The Ventellect podcast

Delighted to be joined by Josep Carner who is the Senior Director of ML at Smadex. He has a great perspective of European and US Tech, and their approach to AI. We discuss the shift in Tech hiring in Software and ML in the last 12 months, and also the limitations of AI

An in person recording! A rare one for us but we travelled to Berlin to speak with Nikolai Kabatsikov - who Heads up the TA function at HelloFresh and previously scaled Bolt. We really wanted to dig into a certain topic, and we chose "Quality of Hire" It is a huge focus for companies right now - as they want each hire to have maximum impact. So how do we get there? What processes need to put in pl...

A classic! This week we sit down with Lutz Hühnken, a seasoned technology leader with over two decades of experience, to discuss the intricacies of engineering leadership, his personal career journey, and his comprehensive approach to fostering high-performing software engineering teams. From his early fascination with computing to his current role overseeing engineering at a dynamic fintech start...

Today we host the great Wojciech Duda, an experienced engineering leader currently with Zalando, to dive deep into what it is like joining a company as a new Engineering Lead with an already existing team. We then get into Wojciech's perspective on hiring practices in tech, where he shares his preference for interactive systems design exercises over traditional take-home coding assignments, emphas...

Key Highlights: Gianluca's Early Interests and Career Decisions: Discover how Gianluca's passion for people and communication shaped his career, leading him from considering architecture and culinary arts to diving into human resources. Evolution of the HR and Recruiting Field: Gianluca reflects on how the industry has evolved over the years, emphasizing the impact of economic cycles and technolog...

Delighted to have Alexandra Meyer on the podcast this week who Heads up the Talent function at fast growing Enpal in Berlin. Introduction to High-Growth Companies & First Recruitment Role: Alexandra shares her start in the startup world, emphasizing scaling companies from scratch and her initial role in recruitment that involved significant growth achievements. Early Days in Berlin's Startup S...

This week we were joined by Amanda Hippe, the Director of Talent at Rippling and comes with a huge experience in Tech recruiting over the years both in agency and in-house at such companies like Uber during times of hyper growth. We discuss: Falling into Recruitment Navigating Economic Downturns Moving Your Seat: Adapting to Business Needs Transitioning from Agency to In-House Learning from Leader...

The great Jessie Lajoie joined me on the podcast this week someone who has now risen to Chief People Officer and done and achieved a lot during her time. We get into: Jessie's Background in Talent Acquisition (TA) and HR Transition from TA to HR/People Operations Evolving Role of HR and TA Over the Years Economic Cycles and Career Trajectory Changes in Tech Hiring and Generational Shifts Jessie's...

Anna McDougall has made waves in the tech industry, having entered software engineering following a professional career as an opera singer. As a technical speaker and a Google Women Techmakers Ambassador, Anna prides herself in taking technical topics and making them easy to understand for people from all walks of life: be it for her own colleagues; at events and conferences; or for corporate clie...

It's here! The first episode of 2024, and what a treat we have. This week, we are joined by Philipp Schilling, a seasoned Engineering Leader with a 20+ year career, who was most notably at the heart of Personio's immense hypergrowth in Engineering. We talk basically about everything, Including: Programming languages. What makes code beautiful. The Dotcom crash. How he progressed to Lead roles. How...

In this episode, we delve into the journey of Adam Bolton, an experienced and innovative talent acquisition pro. Starting his career in 2005 in the bustling world of agency recruitment, our guest witnessed first-hand the tumultuous ups and downs of the industry, most notably when Lehman Brothers, one of his prime clients, went bankrupt during the 2008 financial crisis. This adversity, however, bec...

Alex Ganyukov has recruited at companies all over the world specialsiing in Tech and FinTech. As Tech is becoming more and more international it was really good to hear his thoughts on different Tech Hubs - as well as digging into the Berlin Tech Hub where he heads up TA now at Billie. He has done a lot, risen the ranks, navigated this years shifting market, and recruited some pretty good Tech Tal...

Adriana in a short space of time has seen and done a lot when it comes to Talent Acquisition. Having been at the centre of times of hyper scaling, being a lone recruiter and building up her own team. There is ebbs and flows in recruitment and Adriana has seen them all - especially in the ever evolving FinTech space.

Today we speak with Jeff Kennedy, a Direct of Talent Acquisition, and someone who has worked his way up, and been on both sides of the recruiting fence. Waht was great about this chat was we talked about the basics of recruitment that never change. In an era where we can get bogged down in all types of topics, initiatives, and Data - sometimes it is easy to forget the basics and fundamentals of re...

In today's episode, we have the privilege of speaking with Italo Vietro, the VP of Engineering at Urban Sports Club. With an extensive career in technology and a passion for fostering a strong engineering culture, Italo has significant insights to share. We discuss his career, the building blocks of an elite engineering culture, and much more. He has worked at many big Tech companies at the time o...

Katie started out in recruitment in 2009 in the wake of the financial crisis. Facing a challenging start to her career. But little did she know, that experience would prepare her for the unexpected twists and turns of the tech industry. As the Director of Recruiting at GoFundMe and Classy, Katie has navigated through large-scale layoffs and unexpected surges in applications. Her empathetic approac...

The first returning guest! Matthias Schmeisser came on back in 2021, and it is fair to say A LOT has happened since then. So, we met in Berlin for Ventellect's first face to face podcast to discuss the last 18 months, the state of tech, the future, and what both internal recruitment teams and external partners should be doing to emerge from this year in the best shape possible. We cover all things...

5 key takeaways from this episode. The significance of DEI: Acknowledge the critical role of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in recruitment strategies. Embrace innovative practices that foster a diverse and inclusive workforce in both North America and Europe. Revamp Recruitment Tools: Harness innovative tools that help build a strong employer brand. Leverage platforms like Perpetua's Appli...

Shannon has built up the recruiting function at Descriptive a big name in AI right now. A function that at it's heart is diverse and optimized in nature. With noth much resources and the right mindset you can shape things to give you long running hiring success in the futre. Diversity and Inclusion: Ensure diversity recruiting is an actionable strategy, not just a slogan. Make small improvements i...

Key takeaways: Unleash the power of data-driven methods to elevate your recruitment results and sustain a dedicated workforce. Cultivate an unbiased and welcoming interview process to draw in potential team members from diverse backgrounds. Merge technical acumen with cultural values to ensure the perfect fit for both candidates and organizations. Confront the existing bias towards women and minor...

This episode discusses ways to improve recruitment outcomes through relationship building, inclusive language, data tracking, AI, and attending networking events. Here are the key takeaways: Use inclusive language in job posts to encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply. Build personal connections with hiring managers to increase trust and collaboration. Track data to improve the qua...

When Moses Sison unexpectedly landed a job as a junior recruiter, he had no idea that his journey in the tech industry would lead to the discovery of his hidden leadership abilities. From individual contributor to team leader, Moses' story of adaptability and success serves as an inspiring example for those seeking to make their own career transitions. In this episode, you will be able to: Impleme...

In this podcast episode, Elena Stefanopol discusses her journey into recruitment and her innovative strategies to address 'recruiting debt'. She shares insights on establishing a strong recruitment foundation, avoiding talent debt, fostering trust and communication, and leveraging AI technology in recruitment. Shes worked all over the world and picked up a lot of wisdom a long the way. 5 Key Takea...

"We should know our impacts, we should make sure that we are valued. If you think about the network like a spider web, and once you're in the web of someone's network, that is forever, that's a forever web." Mikaela Smith is an experienced talent acquisition professional who has risen to the top of the industry. She has a passion for product innovation and has worked for many tech startups, includ...

In this podcast, we interview Laura Teerisuo, Head of Talent at Wolt. Laura shares her experience building the TA function to scale Wolt, the role of external recruiters and the challenge of going from a recruiter to managing recruiters. Segment 1: Laura's Journey in Recruitment Laura shares her recruitment background and how it shaped her skills. She discusses her experience in various companies...