joy of mentoring beyond buzzwords and frameworks. With over 25 years of experience across technology, finance, and leadership, Sid shares a refreshing and deeply human perspective on mentorship. In this conversation, we explore:- - Why mentoring...

International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world every year — but what actually changes once the events are over? In this special Tech Beyond Gender panel conversation, host Meena Satishkumar is joined by returning podcast guests Camy Bhandari, Noor-Un-Nissa Syed, and Amanda Watson to explore the reality behind diversity conversations in the workplace. Together, they discuss the gap betwee...

In this episode of Tech Beyond Gender , Meena Satishkumar sits down with John Bessey to explore what success really looks like beyond titles, beyond linear career paths, and beyond the highlight reel. In this honest and deeply reflective conversation, we explore: The reality of starting from scratch and building a career without a clear path The role of resilience, mindset, and inner work in shapi...

In this episode of Tech Beyond Gender , Meena Satishkumar sits down with Jeevan James , a strategic technology leader with over 20 years of experience across banking, insurance, and FinTech. Together, they explore how software engineering has evolved from small, agile teams and generalist roles to highly specialised functions and why the industry may now be coming full circle in an AI-driven world...

In this powerful episode of the Tech Beyond Gender Podcast, Meena Satishkumar is joined by John Bessey, Katy Sweetman, and Noor Syed for a deeply insightful conversation on leadership, focus, and creating meaningful impact. At a time when professionals are stretched thin, juggling priorities and navigating invisible workloads, this conversation explores a powerful idea:Leadership is not about doin...

In this episode of Tech Beyond Gender, Meena Satishkumar is joined by Enneagram specialist Yuliya Schamrel for a powerful conversation on self-awareness, limiting beliefs, and the patterns that quietly shape our lives. The Enneagram is a framework that describes nine different ways we think, feel and act, helping us understand the deeper motivations behind our behaviour. More than a personality to...

In this episode of the Tech Beyond Gender Podcast, host Meena Satishkumar is joined by co-host Pip Klenner for a thoughtful and engaging conversation with Helen Cuddy, Engineering Manager at Unleash (part of the Access Group).Helen shares her journey from studying engineering as one of the few women in her class to leading engineering teams in the technology industry today. The discussion explores...

International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world every year — but what actually changes once the events are over? In this special Tech Beyond Gender panel conversation, host Meena Satishkumar is joined by returning podcast guests Camy Bhandari, Noor-Un-Nissa Syed, and Amanda Watson to explore the reality behind diversity conversations in the workplace. Together, they discuss the gap betwee...

In this episode of the Tech Beyond Gender podcast, Meena Satishkumar speaks with Amanda Watson from Tech Women New Zealand about the evolving reality of women in the tech industry. Amanda shares insights from nearly 25 years in IT, highlighting the progress made and the challenges that still remain for women navigating technical careers, leadership pathways, and workplace bias. The conversation ex...

In this episode of Tech Beyond Gender, host Meena Satishkumar speaks with Victoria Vaughan, a global tech leader who has shaped some of the most influential narratives in the crypto and technology space. Born and educated in Russia, Victoria began her journey in a deeply technical environment before stepping into leadership roles at an unusually young age. At just 24, she became the CEO of Cointel...

In this final episode of the Tech Beyond Gender podcast for 2025, host Meena Satishkumar speaks with Chetna Chaudhari, Delivery Manager for Data & Analytics at Fidelity Life, about her journey from growing up in a small village in India to building a successful technology career across two very different countries. Listen to Chetna's inspiring and heart warming story of her journey and rea...

In this inspiring episode of the Tech Beyond Gender Podcast, Meena Satish Kumar sits down with Julia Bower — Co-Founder & CTO of Fractional Directory — to unpack her remarkable journey from failing high-school computer studies to leading one of APAC’s fastest-growing fractional talent platforms. Whether you’re a woman in tech, an aspiring founder, a parent navigating career transitions, or som...

What happens when quantum computing, brain-like AI, and neurobiology come together? In this episode of Tech Beyond Gender, host Meena Satishkumar sits down with two extraordinary women:Dr. Helena Bahrami, AI & Machine Learning Lead Expert pioneering quantum-inspired models for neurodegenerative diseases, and Noor Syed, CTO for Health at Microsoft New Zealand. Together, they take us on a journe...

In this inspiring episode of Tech Beyond Gender , host Meena Satishkumar sits down with Andrea Bald , a trailblazer whose tech career began by chance in 1985 and evolved alongside the telecom industry’s biggest transformations—from analog to digital, copper to fibre, and now cloud and 5G. Andrea reflects on her accidental start as an engineering draftswoman at New Zealand Post Office, her rise to...

After facing unimaginable loss, Priya Mathur rebuilt her life and career with courage and conviction. From starting as a young data engineer in India to becoming the Head of Enterprise Data at Fidelity Life in New Zealand, Priya’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and leadership grounded in empathy. In this inspiring conversation with host Meena Satishkumar , Priya opens up about: Navigatin...

In this special episode of Tech Beyond Gender , host Meena Satishkumar is joined by Noor Syed and Rob Lonie from Microsoft, and Diksha Sandhu from the University of Auckland, for a powerful cross-generational conversation on gender equity in technology. Together they explore what it really means to move from diversity to true inclusion , the unseen barriers women face from school to senior leaders...

In this episode of Tech Beyond Gender , host Meena Satishkumar sits down with Wendy Stevenson-Vrame, Engineering Manager at Trade Me, whose career journey spans fashion design, recruitment on Wall Street, and leading tech teams in New Zealand and the U.S. Wendy shares her inspiring story of adaptability and growth, from winning the U.S. green card lottery to navigating the dot-com boom in San Fran...

In this episode of Tech Beyond Gender , Meena Satishkumar sits down with Ambica Dixit , Principal Partner for Data, AI, and Robotics at VedArc. With a career spanning India, the US, and New Zealand, Ambika shares her inspiring journey from childhood curiosity in STEM to leading data-led transformation and intelligent automation. She opens up about: Breaking into IT during the outsourcing boom of t...

In this milestone 50th episode of Tech Beyond Gender , host Meena Satishkumar sits down with Ankita Dhakar , co-founder of Capture the Bug —a community-powered cybersecurity platform redefining penetration testing for modern digital teams. Ankita shares her inspiring journey from growing up in Jaipur, India, to moving to New Zealand as an international student, and ultimately becoming an “accident...

Vicky Twomey-Lee, EuroPython Fellow and founder of PyLadies Dublin, joins host Meena Satishkumar to reflect on nearly two decades of shaping inclusive tech communities. From growing up in Ireland and discovering her love for technology, to building safe spaces for women and underrepresented groups, Vicky shares candid insights on representation in tech, navigating burnout, and sustaining grassroot...

In this warm and insightful episode of Tech Beyond Gender I sit down with Pip Klenner a seasoned leader with nearly three decades in the tech world to explore how people processes and technology come together to drive real transformation From her unexpected start in IT to leading complex change initiatives Pip shares candid stories about the moments that shaped her leadership style the art of tran...

From floppy disks to national health reforms, Sumita Chopra’s inspiring journey spans over two decades of innovation, resilience, and social impact. In this episode of Tech Beyond Gender , Sumita shares how she navigated the evolving tech landscape since 1999, led transformative projects like India’s first health insurance scheme for the underprivileged, and balanced it all with family life and me...

In this thoughtful episode of Tech Beyond Gender , Meena Satishkumar speaks with Mahimi Fernando, Engineering Team Lead at Xero, whose career journey from Sri Lanka to New Zealand is shaped by courage, curiosity, and continuous growth. Mahimi shares how she uses structured reflection techniques like journaling and mindfulness to navigate challenges, overcome self-doubt, and support others. From he...

In this episode, Principal Architect Andrea Magnorsky joins us to explore the power of systems thinking — and why it matters now more than ever. With over two decades of experience spanning game development, architecture strategy, and functional programming, Andrea shares how she brings clarity to complexity. We talk about: What systems thinking actually is (with pigs and wolves!) How to make bett...