Digitally Diverse

Digitally Diverse is a weekly podcast hosted by Ellen Bennett, where we do a deep dive into the journeys of the movers and shakers in the design and tech industry. Digitally Diverse is proudly brought to you by NTP, a community-first tech recruitment agency.

Wal Gedeon: Product Design Lead at VMWare Tanzu Labs 03/27/2024

Wal Gedeon: Product Design Lead at VMWare Tanzu Labs Wal Gedeon joins us for this episode of Digitally Diverse. Wal shares his career journey from teaching himself design skills to becoming a delivery lead at VMware Tanzu Labs. He started with a background in product design and worked at companies like Woolies X and Goodlife Health Clubs. Wal then expanded into UI and UX design by taking courses at General Assembly. He also completed some product management training to become more well-rounded. Now at Tanzu Labs, Wal manages projects and coaches enterprise clients on building software. He discusses how Tanzu Labs helps solve modernization issues for companies undergoing digital transformation across various industries. Throughout his career, Wal has honed his skills in design, product development, and delivery leadership. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/30572898

Sarah Mote: Lead Product Designer at Instant Scripts and Bendigo Bank 03/21/2024

Sarah Mote: Lead Product Designer at Instant Scripts and Bendigo Bank Join us as we follow Sarah's journey from industrial design student to senior product designer at a bank. We'll hear how she leveraged work experience to land her first packaging design role and then made a big move to the UK. After struggling to find work abroad, Sarah returned to Australia, pivoted to commercial flooring, and discovered user experience design. She then honed her skills at a cloud platform startup before deciding to learn about banking. Through roles at various companies, Sarah gained broad experience and became a senior product designer at Bendigo Bank. She also worked nights designing for a telehealth startup that sold for $135 million! Now, Sarah mentors students and continues to learn from creative people. Hear how trusting her instincts led Sarah through an exciting career journey so far. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/30473008

Kathryn Sadler: Conversation Designer 03/13/2024

Kathryn Sadler: Conversation Designer Kathryn Sadler joins us to discuss her winding career path through linguistics, UX design, and conversation design. After studying languages at university, Kathryn worked in business consultancy and tech startups in Australia. She then transitioned into voice user interface design and UX before returning to her passion for conversation design. Kathryn gives us the inside scoop on her day-to-day work crafting conversational experiences. She also shares how her background in languages informs her approach to crafting natural dialogues. Tune in to hear Kathryn's insightful perspective on conversation design and her advice for aspiring designers. Links Conversational AI news Generative AI news Women in Voice ANZ TAFE IAT SXSW Sydney /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/30365338

Lara Summers: Manager, Service Experience at the University of Newcastle 02/28/2024

Lara Summers: Manager, Service Experience at the University of Newcastle Lara Summers joins us to discuss her multifaceted career journey, from finance and government to education, and her current role as manager of the Service Experience team at the University of Newcastle. We explore the university environment, Lara's collaborative team culture, and how she balances work, family, and personal interests. Lara opens up about how taking time off to care for her children impacted her path, as well as her motivations for continuing education and development. Tune in as Lara shares what inspires her, from design leaders like Bruce Mau to her curiosity about history and culture. Discover how she leverages her background in design and visual culture to focus on user experience and service design across the university's digital systems. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/30146798

Jane Hamilton: Head of Design and UX at Superhero 02/15/2024

Jane Hamilton: Head of Design and UX at Superhero Join us as we follow Jane's journey from a small town in Australia to leading design at a fintech startup. Growing up near Port Macquarie, Jane found her passion for design while studying graphic design in Newcastle. After some globe-trotting adventures and a career change, she discovered user experience design and honed her skills in Sydney. Jane built her experience at agencies before realizing fintech was her true calling. Though a stint at a corporation proved too restrictive, Jane finally found her fit as Head of Design and Experience at Superhero. Now, she leads a growing team focused on design systems and research. Tune in to hear how Jane continuously evolved both her skills and her career to end up doing what she loves. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/29964483

Fran Mether: Co-founder and Strategic Business Designer at Arteri 02/07/2024

Fran Mether: Co-founder and Strategic Business Designer at Arteri In this episode, Ellen interviews designer Fran Mether about her career journey and founding the service design consultancy Arteri. Fran discusses growing up in a creative household in Canberra and studying industrial design. After working for major retailers in Melbourne, Fran became inspired by human-centered design approaches that create impact. She relocated to Canberra to work on strategic projects for clients like the ATO. Fran then co-founded Arteri with her business partner to pursue her passion for service design. She shares how her background in industrial design informs Arteri's creative, tangible workshops that help organizations reimagine challenges. Join us as Fran reflects on transitioning from designing products to transforming services and systems. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/29834093

Joseph Hallahan: Head of Design at StarRez 01/31/2024

Joseph Hallahan: Head of Design at StarRez On this episode of Digitally Diverse, Ellen talks to Joseph Hallahan, Head of Design at StarRez. Joseph recounts his 15 year career journey from agency work to becoming a part owner and eventually launching his own startups. He shares insights from his current role as Head of Design at Starres, a global student housing platform, and the differences between agency and in-house work. Joseph discusses how he helps maximize value for Starres' university customers, and is motivated by continuous learning and new challenges like implementing customer research practices. With his background in multimedia design, Joseph brings a breadth of experience across industries that informs his current work. Throughout the conversation, Joseph provides an inside look at his multifaceted career path and approach to design leadership. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/29621638

Paul Kelly: Head of Experience Design at Mudbath 01/24/2024

Paul Kelly: Head of Experience Design at Mudbath Join us as we speak with Paul Kelly, Head of Experience Design at Mudbath, about his journey from studying visual arts to leading design at a digital agency. Paul discusses pivoting to study design in university and getting his start at Bicycling Australia magazine. He then did freelance work before moving to Glasgow and learning coding. After returning to Sydney, Paul spent 8 years at a digital agency before joining the growing team at Mudbath. He talks about Mudbath's expansion from 4 to 17 designers after merging with Endava and the variety of industries they work in. Paul reflects on the value of developing critical thinking skills in university despite the challenges. Tune in to hear Paul's insightful experiences transitioning from visual arts to leading design! /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/29621138

Nusa de Melo: Product Designer at Atticus 01/17/2024

Nusa de Melo: Product Designer at Atticus This episode of Digitally Diverse features Nusa de Melo, a Product Designer at Atticus. Nusa opens up about her journey from studying math at UC Berkeley to becoming a product designer at a legal tech startup in Australia. She talks about pivoting from sales to design, taking online courses, and landing her first product design role. Nusa discusses life as the only designer at Atticus, working on software that verifies legal documents, and why she finds the small startup environment more rewarding than big companies. She also shares how Atticus's remote work policy allows her to live outside the city, and how she stays inspired through side projects, books, and podcasts. Tune in to hear Nusa's thoughtful perspectives on math, design, startups, and carving your own path. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/29523453

James Kwong: Chief Product Officer at Unleash Live 01/10/2024

James Kwong: Chief Product Officer at Unleash Live This week's episode of Digitally Diverse features James Kwong, Chief Product Officer at Unleash Live. James discusses his career journey in the Australian design industry, from studying industrial design in university to starting his own agency to working in strategic design consulting. He then transitioned into product management roles before joining Unleash Live, a video analytics startup using computer vision and AI. James opens up about challenges he's faced, including ageism as a young leader and his design degree not being initially respected. James reflects on coming full circle to lead with an agile, startup mindset and shares his approach to mentoring others now that he is in a leadership role. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/29399463

Chelsea Wilkinson: Product Designer at Coles 01/03/2024

Chelsea Wilkinson: Product Designer at Coles Join us as we chat with Chelsea Wilkinson about her lifelong passion for building and creating. She studied user experience design in university and landed internships that allowed her to combine her interests in tech and design. Chelsea shares her experiences working at major companies like ANZ and Coles Group, the challenges of juggling music and career, and her recent ADHD diagnosis. She talks about how she used the pandemic as a time for self-improvement and dove into hobbies like building mechanical keyboards. Chelsea also provides some wise advice to her younger self about focusing on short term goals. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about following your passions through the ups and downs of life. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/29194018

Luisa Lombardo: Product Design Manager at Mable 12/20/2023

Luisa Lombardo: Product Design Manager at Mable In this episode, Luisa Lombardo shares her career journey from print designer to product design manager. After studying graphic design in college, she worked at agencies and companies as a visual and UI designer. Seeing the field change, Luisa took a UX course and found her passion in digital product design. She's since progressed to lead and manager roles on product teams for B2B and B2C companies. Luisa gives an inside look at her current role at Mabel, a platform connecting people with disabilities to support workers. She discusses the product problems her team tackles, like streamlining services and adapting to reforms. Tune in to hear Luisa's insightful story of transitioning from print to digital design and leading product teams making a difference. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/29092328

Christian Newski: Design Lead at Telstra Health 12/13/2023

Christian Newski: Design Lead at Telstra Health This episode features Christian, the global design and quality practice lead at Telstra Health. Originally from Venezuela, Christian has lived in Australia for over a decade. Beginning his career as a graphic designer, he transitioned to UI design across various industries. Driven by curiosity about user experiences, Christian has focused on UX for the past 8 years while maintaining a full-scope view. With experience in ecommerce, finance, energy, aviation, and now healthcare, he discusses the rewarding purpose and impact of improving patient health. Christian shares the challenges of growing Telstra Health's global team while ensuring quality and consistency. He talks about diagnosing collaboration needs as the team expands internationally. So far, Christian has enjoyed the curious, open culture at Telstra Health. Join us as we explore Christian's user-centered design journey and insights into building healthcare technology that improves lives. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/28949763

Benaz Irani: Product Design Manager at Open Table 12/06/2023

Benaz Irani: Product Design Manager at Open Table Benaz Irani joins us to discuss her career journey from discovering user experience design during a study abroad program to leading product teams at Open Table today. She shares lessons learned from struggling with being a people pleaser early on and the importance of setting boundaries to grow in your career. Benaz opens up about the identity crisis she faced transitioning into management and not doing hands-on design work anymore. She finds inspiration from women leaders in tech and enjoys learning different leadership styles from her managers. Tune in to hear Benaz's insightful perspectives on product design, personal growth, and leading teams in tech. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/28948093

Lisa Jacquiot: Product Design Manager at Airwallex 11/29/2023

Lisa Jacquiot: Product Design Manager at Airwallex On this episode of Digitally Diverse, host Ellen Bennett talks to Lisa Jacquiot, Product Design Manager at Airwallex. From the vibrant city lights of San Francisco to the serene waters of the Great Barrier Reef, Lisa's journey spans the globe in pursuit of her passions. Her interest in UX design took root at Glassdoor, prompting a mid-career shift. Venturing to Australia for new experiences, she polished her skills at a startup in San Francisco before settling downunder. However, the onset of COVID forced her to adapt once again. Despite the challenges, Lisa found an opportunity and secured her dream role of leading product design for Airwallx. Now based in tropical Cairns, she oversees a distributed team across time zones and discusses the challenges of managing a distributed team. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/28838333

Kelly Weiss: Senior Product Designer at Salesforce 11/22/2023

Kelly Weiss: Senior Product Designer at Salesforce In this episode we talk to Kelly Weiss, a Senior Product Designer at Salesforce. Kelly has spent half her career working in corporate and half in tech, mostly for startups. We discuss the differences between corporate and start-up work cultures, and Kelly highlights that the main skill you can develop in either is adaptability. We delve into a range of topics including advice on getting started with UX and UI, building creativity into your way of work, creating healthy cultures and more. /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/28630913

Richard Sneesby: Senior Product Designer at Atlassian 02/07/2023

Richard Sneesby: Senior Product Designer at Atlassian Don’t miss our latest episode of Digitally Diverse series with our host and our guest Richard Sneesby. After living in Scandinavia for 10+ years, Richard has had a unique journey to his current role of Senior Product Designer at Atlassian. He and Ellen chat about how this has impacted his career, his outlook on remote working, and how he views his craft. He embodies the phrase “Everything is design when you look at it in a certain way.” We hope you enjoy the episode! /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/25851813

Leanora Horne: Software Product Delivery Manager at Bradken 01/25/2023

Leanora Horne: Software Product Delivery Manager at Bradken Don’t miss our latest episode of Digitally Diverse series with our host Ellen Bennett and guest for this episode Leanora Horne, Software Product Delivery Manager at Bradken. Leanora is the ultimate career chameleon. Her journey from starting as a TV presenter to now making waves in the corporate tech scene has been turbulent and full of speed bumps. However, this struggle ultimately led her to discover her true passion in entrepreneurship and digital product development. So, take a page out of Leanora’s book and embrace the mess - you never know where it might lead you. We hope you enjoy the episode! /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/25719129

Tricia Martin: Founder of Virtual Intern 11/30/2022

Tricia Martin: Founder of Virtual Intern Welcome to the first episode of our Digitally Diverse series with our host Ellen Bennet, UX & Design Recruiter at NTP/RTP. This series is a deep dive into the careers of some inspiring people within the Australian digital and technology industry. On this episode we interview Tricia Martin Founder of Virtual Intern. We find out about Tricia’s career to date, her experience as a female founder, interesting projects she has been involved in and the idea behind coffee with purpose. We hope you enjoy the interview! /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/25182555

Liz Niland: Product Manager at nib 09/02/2022

Liz Niland: Product Manager at nib Liz shares how her team have managed to grow, collaborate and thrive remotely and the practices that they have developed to build their team culture. Hope you enjoy the episode! /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/24247209

James Dillon: How to Work Remotely Across Different Time Zones 08/01/2022

James Dillon: How to Work Remotely Across Different Time Zones On this episode we interview James Dillon, Senior Content Production Manager at Remote. James shares his experience working remotely, the future growth of Remote and helpful tips for building culture and relationships within remote teams. Hope you enjoy the episode! /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/23916426

James Barr: Why Hybrid/Remote Roles Are Here to Stay 05/30/2022

James Barr: Why Hybrid/Remote Roles Are Here to Stay On this episode you will hear about all things product design with James Barr. James shares insights from the different stages of the product design life cycle and explains how he collaborates with his team and his clients entirely remotely. Hope you enjoy the episode! /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/23232698

Ben May: Managing Director at the Code Company 05/12/2022

Ben May: Managing Director at the Code Company On this episode of RemoteTechPeople we interview Ben May from the Code Company. Ben shares his advice on building culture remotely as well as how he has scaled the Code Company from Hervey Bay Queensland to a worldwide audience. Hope you enjoy the episode! /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/23085584

Jessica Baird: How to Build a Strong Culture Working Remotely 01/20/2022

Jessica Baird: How to Build a Strong Culture Working Remotely With remote work on the rise, the issue of creating the same deep relationships in a team virtually compared to being in the office is becoming more and and more challenging. Jessica Baird and her team at Remote Social have created a product to encourage social moments between teams through a series of virtual games and hosted experiences well suited to remote and hybrid teams. We hope you enjoy the episode! /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/21843170

Brendan Yell: The Benefits and Challenges of Remote Work 01/20/2022

Brendan Yell: The Benefits and Challenges of Remote Work In our first episode of the RemoteTechPeople Podcast we interview Brendan Yell, Director of Twilio StartUps. We discuss his experience setting up a team remotely, the benefits of both remote work/hybrid model and the challenges associated with pay adjustment for employees moving out of the area of their certain salary banding. We hope you enjoy the episode! /episode/index/show/remotetechpeople/id/21843134

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