Megan is an ITILv4 Strategic Leader and currently working as Head of IT Operations at SoftCat, a leading IT infrastructure provider. She’s a rare breed loyal to SoftCat in various roles over the past 11 years. She is skilled in strategy development, vendor management,

budget control, and optimising IT operations for organisation success. She has exceptional communication skills, building strong partner relationships and leading teams.

Top 3 takeaways

1. Care about the ‘why’ 12:09

2. Chimp paradox – controlling your emotions 21:49

3. Succeeding and failing in front of your team39:44

Guest LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-leadbetter/

Sponsored by Russell King Associates - https://www.russellkingassociates.com/

Find Kaan Azmi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaanazmi/

Find the latest news – www.techlifestories.com

Simon is an experienced IT Service Manager passionate about leadership and culture.

ITIL certified and led ITIL adoption within his previous businesses allowing IT services to be delivered consistently. A Lean Six-Sigma certification has allowed him to work on projects to drive efficiencies and cost savings to the business.

Top 3 takeaways

1. Change of leadership style 16:43

2. Values written by employees 25:45

3. The impact of ITIL 37:58

Guest LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-gale-7a278453/

Sponsored by Russell King Associates - https://www.russellkingassociates.com/

Find Kaan Azmi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaanazmi/

Find the latest news – www.techlifestories.com

Iain is an experienced Tech Leader with over 20 years of experience in software and service delivery. He is passionate about mentoring high-performing teams which comes across passionately in this episode.

Iain holds multiple certifications including ITIL4, Lean, Scrum Master & Product Owner. Iain talks about the importance of building a tech network and how you can use personal hobbies to do this. He has a passion for martial arts and is a professional TTRPG Games Master.

Top 3 takeaways

1. The importance of building a tech network 20:17

2. Understanding contracting and IR35 31:05

3. Value Stream Mapping 57:52

Guest LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/iain-russell-itsm/

Sponsored by Russell King Associates - https://www.russellkingassociates.com/

Find Kaan Azmi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaanazmi/

Hear the latest news – www.techlifestories.com

Tim has over 25 years experience in IT Service Management, managing and transforming IT Services. Tim is the Founder of ITSM People a team of consultants supporting clients across IT and Enterprise Service Management with accreditations across ITIL, SIAM, DevOps and Agile.

Top 3 takeaways

1. What is IR35? 25:14

2. Back to basics with ITIL3 51:12

3. Encouraging the next generation into ITSM 55:10

Guest Website - https://www.itsmpeople.co.uk

Guest LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-mills-6787391/

Sponsored by Russell King Associates - https://www.russellkingassociates.com/

Find Kaan Azmi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaanazmi

Sign up for updates – www.techlifestories.com

Weston is the Global Strategy Director for Digital Workplace at Unisys. He is a rare breed as he has worked there his entire career. Weston is passionate about end users and finds ways to apply disruptive trends and efficiencies for their happiness. Weston is no stranger to podcasts as he runs his own show called ‘Digital Workplace Deep Dive’.

Top 3 takeaways

1. Dex tools and data 38:07

2. Challenges of Generative AI in the workplace 47:10

3. Quantum Computing 55:53

Guest LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/westonjmorris

Sponsored by Russell King Associates - https://www.russellkingassociates.com/

Find Kaan Azmi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaanazmi/

Mark has over 30 years of experience working in the technology sector.

He is a dynamic & visionary IT Leader driving transformation & organisational change.

An expert in Operating Model Implementation and an Influential people leader with exceptional presentation skills.

Top 3 takeaways

1. Less is More 09:12

2. Can businesses keep up with technology 26:10

3. Will AI be the end of Service Desks 52:36

Guest LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-boyer/

Sponsored by Russell King Associates - https://www.russellkingassociates.com/

Find Kaan Azmi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaanazmi/

Gemma is a Prince2 Practitioner who leads digital transformations,change management, system integrations, implementations and automation.

She has spent most of her career in the education sector and is currently Director of Strategy and Innovation for Haberdashers Academies Trust South.

Top 3 takeaways

1. Growing a network of thought leaders through networking 36:00

2. Using a coach to help with management, challenges, etc 43:10

3. The Future of AI – 48:23

Guest LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-lavin/

Sponsored by Russell King Associates - https://www.russellkingassociates.com/

Find Kaan Azmi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaanazmi/

Georgina is an ITIL4, Prince2 certified IT Service Delivery Manager. She has proven throughout her career how ambitious she is with natural progression and promotion. She is the Co-Founder of ‘Women of ITSM’ an initiative to support a growing community of women in the ITSM world. She has mentored many women as part of the Reed Women in Tech programme.

Top 3 take aways

1. Beating imposter syndrome 26:25

2. Being a STEM ambassador 31:50

3. Making service management more appealing 39:12

Guest LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgina-otubela/

Sponsored by Russell King Associates - https://www.russellkingassociates.com/

Find Kaan Azmi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaanazmi/