The Great Resignation. Quiet Quitting. Impostor Syndrome. These are popular terms that have reared their head in recent times, indicating a severe lack of happiness in the workplace. That’s where Coach Karina comes in. With almost two decades of experience, Karina Bognon has helped 1000s of individuals with professional and life coaching. With her background in recruitment, she had the honour of placing over 60,000 people in jobs. And speaking of honour, The Agile CTO got to carve out at hour of...
Sep 13, 2022•57 min
We had the pleasure of chatting with Karen Nadasen in a recent episode of The Agile CTO. Karen is regularly described as one of South Africa’s most inspiring women in tech. She is the current CEO of PayU South Africa , a global financial technology company and payment service provider. She has many accolades, including the Regional Winner (SADC) of Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government 2018. Guy Coleman and Alan Haefele chat to Karen about her role at PayU SA, her journey as...
Aug 09, 2022•1 hr 1 min
We’ve heard of data warehouses, but what about data lakehouses? It’s the merger of the minds in the latest episode of The Agile CTO, as hosts Guy Coleman and Harley Ferguson chat to Dael Williamson , Databricks CTO for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Dael tells us more about data lake houses, his work in data, and helping clients navigate this data-driven, digital transformation. As one of the world's top 10 Fastest-Growing Private Tech Companies, Databricks is a unicorn business with 7 000...
Jul 12, 2022•58 min
Google Charlotte Morley and you’ll likely come across many articles about the entrepreneur’s success on Dragon’s Den. But it’s her start-up rental marketplace for kids, The Little Loop , that she’s most proud of (although, she admits that the den is a scary place!). With The Little Loop, Charlotte hopes to make a difference in the fashion industry and help parents along the way. Charlotte has had a fascinating career trajectory from civil servant in Iraq for the UK Ministry of Defence to owning ...
Jun 14, 2022•38 min
Co-Founder. CEO. Acting CTO of Ziflow . These are all titles Anthony Welgemoed holds with pride. As the CEO of Ziflow, Anthony's role is centered around helping creative teams collect and collate feedback and reviews on multiple assets, from static graphics to digital banners, websites, videos, and audio. This helps streamline the approval process, especially when multiple people are required to provide feedback. In our latest episode, we talk to Anthony Welgemoed about his journey, why we shoul...
May 24, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Rick Davidson is a man of many talents – game developer, career coach, online educator, psychologist, and unintentional game dev dad. He has been massively immersed in the gaming industry for over 20 years, working with small and large studios on some exciting things throughout his career. This includes IPs like Marvel’s Captain America and Nintendo’s Mario games. He also co-founded his own indie game studio, Inspirado Games before becoming a career coach at Gamedev.tv where he helps thousands o...
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Clint Hill , QA Practice Lead, and Automation QA Ross Coetzee talk about the journey into testing in our latest Agile CTO podcast. They delve into their journey towards testing. Spoiler alert! They both stumbled into it by chance. For Ross, it was automation from day one. He loved problem-solving and programming, so a career in software development seemed natural. He started in junior roles, interning and accepting any job to get in the industry. His goal was to learn everything he could from th...
Apr 05, 2022•40 min
Sometimes, it takes a risk to make a difference. Just ask Brendan McEnroe , the successful CTO of Trade Window , the first blockchain company on the New Zealand Stock Exchange. He is also the founder of consultancy service DigitalTui and co-founder of software firm Block Zero. Brendan, a technologist at heart, clearly has his fingers in many pies, which he explains to us in detail in the latest episode of the Agile CTO podcast. He also shares his insights on: The value of the Agile philosophy in...
Mar 22, 2022•56 min
Legends move toward challenges, not away from them. One such legend of the development world, Dane Mackier , Co-Founder & CTO at Rapture , carved out precious time from his meticulously planned routine, to speak with us. We got an inside look at what moving toward a challenge really involves. Join us as we talk with Dane Mackier , Co-Founder & CTO at Rapture , all about: Why he considers himself an influencer in the development space His company Rapture, what they’re up to, and how they’...
Mar 08, 2022•1 hr 8 min
We’re pleased to introduce a new segment that will be coming to The Agile CTO podcast that will focus on quality assurance (QA) and automated testing. On this episode, we talk with the co-hosts of the new segment, Clint Hill and Ross Coetzee, to find out what will be discussed. Join us as we discuss: -Why we’re bringing new voices onto the podcast -The backgrounds of Clint and Ross -What the new segment will be about Keep connected with The Agile CTO at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website. L...
Feb 15, 2022•9 min
It’s a candidate’s market right now. So, what makes employees happy? Employee experience is a balance of three factors: compensation, company culture, and growth opportunities. In this episode, we hear from the Haefele Software team about where we’ve come from, what criteria we use to evaluate our jobs, and what irritates us enough to leave. Our three guests are Jamie-lee Havenga , People & Culture Associate; Clint Hill , Test Lead; and Kyle Roycroft , Business Analyst — all at Haefele Softw...
Jan 25, 2022•53 min
Today’s guest is our very own Alan Haefele, Owner and Managing Director here at Haefele Software. He’s the perfect person to join this roundtable episode, where we scrutinize what it takes to produce a high-performing development team. More specifically, in this episode we discuss: - The Haefele Software steering column - 3 lenses that help define high performance - The growth mindset required for high-performing people and teams - How to identify high performance Keep connected with The Agile C...
Nov 23, 2021•10 min
When today’s guest thought about what the future held for him, culture fit was top of mind. It matters greatly that our value systems align with that of the companies we work for, especially in terms of not being domain driven and learning from and collaborating with other teams. In this episode, we interview Andrew Baker, Director of Engineering, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) at AWS, about the rigorous interview process, what attracted him to AWS, and why culture was a major criterion in h...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Our guest today didn’t start out passionate about office space and property, but he did have a passion for solving problems by building startups. The problem he discovered was that office space is filling wildly different roles in our lives today and that people need flexibility and choice when it comes to hybrid work. So he decided to build a platform to solve it (originally written in AngularJS, if you can believe that). In this episode, we interview Forbes 30 Under 30 Tom Watson, Co-Founder &...
Oct 26, 2021•57 min
If you ask five developers the same fill-in-the-blank question, you’ll get five different answers. “As a new developer, it would be best for me to learn ___.” In our latest roundtable episode, each of us tackles this question and many others. We chat about what frontend and backend really mean, the benefits of full stack for businesses and new developers, the importance of “tinkering,” mentorship, and more. - J ohan Botha , Practice Lead - Backend & Cloud at Haefele Software - Guy Coleman , ...
Oct 12, 2021•59 min
Building software is not at all like building a building. Something that’s brick today might become tile or green paint tomorrow. More importantly, it’s impossible to know how much it will cost and when it will be done at the beginning of the project. That’s why explaining to the customer what an agile approach is and how it serves the project better is crucial. In this roundtable episode, we chat with Jonathan Balmer , Delivery Director at Haefele Software, about the challenges and pitfalls of ...
Oct 05, 2021•58 min
A defined way of doing projects is fine when you don’t anticipate the requirements to change. The reality is, however, that a project with all requirements known upfront just doesn’t exist. With Agile, you’re reflecting and adapting on your process frequently throughout the entire project. You can adjust course rapidly (and cheaply). One framework for implementing the values and principles of the Agile Manifesto is Scrum. In this episode, we interview Peter Hundermark , Mentor at agile42, about ...
Sep 28, 2021•51 min
Working at a startup comes with its fair share of unique challenges — ranging from the hiring process to mentorship. Choosing to work for a startup can be a rewarding work path, but only for those with the right predisposition. In this episode, we interview Sophie Troy , Vice Pres ident of Engineering at Vamp, about how she’s helped build Vamp into what it is today and advice for those thinking of following in her footsteps. What we discuss: - A deep dive into Vamp & Sophie’s background - Bu...
Sep 21, 2021•43 min
Today’s guest wasn’t really aware of computers until after high school. He has regularly been called young, stubborn, and naive. Proving everyone wrong by landing on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, he embodies the growth mindset of the best of tech entrepreneurs. In this episode, we interview Tyrone Adams , Co-Founder and CEO at Skywalk Innovations , about his entrepreneurship, innovation, and vision for technology in Africa. Join us as we discuss: - Why Africa 1.0 can skip straight to Africa 3.0 -...
Sep 07, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Entrepreneurs who are on a limited budget have excellent opportunities to build world-class frontend experiences. The frontend journey is going to change how we speak to our technology, how we move around it, and how we leverage data to create customer experience. In this episode, we interview Greg Van Berkel , CEO at Code Collective and Head of Software Development and Technology at the Renati Group , about entrepreneurship and how company culture strongly relates to product, whether frontend, ...
Aug 31, 2021•54 min
Software developers are a rare commodity. So, when an app needs to be built in a developer’s absence, it requires a low code or no code solution. However, low code/no code is not always the answer. What should be done, then? In this episode, we interview Paul Du Bois , CEO and Founder of Appenate , about the explosion of low code/no code applications and why the high need for software developers will continue. What we discuss: - A deep dive into low code & no code applications - Understandin...
Aug 24, 2021•51 min
When your career trajectory has been defined by global financial crises… when you battle cancer as a 30-year-old newlywed… when your handcrafted procedure manual spreadsheet gets leaked by Buzzfeed… You choose to spend time doing work you enjoy. In this episode, we interview Ben Deacon , Founder at Staverton Partners , about lessons gained from his experience and his expectations for the future. Ben chats with us about: - His highly unusual education and background - Low code/no code versus the ...
Aug 17, 2021•42 min
When supply chains break down, it further highlights the fragility of the whole food system. Regenerative agriculture in terms of food security means focusing on supporting both food sustainability and local food economies. It’s certainly tempting to jump right to IoT and connected farms. But what the agricultural industry really needs in terms of tech is tools to boost small-scale producers. In this episode, we interview Ryan Meiring , Founder at Big Inja Farming , about the intersection betwee...
Jul 27, 2021•56 min
Online teaching has seen a spike in popularity since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the need for virtual learning in every home, online schools have accelerated their transition from teachers teaching from physical locations to a completely remote setting. Ryan Lamb , Chief Technology Officer at The Really Great Teacher Company , joins the show to discuss his experience in the space and his unique journey to CTO. What we talked about: The Really Great Teacher Company Explained Ryan’s D...
Jul 05, 2021•45 min
Historically, women have been less likely to go into the tech industry than men; this has led to an imbalance ratio in the workplace, leaving the few women in the industry isolated. Project F aims to change that by bringing strategies and audits to companies—bringing to light some roadblocks that prevent a business from integrating more women. We are joined by 3 guests: Roisin Parkes , Advisory Board Member at Project F ; René Johannes , Lead Software Developer at Haefele Software ; and Teri Jac...
Jun 28, 2021•1 hr 15 min
Outsourcing isn’t just about getting cheaper devs. There’s an entire spectrum of how to outsource for your business and you need to be mindful of all the options available before settling on one. Alan Haefele, CEO of Haefele Software, shares the lesser known tips and tricks for you to take advantage of. What we talked about: - Insourcing, outsourcing & hybridization - The outsourcing spectrum and how to approach it - The upside of outsourcing to South African providers Check out these resour...
Jun 21, 2021•39 min
To grow from one employee to 50 in 15 years takes an immense amount of change. What will it take to grow to 100? In this episode, hosts Guy and Harley interview Alan Haefele , CEO at Haefele Software , about his recent achievements and frustrations, the company origin story, and his vision for scaling culture. What we talked about: - Delivery, coaching, and business outcomes - Haefele’s origin story from 1 to 50 - Culture, past and future - What’s next at Haefele Keep connected with The Agile CT...
Jun 14, 2021•53 min
Rahul Jain , CEO, & Ruberto Paulo , CTO, both from Peach Payments , reveal their greatest lessons through rapid business growth. What we talked about: - Funding without fundraising and other wins - Differentiation in a digital market - Challenges and pathways to going global - Outsourcing development: how does it work? Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Rahul’s LinkedIn profile - Ruberto’s LinkedIn profile - M-Pesa (Kenyan mobile banking service) - The Art of Leader...
May 31, 2021•46 min
If you had to chart the probable career path of someone in the biotech industry — someone who spent their time amplifying DNA, experimenting with proteins, and spending their time in data science — it’s likely that CTO wouldn’t be on the top of that list. But that’s exactly where our guest on this episode of The Agile CTO, Dael Williamson found himself. Dael is the European CTO of Data & AI at Avanade . Avanade is a global professional services company providing IT consulting and services fo...
May 24, 2021•59 min
If you asked one hundred different software development companies their development methodologies, you’re not likely to get a consensus answer. Some use the waterfall method. Some use agile. Some use some combination of the two. Others use something entirely different. There is no singular methodology. But as we learned from our guest on this inaugural episode of The Agile CTO, Herman Kriel , CEO at FiveFriday , maybe having a singular methodology isn’t such a necessary thing. We talked all abou...
May 17, 2021•55 min
