Winners' Circle

Modernizing with AI is not just about more GPUs or chatbots. In this Winner’s Circle episode, host Russ Fordyce talks with all star judge and Cloud Engagement Manager Krish (Radhakrishna) Banavalikar about what real transformation looks like when you blend data, AI, and human insight. Krish shares his journey from an Indian village to leading global cloud and AI programs, and why he calls himself...

What happens to sales when AI can flood every inbox, feed, and phone line, but real human attention is scarcer than ever? In this Winners Circle episode, Russ Fordyce sits down with Sammy Award winner Chris Sorensen, CEO of PhoneBurner, to unpack what “responsible dialing” really means in 2025 and why authentic conversations still win. Chris explains how PhoneBurner helps quota carrying reps hit t...

Herizon Award winner Daria Leshchenko, CEO of SupportYourApp, joins Russ Fordyce on The Winners’ Circle to share how she built a global “support-as-a-service” company that blends human empathy with AI-driven efficiency. Starting as a customer support rep herself and becoming CEO at 24, Daria grew SupportYourApp from a small team serving Mac developers in Ukraine into an international operation sup...

In this episode of The Winners’ Circle, host Russ Fordyce sits down with Ravi Bhushan, founder and CEO of Brightchamps, to explore how AI is reshaping what kids learn, how they learn, and who gets left behind when education does not keep up.​ Ravi shares the origin story of Brightchamps, founded in 2020 at the peak of the pandemic to give kids around the world access to “new age skills” that tradi...

Sophie Reymond, founder of SRPR and Coworker , joins Russ Fordyce on The Winners' Circle to explore how mentorship and AI are shaping modern communication careers. Sophie shares her journey from corporate burnout to leading a boutique PR consultancy focused on AI-driven tech startups, and how she helps professionals integrate AI in ways that enhance creativity and efficiency. She also introduces C...

Join Harshit Kohli, Senior Technical Account Manager at AWS and recognized expert in data analytics and enterprise IT, for an insightful conversation about what’s truly shaping the future of business and technology. In this episode, Harshit shares his unique journey through the cloud ecosystem, moving from hands-on problem solver to trusted advisor for leading organizations embracing next-generati...

In this episode of The Winners’ Circle , host Russ Fordyce sits down with Joe Wiltshire , Corporate EHS & Sustainability Manager at Fastenal , to explore how one of the world’s largest industrial supply companies is redefining what it means to be safe, sustainable, and scalable in today’s global economy. Fastenal operates across 25 countries , supporting more than 20,000 employees and over 3,2...

When artificial intelligence meets healthcare, there’s no room for guesswork. Every insight, every prediction, every decision has real-world consequences. In this episode of Winners’ Circle , host Russ Fordyce sits down with Naren Santhanam , Director of Analytics at Counterpart Health , to explore how explainable AI is helping rebuild trust in healthcare analytics — and why doing it “the right wa...

In this inspiring episode of Winners’ Circle , host Russ Fordyce sits down with Maggie Doyne , award-winning humanitarian and co-founder of BlinkNow—an organization transforming how the world thinks about orphan care, sustainability, and community empowerment. At just 19 years old, Maggie left her suburban New Jersey home with a backpack and curiosity about the world. Traveling through India and N...

In this episode of the Winners’ Circle Podcast , we sit down with Paolo Sellari , Director of Product Management at Tangoe , to explore how his team is helping global enterprises find control, clarity, and confidence in the age of cloud and AI. With over two decades in technology and product management, Paolo has built a career around transforming complexity into simplicity. At Tangoe, he leads ef...

In this episode of the Winners’ Circle Podcast, we sit down with Aryyama Kumar Jana, Software Development Engineer and Tech Lead at Amazon Devices, who has built his career at the intersection of research and impact. Aryyama holds a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and has spent more than a decade working across industries including energy, manufacturing, and technology. He has authored...

In this episode of the Winners’ Circle Podcast, we sit down with Sasibhushan Rao Chanthati, AVP and Senior IEEE at T. Rowe Price and a longtime judge with the Winners’ Circle awards programs. Sasi has built his career on the front lines of FinTech, AI, and large-scale systems engineering. He has authored papers, received U.S. copyrights, and mentored technologists around the world. Now, he is focu...

What does it take to design the next generation of AI systems responsibly? In this episode of the Winners’ Circle Podcast, we sit down with ⁠Maneet Bansal⁠ , a senior leader at Meta and longtime judge in our awards programs, to explore how observability, transparency, and trust are becoming essential in building AI at scale. Maneet explains how AI workloads fundamentally differ from traditional cl...