Innovators
How we started: the Innovators Podcast was born out of a demand from job seekers wanting to learn more about the companies that they were applying for positions at. Exciting, right? The podcast gives a unique opportunity for hiring managers to open up about their best practices, to share their personal career experiences and to give advice to job candidates on how to find that dream job. Our host Simon Chou brings his own diverse experiences to the mic and asks all the burning questions that job candidates are dying to know. Got a question for us? Send us an email [email protected] with your ideas!
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#81 - Wealthsimple - Developing an Engineering Career in FinTech
01/23/2023
#81 - Wealthsimple - Developing an Engineering Career in FinTech
In this episode, we chatted with Inga Jonsdottir, Engineering Manager at Wealthsimple, about all things front-end. Inga shares her experience of being a female software engineer and what a day in the life of a front-end developer is like. From personal anecdotes, she stresses the importance of a healthy work-life balance to avoid burnout and sets this example as a manager. She advises job candidates wanting to break into fintech to become life-long learners and to keep an open mind. Her employer, Wealthsimple, is an investment platform trusted by over 2.5 million Canadians. Their total assets under administration are worth a whopping $18B Canadian dollars with a North American workforce of over 1000 employees.
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/25664295
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#80 - DataDome - The Future of Cybersecurity
01/09/2023
#80 - DataDome - The Future of Cybersecurity
In this episode, we got to dive in deep with Aurelie Guerierri, Chief Marketing Officer of DataDome, a leader in online fraud and bot protection with 250+ enterprise customers worldwide, including Reddit, Patreon, and AngelList. Aurelie discusses her passion for scaling business innovation, the future of cybersecurity, and what makes a successful company culture – especially in today’s remote work environment. Link to DataDome:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/25529508
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#79 - Lumen5 - Everyone Grows Together with Equal Pay
12/19/2022
#79 - Lumen5 - Everyone Grows Together with Equal Pay
In this episode, Ezra Parnall, Head of Operations, at Lumen5, opens up about company pay structures and discusses why they believe it’s important for companies to be transparent about wages to close the wage gap. Lumen5 is fully committed to Equal Pay. They pledged themselves with Unbounce’s Pay Up For Progress initiative back in 2020, along with companies like Bench, Klue, Thinkific, Clio, and Hootsuite. Lumen5 was recently recognized as a top 3 finalist for Culture of the Year in BC Tech’s Technology Impact Awards for the second year in a row, and has been repeatedly recognized for being one of the fastest-growing companies in Canada. Link to Lumen5:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/25354983
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#78 - WestJet - Adapting to Trends in Technology
12/05/2022
#78 - WestJet - Adapting to Trends in Technology
In this episode, Justin Laufer, Senior Product Manager of Cloud Services at WestJet, chats with us about innovating at one of Canada’s largest airline companies. He explains how the airline industry struggled during the pandemic, and how WestJet bounced back through adapting to a changing world and trends in technology that prioritized safety and reliability. Justin also provides insight on what it’s like to apply for leadership positions at WestJet and if higher education is necessary on a resume. The WestJet group of companies offers scheduled services to more than 100 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. Link:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/25218234
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#77 - Hootsuite - Innovation at a Large vs. Small Company
11/21/2022
#77 - Hootsuite - Innovation at a Large vs. Small Company
In this episode, Kevin Mueller, Director of Program Management at Hootsuite, discusses his personal journey in tech, how large versus small companies approach innovation and current changes he’s seeing in product, sales and marketing. Kevin provides sage career advice for job candidates struggling to find the right career path and when is the best time in someone’s startup career to transition to a more large scale organization. Hootsuite is a Vancouver based social media media management company whose social insights, employee advocacy, and social customer care empowers organizations to strategically grow their brands, businesses, and customer relationships with social media. Link to Hootsuite:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/25010523
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#76 - Lighthouse Labs - Providing Career Services for Life
11/07/2022
#76 - Lighthouse Labs - Providing Career Services for Life
In this episode we got to chat with Maricar Traballo, Employer Relations & Partnership Manager, and Meri Ghazaryan, Senior Manager of Employer Partnerships at Lighthouse Labs about their bootcamp programs that they offer job candidates seeking to upgrade their skills or switch careers. Lighthouse Labs is a Canadian-based tech education company specializing in data science, web development and cyber security, making online education accessible from anywhere. They have equipped over 40,000 Canadians with the tools to thrive in the future of work through hands-on tech education and projects. They provide career services for life as a guarantee to their graduates and help to secure placements for them with their vast network of employers. Maricar and Meri also discussed what it’s like working at Lighthouse Labs and the different ways they support their remote team with unlimited sick days, extra hours off in summer and winter and a learning fund to promote professional development. Link to Lighthouse Labs:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/24925797
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#75 - IBM - Leading by Example: Supporting Women in Tech
11/01/2022
#75 - IBM - Leading by Example: Supporting Women in Tech
In this episode, Shelly Bardai, Associate Partner at IBM Consulting, opens up about supporting women in tech and leadership roles, the barriers they face, and solutions on how to retain them in these roles. Shelly also shares her thoughts on major industries adapting and changing to meet diversity, inclusion and equity, and provides tips for job candidates on applying for roles at IBM. IBM iX, an arm of IBM Consulting, is a hybrid digital agency and consultancy that works at the intersection of progressive strategy, creative vision and transformational technology to tackle the biggest business challenges. Link to IBM:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/24849672
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#74 - Peloton Technologies - Disrupting Payment Technology in Canada
10/10/2022
#74 - Peloton Technologies - Disrupting Payment Technology in Canada
In this episode, we got to chat with Peloton Technologies co-founder and CEO, Craig Attiwill, about his mission to disrupt the payment technology industry in Canada by streamlining the payments process for businesses of all sizes. Craig discusses his thoughts on where the fintech industry is going and encourages job candidates interested in the industry to reach out, with an emphasis on software development. In less than one year, their team has tripled in size and raised more than a million dollars in capital of which a portion was through equity crowdfunding. Link to Peloton Technologies:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/24641274
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#73 - Best Buy Canada - Growing a Career Through Unexpected Opportunities
09/26/2022
#73 - Best Buy Canada - Growing a Career Through Unexpected Opportunities
In this episode, we got to chat with Chris Taylor, CHRO at Best Buy Canada about building a career with one of the largest tech retailers in North America. Chris opens up about the mission and values of Best Buy and their transformation during the pandemic and vision for the future. He also talks about what it’s like to work at Best Buy and how to succeed as a job candidate. With more than 160 retail stores and 10,000 employees from coast-to-coast, Best Buy has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for the last 5 years. Link to Best Buy Canada:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/24453423
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#72 - Aequilibrium - The Workforce of the Future will Bring People Together
09/12/2022
#72 - Aequilibrium - The Workforce of the Future will Bring People Together
In this episode, Adrian Moise PhD, CEO and Founder of Aequilibrium, discusses his career journey from Microsoft and Electronic Arts to founding his own software company in Vancouver, BC. He shares his passion for digital transformation, giving his take on the opportunities of the Metaverse and the workforce of the future. Adrian also shares some of the challenges of hiring remotely and tips on how to apply to Aequilibrium. Aequilibrium is one of the Top 5 Digital Agencies in BC, providing technology consulting and implementation services. They have won multiple Vancouver UX awards for digital product design, and have been voted twice among the Top 5 Companies to work for. Link:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/24344034
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#71 - Pocketed - Using Grant Funding to Kickstart Your Career
08/29/2022
#71 - Pocketed - Using Grant Funding to Kickstart Your Career
In this episode, Brianna Blaney, CEO & Co-Founder of Pocketed, shares her startup journey on how she created a platform to get much-needed funding into the hands of businesses and employees. Named a 30 Under 30 by BC Business in 2018, Brianna is not new to founding startups. To secure your dream job, she suggests identifying a grant your potential employer could use to subsidize your salary. Talk about a compelling value proposition! Pocketed’s platform unlocks billions of dollars in grant funding & tax credits for startups & small businesses across North America. Link to Pocketed:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/24177798
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#70 - Owl.co - How to Find Your Dream Company
08/16/2022
#70 - Owl.co - How to Find Your Dream Company
In this episode, Shams Albayati, Director of People and Culture at Owl.co, discusses their ambitious mission to combat the insurance industry’s $80 billion fraud problem. She explains what it’s like working at a startup in its pre-seed, seed, A, B stage and shares her thoughts on how to find a dream company to work for. Founded in only 2018, Owl recently raised $30 million USD in Series-B funding and quadrupled in staff in only 8 months! Link to Owl:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/23975598
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#69 - VanHack - How to Stand Out in Job Applications
08/01/2022
#69 - VanHack - How to Stand Out in Job Applications
In this episode, Ilya Brotzky, founder and CEO of VanHack, opens up about what led him to founding a network of the world’s top software engineering, design, and digital marketing talent. Ilya started his career co-founding startups in Brazil before returning to Canada and realizing that he could help solve the issue of a lack of tech talent in BC. He discusses the benefits of hiring remotely and provided his top 3 tips for standing out as a job candidate. With close to 400,000+ developers from over 120 countries, VanHack is the largest diverse workforce specialized in helping companies hire tech talent fast. Link to VanHack:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/23918601
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#68 - Clio - Build a Meaningful Career in LegalTech
07/11/2022
#68 - Clio - Build a Meaningful Career in LegalTech
In this episode, Jonathan Watson, CTO at Clio, shares his journey through the tech industry to find his passion in legaltech. Previously a Director of Engineering at Zynga and Shopify, Jonathan has discovered the very meaningful impact legaltech has on people's lives through his work at Clio. Jonathan talks about the importance of having boundaries between work and personal life, and encourages anyone to apply to Clio regardless of knowledge of legaltech or of Clio’s stack. Clio is a leader in cloud-based legal technology offering practice management, CRM and client intake software that recently achieved centaur status. They aim to be a 100-year enduring company.Link to Clio:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/23710049
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#67 - Metafy - Working at a 100% Remote Start-Up
06/13/2022
#67 - Metafy - Working at a 100% Remote Start-Up
In this episode, Erica Rizzo, Director of People and Culture at Metafy, opens up about the joys of working at a rapidly growing 100% remote e-learning startup. Erica discusses how they’re navigating company culture with a global team, how they don’t believe in location based salaries and shares her own personal journey of getting hired at Metafy while being an expectant mother. She also provides tips on how to be the ideal candidate for their expanding operations in Canada. Founded in August of 2020, Metafy raised an impressive $25 million dollar series A in 2022, led by Tiger Global and Seven Seven Six. Link to Metafy:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/23419565
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#66 - CGI – Find Your Community, Curiosity and Courage
05/23/2022
#66 - CGI – Find Your Community, Curiosity and Courage
In this episode, Andrew Donaher, VP of Consulting at CGI, talks about exciting tech industry changes, the differences between data and AI, and CGI’s commitment to sustainability. He also reveals who the most important person in the room is these days and the story behind his personal motto of community, curiosity and courage. Andrew also shares his personal insights for job candidates, who may be looking to pursue their passion at CGI. With 84,000 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI also collaborates with the European Space Agency, supporting its satellite missions. Link to CGI:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/23204015
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#65 - TELUS - Think TELUS is a Telco? Think Again
05/09/2022
#65 - TELUS - Think TELUS is a Telco? Think Again
In this episode, Daniel Ballingall, Director of National Sales Activation at TELUS, discusses TELUS’ journey from a telco to a global technology powerhouse. Daniel opens up about why TELUS is a great place to start, build and grow your career, and why the company continues to stand out in today’s market. He also shares the company’s culture mentalities such as their “fail fast” approach and investing in coaching and development, and he also shares a philosophy favorite of his to always persevere, have a great perspective, and have purpose in your life. With a staggering 55,000 employees worldwide, TELUS was recently recognized as the most valuable telco brand in Canada, and the sixth best B2B brand in Canada and only telco in the top ten. Link to TELUS:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/23053868
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#64 - Relic Entertainment - Leveling the Playing Field for Job Seekers
04/25/2022
#64 - Relic Entertainment - Leveling the Playing Field for Job Seekers
In this episode, Natalie Murray, Principal Recruiting Manager at Relic Entertainment, discusses what Relic is doing differently as a studio in the gaming industry and the importance of leveling the playing field in hiring brilliant talent. Natalie shares her passion for supporting women in the gaming and tech sector, discusses if degrees and education are a hiring requirement anymore, and opens up about what drew her to working at Relic. Relic Entertainment has over 300 employees and in 2021, they won Best Place to Work in Canada and Canada’s Best Boss Award from GamesIndustry.biz.
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/22906667
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#63 - SoleSavy - The Benefits of Being a Risk-Taker
04/11/2022
#63 - SoleSavy - The Benefits of Being a Risk-Taker
In this episode, we got to chat with Dejan Pralica, CEO and Co-Founder of Solesavy, about how Solesavy got started and what makes a virtual sneakersphere a unique platform to work at. Dejan shares his adventures in the start-up world, his thoughts on being an innovator and taking risks, the importance of team-building and what makes a successful job candidate at a remote start-up. His company, Solesavy, is a 100% digital sneaker community based out of Vancouver, raising $12.5 million in series A funding in 2021. Link to SoleSavy:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/22762676
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#62 - Visier - Your Next Job Won’t Be About Money, It Will Be About Purpose
03/21/2022
#62 - Visier - Your Next Job Won’t Be About Money, It Will Be About Purpose
In this episode, we got to chat with Paul Rubenstein, Chief People Officer at Visier, about how he started his impressive career in New York, California, and Germany working for companies like Aon Hewett and HBO before moving to Vancouver, BC. Paul opens up about finding your career journey, the value of experience and passion over having the right academic degree, and the importance of mental health. He also shares some important job hunting tips and discusses the changing dynamics in the workforce at Visier. Visier, a Vancouver-born software company, is experiencing a steady upward trajectory and has quickly grown to be the market leader in workforce analytics. In 2021, Visier raised $125M at a $1B valuation for its big-data approach to HR analytics and planning.Link to Visier:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/22522616
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#61 - Elevate - Radical Hiring Changes for Job Applicants
03/08/2022
#61 - Elevate - Radical Hiring Changes for Job Applicants
In this episode, Lisa Zarzeczny, Co-Founder and CEO at Elevate, discusses Elevate’s innovative tech talent and NFT programs, advises on the latest tech trends to watch out for, and shares her thoughts on rethinking education. Lisa gives insight into what it’s like working for Elevate, how to get involved, and tips on radical hiring changes for job applications. Her company, Elevate, is a non-profit hub for tech, innovation & sustainability pioneers that is partnered with the UN. In 2021, Elevate received a federal government grant of almost $6 million dollars to create programs for elevating talent. Link to Elevate:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/22383590
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#60 - CubicFarm Systems - Growing Opportunities in Agro-Tech
02/22/2022
#60 - CubicFarm Systems - Growing Opportunities in Agro-Tech
In this episode, Edoardo De Martin, CTO of CubicFarm Systems, discusses the types of innovative and sustainable technology at CubicFarm and the important role of agro-tech in the future of our society. He shares some important tips for job-seekers looking for positions in agro-tech and discusses company culture in a hybrid work model. CubicFarms’ mission is to use innovative technology to feed a growing world with less resources. They were recently selected as a winner in the 2022 Top Impact Companies alongside Tesla and Microsoft. Link to CubicFarm Systems:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/22210304
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#59 - CICCC - Discover Emerging Tech Role Trends
02/01/2022
#59 - CICCC - Discover Emerging Tech Role Trends
In this episode, Fernanda Ave, Head of Tech Programs at CICCC, discusses how she got into tech education, the ever-changing world of tech, and what kind of jobs we should be expecting to see in the future. Fernada gives job candidates advice on how to find resources and gives tips on how to get their foot in the door in this industry. She also dives into the kinds of programs CICCC provides and is currently developing to keep up with market demands. CICCC is a vocational college with three campuses in Vancouver and almost 2000 students. Link to CICCC:
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/21985940
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#58 - StickerYou - Redefining Personal Development at Work
01/18/2022
#58 - StickerYou - Redefining Personal Development at Work
In this episode, Sachi Kittur, VP of People Strategy at StickerYou, discusses her HR journey from the tech sector to the custom manufacturing industry and her passion for people. She defines personal development in the workplace, and gives 3 important tips on how to better stand out with your job application at StickerYou. StickerYou, is a Canadian success story with just under $20 million in sales for 2021 and is slated to expand their workforce of 100+ employees.
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/21814292
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#57 - Ada - Looking After the Whole Human
01/11/2022
#57 - Ada - Looking After the Whole Human
In this episode, Kerris Hougardy, Head of People at Ada, opens up about company culture and working at a rapidly growing startup . Originally from the UK, Kerris recently switched from a career in commercial real estate to tech. She describes how Ada takes care of the “whole human” and discusses the pros of working for a digital first company. Ada - a software company of 400 employees, plans to double in size in 2022. In 2021, they secured Series C funding of $130 million.
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/21744308
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#56 - Beanworks - Leapfrog Towards Success as a Late-Bloomer
12/20/2021
#56 - Beanworks - Leapfrog Towards Success as a Late-Bloomer
In this episode, Karim Ben-Jaafar, President and COO at Beanworks discusses how he was a late-bloomer and got his career started later in life. With a background in sales and marketing, he shares some of his secrets of success, his career struggles, and tips on what employers like Beanworks are looking for in a job candidate. In 2021, Beanworks - an accounts payable software company - was acquired by Quadient, a publicly-traded French company, for $106 million.
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/21527051
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#55 - Thinkific - Achieving Impossible Goals
12/06/2021
#55 - Thinkific - Achieving Impossible Goals
In this episode, Peter Fitzpatrick, VP of Payments at Thinkific, opens up about launching his career in sales and his personal philosophy on setting impossible goals. He discusses building an exceptional company culture, and advises job seekers to follow what authentically matters when envisioning their futures. Earlier this year, Thinkific, a platform that creates and sells online courses, joined the TSX and became one of 7 Vancouver unicorn companies in 2021.
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/21396389
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#54 - Trulioo - Surround Yourself with Great Mentors
11/30/2021
#54 - Trulioo - Surround Yourself with Great Mentors
In this episode, Matt Schatz, CRO of Trulioo, shares his journey from teacher to sales in the corporate world. Matt discusses the importance of mentorship, how to support star-performing employees, and how to prepare for an interview at Trulioo. Trulioo, a Vancouver startup, is one of the biggest global identity verification solutions in the world, identifying 5 billion people and 300 million businesses. They recently raised $394 million at a valuation of $1.75 billion.
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/21327872
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#53 - Optix - Why Hybrid Work is Here to Stay
11/15/2021
#53 - Optix - Why Hybrid Work is Here to Stay
In this episode, Rebecca Konsolos Rahmani, Head of Partnerships & Strategy at Optix discusses how Optix is supporting hybrid and flexible offices to manage and optimize their workplace. Optix’s technology has been powering flexible workplaces for the last 5+ years in over 20 countries. Rebecca discusses the future trends of physical office space, how Optix has adopted a hybrid work model during the pandemic and offers tips on cover letter writing for job candidates.
/episode/index/show/bcjobsca/id/21149300
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#52 - Aplicar - Do Something Different to Stand Out to Hiring Managers
11/08/2021
#52 - Aplicar - Do Something Different to Stand Out to Hiring Managers
In this episode we spoke with Arvinder Billing, Founder & CEO, and Tammam Kbeili, CTO at Aplicar. Arvinder discusses the origins of Aplicar and how failure doesn’t exist in a start-up while Tammam shares his thoughts on what makes a great developer and how to stand out to hiring managers. Their platform Aplicar connects students and recruitment partners to global institutions. As of 2021, Aplicar is partnered with over 200 colleges and universities across Canada.
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