Eagle Tech Talks

In this episode, Morley speaks with a Canadian ex-pat, living and working in New Zealand. Travis Koch discusses where a career in IT has taken him -- personally and professionally -- and the various implications of relocating internationally, working for start-up companies, and more! About Travis Koch Travis is a highly technical software development leader with over 25 years of experience developing software technology. He's built and led high performance, cross-functional teams across multiple geographies, disciplines and technologies. Travis has deep technical expertise in software development with many years as a senior engineer prior to moving into leadership roles. He has led teams delivering software-as-a-service, shrink-wrapped SDK products and complex on-prem enterprise deployments and has experience implementing and adapting software development processes including a transformation from ad hoc Agile/Scrum to full-on Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). Connect with Travis Email: travisgkoch@gmail.com LinkedIn 

David Weiss is a senior executive with over 20-years' experience leading organizations.  He has worked at such companies as Nortel and Telus, leading high-performance teams in the functional areas of Strategy, Product Management, Marketing Communications, and Business Development. He's also been an adjunct professor at UBC's Sauder School of Business for more than 5 years. In this episode of Tech Talks, David shares his knowledge and experience in working as a business leader and the role that IT played, plays and is expected to play in the future. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:02:06 About David Weiss David Weiss draws on more than 25 years of leadership experience in setting strategy, driving business growth, building teams, and leading transformational change. He has a proven track record of strategic planning and change management accomplishments and through innovative thinking and creative problem solving, delivers tangible results. David is currently Senior Vice President of Corporate Services and Transformation with BC Financial Services Authority (“BCFSA”). Recognized for his ability to lead with integrity, David oversees a wide range of responsibilities including business planning, finance, human resources, information management and technology, change management and business transformation. His ability to build strategic partnerships has allowed him to collaborate and solidify ties with Government organizations, regulators, and industry experts. Before joining BCFSA, David spent more than 20 years with TELUS, where he held progressively senior management roles, the last 9 at the executive level. During that time, he helped transform TELUS from a monopoly provider to a leader in Canada's highly competitive technology sector. This included driving transformative change in a variety of business areas and helping build an industry-leading corporate culture. David holds an MBA from the University of British Columbia (“UBC”) and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta. He completed several executive training programs from the Richard Ivey School of Business, Rotman School of Management, and INSEAD. David is also an Adjunct Professor at UBC's Sauder School of Business, where he teaches strategic management. Get in Touch with David LinkedIn

The approach to Software Development has undergone several changes over the years.  In this episode of Tech Talks, Steve Pereira, 20+ year veteran, who has embraced a business-centric, yet “humanistic” approach to software development, speaks about his ideas on software development excellence. Steve's thoughtful take on software development, brings a decidedly “human feel” to the discussion. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:02:11 About Steve Pereira Steve Pereira is the founder of Visible and is obsessed with making tech human, and leveraging it to deliver continuous value. For the past 20 years, his focus has been on using mapping techniques to guide ambitious and struggling teams towards their true north. Steve is a former startup CTO, agency consultant, systems and release engineer, finance IT manager, tech support phone jockey, and pizza maker. All focused on the flow of value, all the time.

Throughout its life, Salesforce has primarily been a tool that companies have used to manage its clients and sales funnel.  However, thanks to an active development community, additional enhancements were made enabling the solution to do much more.  It now has so many add-ons and is so easily configurable, there is an incredibly broad range of functionality that can be configured without the need for any customization of software. This has resulted in an entire career path for professionals who want to focus on Salesforce. Jordan Ostapiuk is a leader in the local Salesforce usergroup community and he joins today's Tech Talk to shed some light on how to build a career as, or recruiter for, a Salesforce professional. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:02:20 About Jordan Ostapiuk  Over the past 20 years, Jordan has evolved his career from his early roots established as a customer service representative, to leading teams through multiple levels of project management and solution delivery. His commitment to delivering client satisfaction continues with each engagement and his passion for delivering value pushes him to seek out new and innovative ways of getting work done. With his breadth of experience, he's effective at striking the balance between the technology details and the needs of the business stakeholders. He executes his work with high levels of energy, helping to build a work environment conducive to empowering its teams and maintaining their engagement and levels of productivity. With an excellent success record in all of the projects he's delivered, it's proven time and time again that those with the highest degree of user engagement always have the highest client satisfaction results. For this reason, Jordan maintains a specific focus on user engagement to ensure projects and other initiatives achieve their goals with the solutions they provide. Jordan has worked with multiple industries across North America, including Oil and Gas, Finance, Energy, Government Services and Telecommunications. Although he's gained broad experience in all of his project delivery roles, Jordan remains focused on the following disciplines: Project Management, Requirements Analysis, Solution Configuration & Delivery, Team Leadership, User Engagement and Relationship Management. Get in Touch with Jordan LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jostapiuk/

Every organization needs to fulfill the need for a technical writer. Sometimes this falls onto their technical staff to complete, but more often than not companies hire someone who is a professional writer to complete their documentation requirements. This episode features Lisa Shipka who took her background based in Journalism and adapted it into a successful, multi-decade career as a Technical Writer working across a wide variety of companies and industries.  Lisa shares not only the scope of the role, but what it takes to be excellent at the job. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:01:38 About Lisa Lisa Shipka has been writing technical documentation for remote clients and those local to the Calgary market for more than 20 years. She's worked in a variety of industries, including oil and gas, pipelines, rail, airlines, health services, beverage production and distribution, and provincial and federal governments. Based on her experience, Lisa has learned that all clients and industries have the same basic need: to convey complex ideas and processes in the most straightforward way possible using the least number of words. It's all about succinctness, although eloquence matters too. Lisa is the original Iceberg Queen, able to analyze the 90% of business processes underwater to surface the 10% of content necessary to share. Lisa founded Shipka Technical Writing Services Inc. in 2007 to enable a move from employee positions to contracting roles. She enjoys the exposure to the vast variety of project work and corporate cultures that consulting allows, along with the work-life balance. In her non-work time, Lisa loves the solitude and splendor of the mountains and hikes or skis every weekend. On the horizon, Lisa plans to write the next great Canadian novel.  Get in Touch with Lisa LinkedIn Email: lisashipka@gmail.com

Business Analytics is where the rubber meets the road for Information Technology.  It represents the actionable insights that can be drawn from the data that is collected. In this episode of Eagle Tech Talks, Dr. Prashanth Southekal shares his perspectives and insights on business analytics! Skip Right to the Interview: 00:01:50 About Dr. Prashanth Southekal Dr. Prashanth Southekal is the Founder & Managing Principal at DBP-Institute, a Data Analytics Consulting and Education firm. His expertise is in Data and Analytics adoption with a focus on Data Products, Revenue & Spend Forecasting Models, Customer360, Self Serve Analytics, and Data Quality/MDM/Governance. Dr. Southekal brings over 20 years of Information Management experience from over 75 companies including SAP, Shell, Apple, P&G, and GE. He has written 2 books - Data for Business Performance and Analytics Best Practices and over 2000 copies are sold. He teaches Data Analytics at IE Business School (Spain) and various professional associations, and he has trained over 2500 professionals worldwide in Analytics and Enterprise Performance Management (EPM). Get in Touch with Dr. Southekal LinkedIn

Eagle's CEO, Janis Grantham, explores the topic of Diversity in IT and shares her experiences. Janis has been an owner and leader of Eagle since its inception over 25 years ago and over this time, she's built a reputation as an industry thought leader and bellweather.  Skip Right to the Interview: 00:01:42 About Janis Grantham ​Janis Grantham is a Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and Chairperson of the Board for Eagle. She leads Eagle's Executive Team and is responsible for the company's strategic direction, while overseeing day-to-day operations. he has more than thirty years of industry experience starting as a computer programmer and working in various consulting and management roles for large system integrators and software companies. Janis was listed as one of Canada's Top 100 Women Business Owners by Profit Magazine for 12 consecutive years. She has also been recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts on multiple occasions in both the North American Staffing 100 List and the Global Power 100 Women in Staffing list. In addition, she is a member of the Hall of Fame for Canada's Most Powerful Women Top 100 program, was the Consumers Choice Business Woman of the Year for Ottawa-Gatineau in 2005, and was a finalist in the 2002 Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Software Developers come in numerous "stripes".  Some are focused on the user experience while others are more in-tune with how the application works and integrates into other systems.  Full-stack development integrates the two, providing a more wholistic approach.  This episode's guest, Kuljeet Nagra is the owner of Calibre Consulting, a software development company.  Her experience with software development projects goes back some 25 years and she shares her insights with Morley. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:01:18 About Kuljeet Nagra Kuljeet is a passionate entrepreneur and IT professional with 25 years of experience. Having worked as a business systems analyst, a programmer, and a project manager, she is truly an expert in her field. Kuljeet brings her expertise to help clients streamline their processes, enhance productivity and improve bottom line results. Leaving the work - and the workplace - much more enjoyable than when she started. After completing her Bachelor's Degree in Information Systems and gaining full knowledge of skills/knowledge in the software development life cycle, she created Calibre Consulting Corp in 2014. Kuljeet's commitment to helping companies become more effective and efficient using software. Get in Touch with Kuljeet Phone: 403-980-8880 Email: knagra@calibreconsulting.ca www.calibreconsulting.ca

Enterprise Architects typically fit within the IT organization, but they spend much of their time working with the Business at strategic levels. The work that they do and the decisions that they make have significant impact on both sides. In this Eagle Tech Talk, Joshua Shoresh explains how, as an Enterprise Architect, he builds a bridge between Business and IT leadership to help organizations set their course forward.  Skip Right to the Interview: 00:01:52 About Joshua Shoresh Joshua Shoresh is an IT professional with over 25 years of experience delivering business solutions to clients in the private and public sectors. As a management consultant, he's provided a broad range of consulting services, ranging from IT management, strategy, architecture (enterprise architecture, business transformation and solution architecture). He is recognized for his leadership and communication skills, and his ability to define focused, cost effective, and innovative solutions to solve business problems. Josh is the founder of Contextual Focus Limited, a Canadian-owned consultancy firm, operating nationally, and focused on assisting clients in the complex niche area of strategy, architecture and governance of IT. Get in Touch with Josh: Email: Joshua.shoresh@contextual-focus.com LinkedIn www.contextual-focus.com 

The IT ecosystem is broad, encompassing SO MANY roles and supporting services.  There truly is something for everyone.  In this episode of Tech Talks, Alexandra (Lexy) Cutean, ICTC's Chief Research Officer, discusses the role that Research Organizations play to support the various participants and stakeholders of this ecosystem.  So if you wish to be able to more easily keep up with the changing Technology landscape or are simply into statistics and research, this Tech Talk is for you!  Skip Right to the Interview: 00:02:35 About Alexandra Cutean  Alexandra Cutean is the Chief Research Officer at the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC). With over a decade of experience in research and policy analysis, Alexandra leads ICTC's research and policy arm, the Digital Think Tank. As ICTC's head of research and policy, Alexandra's work is rooted in a desire to support a digital future that is diverse, inclusive, equitable, and sustainable. She has led initiatives and authored reports on topics like transformative technologies, labour market needs and skill shifts, economic trends and policy, social impacts, and environmental sustainability. Her work has resonated with audiences across Canada and internationally.  Contact Information: ICTC website: www.ictc-ctic-ca  Digital Think Tank Medium page (access reports, blogs, etc.): https://medium.com/digitalthinktankictc  eTalent Canada (where people can go to get info on program, labour market information, access ICTC's skill mapping tool, etc.): www.etalentcanada.ca

This special episode of Eagle Teach Talks, Morley is joined by Lora Bucis from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). She discusses technical education programming that is offered by post-secondary institutions, specifically when it somes to planning, designing and building the programming that will enable their students to pick up the skills and knowledge needed to excel in the IT labour market. Laura's insights as to the approaches educators use to keep their programming relevant, is both interesting and informative! Skip Right to the Interview: 00:02:04 About Lora Bucsis Lora Bucsis is Manager, Digital Adoption Training for SAIT's School for Advanced Digital Technology. A serial intrapreneur, Lora believes that new ways of approaching education can empower and shape workforces. In her role as manager, digital adoption training, she works with organizations across Alberta to understand the talent trends, opportunities and challenges that SAIT and industry can tackle together. Lora is most passionate about building training programs that help people understand and excel in a new digital world. Currently, she is leading the team responsible for digital adoption programming of the DX Talent Hub in SAIT's new School for Advanced Digital Technology. Connect with Lora Email: lora.bucsis@sait.ca LinkedIn

Solution Architects are part problem solver, part process analyst, part technical guru, and part business analyst. They bring all this together to plan and design the systems that meet their organization's business needs and solve its problems. In this Tech Talk, Stephen Marsh, who has worked in "architecture" for one of Canada's largest energy companies, brings a wealth of real-world experience. He helps us understand the complex yet crucial role of the Solutions Architect, the career path you'd take to get there, and tips for recruiting the right professional. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:02:37 About Stephen Marsh Stephen is an IT professional with 30 years of experience in such roles as developer, technical lead, and solution and enterprise architecture. He was an early adopter of agile methods, and has become a proponent and evangelist of cloud native technologies. With an educational background in business (B.Comm., MBA), Stephen's focus has always been on bringing technology to bear on business problems. Get in Touch with Stephen Email: marsh.stephen@shaw.ca LinkedIn

Business Strategy and Information Technology go hand-in-hand as technology is such a great business enabler.  With an explosion of innovation on the tech-side making it difficult for business leaders to keep up with what's possible, it only makes sense that people with a strong technology acumen earn a seat at the business planning and strategy table.  These IT business strategists help to paint a picture of what's possible in context to a company's goals and objectives. In this Tech Talk episode, Wayne Keinick, a Management Consultant who works with organizations to help them drive the most value from their technology investments, talks to Morley about his perspective of the Business Strategist role. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:01:50 About Wayne Keinick Wayne is a Senior Project Management professional focused in the IT/IS space. The early part of his career was spent working for software developers/providers where he held roles in all parts of the business including product management, business analysis, implementations, support, sales, business development and marketing. It is this broad experience that enabled him to transition to independent consultant and deliver holistic value to his consulting clients. His favorite projects have been working with clients on business strategy and more tactically on business transformation projects (mergers and startups). Wayne prides himself in creating a bridge between end users and providers (IT, developers, software companies). He is passionate about communications, always seeking to understand 'what is said vs what is heard' as a key to success in any project. Get in Touch with Wayne LinkedIn

Every organization has Supply Chain and Vendor Management as part of its operations and companies "of size" have entire departments devoted to this crucial practice.  In this episode, Kevin Cornelius – a long-time practitioner in this space who has developed his own consultancy company (Make IT Work) - discusses his approach to the role. He strives to drive better, stronger, and more committed business relationships and has his clients realizing gains they would not have imagined were possible. Skip right to the Interview: 00:02:02  About Kevin Cornelius Kevin Cornelius is the President of Make IT Work, a Strategic Management Consulting organization. Kevin is an experienced professional with over 25 years of Executive Leadership experience. Kevin epitomizes integrity, energy, hard work, and innovation in every detail of his work. Kevin has been involved with technology since the early days of the PC and the Mainframe computer. He has witnessed and been a part of the constant change that makes up Information Technology. Kevin has been instrumental in the modernization of technology in many organizations. Kevin;s strength lies in his ability to understand complex technology and translate the concepts into plain business language. Kevin is strategic by nature with an ability to see the big picture and relate it to basic actionable business level concepts. Delivery is key is a catch phrase often used. Get in Touch with Kevin Email: kevin.cornelius@makeitwork.ca https://makeitwork.ca/  

Mobile computing has transformed the way we live, work and play, but to make our smart phones work, we need applications, databases, security, and a whole lot more.  This is the world of mobile computing. In this episode Brad Gibson discusses his 20 years of diverse and rich mobile computing experience, spanning roles across Retail, Telecommunications and Energy sectors within Canada and Internationally. He sheds light on this technology from a business/functional perspective and will help you to understand the ins and outs of the mobile computing profession. Skip to the Interview: 00:01:55 About Brad Gibson Brad is senior delivery, strategy & client services professional with a passion for delivering customer value, driving teams toward a common vision and enabling transformative business outcomes through technology. He has over 20 years of diverse, rich experience and broad responsibility spanning roles across Retail, Telecommunications and Energy sectors within Canada and internationally.  A strategic thinking and executive facing leader, Brad is a professional who specializes in digital transformation, and offers a key leadership function to communicate corporate vision through storytelling, key strategies and plans, and through relationships by bringing teams together.  He has a track record of success spanning the consulting and enterprise corporate space, where he has led strategic delivery in alignment with business, technology and customer-centric strategies, working with several high-profile Canadian brands. Get in Touch with Brad LinkedIn Email: brad.d.gibson@gmail.com  

Blockchain represents a technology, a business strategy and a new approach that enables a host of web and company based services that are reliant on maintaining a central data register.  Confused by this?  Well, you're not alone. Today's guest, Jon Trask, will demystify much of it.  Jon is a business leader with a strong grasp on technology and has started multiple companies based on solutions that leverage Blockchain (and other leading edge) technologies. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:01:49 About Jon Trask Jon Trask is the Founder and CEO of Blockchain Guru. Blockchain Guru is a consulting, software development and training firm focused on deploying emerging technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning and IoT devices.  Jon and team have developed Dimitra Agriculture Platform focused on digitizing the farming experience and providing farmers with a platform to manage their end-to-end operation, Identity Guru platform focused on digitizing forms of identification and transferring control and ownership to individuals via blockchain.  The Blockchain Guru team is also actively involved in emerging technology education delivering training through Universities and Colleges globally. Get in Touch with Jon Email: jon@blockchainguru.ca LinkedIn  

In this Eagle Tech Talk, Kevin Choropita joins Morley and shares his knowledge and perspective about IT Executive Management Support, a role that is rather unique and directly supports the group of people who lead companies. These IT professionals need to work in a very personal, hands-on way. There is also an x-factor requirement -- the ability to MacGiver their way out of any situation when it is required of them. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:02:19 About Kevin Choropita Kevin Choropita is an IT entrepreneur who has 15 years of experience in IT support across a range of industres from the non-profit sector to the oil and gas industry. Throughout his career, Kevin has held a number of support and analyst roles, building skills through both formal training and practical hands-on learning. Using his key strenghts of listening and understanding IT requirements, translating business requirements into IT needs and working in fast-paced, high stress environments, Kevin is talented at helping people find creative solutions to their technology problems. Get in Touch with Kevin: LinkedIn 

In this Management Consulting episode of Eagle Tech Talks, Morley is joined by Yogi Schulz, an active freelance contributor to some of Canada's most-read industry publications and journals, including IT World Canada. Having provided consulting services to industry and governments alike, Yogi has developed and perfected a management consulting approach that has been proven time and time and time again. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:02:08 About Yogi Schulz Yogi Schulz founded Corvelle Consulting. The firm specializes in project management and information technology-related management consulting in the upstream oil & gas industry. In recent years, Yogi has advised on using data analytics for business value.  Yogi has presented at many conferences, including oil & gas conferences. Yogi writes a monthly blog at ITWorldCanada.com. Yogi served as a member of the Board of Directors of the PPDM Association. He has written monthly columns for Computing Canada and The Calgary Herald that address IT management issues.  Get in Touch with Yogi LinkedIn  

IT teams manage the delivery of Information Technology services to the organization's various business units and clientele.  IT Service Management, or ITSM, encompasses all of the activities associated with the designing, creating, delivering, and supporting of services that the IT department provides.  Ian Watson joins Morley to discuss ITSM and share some of the current approaches that companies are using for their Service Management strategy.  Skip to the Interview: 00:01:36 About Ian With 15+ years of experience helping teams maximize the value of their Service Management and IT investments, Ian Watson has a track record of business & IT transformation and delivery of strategic business objectives. His passion is helping People – helping them get the most from their digital assets and fostering strategic partnerships that transform businesses. Bringing a practical, fit for purpose approach that supports customer success with both tactical and strategic outcomes. He quickly establishes a team culture of continuous improvement and aligned autonomy that ensures delivery quality and optimized cost.  Get in Touch with Ian Email: Watson.Ian.P@gmail.com LinkedIn

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) is a part of an organization's big data analytics toolset.  Effective cyber security approaches require a tool to effectively manage and control attacks to their systems.  The level of sophistication of attacks and the the sheer scale of attacks require a level of automation that wasn't readily available even a decade ago.  Now, big data analytics tools offer a SIEM solution as part of its offering, providing security experts with the functionality that they need to get ahead, stay ahead and automatically respond to security threats.  In this episode, Amyn Visram will share his knowledge on this important and quickly growing area within Information Technology. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:01:59 About Amyn Visram Amyn Visram is the founding principal and Senior Consultant at Halvis Consulting Inc. His company, headquartered in Calgary, provides Splunk professional services to customers throughout North America and specializes in the best-practice design and delivery of Splunk machine data collection, data analytics, security, and information event management, and IT operations solutions, to name a few, for clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.  Amyn has over thirty years of experience in the Information Technology industry and has had the opportunity to work with clients across the globe in a multitude of industries ranging from multinational oil companies to Silicon Valley startups to federal and provincial government agencies.  Amyn's long history of consulting and providing smart, current solutions has enabled him to evolve in an ever-growing, constantly changing, industry.  Connect with Amyn www.halvis.com LinkedIn

Program Management sits in the space between Project Managers, the Project Management Office and The Business.  The Program Manager typically provides oversight for a number of projects, ensuring a consistent set of strategic objectives are met. What does it take to be successful in this role?  What are the challenges?  How do you measure success?  All these questions and more are answered by this episode's guest, Axel Romberg.  Axel has a multi-decade career leading projects, working in both the private and public sector.  He shares with us his experience, his knowledge and what he feels are the key success factors for providing excellence in Program Management.  Skip Right to the Interview: 00:01:36 About Axel Romberg Axel Roberg is a Project Management Office (PMO) Professional with over 25 years in national and international experience in finance, retail, manufacturing, engineering, and public organizations.  He is a strong team builder and leader that is results-orientated with a customer focus and received several accolades and awards, including being recognized as a Growth Development Leader (GDL).   Get in Touch with Axel LinkedIn

Managed Services and Outsourcing is a multi-billion-dollar-a-year industry in Canada alone.  As such, it makes up a very large part of the IT industry as well.  How is working at a Systems Integrator or Consulting Company different from working for an Enterprise or Gov't organization directly? What does it take to become involved in this space? Joining Morley in this episode to share his thoughts on providing managed services is Raj Kapoor.  Raj is an Executive Partner at the Whitestone Group, a consulting company and IT service provider that specializes in technology governance, strategic vendor management, and outsourcing optimization. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:01:51 About Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor is the co-founder of, and an Executive Partner at The Whitestone Group, a specialized firm focused on helping companies make change work through effective use of people, process, technology and communication. Raj has spent over 25 years implementing and advising clients on how to affect significant business change and optimization. A strong leader with a team-based mindset, Raj really does understand the symbiotic nature between the business, technology and the people supporting them. From large multi-billion dollar deals to the small and surgical, Raj and his team ensure the required changes are implemented and stick, long after they are finished. Connect with Raj Email: raj@whitestone.group LinkedIn

Past Tech Talks have already discussed the curation and use cases of digital corporate data, and in this episode, Morley continues the conversation with Garry Ma, a leading data scientist and expert in artificial intelligence. They talk about how Data Science helps convert data into actionable business information and how AI uses that information to achieve business goals such as increased efficiencies, improving customer service, reducing time to complete tasks and scale business. Whether you're interested in working in the field, recruiting professionals for related jobs, or already immersed in the profession, you will find value in this interview! Skip Right to the Interview: 00:02:04 About Garry Ma Garry is founder and CEO of Ample Insight, a Toronto-based consulting firm helping organizations across diverse industries build and scale data analytics and AI.Garry was also an early data scientist at Facebook and had helped establish many of the core data science teams at Facebook today including monetization, profile, privacy, and data growth products. Garry later co-founded Brilent, an AI SaaS company that automated the discovery and matching of candidates to jobs. Brilent's AI outperformed some of the top recruiters around the world and was later recognized by IDC as a leading innovator in talent discovery. Today, Garry's focus remains on helping companies accelerate their growth through the practical use of data, AI, and data science.  Connect with Garry Email: garry@ampleinsight.com LinkedIn www.ampleinsight.com  

Big Data is a popular topic today, frequently being discussed in the media for both its good and its bad. In this episode of Eagle Tech Talks, Morley is joined by John Pensom, CEO of PeopleInsight Workforece Analytics, a company that helps their clients make business sense out of their "people" data. They discuss the many roles related to Big Data (ex. Data Architect, Data Scientist) and how companies leverage data and analytics to make more sophisticated, strategic decisions. Skip Right to the Interview:  00:02:22 About John Pensom John Pensom is Co-Founder & CEO of PeopleInsight Workforce Analytics - a SaaS based multi-source people analytics platform. He comes from a long history in HR data, strategy and transformation. John speaks frequently at industry events about the power of workforce analytics, data driven transformation and helping HR become more business focused and is proud to be identified as one of the Global Top 50 HR Analytics Influencers.  Get in Touch with John www.peopleinsight.com Email: john.pensom@peopleinsight.com  LinkedIn   Twitter  

In this episode, Eagle's own long-time permanent placement recruiter, Alison Turnbull, talks with Morley about what it takes to be successful as a technical recruiter. She shares the lessons she's learned over the years of honing her expertise at permanent placement recruitment over the past 20 years. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:01:58 About Alison Alison Turnbull has been in the recruitment business for over 23 years, including more than 12 years as part of the Eagle Team. Currently Eagle's leading recruiter in permanent placements, specifically in Western Canada, Alison is also skilled in assessing leadership talent and helped launch Eagle's Executive Management Consulting division. She has built relationships and helped place hundreds of talented professionals across Canada and into the United States. Alison's passion for recruiting stems from her love for finding people their next great career opportunity, as well as helping companies find the best fit for their culture. She carefully gets to know both the candidates and the hiring organizations so she can be certain people are taking the best possible steps for their careers. Connect with Alison Email: a.turnbull@eagleonline.com LinkedIn

As the saying goes "there is nothing more constant than change" and in today's world, that's an understatement! Today's Tech Talk features Len Nanjad, an expert who has been involved in the organizational change management space for over two decades as both a practitioner and an instructor at the university level. He and Morley discuss the field, what it takes to be successful in the role and how to identify both the right opportunities and professionals.  Skip right to the interview: 00:01:50 About Len Len Nanjad has twenty years of provoking dramatic performance breakthroughs. Describing that experience, he says “I have always been inspired by blending science and art to achieve winning results through the design of people systems.”  Before consulting with boutique firms and on his own, Len was the Senior Director, Business Change, Retail Operations for Loblaw Companies Ltd. There he worked closely with senior leaders across several functions to address top priority people, talent and organization issues through change management, organizational design, team effectiveness, and facilitation of strategic planning sessions. Prior to this, Len spent five years as a Senior Managing Consultant, Organizational Change Strategy with IBM Global Business Services, three years with Deloitte as a Senior Consultant, People and Organization Performance, plus some time with Accenture Business Process Outsourcing.  Organizations in retail, energy, telecommunications and financial services have achieved impressive results working with Len. Some of his past clients include TJX, Canadian Tire, Spectra Energy Transmission West, TELUS, The Co-Operators, and Travel Alberta. He has also taught and guest lectured at several Canadian universities including University of Lethbridge and University of Calgary.  Get in Touch with Len www.nanjad.com Email: len@nanjad.com LinkedIn 

Quality Assurance is the process of testing code and applications to ensure they work as intended and provide the Software Developers with feedback needed to repair or improve the software product.  But in today's uber-speed, hyper-change environment, with applications running globally for potentially millions of users, how does one complete proper and meaningful quality tests? Today's guest, Kevan Mikkelsen, has been involved in the QA process for more than 35 years. He and Morley disucss his experience with a focus on automated testing. Skip right to the interview: 00:01:40 About Kevan Kevan Mikkelsen is a Senior Quality Assurance Expert who brings over 30 years of overall IT experience, deep expertise in Quality Assurance and prior experience leading and managing high performing teams. Kevan has proven facilitation skills and deep insight into industry best practices in automated and manual testing. He has extensive experience streamlining complex work and business processes. Get in Touch with Kevan  LinkedIn

The need for Project Rescue specialists has been around for almost as long as there have been projects. This high-stakes, high-pressure scenario would scare away most people.  But some experts have built their career around such... opportunities. Today's podcast features Heike Cantrup where her and Morley discuss some of her ideas and philosophies that have helped her to be successful throughout her career.  Skip Right to the Interview: 00:02:03 About Heike Cantrup Heike Cantrup is a PMP certified project manager and consultant employed in the Calgary IT industry for over 15 years. She is passionate about working for teams, removing bottlenecks and obstacles and empowering technical groups to realize their strengths while working as a united front. Her independent consulting firm, Zippered Tiger Inc., has been running strong since May 2016 and plans to continue serving Alberta for years to come. Contact Heike Email: heike@zipperedtiger.com 

GIS is everywhere in our daily lives. From social media, to our cell phones, to package tracking. And with so many applications, it's only natural here are also a number of career opportunities. In this Tech Talk, Morley is joined by Frank Letniowski to go through the ins and outs of what it takes to be successful in GIS. Skip right to the interview: 00:02:08 About Frank Frank Letniowski is a Senior IT project manager with expertise on enterprise and corporate programs and projects. He has a focus on software project management, change management, business analysis, vendor management, sourcing and people leadership. Frank is an advocate for Agile software development practices, cross-functional collaboration and risk management, and he has xperience leading large software projects such as GIS implementations, document and content management, customer and accounting systems. Get in Touch with Frank LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankletniowski/ Email: letniowf@gmail.com

Gabrielle Maussner-Schouten spends a lot of time working in and thinking about the Project Management Office (PMO). She's recently co-written a white paper on this subject with an emphasis on its real world application. In this episode of Eagle Tech Talks, Morley discusses the PMO in-depth with Gabrielle, whose energy and enthusiasm on the topic is second-to-none. She talks about how it's evolving, the business drivers for implementing a PMO and what it takes to manage a successful one. Skip Right to the Interview: 00:01:32 About Gabrielle Maussner-Schouten   Gabriele Maussner-Schouten is a respected project consultant and coach with more than 20 years of experience developing and implementing practical solutions for project management success. She is an award-winning speaker; workshop facilitator and author of many project management articles. Most recently she completed a White Paper on “A Canadian Perspective on PMOs”. Her expertise managing large projects for both private and public-sector organizations ranges from mission-critical ERP implementations and content management solutions to providing leadership for major special events and support for enterprise-wide communication strategies. She also has taught strategic supply chain management at Centennial College and Humber College in Toronto. Get in Touch with Gabrielle Email: gmaussner@sympatico.ca    LinkedIn

Morley sits down with Regan Herbst, one of the founders of Advantus360, a company that specializes in Cybersecurity advisory, testing, design, implementation and remediation services. Regan goes through many aspects that CSO's must consider and we learn just how huge the cybersecurity landscape really is. Skip right to the interview: 00:02:24 Follow along: Download the accompanying presentation About Regan Herbst With over 25 years of experience assisting organizations maximize their returns on security and IT technology, Regan is the go-to for business leadership, vision and strategy. Helping clients protect critical digital assets and fostering strategic objectives is Regan's passion. Regan's synergized approach supports clients to achieve both business and technical goals.   Connect with Regan LinkedIn  Website: advantus360.com  (Company Website)  Email: rherbst@advantus360.com   

The Agile approach has been around for some time and has consistently grown in popularity whereby, currently, the Agile approach to computing is as prevalent or even more common than more traditional approaches. But, as we'll learn, not all projects benefit from an agile approach and even those that do may benefit from a somewhat blended strategy. In this episode of Eagle Tech Talks, Chris Edwards breaks down Agile using his great amount of experience in this area and does a fantastic job at making it all clear. Skip right to the interview: 00:01:46 About Chris Chris Edwards has a diverse background as a software engineer, manager, agile coach, and architect. Chris believes strongly in the value of leadership and that by focusing on people we can help build high performing teams that build better designs and architectures. By combining a strong technical background with a passion for leadership and agile practices, Chris unleashes the full potential of the individuals and teams that he works with. Chris has extensive experience in Agile technical practices such as TDD, refactoring, SOLID design, pair programming, and mob programming. Chris also enables his clients in the adoption of tools, technologies, and processes that lead to continuous delivery and deployment. Chris' background as a manager and agile coach allows him to work with the full software development team to reduce waste and remove barriers to success.    Get in Touch with Chris Twitter Email: agilechrisyyc@gmail.com 

Business Analysts must have strong IT knowledge, a good understanding of the business unit plus strong communication skills. In this Eagle Tech Talk, James Moshonas, a BA with experience in private sector and government departments, discusses what it takes to excel in the role and how recruiters can identify the right professional for their clients' unique projects. Skip right to the interview: 00:01:31 About James James is a 30-year IT and Project Management veteran who has managed many project and programs and, sometimes, fulfills the Business Analyst role himself.  James has been a senior project manager for the last two decades and, in this role, he has worked with many business analysts.  From this unique perspective, James shares his personal and professional insights into what makes a business analyst successful. Get in Touch with James  LinkedIn

Join Morley as he has a conversation with James Bullas to talk everything DevOps and this fast-growing trend. They chat about what DevOps really is, and dive into topics such as what it takes to be a great DevOps specialist, how to land the best jobs, as well as how to identify the top professionals in the field. Skip right to the interview: 00:01:56 About James James Bullas is a delivery leader focused on Agile and DevSecOps+ software development at scale. He is constantly finding the tension point between getting it done now and the needs of the future; all the while focused on creating the environment for his team to thrive and sustainably create the future.   Connect with James Email:  james.bullas@gmail.com LinkedIn

When we think of Cloud Computing, we often think of the large cloud companies like AWS, Google and Azure; however, it often makes strategic sense for organizations to create their own separately managed corporate cloud solution. In this episode, Morley talks to Geoff Shukin to discuss the private cloud, why companies choose to go this direction, and what it means for them. Skip right to the interview: 00:01:41 About Geoff Shukin Geoff is a Staff Systems Engineer working at VMware in the Network Security group. He has been with a variety of different business units at VMware over the past 5 and half years including working as the SE in the Pacific NW as well as Western Canada and as a security specialist on the AppDefense team helping to roll out new security products to the North American Market.  Geoff has an extensive security background having spent time before VMware at Palo Alto Networks, Cisco, and Nortel.    Geoff is focused on helping customers seeing things differently and challenging the status quo.  Geoff is based in Calgary and enjoys watching Hockey as well as attempting to do a CrossFit workout now and again.  Connect with Geoff Email: gshukin@vmware.com Twitter

Morley sits down with Change Management expert, Rich Batchelor, to explore the field in detail. They dive into exactly what is Change Management, why is it important, how to break into the field, and how to identify the best Change Managers and match them to the right project. Skip right to the interview: 00:01:38 Follow along: Download the accompanying presentation About Rich Batchelor Rich has been successfully delivering change for over 25 years. He has consulted, coached and educated with organizations across all parts of the globe and regularly lends his voice to many educational events, conferences and experiences each year. He is a founding member of the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) and was founding president of the Toronto Chapter for 6 years. He has also founded the highly successful Toronto Change Days conference, complimenting the original Berlin Change Days conference and now Australasian Change Days. He has a masters in change management and is certified in Project Management, Process improvement, Facilitation, HR, Coaching, Counseling and Psychotherapy. He is also a Certified Lego® Serious Play® Facilitator & Workshop Designer, Certified in facilitating organizations through VUCA and an accredited emotional culture deck “elephant rider” ! His presentation delivery is known for its passion and direct challenges to the audience. He enjoys the opportunity to disrupt traditional thinking, bring humour to the learning space and enable curiosity to take control of the change space for everyone. Connect with Rich Email: rich@richardbatchelor.com   Website: www.johnhetheringtonconsulting.com LinkedIn Twitter

Roman Mirakhmedov takes Morley and the Eagle Team through a presentation about Cloud Computing, including what it is, what kinds of people work on cloud projects, what IT roles support cloud, what hiring managers are looking for in a cloud professional and how to identify the top experts.   Skip right to the interview: 00:02:08 Following along: Download the accompanying presentation   About Roman Roman Mirakhmedov is a cloud, software, artificial intelligence and machine learning architect who has been in the software landscape for more than 20 years. He has been developing software since the age of 10, participated in the development of IBM AIX, Java and Netscape Navigator, and built products in a variety of domains from instant messaging to spatial graphics and ternary computing. Roman is certified across multiple cloud platforms; he is one of the very few people in the world to hold all AWS certifications, and is a Partner and Principal Architect with Lean Minds. Connect with Roman: LinkedIn Twitter Medium

Digital Transformation is one of the hottest topics across companies around the world and in this episode, Morley has an in-depth discussion with John Hetherington to learn more about what it means to him.  They dive into the key features of Digital Transformation, what roles are normally involved, and what it takes to be successful in the field. Skip right to the interview: 00:01:51 Follow along: Download the accompanying presentation About John Heatherington John thrives on helping companies and individuals navigate our world of fast-paced technology change. Business leaders look to John when they see the huge opportunity of technology but are frustrated with lack of results or overly complicated projects. John has led technology projects for over 25 years and is an expert in digital change. He has 10 years strategy consulting experience from Deloitte and Ernst & Young and has worked in the technology industry both in the UK and North America. His clients value the way he creates pragmatic strategies that achieve results and his ability to simplify complexity into clear actions that drive meaningful outcomes. Connect with John Email: john@johnhetheringtonconsulting.com Website: www.johnhetheringtonconsulting.com LinkedIn Twitter

Morley chats with Mike Gedlaman, who's worked with a number of Canada's largest retailers with both brick & mortar and online storefronts. They discuss a range of eCommerce topics, including the types of roles and skills needed to break into the field. Skip right to the interview: 00:01:26 Following along: Download the accompanying presentation About Mike Gedlaman Mike is a passionate, creative, and charismatic leader who cares deeply about how people use technology and how we deliver it. With great energy and strong technical and soft skills, Mike is especially talented in visualizing new architectures and what change looks like and the implications and risks. He is a very strong persuader and negotiator – skills he has honed over years of inspiring others to embrace change. Connect with Mike LinkedIn

To kick-off our first ever Eagle Tech Talk, host Morley Surcon speaks with Larry Shumlich, a 30-year veteran in the IT Project Management space. They cover a range of topics within the Project Management space, including the common career path for a PM, what the you can expect when you choose it as a career, and tips for finding the best person to lead your next IT project. Skip right to interview: 00:04:05 Following along: Download the accompanying presentation About Larry Shumlich Larry is a proven Information Technology leader in Western Canada, delivering high value, through innovation and strong teams. Larry has been a Product Manager, Project Manager, Developer, Consultant, Mentor and Leader. He has worked for WestJet, TransCanada, CP Rail and other first-tier organizations across multiple domains and has a proven record of building high-performance teams and delivering results. Connect with Larry Email: larry@leanminds.ca Website: www.leanminds.ca LinkedIn