Fiftyfaces Focus - Inspiring Women in Tech and Beyond

Liana Slater, Aoifinn Devitt & Maeve McQuillan

A series focused on inspiring women in tech and beyond - describing their career trajectory, their perception of diversity in the tech sector and what supports have made a difference as they reach for their goals.

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Episodes

Episode 6: Special Collaboration - The Mindshare Podcast and Fiftyfaces Productions: Madeleine Dassule - Tech, Teams and the Power of Feedback
Apr 18 2023
Episode 6: Special Collaboration - The Mindshare Podcast and Fiftyfaces Productions: Madeleine Dassule - Tech, Teams and the Power of Feedback
Madeleine Dassule is Partner & Co-Head, Technology at Wellington Management.  She previously was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in the area of equity trading technology.  She holds a number of Board roles including being a member of the Board of Finos and Boston City Singers. Our conversation starts with her upbringing in France, and her path to study math at Columbia College. We discuss the French approach to education - the concept of "peut mieux faire" - can do better/can try harder, and how this influenced her to push herself, but also hold out standards for the industry. We move then to her career trajectory and the unexpected twists and turns that led to such a fulfilling position at Wellington.  We talk about what is on her mind as tech leader today - the importance of scale, of using technology as a way to enable people to flourish.  We talk about the importance of cybersecurity, of continuous improvement and of growing a tech stack that is fit for purpose.Madeleine has always placed a high priority on career development and mentorship, and we pose the fundamental question as to whether the wisdom that we internalized - as a certain generation - is necessarily the wisdom that we wish to pass to future generations.  She reveals the lessons that frank and honest feedback has taught her, and suggests how we should all give and receive feedback ourselves.
Episode 5: Special Collaboration: The Mindshare Podcast and Fiftyfaces Productions Limited: April Rinne -  Flipping the Script to Navigate Change and Uncertainty
Mar 22 2023
Episode 5: Special Collaboration: The Mindshare Podcast and Fiftyfaces Productions Limited: April Rinne - Flipping the Script to Navigate Change and Uncertainty
April Rinne is a “change navigator,” speaker, investor, and adventurer whose work and travels in more than 100 countries have given her a front-row seat to a world in flux. In this podcast episode, April brings us real tools to help any executive or individual manage constant change and uncertainty, and we ask April to apply her navigation tools and insights to each of the 4 previous guests in our Women in Tech series. In April’s words, from her best-selling book, Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change, “to thrive in this world in flux, we need to radically reshape our relationship to uncertainty and flip the script.” In this conversation, April helps us figure out how we can do just that. April is ranked one of the 50 leading female futurists in the world by Forbes and is a Harvard Law School graduate, a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum, a Fulbright Scholar, a member of the Silicon Guild and Thinkers50 Radar, and the author of Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change. April is a trusted advisor to well-known startups, companies, financial institutions, nonprofits, think tanks, and governments worldwide, including Airbnb, Nike, Intuit, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, AnyRoad, and Unsettled as well as governments ranging from Singapore to South Africa, Canada to Colombia, and Italy to India. Earlier in life she was a global development executive, an international microfinance lawyer, and a hiking guide. As a certified yoga teacher, she can often be found upside-down, doing handstands around the world.
Episode 4: Special Collaboration: The Mindshare Podcast and Fiftyfaces: Fiona McDonnell of Booking.Com
Mar 15 2023
Episode 4: Special Collaboration: The Mindshare Podcast and Fiftyfaces: Fiona McDonnell of Booking.Com
Fiona McDonnell is a mother, wife and the author of the book “Two Mirrors and a Cheetah: Think Differently, Own Your Career & Succeed by Being Yourself.” Fiona is also a tech industry leader, currently an executive at Booking.com, and formerly at Amazon and many well known consumer good companies. Fiona has had an amazing business career spanning 30 years, and she shares the hard earned wisdom from this invaluable experience on the importance of having self-awareness and how to achieve this to really thrive in one’s career in the fast-paced, rapidly changing environment of tech and beyond.Fiona has a professional track record in driving change, delivering growth and profitability as well as developing people, in the Online Retail and Consumer Goods industries. Her experience in the consumer products industry, growing house hold names including Kellogg’s, Kraft Jacobs Suchard, Nike and  McCormick (Schwartz, Thai Kitchen, and Kamis) and as a Director at Amazon. She was the Executive Sponsor for Diversity within Amazon UK businesses, and chair of the  Women in Innovation Advisory Committee. Additionally she was Amazon's UK spokesperson from 2018. What  sets Fiona apart from other leaders is her clarity of thought, her  ability to share her energy and passion and the commitment to keep it 'fun' without compromising performance.Fiona  holds a masters degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Cambridge  University and she earned her MBA from INSEAD Business School in both  France and Singapore.Find out more at https://fionamcdonnell.com/
Episode 1: Special Collaboration - The Mindshare Podcast and Fiftyfaces Productions: Jessica Kosmowski of Deloitte: Tech Trends and the Power of Connections
Feb 22 2023
Episode 1: Special Collaboration - The Mindshare Podcast and Fiftyfaces Productions: Jessica Kosmowski of Deloitte: Tech Trends and the Power of Connections
Jessica is a principal in Deloitte Consulting LLP and lead for Consulting’s Ecosystems & Alliances practice, with a constant focus on the next big thing- which she shares with us today as our first guest on the Women in Tech Series. Jessica also shares her insights from attending the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In her more than 25 years at Deloitte, Jessica has helped clients navigate large-scale, strategic transformations that enable market growth and build dynamic brands. Jessica oversees strategic collaborations with companies that innovate and shape the world, including top tech companies, academic institutions, and organizations dedicated to equity and inclusion. With a constant focus on the next big thing, Jessica specializes in strategic transformation, growth strategy, and global mergers & acquisitions. Jessica is also a member of the US Consulting Management Committee.Prior to her current role, Jessica led and oversaw major transformations in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) industry as the national consulting leader for Deloitte’s TMT practice. Jessica is Recognized as one of the Top 25 Consultants by Consulting Magazine and as one of the Bay Area’s Most Influential Women in Business by San Francisco Business Times. Jessica’s deep experience in relationship-building and a passion for connecting people is key to her success, and she explains how her pioneering attitude and always being curious has been her strength in growing her career.
Episode 1: Special Collaboration - The Mindshare Podcast and Fiftyfaces Productions: Women in Tech - Trailer
Feb 20 2023
Episode 1: Special Collaboration - The Mindshare Podcast and Fiftyfaces Productions: Women in Tech - Trailer
Our global Women in Tech series is an exciting collaboration between Fiftyfaces Productions and Monumental Me, an organization committed to wellness including resilience, mental fitness and strength designed to help you thrive in life and your career. It also hosts The Mindshare Podcast. In this first series of the collaboration, host Liana Slater talks to four senior female tech executives about what drove their success, how the tech industry is changing and advice they wish they had learned sooner.   Our first podcast is with Jessica Kosmowski, a Managing Principal at Deloitte, where we start by discussing the most exciting tech trends surrounding us today and Jessica reflects on how she has treated not being well represented as a senior woman in tech. We hear then from the venture capital investor Katie Jacobs Stanton. Katie is the founder and general partner of Moxxie Ventures, She talks about areas that excite her today- particularly climate tech and healthcare, and shares the tips she believes will get more women the skills they need to get funded by investors like her.  She talks about hiring talent, and the imposter syndrome that is felt universally.Our next guest, Alicin Reidy Williamson, also believes in networks.  She is the chief diversity and culture officer for Yahoo.  She describes the importance of having a personal board of directors, but also believes in the importance of strong leadership, of a very particular kind - feminist leadership. Alicin also believes in creating a culture of belonging, and she gave an example of what that means.  Our final guest in the series, Fiona McDonnell, a tech executive of Booking.com describes what it is to have full self awareness and how we can learn it. She discusses her recent book, and reflects on what it was that stopped her from bringing her whole self to work.  You can follow our series on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.  You can find all of our content on the Fiftyfaces Hub - fiftyfaceshub.com, and this series is featured on the Monumental Me website at www.monumentalme.com/podcast.
Episode 24: Global Women in Tech - Coming in 2023 - Teaser
Nov 8 2022
Episode 24: Global Women in Tech - Coming in 2023 - Teaser
In 2023 we are taking our Inspiring Israeli Women in Tech Fiftyfaces Focus Series to the next level.  We are going global.  In this mini-series we give you a taste of the kind of stories and concepts that we will be bringing together - comparing and contrasting experiences around the world. In this series we hear from Maram Hussein about what it was like to be one of the only Arab Women in her tech career, and how she had to look hard for mentors and to build a network.  This experience taught her to change the playing field for the next generation - to create an affinity group and networking opportunities to ensure that mentorship and best practice could do its usual work.We move then to the Bay Area, where we hear from Ashwini Asokan, founder of Mad Street Den about the transformative power of AI, and why it is more than "Brains, Bots and Bullshit" (the title of a successful video talk she provided). She talks about the importance of blending AI with an understanding of human behavior, through her study of anthropology, and stresses why humanizing AI will be the way of the future.Finally in this mini-series we hear from Ahryun Moon about her experience founding a scheduling company and what it is like to be one half of a Couple-Preneur.  She speaks openly and honestly about the "Female Founder Discount" and how affects everything from company valuations to the ultimate success of that company because of the negative economics that it can create.We will continue this series in 2023 with an exciting new collaboration.  Watch this space in 2023.
Episode 23: Ashwini Asokan of Mad Street Den: Demystifying AI through Anthropology and Insight
Oct 18 2022
Episode 23: Ashwini Asokan of Mad Street Den: Demystifying AI through Anthropology and Insight
Ashwini Asokan is the founder and CEO of Mad Street Den, an Artificial Intelligence company, powering Retail, Education, Healthcare, Media, Finance & more with its image recognition platforms, Vue.ai and Blox.ai. Headquartered in the Bay Area, California, the company has offices around the globe. She previously worked at Intel, where she led IXR’s Mobile Portfolio, which explored the future of mobile technology and designed compelling mobile experiences that people will love.While at Intel Ashwini spent time working on the Mobile Portfolio where she combined teams comprising designers, anthropologists and software engineers.  We talk about the importance of including anthropologists to understand the sometimes varied use case of technology, and we explore what insights this can provide.We move then to talk about a video in which Ashwini refers to AI as “Brains, Bots and Bullshit” and dissect what this in fact means, and what can be done to improve how AI is used and developed in the future. You can find this video here:Mind the product talkhttps://www.mindtheproduct.com/need-product-people-save-ai/And an video about Ashwini’s entrepreneurial journey here:NatGeo videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJlrH1sD7u0As an entrepreneur who has worked through capital raising, Ashwini has a host of insights into the playing field for capital and some of its shortcomings. We look at the steps she took to shore up her own business venture and how her training in the arts taught her the choreography needed to stay the course. We examine the importance of the social sciences, of learning how to “fail up”, build muscle and stay the course, particularly as a woman in the competitive field of tech.  Finally, we look at the importance of eating protein, in more ways than one.
Episode 2: 20. Efrat Fenigson of Mindspace:  Finding Clarity and Conviction through Storytelling
Feb 1 2022
Episode 2: 20. Efrat Fenigson of Mindspace: Finding Clarity and Conviction through Storytelling
Efrat Fenigson was featured as one of StartIsrael’s 2021’s most promising marketing leaders in Israel who is focused on social impact.  Efrat is currently the  CMO at Mindspace and is the co-founder of the G-CMO forum.  She is also, among many other things, a feminist, activist, and Videocast host.In our interview we discuss how Efrat started out as a programmer in Australia and chucked it all in to take a risk and start her own business there.  She talks us through her  journey from running that business to becoming CMO at Mindspace.  Efrat discusses why marketing appeals to her and how she uses the skills learnt there to engage in social activism. Hear how marketing skills, and the ability to distill information into simple, digestible form and tell a story, can be useful in other walks of life. We also explore  the importance of identifying  your values and knowing what your redlines are so that you choose the right job or purpose in life. Throughout the interview, Efrat returns to the themes of failure, fear and uncertainty,  and the importance of challenging those insecurities in order to grow. She also talks very openly about feeling her own fears and vulnerabilities, life's ups and downs, and how she relies on the people in her own life to help gain insight into herself. This concept of getting feedback from valued friendships is one that she believes is key to continue to grow and build self-awareness. Hosted by Maeve McQuillan.
Episode 1: 19. Avigail Bar-Timor Rosen of Payoneer - Scaling the Heights of Hi-Tech
Jan 22 2022
Episode 1: 19. Avigail Bar-Timor Rosen of Payoneer - Scaling the Heights of Hi-Tech
Avigail Bar-Timor Rosen  is currently a Business Operation Associate at Payoneer. Prior to this she was a community manager at  "Women in Hitech”, which has more than 14 thousand members.  Avigal continues to   promote and work for the  representation of women in the Israeli tech industry. In this podcast we talk about how hard it can be to know what you want to do in life. Avigail describes how her  journey to discovering her career path was not a straightforward or easy one, and how she took many different turns in her quest to find a job that spoke to her. She touches on how difficult that period of searching was and how in the end she learnt that it’s not about a job title, but about  knowing your values and what you want. We also talk about the practical steps that she took in order to find her career  and the importance of networking, mentors ,and coaches. We touch on the theme of money and how for women it’s hard to ask for their worth or even admit their goal is to make money as this can still be frowned upon by society.  Avigail’s own experiences have made her passionate  about promoting women in hi-tech.Through her involvement in various women’s organisations, she’s helping women see their worth, ask for their full value and  encourages them to promote themselves within their careers in order to continue forging ahead.  There are more details about Avigail's affinity groups here:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/meetupistiot/?originalSubdomain=il and here https://women-in-tech.org/il/. Hosted by Maeve McQuillan.
17. Adi Eckhouse Barzilai - Chess and Optimism
Jun 9 2021
17. Adi Eckhouse Barzilai - Chess and Optimism
Adi Eckhouse Barzilai is co-founder and CEO at DeeDa:Do, based in NYC, and was the founder of RealFace, a company focused on bringing back human perception to digital processes. In this conversation we discuss her journey from sitting with an inspired idea to finally taking the plunge and leaving the security of her well paid job to set up RealFace. She emphasizes how vital it is to work with partners who share the same core values as you and the importance of surrounding yourself with talented people who you can learn from. Adi talks about RealFace getting acquired by Apple and the bittersweet nature of selling a company that you built with a view to longevity. She also speaks candidly about embarking on her new startup DeeDa:DO and what she wants to do differently this time around. An eternal optimist, Adi believes that it’s absolutely necessary to look at the world through rose-coloured glassed if you’re going to be an entrepreneur and touches on the importance of creating your own narrative when faced with setbacks.One of Adi's other interests is chess, and as a former chess champion she is passionate about teaching chess to girls. We hear about the program she has set up to do that in NYC and the importance she places on STEM subjects and making them accessible to all.This podcast was made possible with the kind support of Emanuel Arbib of IAM Capital Group, a global alternative investment group, and the individuals Elissa Bayer and Avital Eusgeld.
15. Dafna Rolls - An exploration of Mindset and how it shifts with experience
May 31 2021
15. Dafna Rolls - An exploration of Mindset and how it shifts with experience
In our podcast, Dafna describes how she grew in a family of entrepreneurs and discusses her time in the Israeli army where at the age of 18 she became a lieutenant overseeing a group of 20 men. This experience shaped Dafna and made her understand what she was capable of. So much so that when Dafna moved to America in her twenties, she realised that she needed to set up her own company, as no one in the US quite understood her skillset and potential. Hence, D|Rolls was born. A great believer in coaching, Dafna used it to help build both her business and navigate her role as CEO. Although D|Rolls business headquarters are in Boston, Dafna and her family moved back to Israel after 10 years. Initially, Dafna found the challenge of being a long-distance CEO fraught, but ultimately she used it as an opportunity to change and learned the importance of letting go a little. Dafna, who is a big supporter of female entrepreneurs, also shares her insights into why they sometimes give up too soon and the importance of hanging on in there. A firm believer in optimism in both business and life, Dafna discusses the value of persevering in the face of obstacles, the necessity of having a good support system, and the beauty of being above forty.This podcast was made possible with the kind support of Emanuel Arbib of IAM Capital Group, a global alternative investment group, and the individuals Elissa Bayer and Avital Eusgeld.
14. Naomi Krieger Carmy: Solving Societal Challenges through Innovation and Impact
May 11 2021
14. Naomi Krieger Carmy: Solving Societal Challenges through Innovation and Impact
Naomi Krieger Carmy is a Senior VP at Social Finance Israel, an Israeli not-for-profit organization that issues Social Impact Bonds. She has had a global career that has spanned roles in investment banking, economic development and policy, and has recently had a particular focus on furthering innovation through the UK Israel Tech Hub a public/private venture to promote business and tech collaboration between the UK and Israel. Her most recent role prior to the current one was as VP and Head of the Societal Challenges division at the Israel Innovation Authority, where she was was responsible for policy, programs and funding for R&D of impact tech and development of human capital for the innovation ecosystem. Our conversation starts with her education and time in the Israeli army, tracing her path from economist to investment banker to policy expert. We then turn to her more recent work focusing on some of the human capital challenges that come with companies in stages of fast-paced innovation. We examine what these challenges are and what works to address them, in particular to get more gender balance into such organizations. We close with a discussion of the growing of social impact bonds, what kind of impact is targeted and how it is measured. This is an area we are likely to hear much more of in coming years and this podcast is an excellent primer.This podcast was made possible with the kind support of Emanuel Arbib of IAM Capital Group, a global alternative investment group, and the individuals Elissa Bayer and Avital Eusgeld.