The Tech Trek

In this podcast episode, the VP of Engineering at Fond, Srividhya “Vidhya” Chandrasekaran, shares her insights on getting the best out of engineers. She discusses the importance of empowerment, accountability, and mentorship. Vidhya emphasizes the need for leaders to lead the way of their teams rather than telling them what to do. She encourages empowering engineers to come up with their own solutions and ideas, promoting involvement and accountability. Highlights: 00:02:52 Empower your engineers for success. 00:05:45 Empower employees, take calculated risks. 00:10:05 Focus on continuous feedback. 00:17:30 Managing customer requests and employee burnout. Guest: Srividhya “Vidhya” Chandrasekaran is a passionate leader in the software and technology sector with a knack for solving complex problems by synergizing technology and people. She has consistently held leadership positions throughout their career, guiding teams and products to success while enjoying the process of mentoring others. She's committed to personal and professional development, often seeking insights from expert speakers and literature. Believing in the potential of everyone, they strive to uplift those who may not be performing at their best, tracing root causes and offering solutions. She encourages continual learning and the challenge of conventional methods in favor of innovation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/srividhya-chandrasekaran --- Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player. Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests? Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, Nav's VP of Engineering, Gian Perrone, joins Amir Bormand to discuss organizational design and leadership styles. The discussion focuses on how leaders can adapt to the company's culture or change the organization to fit their leadership style. They discuss the importance of assessing the organization before making any changes and the potential pitfalls of imposing a leadership style that doesn't fit the company culture.  Highlights [00:01:29] Adapting leadership style to organization. [00:05:21] New leaders and reorgs. [00:07:04] Change management in organizations. [00:10:23] Comms plan and collaboration. [00:14:43] Dealing with organizational change. Guest: Gian Perrone is the Head of Engineering at Nav. Before joining Nav, he served as an Engineering Lead at Square Banking, where he played a key role in launching various financial products. Before Square, he worked as a web developer at The Folio Society and a research programmer at the University of Waikato. He holds a BS and MS in Computer Science from the University of Waikato and a Ph.D. from the IT University of Copenhagen. With a decade of witnessing small business owners' financial challenges, Gian looks forward to simplifying business financing at Nav. He works from Milwaukee, adding to Nav's distributed team across 23 states. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianp/ --- Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player. Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests? Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Prabhath Karanth (PK), the Global Head of Security & Trust at Navan, an all-in-one travel and expense management SaaS platform. They discuss the growth and evolution of the security function and how it interacts with engineering and technology. PK shares insights into how security is scaling and taking on more functions, with everything becoming "as a code." The conversation also covers the role of PK's team in relation to their other peers. Highlights: [00:02:02] Security in hypergrowth companies. [00:03:56] Emerging Technologies and Security. [00:08:31] Embracing AI technology. [00:11:11] Privacy risks in document summarization. [00:16:52] Emerging AI Testing Companies. [00:17:54] Connecting with experts. Prabhath Karanth is the Global Head of Security & Trust at Navan, where he oversees product and platform security, detection and response, enterprise security, security architecture, engineering, and GRC & Trust functions.  Prior to joining Navan, Prabhath oversaw cybersecurity at Adobe during the company’s cloud journey and hyper-growth trajectory from $30B to $300B. With 18+ years of experience in the industry, he also has a passion for working with startups and sitting on boards of directors to advise on product & business strategy, market positioning, governance, and solving security and business problems at scale. --- Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player. Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests? Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode of Tech Trek, Amir Bormand interviews Andy Foglia, the Director of Engineering at JupiterOne, to discuss adjusting management styles after joining a new company. Andy talks about his experience of transitioning from a big company to a startup and gives insights on how to adapt to new management styles. He also sheds light on the Jupiter One product that helps security practitioners understand what assets they have within their enterprise and identify potential vulnerabilities. Highlights: [00:01:15] Adjusting your management style. [00:03:05] Transitioning to a new challenge. [00:06:36] Taking risks in management. [00:10:05] Startup planning cycles. [00:11:26] Building relationships for success. [00:15:31] Transitioning to startups. [00:17:29] Managing engineers and staff. Guest: Andy Foglia has over eight years of experience as a Director of Software Engineering in education technology and Cybersecurity. Andy currently works at JupiterOne, a data platform applied to security use cases that delivers unified cyber insights to organizations. He manages the Integrations and Site Reliability engineering teams, which focus on data collection from 100+ platforms and enabling the engineering organization to improve the design and operation of its systems to be more reliable and scalable. JupiterOne secured Series C funding in 2022 with a $1B valuation. Previously, Andy worked at McGraw Hill as a Director of Software Engineering focused on Enterprise Integrations with 3rd party systems and all K12 digital products. During his time there, the organization transformed its business towards digital solutions, and Andy was responsible for building and managing several engineering teams focused on new digital products. Andy received a BS in Computer Science and Engineering from UCLA. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-foglia-ab244758/ --- Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player. Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests? Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

Rebecca Greene, Co-Founder and CTO of Regal.ai, shares her unconventional journey from financial services to leading engineering and product at a fast growing SaaS company. In this episode, she opens up about what it takes to build a product led organization without a computer science background, how she balances technical leadership with business vision, and why hiring great people early changes everything.Rebecca’s story shows that becoming a CTO isn’t about your degree. It’s about curiosity, adaptability, and learning to lead both people and technology.Key Takeaways• The line between product and engineering is intentionally blurred at Regal.ai and it drives faster decisions and better collaboration.• Nontechnical founders can build successful engineering organizations by hiring strong leaders early and fostering trust through documentation and data.• Understanding data models is a powerful way to bridge product and engineering.• Balancing multiple executive roles requires knowing when to go deep and when to step back.• The modern CTO must think beyond code since hiring, infrastructure choices, and culture are just as critical.Timestamped Highlights[00:01:00] How Regal.ai helps B2C brands connect with customers during key buying moments[00:03:00] From financial services to product management and why Rebecca pivoted into tech[00:07:00] Learning engineering through hiring, data, and curiosity[00:09:00] Why “show, don’t tell” became a core part of Regal’s engineering culture[00:12:00] When to give up titles and hire leaders stronger than you[00:17:00] What she would change if she could start her career again[00:19:00] Why nontechnical founders have more tools than ever to build technical companiesOne Thing She Said That Stuck“I’d love to give up every title I have except cofounder because that means I’ve hired people better than me to do the job.”Pro TipsFor nontechnical founders, learn to speak the language of engineering through data and documentation. You don’t need to code to lead, but you do need to understand how things work and why.Call to ActionIf you enjoyed this conversation, follow The Tech Trek for more real stories from the builders shaping technology. Subscribe on your favorite platform and connect with us on LinkedIn to keep the conversation going.

In this episode, the host interviews Peter Kapur, the Head of Data Governance and Data Quality at CarMax. They discuss the importance of data governance as an offensive strategy rather than just a defensive one. Peter explains his role in making data an asset that drives business and improves profitability, customer experience, and associate experience. They also touch on privacy as a component of data governance and the need to change the mindset around data governance from a defensive weapon to an offensive one. Highlights: 00:00:09 Data governance as an offensive enabler. 00:07:00 Shift from defense to offense. 00:12:40 Think outside the framework. 00:19:25 Data governance adds business value. Guest: Peter Kapur has more than 25 years in driving innovation in Data Management, with a focus on practical operationalization of Product Strategy, Data Strategy, Data Governance, Master Data, Data Quality, Metadata, and Data Stewardship. He is an Industry leader & Visionary, having led the operationalization of Data Analytics and Data Governance for several organizations, including Waste Management, JP Morgan, AIG, Depository Trust, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs & Credit Suisse. An industry pioneer in driving a business-centric view in leveraging a component-based Data Strategy tied to specific business objectives International Speaker, including a keynote at FIMA conference, MDM/DQ, DGIQ, Data Summit Strategic Product & Industry Advisor to several Data vendors LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkapur --- Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player. Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests? Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode of the podcast, Peter Teitelbaum, director of site reliability engineering at Peacock, discusses the SRE function and the business impact of building it out. Peacock is a TV streaming service that offers both video-on-demand and live offerings. Peter's role at Peacock was to build out the SRE team and define what SRE meant at Peacock. The discussion covers the importance of resiliency, stability, automation, infrastructure management, and observability in ensuring the platform is robust and reliable. Highlights: [00:03:04] Building SRE on Four Pillars. [00:06:25] Relationship between SRE and security. [00:08:15] Importance of resiliency. [00:11:53] Remote vs On-site Work. [00:17:30] SRE maturity never ends. [00:18:23] Managing code for automation. [00:21:56] SRE Job Technologies. Peter Teitelbaum is the Director of Site Reliability Engineering for NBCUniversal's Peacock TV streaming service. As part of the team that launched Peacock in 2020, he created a SRE culture and established several SRE teams that support the platform. Prior to joining Peacock, Peter spent over ten years at iHeartMedia, where he was focused on technology across several products, including a radio station web platform, launching iHeartRadio, and audio streaming. Peter's roots are in software engineering, learning his first programming language in the mid-90s. Peter has focused on software engineering, platform architecture, operations, software delivery, infrastructure management, and Site Reliability Engineering throughout his career. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-teitelbaum/ --- Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player. Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests? Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Karan Uppal, EVP of Engineering at Evolution IQ, about building AI native products. They discuss the difference between building AI native products and what goes into it. Karan's responsibilities include hiring and growing the engineering team, ensuring technology strategy aligns with business goals, and ensuring the organization can execute and deliver on product commitments. Highlights [00:02:23] AI native products. [00:07:16] Thinking about higher dimensions. [00:10:48] Variability in AI outcomes. [00:14:16] Ramp up time for AI. [00:18:07] Building Confidence in Software. [00:22:19] Hiring in the market economy. Guest Karan Uppal is a data science leader with experience at the forefront of Natural Language Processing, time series data ingestion, and product creation. Karan leads our data science organization but also is a hands-on client advocate and engagement partner. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karanuppal/ --- Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player. Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests? Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, the host interviews Jordan Adler, Head of Product Engineering at OneSignal, a customer engagement platform. Jordan discusses how his team sets up and measures objectives and key results (OKRs) from a team, company, and personal perspective. OKRs are used to drive retention, revenue, re-engagement, resurrection, and other major kinds of lifecycle marketing metrics. Jordan also explains how his team operates independently with their OKRs. This episode is a useful guide for anyone interested in implementing OKRs in their organization. Highlights: [00:00:23] Customer engagement platform. [00:03:49] Setting stretch goals. [00:08:04] Personal and team goals. [00:13:02] Personal career development plan. [00:17:24] OKRs: A Critical Management Tool. [00:20:06] Implementing OKRs in startups. Jordan M. Adler is the Head of Product Engineering at OneSignal, where he drives the cutting edge of customer engagement and messaging.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanmadler

In this episode, Amir Bormand talks with Ashu Agte, the CTO at Artera, about dealing with an exit and its impact on organizational transformation and design. Artera is a messaging platform for health systems that aims to improve patient experience and satisfaction. Ashu shares his experience and insights on the responsibilities of an engineering leader, organizational restructuring, and the challenges of managing a team during an exit. He also highlights the importance of communication and transparency in the process. Highlights: [00:01:06] Improving patient experience. [00:04:19] Startup leadership and acquisition. [00:08:34] Post-acquisition challenges. [00:14:21] Criteria for choosing a job. [00:17:18] Uncomfortable vs Patient. [00:22:24] Situational leadership. [00:24:21] Empathy in Leadership. [00:30:08] Executive coaching and self-improvement. [00:35:30] Measuring engineering success. [00:37:10] Engineering Analytics Metrics. Guest: Ashu Agte is the Chief Technology Officer at Artera. A seasoned software engineering leader, he brings over 20+ years of experience overseeing engineering organizations at hyper-growth SaaS companies, including through multiple successful exits. Ashu has a proven track record of product development, team growth, and technical innovation.  --- Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player. Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests? Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)