Microsoft Spotlight Podcast
81 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago -The Microsoft Spotlight Podcast highlighting the important of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion by speaking with those who share our same beliefs.
We believe that all members of the technical community are equally important.
We are part a tech community where we value a diverse network and learn and share from one another:
regardless of age,
regardless of colour,
regardless of their ethnicity,
regardless of their religion or beliefs,
regardless of disability,
regardless of gender,
regardless of sexual orientation
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Episodes
Episode 31 - Kat Greenan
April 19, 2022 21:42 - 46 minutes - 63.4 MBIn episode 31 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by Kat Greenan who is a Microsoft Solutions Specialist for Core Technology Systems and a recently awarded Microsoft MVP. Kat is a member of the Cloud Conversation podcast which discusses tech, career, and all things Microsoft. We learnt how Kat really became an MVP within a 18 month period from a non-tech background and has seriously made waves within the community. Kat's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katgreen...
Episode 30 - Isidora Katanic
April 06, 2022 09:40 - 49 minutes - 68 MBIn episode 30 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by Isidora Katanic who is a Community Manager for Experts Inside and a Microsoft MVP. Issy is the 2nd half of the Head in the Cloud, Heart in the Community podcast which she shared with our former guest Holly. She explained to us how she went from being a nanny to Women in Tech and her love for the community. Issy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isidora-katanic-mvp-0b479534/ Issy's Twitter: https://twit...
Episode 29 - Kema Davies
March 23, 2022 11:06 - 43 minutes - 59.1 MBIn episode 29 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by Kema Davies who was UK Early Careers Recruitment Lead for Microsoft before joining Meta. Kema has a successful career within IT Recruitment within the tech industry and shares her knowledge and passion for DE&I. Kema's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kema-davies/ Kema's Twitter: https://twitter.com/KemaDavies Microsoft Women In Tech: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9053874/ Spotlight User Group: https:...
Episode 28 - Nikki Chapple
March 08, 2022 12:14 - 43 minutes - 60.2 MBIn episode 28 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by Nikki Chapple who is Principal Cloud Architect for Cloudway. Nikki has been recently awarded Office Apps and Services MVP for her excellent community work within the Microsoft Compliance arena. Nikki has also Ryan John Murphy from Microsoft to create a new podcast called "M365 Compliance" Nikki's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkichapple/ Nikki's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChappleNikki Microsoft Women In...
Episode 27 - Tricia Sinclair
February 22, 2022 16:59 - 47 minutes - 64.6 MBIn episode 27 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by Tricia Sinclair who is Dynamics 365 Customer Service Lead for Avanade. Tricia is also the founder of an amazing project called "The Power Platform School" which helps adults of diverse backgrounds learn the Microsoft Power Platform for free with the view of upskilling and finding a new career within IT. Tricia’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triciasin... Tricia’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/tassyja Micro...
Episode 26 - Ellie King
February 09, 2022 08:00 - 40 minutes - 55.9 MBIn episode 26 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by Ellie King who is co-founder of Equal.IT! Ellie works with organizations to help diversify tech teams through refined talent acquisition complemented by diversity and inclusion consulting. She also runs our own podcast and YouTube channel about all things DE&I, so make sure you subscribe via the links below. We also learned that Ellie DE&I's passion came from our love of football where she was once signed to Arsenal La...
Episode 23 - April Edwards
February 04, 2022 09:40 - 46 minutes - 64.1 MBIn todays final episode of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast for 2021, our hosts are joined by April Edwards, who is the Senior Cloud Advocate for Microsoft. April talks to our hosts about her life before Microsoft, moving from and her friendship with Abel Wang who inspired her career. April has spoken at many events across the globe and presents the DevOps Lab which can be found over on YouTube. April’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azureapril/ April's Twitter: https://twitter.com...
Episode 25 - Heather Newman
January 26, 2022 11:08 - 49 minutes - 68 MBIn episode 25 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by Heather Newman who is a Principal PM Manager for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform Community at Microsoft! Andrew and Jon discuss the "real cool shit" on Heather's LinkedIn profile as we dive into your career path back to Microsoft after a conversation with Dona Sarkar. Heather even shared a stage with Bill Gates very early on in her career when demoed the very first online customer portal. Heather’s LinkedIn: https://...
Episode 24 - Ioana Tanase
January 12, 2022 11:24 - 43 minutes - 60.3 MBIn episode 24 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by Ioana Tanase who is an Accessibility PM at Microsoft! Ioana, originally from Romania speaks to our hosts about finding out she had dyslexia when she was 32 and how that has affected her life. Ioana has published books including "Life v2" having moved from Romania to London and wanting to write about her experiences. Being an avid shoemaker you can check out Ioana's website where you can find her Journals and also bro...
Episode 22 - Sara Lagerquist
December 16, 2021 10:27 - 43 minutes - 59.4 MBIn today's episode, Jon Jarvis is joined by guest co-host Sophie Dimelow and Sara Lagerquist! Sara is a 3 time Microsoft Business Applications MVP from Sweden and works as a Power Platform Consultant at CRM-Konsulterna. Sara has spoken at many events over the past couple of years including the South Coast Summit, 365 Saturday Amsterdam, and the upcoming Scottish Summit in February 2022. Sara is an inspiring individual who talks to our hosts about her battle and recovery from breast cancer. ...
Episode 21 - Holly Lehman
November 30, 2021 15:05 - 48 minutes - 66.9 MBIn today's episode of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by Holly Lehman, who is the Product Marketing Manager for Microsoft Teams. Holly talks to our guests about her life before Microsoft, moving between Vegas and Seattle working in hospitality. Holly has spoken at many events across the globe and has her own community podcast titled “Head in the Cloud, Heart in the Community”. Holly's Twitter: https://twitter.com/lehman_holly Holly's LinkedIn: https://www.linked...
Episode 20 - Antje Lamartine
November 18, 2021 09:17 - 48 minutes - 67 MBOn this week's episode of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, we are joined by Antje Lamartine who is a Microsoft MVP based in Germany. Antje is a Senior Change Success Manager for IF-Blueprint AG based in Munich, Germany. In this episode, we discussed Antje's life in the US/ Germany, how the Women In Tech community varies in each country and how she becames a part of the Microsoft MVP Community. Antje's Twitter: https://twitter.com/AntjeLamartine Antje's LinkedIn: https://twitter.c...
Episode 19 - Tracy van der Schyff
November 03, 2021 16:55 - 46 minutes - 63.6 MBOn this week's episode of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, we are joined by Tracy van der Schyff who is the first dual MVP that has joined us on the show. Tracy is a Microsoft 365 coach and has owned her own company The GUID Stuff for the past 10 years. This episode is one of the funniest episodes with both hosts in hysterics throughout. Tracy speaks about her own health after recently suffering from a stroke and what she is doing now to ensure a better work/life balance. PS - This ...
Episode 18 - Elena Sinel
October 21, 2021 15:33 - 45 minutes - 62.4 MBOn this week's episode of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, we listen to the inspirational story of Elena Sinel who is the Ceo and Founder of TeensInAI Elena is our second Microsoft Regional Director on the show and is the first Regional Director from Uzbekistan. Having worked all over the world, Elena settled in London having never worked in IT but after her daughter had a bad experience expressing interest in Computer Science at school, TeensInAI was born. Elena talks about all things A...
Episode 17 - April Dunnam
October 08, 2021 08:10 - 42 minutes - 58.3 MBOn Episode 17 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by April Dunnam who is the Power Platform Advocacy lead at Microsoft. April talks to our hosts about her IT career so far, earning her MVP status in 2018 after running her on consulting company for 8 years before taking on a role at Microsoft in 2019. April unlike most of our guests so far has had a love of IT from an early age and built her first computer at around 9 or 10 years old then building websites to pay f...
Episode 16 - Dona Sarkar
September 20, 2021 11:40 - 51 minutes - 71 MBOn Episode 16 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by Dona Sarkar who is the Director of Accessibility at Microsoft. Dona talks about her time at Microsoft where she has worked since 2005, Dona was an engineer on the Windows Dev team for 12 years covering 5 versions of Windows. Dona speaks passionately about neurodiversity and how her role at Microsoft will ensure that accessibility needs for all users are met. Dona will be at the South Coast Summit where you can watch ...
Episode 15 - Sharon Weaver
September 09, 2021 13:23 - 45 minutes - 62 MBOn Episode 15 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, after a small Summer break, our hosts are joined by Sharon Weaver who is a Microsoft Regional Director, Microsoft Certified Trainer, Process Improvement, and Productivity Expert. Sharon is the founder and CEO of Smarter consulting and speaks to our hosts about being a leader within the Kansas area by running the Kansas City O365 User Group. Sharon shares her journey from coding as a hobby when growing up to working in medicine then fall...
Episode 14 - Sophie Dimelow
August 20, 2021 09:00 - 44 minutes - 60.4 MBOn today's episode of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by Sophie Dimelow who is our youngest guest so far! Sophie is a Microsoft Sales Consultant at The Pure Technology Group, Sophie talks about how her IT career started after starting off as an IT recruiter and her journey to her current role. Sophie enthusiastically tells our hosts that although not from a technical background, she is enjoying learning and immersing herself in Microsoft technology. Sophie's Twitter:...
Episode 13 - Jese Navaranjan
August 10, 2021 05:00 - 45 minutes - 62 MBOn episode 13th of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, our hosts are joined by Jese Navaranjan who is a Microsoft MVP working at Avanade. Graduating university after completing a maths degree, Jese talks to our hosts about her journey from being a Business Analyst to becoming an MVP. Jese talks about her passion for presenting in user groups and her desire to become a mentor for women in the IT community. Jese's Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeseNav2 Jese's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com...
Episode 12 - Sara Fennah
July 28, 2021 09:13 - 43 minutes - 59.3 MBSara Fennah is our guest on episode 12 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast! Sara is a freelance Microsoft Certified Trainer having been certified for 14 years! Sara talks to our hosts about her career progression starting as a teacher at a secondary school to delivering Microsoft 365 courses. Both of our hosts had plenty of questions about the MCT program and its community. Sara has a unique style of delivering her courses where our host Jon believes she is one of the best MCTs in the indust...
Episode 11 - Anne Michels
July 14, 2021 15:35 - 50 minutes - 69.3 MBIn the 11th episode of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, we speak to Microsoft's Anne Michels who works as the Director of Product Marketing for Microsoft Teams. Anne passionately speaks about her job at Microsoft, her love for Microsoft Teams, and how it has positively helped the world in a time of crisis. Recording this during her maternity leave, Anne talks about her she got into her role at Microsoft and her experiences from speaking at big conferences such as Microsoft Ignite. Anne is a...
Episode 10 - Layla Porter
June 30, 2021 11:04 - 43 minutes - 60 MBAndrew and Jon welcome Layla Porter aka LaylaCodesIT to the 10th episode of the Microsoft Spotlight Podcast. Laya works as a Developer Advocate for VMware Tanzu and is a Microsoft MVP and GitHub Star! Layla speaks to our hosts about her journey into IT and her rise in just over 5 years in the industry. Layla talks about her work as a content creator on Twitch, dealing with trolls, and her role as a .NET Developer Advocate. Layla's Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaylaCodesIt Layla's Twitch: ...
Episode 9 - Anna Chu
June 14, 2021 11:58 - 51 minutes - 70.2 MBOn episode 9 of the Microsoft Spotlight we welcomed Anna Chu who is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft! Australian native Anna is based out of Seattle currently and works predominately in the Microsoft Tech Community, working on the launch to what it is today. Anna talks to our hosts about starting at Microsoft as a graduate 15 years ago and her experiences of not only being female but a female with a diverse background. Anna also gives some great advice on how to win competit...
Episode 8 - Karuana Gatimu
May 19, 2021 13:41 - 41 minutes - 57 MBOn the 8th episode of the Microsoft Spotlight Podcast, we are joined by the one and only Karuana Gatimu the Principal Program Manager for the Customer Advocacy group for Teams. She is one of the most recognizable faces within Microsoft having hosted several Microsoft lead events including MSIgnite and many other community-driven events. Karuana takes time out of her busy schedule to share her journey having been a theatre-trained dancer to working as a GM for a large Professional Servi...
Episode 7 - Kathi Kellenberger
May 05, 2021 11:26 - 49 minutes - 67.3 MBIn this episode of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, Kathi Kellenberger talks to our hosts about the journey from working in pharmaceuticals to pursuing a new career in IT. Being our first active MVP on the podcast, Kathi talks about how she became an MVP and maintained the award for 11 years. Kathi has done it all in her career; an MVP, a developer, a DBA, consultant, trainer, author, and now an editor! Kathi's Twitter: https://twitter.com/auntkathi Kathi's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.c...
Episode 6 - Jen Stirrup
April 29, 2021 18:13 - 45 minutes - 63 MBThis episode of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast features Jen Stirrup, CEO, and Founder of Data Relish. Jen talks to our hosts about her life growing up in technology, having learned to code from a young age! Other topics include work as a speaker, the effects of social media, being a single parent, and also a little bit of martial arts! Jen is the creator of the Diversity Charter which we at the Microsoft Spotlight wholeheartedly agree with. Jen’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenstirru...
Episode 5 - Laurie Pottmeyer
April 15, 2021 08:18 - 46 minutes - 64.4 MBOn episode 5 of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, Andrew and Jon speak to Microsoft's Laurie Pottmeyer! Laurie passionately talks about her role as the Microsoft Teams Community Manager and how she positively engages with the community to improve the Microsoft Teams experience, including the creation of the Women in Teams community. As a single Mum who travels a lot, Laurie tells Andrew and Jon how she structures life around her kids and how her daughter even managed a trip to Paris for a con...
Episode 4 - Catriona Janes
April 06, 2021 15:38 - 38 minutes - 52.5 MBIn this episode of the Microsoft Spotlight podcast, Andrew and Jon are joined by Catriona Janes of Tibco Software! Catriona speaks about working with dyslexia and spreading awareness about neurological illnesses. She also talks about her early career, working during the pandemic, and her journey into IT. Catriona has worked extensively within the WIT network in the past 12 months, listen to see how the WIT Network can benefit everyone! Links Mentioned Catriona's Twitter: https://twi...
Episode 3 - Corinna Lins
March 26, 2021 09:02 - 34 minutes - 47.3 MBIn the third episode of Microsoft Spotlight, Andrew and Jon speak to Corinna Lins who works as a Modern Workspace Consultant in Germany. Corinna is very well known throughout the community for being an active speaker as events such as CollabDays, SharePoint Saturdays and CollabSummit. Corinna also organisers Collaboration Meetup and collabDays Munich. In the episode, Corinna talks to us about her early years in IT, how she moved into consultancy and spoke about her goals in the future. Lin...
Episode 2 - Zoe Wilson
March 08, 2021 08:00 - 35 minutes - 48.9 MBIn today's episode Andrew and Jon speak to Zoe Wilson who is the Head of Enterprise Collaboration and Productivity at Agilisys. The main discussion points of the conversation include Zoe's work with Women in the Community, how she got started within IT and how her career has progressed from the IT service desk to a senior figure within a Microsoft partner. Zoe is an aspiring Microsoft MVP having spoken at many events in the past, we spoke about the most recent Scottish Summit event and the...
Episode 1 - Why now?
February 13, 2021 17:00 - 30 minutes - 42.3 MBIn this episode, Andrew and John provide introductions to each other and how the podcast come about. It has been a goal of Andrew's to provide a platform and cast a spotlight on those from a Diversity, Equality and Inclusion background. They also discuss the vision for upcoming episodes where they will be talking to women from the tech community to promote, highlight and spotlight the excellent work they are doing.