In this episode, we sit down with Bhagya Reddy, a data professional with over 20 years of experience, to discuss the critical importance of data literacy across organisations and how data skills can empower career transitions. Bhagya shares her journey of building a comprehensive data university at Virgin Media, training over 10,000 employees, and her passion project helping women and men return to work through data education.

What You'll Learn

1. How to scale data literacy across an entire organization - Bhagya shares her approach for training 10,000+ employees at Virgin Media, from initial resistance to widespread adoption and the impact it had
2. Why data skills are perfect for career transitions - Discover how data education can empower women and men returning to work, and why data literacy skills are so important
3. The secret to making data education stick - Learn the teaching techniques that actually work, from using everyday examples to creating engaging, self-service learning experiences

Resources & Links - connect with Bhagya:

• LinkedIn: Bhagya Reddy
• Website: trainingindata.com
• Email: contact@trainingindata.com

Guest Bio

Bhagya Reddy is a seasoned data professional with 20+ years of experience currently working at Virgin Media. She's a passionate advocate for data democratisation and sustainability, and the founder of Training in Data, an organisation dedicated to helping people transition back into careers through data education.

In this conversation, I sit down with Mauro Nicolao, Director of Data Science at Soapbox Labs - a trailblazing company building voice technology designed specifically for children. Recently acquired by Curriculum Associates, Soapbox Labs is now bringing their specialised speech recognition technology to over 13 million students across the US.

From his roots in academia to leading cutting-edge AI products, Mauro shares the story behind his journey and the mission driving Soapbox’s work. Listen to hear:

- Mauro's journey from academia to Soapbox Labs
- How AI tools can support teachers rather than replace them
- What it was like to go through an acquisition, and how Soapbox Labs benefited
- The unique challenges of building ethical and robust AI technology for children
- Real-world lessons from building AI for education

As schools adopt AI tools, understanding how to implement voice technology that works for ALL students has never been more crucial. Mauro's insights are valuable for anyone working at the intersection of AI, voice technology, and education.

Find Mauro on LinkedIn, and learn more about Soapbox Labs and Curriculum Associates.

In this conversation, Shawn Wen, co-founder and CTO of PolyAI, shares insights into the journey of building PolyAI into a successful series C AI startup focused on automating phone calls for contact centres. He discusses the early days of PolyAI, the challenges faced in scaling the team, the importance of company culture, and the evolving role of a CTO in a growing organisation. Shawn also reflects on the impact of industry changes in AI and the lessons learned throughout the startup journey. Listen to hear:

- How Shawn thought about his CTO role as PolyAI evolved
- How PolyAI's culture got set on the right path in its earliest days
- The challenges of hiring new roles into PolyAI
- Why keeping up with the AI firehose sometimes means throwing away what you've built

Follow PolyAI on LinkedIn to keep up-to-date.