In this episode, we’re peeling back the layers with Rebecca Parsons — Board Member, Author, Speaker, and Former CTO Emerita of Thoughtworks!

As a long-term tech devotee, Rebecca has left her mark across academia, government research, nonprofits, startups, manufacturing, and massive enterprises. She’s a passionate advocate for programming languages, AI, and evolutionary computation — all while keeping her feet firmly planted in the ever-evolving tech community.

💡 In her own words:
"I’m a geek through and through. I can’t imagine not being in the technology community. That’s just who I am."

What’s inside this conversation:

…and so much more! 🌟

In this episode, we’re peeling back the layers with @CharityMajors, CTO and Co-Founder of @Honeycomb.io, the pioneers of observability for complex systems.

Charity’s career has been built on designing and managing massive distributed systems at Parse (acquired by Facebook), Facebook, and Linden Lab (makers of Second Life). She’s also the co-author of #ObservabilityEngineering and #DatabaseReliabilityEngineering (O'Reilly).

In this conversation, we don’t hold back! Charity and Aziza dive into what’s causing tears of joy and tears of frustration in the tech world as well as discussing: 

...and so much more! 🌟

Cut The Onion, hosted by @AzizaOBeirne, is a mini-series where we peel back the layers of tech roles, exploring the stories of those working in tech across various industries. Honest takes, trends, and tips for going forward! Brought to you by @SmartOSC- www.smartosc.com

Today, we're peeling back the layers with Philip Gill, CTO at SmartBox Group - the number one experience #gift provider in Europe, selling millions of gifts every year!!

From #QualityAssurance to #CTO, it's a road less traveled, but it comes with incredible stories and perspectives.

These stories include Phil’s experience working in various countries before joining Smartbox a decade ago. How he has surrounded himself with smart, driven, and passionate people, who always keep user experience at the heart of their work. 

As a CTO, Phil advocates for #sustainable working environments and avoiding single points of failure.

In this episode, we hear all of this and more…

Cut The Onion, hosted by @AzizaOBeirne, is a mini-series where we peel back the layers of tech roles, exploring the stories of those working in tech across various industries. Honest takes, trends, and tips for going forward!

Brought to you by @SmartOSC

In this episode, we’re peeling back the layers with Florian (Flo) Pasquier, CTO at Carma. From engineer to co-founder and CTO, Flo’s career has been filled with eye-opening twists, turns, and valuable lessons! We’ll be getting a front-row seat to his brilliant mind and experiences and hearing about why building strong engineering teams with empathy and storytelling is critical for navigating the fast-changing tech landscape.

You’ll hear all of this and more:

About Carma: Carma is a fully digital car dealership, offering a wide range of quality pre-owned vehicles at fixed prices, delivered right to the home with a 7-day returns policy with no questions asked! Visit their website here

“We cannot solve a misuse of trust in people with blockchain technology. But I think what we can solve is the trust in systems challenge.”

Today, we're peeling back the layers with Sebastian Bode, The VP of Engineering at the Cardano Foundation. Sebastian turned his childhood dream job at Ubisoft into a career that’s spanned robotics, automotive, finance, and now blockchain! After years as an engineer, Sebastian made the leap to leadership and realized what really excites him isn’t just solving technical problems—it’s working with people and creating environments and systems that thrive on truth, education, resilience, and adoption. We spoke to Sebastian to hear about his experience, getting to the core of his motivations and the future of the Cardano Foundation.

Here’s what you can expect to hear:

...and much more! Also, this week, over 10,000 attendees from over 25 countries will gather in Dubai for the Cardano Summit 2024. The Cardano Foundation will be joined by speakers such as Binance CEO Richard Teng and Animoca Labs Co-Founder and Chairman Yat Siu at the global blockchain event. The Cardano Summit brings together industry leaders, blockchain enthusiasts, regulators, policymakers, engineers, and developers.

What is Cut The Onion, we hear you ask? It’s a mini-series where we peel back the layers of tech roles. We’ll be getting to the core of tech roles that can oftentimes be misunderstood and exploring the stories of those working in tech across a multitude of industries - bringing you honest takes, trends, and tips for going forward.

In this premiere episode of our brand-new mini-series Cut The Onion, we're kicking things off by sitting down with Joel Beasley, the creator of  @ModernCTO  (ModernCTO.io)

If you want to skip to any point:

#CTO, #Podcast, #ModernCTO, #GaryVaynerchuk, #Microsoft, #Interviews, #Technology, #AGI, #Future, #Death, #AI, #VeniceAI, #Transparency, #Ethics, #NanonuclearTechnology, #ZeusAndOdinReactorSystems, #Misconceptions, #Communication, #Leadership, #BusinessSystems, #Mentorship, #Principles, #Laundry, #Robots, #NeverGivingUp

Cut The Onion is a playful acronym for CTO (Chief Technology Officer), reflecting the multifaceted nature of the role.

We’ll be getting to the core of tech role that can oftentimes be misunderstood and exploring the stories of those working in tech across a multitude of industries - bringing you honest takes, trends, and tips for going forward. 

If you could speak to your future self, what advice would you offer? That’s the question we've been asking our guests this season. To celebrate #InternationalPodcastDay, we’re wrapping up this season with a special compilation of sage advice from our brilliant lineup!

From savoring the wins, and trusting your gut, to promoting people sooner, this season has been filled with invaluable wisdom to help you move forward.

We’ll also have a very exciting announcement to make so make sure to stay to the end to hear about it! 

In this episode, you’ll hear from:

Are traditional office cultures meeting their end? What happens when you start investing in the ROI of Human Connection? (Spoiler alert: great things will happen!)

In this episode of #TheForwardPodcast, we're joined by Emily Hinks, founder and CEO of Mischief Makers. She’s shaking up the Future of Work with her delightfully unconventional, human-centered approach to team collaboration and growth, using facilitation as fuel for good! Emily shares her mischievous methods that have attracted brands like Netflix, Spotify, Nike, and Greenpeace into her orbit. Whether you’re a team member, manager, founder, or CEO—hybrid or fully remote—you can expect relatable, practical tips and real-world examples that highlight the rewards of investing in Human Connection for a brighter future at work. If you’d like to skip along to key moments that work best for you - here you go: 

Check out Emily’s Check-in Generator for a fun way to energize your meetings or explore Mischief Makers’ Hybrid Facilitation Training to lead groups more effectively in today’s evolving work environment.

You can find out more at Mischiefmakers.co and EmilyHinks.com! About The Forward Podcast: In a world where technology intertwines with every aspect of our lives, how do industry experts and leaders plan to navigate forward? Explore bold moves and strategies for success amid constant disruption. Learn the ideas, behaviours, tools, and trends they'll leave behind, and those they'll carry forward to shape the future of work, life, and leadership. Each episode is hosted and edited by Aziza O'Beirne.

“We have to leave behind the fear of what might go wrong and replace that with the opportunity of what happens if it goes right.” 

We’re so happy to have Terry O’Connor OBE on this episode of #TheForwardPodcast! With over 20 years of experience transforming global businesses and a track record that includes CEO roles at Courts Asia and Matahari. 

Today, Terry brings his strategic vision and fresh perspectives to companies like Bain and Company, Mirakle, and Trustana.

He’s also the author of Why Not? The Story of a Retail Maverick and Courts, and has received numerous accolades, including an OBE from Her Majesty The Queen and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Stirling.

In this episode, Terry shares his unique insights on:

And much more! 

Episode Breakdown:

01:00 OBE: Honors 

02:45 Future of Leadership, Retail

04:01 Balancing Life's Aspects

06:12 Career: Start to Finish

08:52 Action Overcomes Fear

10:37 Strategy: Curiosity, Collaboration

13:11 Decision-Making: Doors Analogy

15:38 eCommerce and Retail Challenges

17:06 Adapting Communication

21:11 Building Trust: New Offerings

26:57 AI: Power and Threats

30:46 What is Technology for? Improving Lives? 

31:00 AI Chatbots: Helpful or a Hindrance?

32:15 Change Management with Technology & Enhancing Data Literacy

32:48 What Does Good Execution Mean?

33:18 Vendor Reliance Issues

34:48 Agile Tech Partnerships

37:08 Marketing in Tech Decisions

38:45 Team Involvement in Projects

40:16 Future of Retail

43:19 Sustainability Focus

45:10 What Makes A Good Leader?