The Catalyst by Softchoice

In this episode, Erika Van Noort welcomes Oguo Atuanya, General Manager of Global Scale and Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. As a Senior Executive leading Microsoft’s global cloud scale services, Oguo weaves together a mixed cultural background from his education in three different continents and passion for democratization in technology. He talks about how the Microsoft workforce is more diverse than it’s ever been, and how the new generation of employees is making it a priority to work for a company that shares their values. Oguo also discusses the real concrete DEI efforts underway at Microsoft to move us from tokenism to transformation. His unique personal story and passion for mentorship and making a difference, will inspire you in your own  journey.

Featuring:
Oguo Atuanya, General Manager of Global Scale and Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft
Special thanks to Softchoice voices Houman Aryan and Karly Pierce for lending their thoughts!

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

This episode is brought to you by Microsoft – a proud leader when it comes to diversity and inclusion. To start building your cloud and workplace strategy with an organization that’s committed to making the world a better place to live and work, visit Softchoice.com/Microsoft to learn more.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology. 

In this episode, fill-in host  Nicole Francis steps in and meets with Softchoice’s Jeffersen Sylvia to discuss how Russia and Ukraine are using cybersecurity in this modern-day war – and why businesses and IT leaders in North America should take note. Jeffersen takes us through his journey to cybersecurity as an enterprise architect and how the traditional way of thinking about security has shifted, both in the physical sense and from a mindset perspective. Jeffersen talks about how ransomware has become a huge issue over the last several years, how teams have to work together to be effective, and his 10-Point Plan to address and strengthen your weakest links. 

Featuring:

Jeffersen Sylvia, Principal Enterprise Architect for Security in the Design Studio at Softchoice

Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Andrea Knoblauch and Shawn Dickson, for lending their honest thoughts!

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology. 

Just in time for Earth Day, we’re launching Season 4 of The Catalyst by Softchoice with a look at why the world’s biggest innovators are putting sustainability first. 

Erika Van Noort meets VMware’s Nicola Peill-Moelter and Google’s Trinity Lloyd to discuss the growing need for green technology. From new regulatory burdens to an increasing sense of urgency, corporate responsibility is something today’s CIO can’t ignore. We also discover some of the incredible ways Google and VMware are driving sustainability through technological innovation, with a focus on hybrid cloud, big data, artificial intelligence and strategic partnerships. 

Featuring:
Trinity Lloyd, Sustainability and Energy Transition Lead at Google
Nicola Peill-Moelter, Director, Sustainability Innovation at VMware
Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Cole Pascua, Ryan Landreville, and Matt Sherman, for lending their honest thoughts!

This episode of the Catalyst is brought to you by Google Cloud and VMware. See how you can move to more sustainable cloud computing, using the tools you already know and trust. Visit www.softchoice.com/gcve to learn more.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology. 

The Catalyst podcast first launched way back in the first wave of the pandemic. And as we enter our fourth season, we’re keenly aware this is a very different world than the one we started out in.

With host Erika Van Noort at the helm, we speak to the business leaders who are helping drive some amazing change across industries and exploring why this might just be the most exciting time to be in IT – and the most challenging.

This season, we’re exploring digital transformation from all sides, offering insight into the greatest changes just over the horizon, but also the real-life people that will be impacted by it all.

We’re bringing you stories like: How sustainability is fast becoming a key and necessary feature of every business strategy, what your cybersecurity team needs to do in the face of encroaching international digital threats, and how effective global strategies for cloud and beyond can be buoyed by Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) as core pillars – and that’s just the first 3 episodes!

Season 4 premieres on April 20th, 2022 with our biggest season ever of 15 new episodes dropping every two weeks after that.

The Catalyst is an original podcast from Softchoice and Pilgrim Content.
 For more on Softchoice, go to http://www.softchoice.com/ 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology. 

There’s no shortage of disheartening statistics when it comes to women in STEM. But there’s also a new wave of opportunities, momentum and interest coming from young women, looking to grow a career. So, where’s the disconnect? 

For our Season 3 finale, Dawn Armstrong, Head of IT and Mission Operations at ABL Space Systems, joins Erika to explore the inspiring ways she’s grown her career in STEM, the exciting technology she and her teams are building, and how she’s built a leadership style so efficient she scaled herself out of a job. They take a hard look at how organizations can stop contributing to the gender gap in the technology industry. 

Featuring:      

Dawn Armstrong, Head of IT and Mission Operations at ABL Space Systems 

Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Karen Ybanez and Marlowe Woo, for lending their honest thoughts! 
 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.       

Are you a leader in the IT space? Read more on Softchoice’s Innovation Executive Forum, an exclusive, members-only community of over 400 senior IT leaders across North America. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology. 

There is a lot of innovation happening in the sports entertainment space. One of the ways sports fans love to engage is through sports betting, and the sports betting space in the US alone has quadrupled in the last 3 year! So, why now and what exactly is being disrupted? 

Omer Dor, CEO at Sports IQ Analytics, joins Erika to discuss how his company has innovated a static industry using amazing, cloud-powered technology and a constant focus on the fan experience first. 

Featuring:      

Omer Dor, CEO at Sports IQ Analytics 

Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Filipe Dimas and David O’Donovan, for lending their honest thoughts! 
 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.       

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology. 

In the last two years, organizations have moved over to a remote and hybrid workplace structure faster than they ever could have imagined. Now, companies are seeing that many of their people are struggling with longer work days and less work/life balance. But despite all the downsides, studies and surveys suggestthat most people still prefer to work from home, or at least like having that option. 

So, how do we create a hybrid environment that fosters “good remote” practices, and gets rid of the bad? 

In this episode, Erika Van Noort is joined by Softchoice’s Christine Irving and Craig Smith to explore the technology and business processes that could help address these new challenges in the workplace, and the impact they can have on your employees – and the bottom line. 

Featuring:      

Craig Smith, Vice President, Workplace at Softchoice   

Christine Irving, Principal, Design Studio at Softchoice 

Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Tara Brydges, Karly Pierce and Renee Bradford for lending their honest thoughts! 
 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.       

Are you a leader in the IT space? Read more on Softchoice’s Innovation Executive Forum, an exclusive, members-only community of over 400 senior IT leaders across North America. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology. 

Over the last two years, we’ve adjusted to a digital life. But our daily life has also become a lot lonelier because of it, and people don’t want to do everything from home.  

In this episode, Erika Van Noort is joined by Kyle Gibson, Co-founder and CEO of the Canadian spin studio, Wheelhouse Cycle Club, to expand the conversation around hybrid models to more than our professional lives. When the pandemic hit, Wheelhouse made a massive pivot and took their thriving, in-person spin community to a digital fitness model. Now, Kyle is building on that approach for a future that provides the same, interactive experience for fitness fanatics whether they’re at home or in studio.  

Featuring:      

Kyle Gibson, Co-founder and CEO at Wheelhouse Cycle Club 

Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Marie Rodgers and Megan Northey, for lending their honest thoughts! 
 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.       

Are you a leader in the IT space? Read more on Softchoice’s Innovation Executive Forum, an exclusive, members-only community of over 400 senior IT leaders across North America. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology. 

From rooting out government corruption to taking down some of the world’s worst criminals, hacktivists often say they are motivated by the greater good. But the legality of their methods – and the outcomes they deliver – aren’t always so black and white. 

Erika dives into the fascinating world of white-hat hackers, OpSec Groups and all the moral questions and curiosities in between, with Crowdstrike Canada’s Stephane Asselin, senior sales engineer manager. Find out who these hacktivists are, how they operate and whether they are helping the professionals, like Stephane, get a better night’s sleep. 

Featuring:      

Stephane Asselin, Senior Sales Engineer Manager - Crowdstrike Canada 

Special thanks to Sushma Shankar, Filipe Dimas, Areej Shah and Harriet Han for lending their honest thoughts! 
 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.       

Are you a leader in the IT space? Read more on Softchoice’s Innovation Executive Forum, an exclusive, members-only community of over 400 senior IT leaders across North America. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology. 

There are currently trillions of dollars' worth of government funding in the US  being processed every day through cities, counties and states, all aimed at bettering the communities who need it. But the reality is that despite the best intentions, all the administrative work needed to actually roll out that funding is slowing everything down.  

That means that government funding is not going to where it's supposed to. So, is there anything anyone can do about it? 

In this episode, Erika Van Noort is joined by Chris Behm, Founder and COO at Atlanta based, Neighborly Software, to discuss how his company’s  cloud-based software solution is improving administrative efficiency and regulatory compliance of Housing, Economic and Community Development programs. And the impact this technology is having in the communities it serves. 

Featuring:      

Chris Behm, COO and Co-Founder at Neighborly Software 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.       

Are you a leader in the IT space? Read more on Softchoice’s Innovation Executive Forum, an exclusive, members-only community of over 400 senior IT leaders across North America. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.