IT COFFEE BREAK

Kornel Filep, Lead Software Engineer in Test at EPAM Hungary plays an integral role in the quality assurance of software products, yet he does not write tests. His role combines development, testing and DevOps and is considered to be the most technical role in the whole testing organisation. In this function, he is focused on development, builds frameworks and tools and works across multiple areas beyond quality assurance, bringing it closer to product development.

Timestamps:

• 1:00 - Kornel’s journey from Java developer to software engineer in testing
• 2:23 - Understanding the role of a software engineer in test 
• 5:51 - A day in the life: project work, mentoring, and technical interviews
• 9:39 - What skills do junior developers need in the age of AI?
• 11:31 - Transitioning from traditional testing to software engineering in test
• 14:01 - Will AI replace software testing?
• 17:03 - Real-world AI applications: from legal research to clinical diagnosis 

Sappho Payne’s career journey began in software development, driven by a passion for mathematics, before leading her to business analysis. A self-described “talkative engineer,” she was always curious about the people behind the technology: who uses software, why they use it and what they need it to achieve.

Timestamps:

• 00:14 – Intro & Meet Sappho Payne
• 01:23 – Career Journey: Australia to the Netherlands
• 03:05 – From Software Engineering to Business Analysis
• 04:27 – Leading Teams & Experience Consulting at EPAM
• 07:55 – Cultural Differences & Working Across Countries
• 12:44 – AI, Change Management & the Future of Work
• 18:28 – Women in Tech & the Women@EPAM Network

AI has fundamentally transformed the tech landscape—and with it, the expectations facing engineers today. In our latest podcast episode, Izabella Heda joins us to discuss how the role of the software engineer is evolving, moving far beyond narrow technical silos.Timestamps:

1:22 – Isabella’s Career Journey: From Data to AI Engineering

3:04 – Balancing Technology and Leadership5:25 – Building an AI-Native Data & AI Practice

10:18 – AI in Engineering vs. AI Engineering

12:41 – How AI Is Changing Pre-Sales and Client Work

16:26 – The Skills Engineers Need in the AI Era

20:53 – Becoming a Forward Deployed Engineer

With AI solutions being in high demand, Nino Pozar, Senior Data Scientist from EPAM Croatia, gave an overview of his process of working with clients on the newest episode of the IT Coffee Break Podcast. Timestamps: 

• 00:00 - Introduction & Nino’s career journey
• 02:00 - From Biotechnology to Data Science
• 05:00 - What does a Senior Data Scientist actually do?
• 08:00 - How AI is transforming retail
• 11:30 - What do clients really want from AI?
• 15:00 - AI adoption & understanding the end user
• 19:00 - Data Scientist vs. AI Engineer & skills for the future

Mariia Safanova, Senior Project Administrator at EPAM Bulgaria, has already built an inspiring career path that combines creativity, communication, and project management. Her journey began far from the tech industry.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Introduction & Meet Mariia Safonova
• 01:00 – From International Relations to UX Project Administration
• 06:00 – A Day in the Life of a Senior Project Administrator
• 12:30 – Biggest Challenges & Managing Cross-Team Communication
• 17:30 – Requirements-Driven vs. Design-Driven Projects
• 24:30 – How Design Thinking Creates Business Value
• 29:30 – Final Success Story & Closing Remarks

David Atanaszov, Chief BI Analyst at EPAM Hungary, traces his journey from behavioral economics and a decade of teaching to leading complex analytics projects for global enterprise clients. The conversation covers how AI is reshaping business intelligence, where it genuinely helps and where human expertise still matters most.

00:00 – Introduction and educational background05:37 – Career path from Nielsen to Morgan Stanley to EPAM13:35 – What a Chief BI Analyst actually does day to day20:40 – Gross margin optimization and real-world analytics in life sciences29:29 – How AI is changing analytics and where its limits are

Giovanna Pimenta, Sales Development Lead at EPAM Hungary, is part of a new wave of Gen Z leaders redefining leadership. Despite her young age, she brings several years of experience and has intentionally shaped her leadership style through continuous learning and practice.

Timestamps:

1:00 – Giovanna’s career journey and early leadership signals
4:30 – Learning to lead: studying communication, feedback, and team dynamics
7:00 – How to handle people who resist feedback and support
10:30 – Core sales mindset: curiosity, flexibility, humility, and proactivity
13:30 – Motivation strategies and building a clear career progression path
16:30 – Gen Z leadership: impatience, ambition, and “trusting the process”
23:00 – Leading across generations and adapting communication styles

Inecke Snyder-Laurens has over 30 years of experience in project management. She has worked in the financial and automotive industries in both large and small organisations. Currently, she is overseeing 9 project management teams and is the principal delivery manager for a major client at EPAM.

Timestamps:

0:19 – Introduction and overview of Ineke Snyder Lawrence’s career
1:32 – Ineke’s career journey and current role as Principal Delivery Manager at EPAM
3:07 – Women at EPAM initiatives and mentoring programs
6:06 – How project management skills transfer across industries
11:19 – Managing global teams across countries and cultures
19:33 – Handling challenging projects and legacy system transformation
24:03 – How AI is changing project management
32:17 – The human side of AI adoption and addressing job concerns

When EPAM Systems Hungary brought together tech professionals for the CEE Tech Meetup, one role took center stage: the Solution Architect.

And for good reason.

Solution Architects sit exactly where technology meets business strategy. They translate complex technical possibilities into real business value.

Timestamps:

• 00:21 – Introduction
• 01:14 – Career beginnings
• 02:51 – Misconceptions about solution architecture
• 05:55 – Essential skills for solution architects
• 07:47 – Career paths and training
• 14:13 – Documentation and processes
• 15:01 – AI in solution architecture
• 23:46 – Client projects and impact

Dávid Hegyi and Henrietta Ábrányi, two software engineers at EPAM Hungary, are participating in a flagship initiative designed to accelerate the onboarding of EPAM Campus graduates onto projects through the combination of AI and structured mentorship.

Timestamps:

1:15 – Guest Introductions

2:00 – Campus Program Overview

4:33 – Henrietta’s Campus Experience

7:57 – Transition to Epam Company

13:14 – AI in Mentorship and Work

17:44 – Roles as Mentor and Mentee