In this episode of The Technology Leadership Podcast, we are joined by Maximillian Werk, head of Engineering at Jina AI. Max shares his thoughts on the importance of leadership in the space, offering valuable insights and tips for career growth. Max shares his journey from being a software engineer all the way through to becoming head of department. Max emphasises the significance of social intelligence in understanding and effectively communicating with team members as well as building trust and creating a purely collaborative work environment.

In this episode of The Technology Leadership Podcast, we are joined by Georgij Oroschakoff, head of Product & IT at Froots, A digital asset management company. Georgij shares his insights on product management, the challenges of being a non-functional CTO and the importance of problem-solving in the field. Alongside this, Georgij emphasises the need for clear and concise product strategy, the ability to translate business needs into technical requirements and the importance of collaboration with cross-functional teams.

In this episode of the Technology Leadership Podcast, Thorsten Spieker, Director of Engineering at Avi Medical discusses the importance of building an empowered engineering culture. Thorsten shares his journey from being a back-end engineer to becoming a director and highlights the differences between Silicon Valley and German-based tech companies. He emphasises the need for engineers to be involved in the entire software development lifecycle and shares his experience transforming Avi's engineering culture.

In this episode of the Technology Leadership Podcast, Stefan Anca, Co-founder and CTO at Likeminded, discusses the challenges of raising funding in the tech industry, especially during difficult economic times. He shares his career journey, from studying Computer Science to working in start-ups and eventually becoming a people-focused manager. Stefan highlights the success of Likeminded, a mental health tech start-up, and how they secured funding by showcasing their unique selling point and market potential. The episode emphasises the importance of understanding user needs and creating a user-friendly platform for accessing mental health services.

In this episode of the Technology Leadership Podcast, Scott Weiss, Chief Product Officer at XO Life shares his interesting career journey, starting with working at Apple and Microsoft to becoming a Product leader. He discusses the intersection of Design and Product, highlighting the importance of understanding user needs and the skills he brings from his ddesign background. Scott also talks about the evolution of XO Life's product, focusing on drug efficacy and providing users with personalised medical records.

In this episode of the Technology Leadership Podcast, we are joined by Kasia Malolepszy , Head of Product and engineering at Expatrio. Kasia shares her experience in product management and discusses what makes a great product lead. She emphasises the importance of effective communication and active listening, as well as the analytical skills and customer-centricity required for success in product management. Kasia also highlights the significance of collaboration between product managers and engineers in delivering valuable solutions to customers.

In this episode of the Technology Leadership Podcast, we are joined by Thomas Berszieck, product management lead at Heyflow. Thomas shares his journey in product management and discusses a pivotal moment in his career that taught him the importance of being hypothesis-driven. Thomas discusses the challenges he faced in setting up product management processes and building trust within the organisation. He also shares insights on improving onboarding and increasing activation rates.

In this episode of the Technology Leadership Podcast we are joined by Catalina Turlea, one of the three co-founders of mental health startup nilo.health, based in Berlin and Munich, Germany. Catalina, with over 10 years of experience as a software engineer, shared insights into the success factors behind their startup. She highlighted the importance of timing and how the COVID-19 pandemic created a more receptive market for mental health solutions, breaking down the stigma around mental health. Additionally, Catalina emphasised the critical role of a passionate and motivated team in achieving success, with team members drawn to nilo's mission of removing the stigma from mental health and making support more accessible.

In this episode of the Technology Leadership Podcast, Jeff Glasson, Chief Technology Officer at TWAICE, brings a wealth of experience from Silicon Valley, having worked at Apple and VMware before moving to Germany to work at Contentful and now TWAICE. The discussion covers leadership, innovation, and various other topics.

In this episode of the Technology Leadership Podcast, Yaniv Preiss, Head of Engineering at NewStore, discusses his experience in the industry and his passion for Engineering management. Yaniv shares how he started his journey in programming and eventually transitioned to management. He highlights the importance of learning management skills and how he mentors other Engineering managers through his curriculum.

In this episode of the Technology Leadership Podcast, Simon Müller, CTO at wattx, shares his insights on company building, the importance of combining business and tech, as well as the focus on deep tech and climate within his work at the company.

In this episode of the Technology Leadership podcast, Chiedza Muguti, Chief Product Officer at Alteos, shares her thoughts and insights on Product leadership. Chiedza talks about how her career took a pivotal turn when she transitioned from being a team member to a leader and had to work on self-validation for confidence. She stresses that Product Managers should have empathy and curiosity towards both customers and engineers to ensure the success of a project. By having empathy, patience, and effective communication skills, product managers can optimize their relationship with engineers and create successful products.

In this episode of the Technology Leadership podcast, Borna Pourhossein, a highly experienced Engineering Manager from Friendsurance, takes listeners on a journey through his successful career growth story. Providing valuable insights along the way, he discusses how he established an engineering guild in his company and how it It is important to have an open environment where employees can voice their concerns and suggestions. Borna also highlights the importance of fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning in today's fast-paced technological landscape.

In this episode of The Technology Leadership Podcast, Lukas Grillmayer discusses providing engaging digital learning content through step-by-step tutorials in video, AR, and VR. He applies this experience to introduce structure and processes at craftguide, both in technology and business operations. Lukas advises aspiring CTOs to build relationships, maintain a network of potential collaborators, and consider joining entrepreneurship programs and incubators. The conversation underscores the importance of processes and documentation in companies, particularly for software updates and building independent systems.

In this episode of The Technology Leadership Podcast, Tamer discusses Product Management and leadership. He outlines six key areas to consider when working with early stage start-ups including problem-solution fit and the competitive landscape as well as understanding user needs and motivations. He stresses the importance of having a solid Product Manager who can focus on user research, strategy, and product development plus highlight the challenges of shifting from growth to profitability.

In this episode of the Technology Leadership Podcast, Jürgen Vogel discusses the significance of an open culture in a company's success. He explains that open culture has two sides: individual and collective. He attributes the success of Solvemate, his most recent company (now acquired by Dixa), to its open culture, which helped with conflict resolution, team cohesion, and recruitment. Vogel believes that an open culture is essential for building high-performing teams, as it addresses core needs such as belonging, improvement, choice, equality, predictability, and significance.

In this episode of The Technology Leadership Podcast, Adriana discusses the importance and pillars of Product strategy. It helps connect a company's vision and mission to its short-term goals and objectives, allowing for both the consideration of the bigger picture and the navigation of tactical details. She breaks down the four pillars of strategy: participants, subjects, processes, and dimensions and emphasises the importance of partnerships, which can be commercial or non-commercial.

In this episode of The Technology Leadership Podcast, Christian discusses the factors that lead to start-up success. He emphasises the importance of team, execution, and problem solution fit and explains how to identify and prioritise steps to build a solution that fits the customer's needs even when tightly resourced. He also discusses striking a balance between over-engineering and under-engineering a product, citing iteration and optimisation. Finally, Christian highlights the importance of communication, iteration, and ownership in increasing the speed of development and getting products to market. His mission is to help people develop 21st-century skills.

In this episode of The Technology Leadership Podcast, Jorrit discusses the Data Mesh strategy that brings together both the technical and organisational components of data management. He discusses the bottlenecks caused by traditional centralised data team structures and explains how a Data Mesh approach solves this using additional decentralised teams assigned to each department. The centralised data team builds a platform for the decentralised teams to use and focuses on bringing engineering knowledge and capabilities closer to each department. Jorrit also explains using this structure for data analytics and management before getting into the business benefits of it.

In this episode, Daniel discusses hiring in technology companies. He describes Checkly's global hiring process and what it has taught him. He also talks about building cross-functional Engineering teams and the importance of mentoring and coaching Junior Engineers, which in turn contributes towards positive energy in the team. In Daniel's view, having a diverse team of engineers leads to greater challenge on ideas and approach, innovation, and broader knowledge.

In this episode, Kaylie discusses onboarding in start-ups, from setting up profiles and access to tools and compliance training to establishing office hours and boundaries. She emphasises the importance of breaking down larger goals or projects into smaller, manageable chunks that new hires can quickly contribute towards and setting expectations early on to create a safe and supportive environment.

In this episode Mirza Beširović discusses growth in product management and leadership roles. He explores the two tracks in product management: being an individual contributor, where the focus is on becoming an expert in the craft of product management and a more management based track focused on people management, strategy, and mentoring. Mirza emphasises the importance of self-realisation and active self-growth to progress in product management and leadership roles.