Talks With Tech Leaders

Ryan Grey - You Can't Always Be Right In Software Development

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Ryan Grey - CTO at Marra shares his journey into software development, starting from a maths background and transitioning into tech later than most through a Computer Science conversion course.

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Peter Bull - Write Code, Build It & Post It - Use Github As Your CV

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Peter Bull - Senior Software Engineer at Klipboard and Microsoft MVP - shares his journey from early curiosity in electronics to building a long-standing career in software development.

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John McGettrick - Communication is the Problem but also the Solution

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, John McGettrick - Head of Engineering at Oak Engage -shares his journey from falling into tech by accident to leading high-performing engineering teams.

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James Miller - Starting a Tech Company after Working in Food for 25 Years

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, James Miller – founder of Grape Software and self-taught technologist - shares his unconventional journey from a career in food and teaching to building a startup that’s transforming food hygiene inspections across the UK.

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Peter Shaw - Lessons from 30+ years of being a dev

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 07:00:00 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, veteran developer and mentor Peter Shaw shares his journey from the UK’s 1980s “back bedroom programmer” scene to a decades-long career in software, networking, and IoT.

He reflects on breaking into the games industry, working at Orange during the mobile boom, and leading pioneering projects like contactless payments in the Middle East. Peter also discusses the realities of contracting, building his own business, and why continuous learning has been key to his success.

With insights on mentoring, teaching with Pluralsight, and advice for modern developers - embrace curiosity, break things, play with code, and never stop learning.

This conversation is full of wisdom and inspiration for anyone in tech.

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Elliot Morris - Running 2X AI Startups & Vibe Coding

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Elliot Morris – CEO & Co-Founder at Mozstro and Drovi shares his inspiring journey from leaving college to tech entrepreneur. At just 25, Elliot discusses building two AI-driven businesses, breaking into consulting, and lessons learned in scaling startups.

We explore his views on AI’s future in regulated industries, how to harness AI for business transformation, and the importance of networking, resilience, and continuous learning in tech.

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Michael Thomson - Good Engineers Can Be Good Managers: Never Let Anyone Tell You Otherwise

Thu, 29 May 2025 06:00:00 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Michael Thomson – Co-Founder & CTO at CloudConnect – shares his journey from early-stage startup to acquisition, and why he’s chosen to do it all over again.

We dive into building high-performing teams, creating a culture of trust and healthy conflict, and why hiring for passion often beats test scores. Michael also discusses how AI is reshaping his approach to product development – and why he prefers “organized chaos” over rigid processes.

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Mark Jose - From Physics to Software: A Data Wrangling Journey

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 09:10:51 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Mark Jose – Head of Engineering – joins me to explore some of the most pressing topics in tech today.

We discuss whether AI will genuinely steal our jobs or if it’s more of a productivity booster. Mark shares why surrounding yourself with "yes" people can stifle creativity and why embracing healthy debate leads to stronger, more innovative teams.

We also dive into the power of face-to-face networking in a digital-first world – is it still the most effective way to build genuine connections?

Plus, Mark makes a compelling case against relying solely on tech tests for hiring, offering fresh insights into what truly makes a great engineer.

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Fiona Hobbs - From Ballet School to CTO: Unexpected Tech Leadership Journey

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 07:51:29 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Fiona Hobbs - an experienced CTO at 3t | Training. Technology. Transformation, joins me to reveal her unlikely path to tech leadership. From being a ballerina who never could have thought of being a CTO, now leading five, soon to be six engineering teams.

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Hannah Marshall - From The Royal Navy To CTO: Great Bosses Championed My Growth

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 04:39:26 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Hannah Marshall - CTO at Peacocks Medical Group, joins me to share her journey. Starting her career in the Royal Navy at the age of 18, she later ventured into the education sector. This pivotal moment sparked her passion for developing amazing software for the education sector. Now, as a successful CTO, Hannah is making a significant impact on the industry.

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Rob Boville - Trust And Honesty: Building Real Relationships With Clients

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 21:33:23 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Rob Boville - Co-Founder at BearTech, joins me to share his journey, starting from managing in retail, going back to University to follow his passion in tech, to launching a company alongside his wife Ali.

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John Kerr: Align To A Common Goal & Communicate Progress Towards That Goal

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 10:17:22 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, John Kerr - CTO at Konquest, joins me to share his journey, starting from a graduate job working on the British Airways website, to being the CTO of multiple companies in the North East of England.

In this candid conversation, John openly speaks about companies he worked for that had to liquidate, the lessons he learnt, alongside his experiences working at start-ups that have flourished.

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Sandy Shahid - Diversity Is Crucial: In Backgrounds & Skills In The Workplace

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 11:05:45 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Sandy Shahid joins me to share his journey, starting in Software Testing, to progressing to an Engineering Manager, helping build Tech Hubs for Tesco Bank and the BBC in the North East of England. He talks about how coming from a diverse background has helped him with in his career and how he overcame a life-threatening health scare, resulting in a new outlook on life and wanting to do more by mentoring.

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Peter Calvert - From Apprentice To CTO: To Founder of Embeddable

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 08:00:08 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Peter Calvert joins me to share his short journey of starting as a Digital Apprentice, to progressing quickly to becoming a CTO and ultimately finding Embeddable. He talks about how important it was that someone was willing to take a chance on him and how he often feels as an imposter in a room of techies who hold more qualifications

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Michael Tomaras - Culture Is Organic: It Can't Be Manufactured

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 11:06:28 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Michael Tomaras joins me to share his well travelled journey, starting in Greece, moving to Australia and now back in the North East of England.

He talks about progressing to a Head of Engineering, management, autonomy and culture.

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Cian McCormack - Giving Autonomy & Trust: Traditional Management Is On The Way Out

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 16:58:30 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Cian McCormack joins me to share his journey from starting his career as a Test Engineer, progressing to a Head of Engineering. He talks about Traditional Management, Healthy Conflict, and how prefers to give autonomy and trust to his team

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Terry Brown - Allyship & Diversity: Creating Diverse Teams Generates Better Outcomes

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 14:00:55 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Terry Brown joins me to share his journey in Software, currently working as a Director of Engineering. He talks about Psychological Safety, Allyship & Diversity, and how there is hard evidence that creating diverse teams generates better outcomes

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Joshua Legg - Co-founder & CTO at 22: Take Ownership & Don't Hide

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 12:07:06 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Joshua Legg joins me to share his journey of how he co-founded a tech company straight out of university, becoming the CTO and always taking ownership of your work. Greenlord Studios are a Teesside success story, initially starting as a Games Design company before pivoting to a Software Consultancy

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Keith Office - Build Trust In Your Team: Using The 'Manual Of Me'

Wed, 29 May 2024 21:30:42 GMT

In this episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Keith Office joins me to share his journey of 20+ years in the software industry, working for the likes of Sage, Accenture and AO. He talks about how you can build trust in your team, using a 'manual of me' to foster relationships even remotely and discusses how you can 'copy and paste' your way to progressing in your software career.

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Mike Dent - Mentoring: Why Giving Back Is Important. Using Storytelling

Tue, 14 May 2024 15:07:39 GMT

For the first episode of Talks with Tech Leaders, Mike Dent joined me to share his journey in software to progressing to a 'Head Of'. He talks about his passion for mentoring and also gives some tips on how candidates can use storytelling in order to be successful in software developer interviews.

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