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Artwork for Building Tech Teams

Building Tech Teams with James MacDonald

NTP Talent
Artificial Intelligence
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Financial Services
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Leadership
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Betmakers Technology Group
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Grease

Building Tech Teams is a weekly podcast on how Australia hires, builds, and leads tech teams in the age of AI. Host James MacDonald sits down with the founders, CTOs, VPs of Engineering and People Leaders building Australia's best tech teams, from startups to enterprise, on what actually works. How they hire, how they build and lead their teams, and the calls that made or broke them. It is built f... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes132Founded8 years ago
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Artwork for Building Tech Teams

Latest Episodes

Most organisations are asking which AI model they should use. Patrick McQuaid thinks that is the wrong conversation.

Patrick is Group Head of Data, Analytics & AI at NGM Group. He joins James MacDonald to explain how leaders can build practical AI c... more

Every great team she has ever seen shares one trait: they are comfortable with discomfort. Claudia Barriga-Larriviere has spent nearly 20 years building people and culture inside startups and global enterprises — and she thinks most of the AI convers... more

The business wants AI, and it wants it yesterday. But once the proof of concept works and the partner goes home, someone inside the company has to keep the thing running. Nathan Hill, Head of Telco at AWS and a 20-year veteran of the telco industry, ... more

The business wants AI now. The people who have to secure it are being told to move faster while their budgets shrink. Kevin Akermanis, Solutions Architect at Okta and a 15-year Salesforce veteran, sits down with James MacDonald to unpack what really ... more

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Recent Guests

Claudia Barriga-Larriviere
Globally recognized HR leader
Startup Flamingo / various startups
Episode: Are Your People More Productive or Just Faster? Claudia Barriga-Larriviere, Startup Flamingo
Nathan Hill
Head of Telco at AWS
Amazon Web Services
Episode: AI Can’t Replace Domain Expertise — Nathan Hill, Head of Telco at AWS
Kevin Akermanis
Architect at Okta
Okta
Episode: Guardrails Are Just Suggestions: Securing AI Agents with Okta's Kevin Akermanis
Michael Batko
Former CEO of Startmate, AI CEO of batko.ai
batko.ai / Startmate
Episode: Why Your First Hire Isn't an Engineer Anymore — Michael Batko, ex-Startmate CEO
Oliver Shanahan
Group Head of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure at BetMakers Technology Group
BetMakers Technology Group
Episode: Tech Exec // Oliver Shanahan, Group Head of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure at BetMakers Technology Group
Matt Vitale
Executive Director, New Dialogue
New Dialogue
Episode: Tech Exec // Matt Vitale: Executive Director at New Dialogue
Victoria Aspden
Executive General Manager, Digital and Transformation, Ampcontrol
Ampcontrol
Episode: Tech Exec // Victoria Aspden: Executive General Manager - Digital & Transformation at Ampcontrol
Andrew Cresp
CIO at NGM Group, regional banking technology executive
NGM Group
Episode: Tech Exec // Andrew Cresp: CIO At NGM Group
Margareta Bogatir Studdert
Head of Digital Workplace & Service Management at NGM Group
NGM Group
Episode: Margareta Bogatir Studdert: Head of Digital Workplace & Service Management At NGM Group

Host

James MacDonald
Host of Building Tech Teams

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 17 ratings
  • :)

    I loved the code bullet episode I hope you could do some more people like Evan :3 so yeah I love your podcast and it’s really entertaining to listen too at night but I wish you could get Mat pat on there though but I hope you guys keep going good job

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Iwishicouldwhistle🐢
    United Statesa year ago
  • Honestly the best podcast.

    Not biased.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    cryolbruh
    Australia6 years ago
  • Great insights from experienced tech

    Really enjoyable listen, hearing from the tech people of the Newcastle region. Some great insights and knowledge.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Gena S.
    Australia6 years ago
  • Really relatable, honest discussions

    Keep them coming

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Bill the Garbologist
    Australia8 years ago
  • If you live in Newcastle and are in tech subscribe right now!

    If you’re even remotely in the tech industry this is a podcast for you.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    helloadamspencer
    Australia8 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Focused on real-world tech leadership and AI adoption in Australia.
High-quality insights from experienced Newcastle-region tech voices.
Laid-back but deep discussions that surface learnings for teams and leadership.
Relatable and insightful, with practical tech leadership takeaways.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Guardrails Are Just Suggestions: Securing AI Agents with Okta's Kevin Akermanis
Q: Is this something you work with companies on, architecting these AI security solutions?
Yes. It involves understanding agent orchestration, scoping and time-bounded access, traceability, and the guardrails that prevent over-permissioning, with a focus on protecting data and enabling secure, scalable AI use inside enterprises.
Tech Exec // Oliver Shanahan, Group Head of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure at BetMakers Technology Group
Q: What was the key driver for taking TopBetta public on the stock exchange?
Raising capital for growth and increasing credibility with partners and potential deals, while giving the business greater visibility and access to funding.
Tech Exec // Andrew Cresp: CIO At NGM Group
Q: What practical steps can other leaders take to foster belief in cloud transformation within their organizations?
Start with small wins that demonstrate faster delivery and clear value, bring in experienced mentors, and create safe spaces to discuss failures and lessons learned so teams learn and improve together.
Tech Exec // Andrew Cresp: CIO At NGM Group
Q: How do you balance deep technical work with the needs of leadership and strategy in a banking environment?
The focus is on solving business problems, not flexing technical prowess. You build the right teams, empower them, and use technology as an enabler of business strategy, while staying curious about technology but not getting lost in code.
Tech Exec // Andrew Cresp: CIO At NGM Group
Q: What has been your approach to leading regional tech teams through modernization while keeping business outcomes in focus?
Leaders should unleash their teams, back them with trusted partners, and align tech initiatives directly to business outcomes. The emphasis is on people, partnerships, and having a tangible plan to deliver regular value through cloud and modernization efforts.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Building Tech Teams

What is Building Tech Teams about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show focuses on how Australia hires, builds, and leads technology teams in the AI era. Episodes typically explore practical strategies for hiring early, organizing AI-native workflows, governance and security in fast-moving tech environments, and leadership lessons from CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and people leaders. The conversations often center on real-world scaling challenges, how to balance technical depth with people leadership, and the human dynamics of rapid prototyping and decision-making in tech organizations. A notable angle across episodes is a strong emphasis on Australian tech ecosystems, cross-industry lessons, and actionable insights for leaders looking to improve team performance and resilience.

Where can I find podcast stats for Building Tech Teams?

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How many listeners does Building Tech Teams get?

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How many subscribers and views does Building Tech Teams have?

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Which podcasts are similar to Building Tech Teams?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Building Tech Teams:

1. The Imperfects
2. Hamish & Andy

How many episodes of Building Tech Teams are there?

Building Tech Teams launched 8 years ago and published 132 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Building Tech Teams?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Building Tech Teams?

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What guests have appeared on Building Tech Teams?

Recent guests on Building Tech Teams include:

1. Claudia Barriga-Larriviere
2. Nathan Hill
3. Kevin Akermanis
4. Michael Batko
5. Oliver Shanahan
6. Matt Vitale
7. Victoria Aspden
8. Andrew Cresp

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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