Conversations with Winsala

I'm back with another episode, and this time my guest is Caroline Umukobwa. Caroline is a passionate and experienced project and product manager with over seven years of experience leading cross-functional teams to bring ideas to life. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a minor in Mathematics from Seattle University. She began her career in consulting, transitioned to government project management, and eventually found her stride in the tech industry. She excels at bringing diverse talents together, meticulously planning, and executing projects to deliver impactful solutions. Beyond her professional achievements, Caroline has ventured into social impact by launching a startup aimed at reducing youth unemployment in Africa, blending her passion for innovation with a commitment to making a difference. Caroline began her career as a civil engineer, but eventually transitioned to a role as a tech product manager. In this episode, she shares her journey and offers insights on what it takes to be successful in this role. She also reflects on the privilege of having educated parents and how that influenced her career choices. In our usual fashion, we discuss questions that, when answered by a prospective candidate interested in product management, will demonstrate their proficiency in the field. At the end of the episode, Caroline describes what she does for a living to a seven-year-old. She says that she's a product manager, and that she helps people make decisions about what to build. You can connect with her on LinkedIn through Caroline Umukobwa

I am joined by Dr Ayotunde Dawodu aka DRAY aka @thevainprofessor on IG, a Senior lecturer in Building Engineering at the University of Greenwich UK. He attended University of Lagos for his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering then proceeded to University of Nottingham for his master's degree in Sustainable Energy Engineering. He capped it up by getting his PhD in Energy Technologies and Sustainable Development in the same University. He is also a Nigerian independent artiste who raps on Afrobeats and Amapiano Sounds. He has about 100k streams and has released several tracks with 'Option's' being his latest single. We discussed about his journey from after undergrad to being a professor and an artist. He sheds light about family acceptance, colleagues and his students discovering his artistic works and many more. You can catch him on LinkedIn through Ayotunde Dawodu PhD and on IG through @thevainprofessor. You can also stream his latest single on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOmc6CJXXNo Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Tunein and other DSP. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/converse-withwinsala/support

On this episode, I invited a seasoned content creation who started her journey into the industry right at the beginning of the furore. She is a Congolese content creator who resides in London, UK. She started her content creation journey on YouTube just over a decade ago while attending college. She has since then posted content on all popular social media platforms for a lot of businesses. Esther's content primarily focuses on fashion and lifestyle. She prides herself on authenticity and striving to be as relatable as possible to her audience. Her content blends personal style, everyday life. It has touches of her Congolese heritage, making her platforms a vibrant source of inspiration. We spoke about how tech has changed the influencer and content creation landscape since she started. We discussed how tech made things better and how it created another type of problem for them. Esther dropped some advise for anyone going into her industry in terms of resilience, billing, being able to recognize fraudulent activities etc. This is an episode for the books. You can find her on the following social media platforms:
YouTube & Instagram: Esther Mukundgi TikTok: Esther_Mukundgi Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/converse-withwinsala/support

This episode brings in Ayodele Akinwande also known as Ayoblaq or Black Boy Joy. He is a cybersecurity expert who started his furore into this field from Covenant University, Nigeria where he studied management information systems. He then moved to the US for his masters degree in Management and Systems. He had opportunity to get an internship at a financial institution where he was introduced to Information Security. He has been in this space for about eight years running compliance programs for various finance and tech companies. You can follow him on various social media platform through @ayoblaq Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/converse-withwinsala/support

On this episode, I am joined by Jade Ologunja who is currently a nurse specializing in Fertility/In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). She is an advocate for women's health most especially the reproductive aspect. She is interested in fem tech and how it drives the changes to bettering life in the medical field. She attended Auburn University for her undergrad and Auburn University at Montgomery for nursing school. We discuss her journey into the medical field and how her aspirations became her fuel to achieving her goals. She talks about the tech tools that make her job easy at her current role. You can follow her on all platforms @heyjadesola. You can also connect with her on LinkedIn Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/converse-withwinsala/support

I recapped season one with Yewande who was the producer. We spoke about what our favorite episodes were and the challenges that were faced creating them. Yewande speaks about what she is currently venturing into and what the future holds for her. We speak about what to expect in the coming season. Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/converse-withwinsala/support

On today's episode, our guest is Funmi Omoliki, a Data and AI specialist at Microsoft with over 10 years experience working at software and hardware technology companies. She started her career as an electrical electronics engineer working at Nokia and Ericsson. She then ventured into product management and analytics at Ntel before she moved to the U.S. to complete her MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Over the last four years, she has honed her expertise in tech product sales, implementing Cloud and AI solutions for enterprise customers. In this episode, she shares her experience in selling tech products to prospective buyers and maintaining relationships with customers.  The following are the highlights of this episode: Brief introduction about herself in her current role. (01:22) Why she started a career in engineering and tech and motivation for getting an MBA. (02:34) Navigating the sales space with an engineering background. (09:22) The importance of sales in the tech product creation process. (15:07) A typical day in her life (18:25) Convincing prospective and current customers about one's product compared to competitors (23:00). Building strong relationships with customers using people skills. (27:50) Considerations in sourcing a person to head the sales business unit in a tech company. (29:38) Responsible tech through the lens of a black woman in tech and how it affects sales. (32:04) Explanation of sales in tech to a 7 year old. (42:48) Keep up with Funmi LinkedIn Funmi Omoliki Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/converse-withwinsala/support

Dairo Ghalib is a seasoned cloud engineer who started as an infrastructure engineer with Stanbic IBTC, a national bank in Nigeria. He studied Computer Engineering at the University of Lagos and has his masters degree in Commerce, Information Systems and Technology (from where). He discovered the world of cloud engineering during his masters degree program and hasn't looked back since then. He has worked in Cloud Engineering for over 4 years now, and currently works with Daemon as a Cloud/DevOps engineer. From his wealth of experience, he shares the importance of cloud engineering and how it contributes to running tech products smoothly. If you're even vaguely interested in Cloud, this episode is for you. Highlights of this episode: How he became interested in Cloud and support engineering (03:56) The contribution of cloud to the creation of tech products (06:50) Explanation of what cloud engineering is (not so lay man terms) (09:37) A typical day as a cloud engineer (11:52) The role of support engineers (15:22) Resolving conflicts as a support engineer (18:53) Day-to-day tools need to function in this role (21:20) Answers that will convince a recruiter that one is proficient in cloud and support engineering (24:22) Explaining what cloud and support engineering is to a 7 year old (29:25) Corporate culture in South Africa (31:09) Keep up with Ghalib LinkedIn Ghalib Dairo Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/converse-withwinsala/support

In this episode, I am joined by an experienced agile coach/product owner who transitioned from working in Civil Engineering and Project Management to talk about his role. Teslim currently works with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) where he coordinates the creation of fraud reporting products for the cybersecurity unit. He also runs Slim Prep at www.theslimprep.com, where he tutors people on transitioning into the Agile/scrum and DevOps fields. He was gracious to leave a gift in this episode. Listen to the end to claim the prize. These are the highlights of things that were discussed: His journey so far (03:22) Explanation of the role agile and scrum take in the process of bringing and making stakeholders accountable to the creating products (07:31) A typical day in the life of an agile/scrum master (18:32) The Tools he uses on his day to day (26:08) Questions asked during agile/scrum master and product owner interviews (27:27) Explanation of Agile/scrum master is to a 7 year old (30:58) Keep up with Teslim LinkedIn Teslim Salawu IG theslimprep hello@theslimprep.com +1 647 877 0399 www.theslimprep.com Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/converse-withwinsala/support

In this episode, we discuss the importance of Software Testing in the product creation process. Today's guest is Mohammed Kuranga who is currently a Product Manager at Fiserv. Prior to this, he worked for several companies including Blue Cross Blue Shield and Online Insights - working as a software tester, then as a product owner. He has an MBA as well as bachelors and masters degrees in Computer and Information Systems. He has a wealth of experience creating and validating test points in the product creation process and walks me through some key processes performed during testing. The following were things that were discussed in this episode: How he became a software tester (02:46) The importance of software testing in the software development lifecycle (07:43) Managing bottlenecks that could arise during testing (10:22) Typical day in the life of a tester (13:25) Various tools employed and how they can be learnt (16:40) Demonstrating proficiency during software testing job interviews (21:20) Explaining what software testing is to a 7 year old (25:47) Keep up with Mohammed LinkedIn Mohammed Kuranga IG moh___ed Twitter KurangaMohammed Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/converse-withwinsala/support

On this episode, we delve into a critical part of the tech product creation process that may be unfamiliar to some, which is the legal and privacy aspect. My guest is Ekene who is a lawyer experienced in intellectual property and privacy. She takes an in-depth look at intellectual property as it pertains to products. Ekene is currently an LLM student in the Law, Technology & Entrepreneurship program at Cornell University's tech campus in New York City. Prior to this, she worked at Banwo & Ighodalo, a top law firm in Nigeria as an Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment and Technology lawyer where she supported multinational brands, international law firms, creative entrepreneurs and big tech companies. She also worked as a Senior Associate at CLP Legal, a law practice in Nigeria, where she practiced commercial litigation and corporate advisory. Highlights from our discussion: Her journey so far (05:55) How she became interested in Intellectual Property (08:19) Definition of ownership with respect to intellectual property, patent, trademarks, designs, copyrights and copywriting and their relation with creating tech products (14:37) How to protect ideas (26:20) and protect products (31:20) The Spotify Wrapped situation (38:47) Explaining what she does to a 7 year old (46:38) You can learn more about Ekene and read her work on her website www.ekene.co, where she writes about privacy, new technologies, and intellectual property in pop culture. You can also follow her on IG at ekene.co and on LinkedIn at Ekene Chuks-Okeke. Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/converse-withwinsala/support

Martins is a Software Engineer at LinkedIn. He previously worked at Microsoft. He has a Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering from Florida Institute of Technology. He is an Afrobeats DJ based in Atlanta and was very popular in the Seattle area where he lived before relocating. In this episode, he breaks down the role and importance of software engineering in creating tech products. This episode is my longest yet and we only scratched the surface. Highlights from the conversation: His journey so far to becoming a software engineer (4:01) Translating business requirements from a Product Manager (PM) to creating software products (9:04) When the ideas brought forward to create products are not feasible, what and how it is discussed with the founder or product manager (13:22) Similarities and differences between a software engineer and a computer scientist (16:06) The life of a software engineer in a tech company (17:58) Tools used to create products (20:42) The typical software engineering job interview process and how to demonstrate proficiency (24:25) Intellectual property using Spotify Wrapped as an example (32:19) Explaining what software engineering is to a 7 year old (39:46) Keep up with Martins LinkedIn Martins Agbayekhai IG djwkndofficial Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/converse-withwinsala/support

My guest on this episode is Adebola Aguda, a Technical Product Manager at Microsoft. Adebola has a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Georgia State University and started her career working as a .NET developer. She has worked in several functions within the field of Computer Science and Information Systems. After exploring interests in game designs and visualization in the early years of her career in addition to her experience working as a Product Engineer at EY, Adebola has mastered the ins and outs of product management. She shares how her journey has helped her succeed in product creation. Her technical background, as she says in this episode, guides her in working effectively with developers and making functional business decisions. Conversion highlights: Adebola's journey to becoming a technical product engineer (1:09) Technical product manager’s contribution to product creation process (04:37) Differences in product management, technical product management and program management (08:46) Demonstrating proficiency in technical product management job interviews (11:18) With her being a black woman in tech, she speaks about diversity and its in role in product creation (14:34) Explaining what she does to a 7 year old (28:02) Keep up with Adebola LinkedIn Adeobola Akinola-Aguda Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/converse-withwinsala/support

In this episode, I am joined by Lanre Laguda who has vast experience in product management. He has worked in top companies like Delta, First Data now Fiserv, T-Mobile to mention a few. He helped those companies build competitive products in their niche markets. He is currently a senior product manager with Amazon Inc. Like Ayo from episode one, his enthusiasm for tech took him from being trained as a chemical engineer to being in tech as an accomplished product manager. The following are the highlights of the conversation held in this episode: Lanre’s motivation to switching careers from Chemical engineering to product management and journey so far (3:07) Balancing business ideas with the tech to make products (7:36) First few moves to make to bring ideas to life when tasked with that responsibility (13:03) A typical day in the life of a product manager and the tools employed daily (16:15) Answers to questions that convinces a product manager interviewing a candidate interested in joining a product management team (23:40) Explaining product management to a 7 year old and parting words (31:05) Keep up with Lanre on LinkedIn Olanrewaju Laguda Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/converse-withwinsala/support

Our pilot episode kicks off with a conversation with  Ayodeji ("Ayo") Fowode, a founder of multiple ventures, tech enthusiast, philanthropist, and a UN Peace Advocate. Ayo is a chemical engineer by training but successfully transitioned to tech as the founder of Unileap. He is also a self acclaimed model in his free time. This episode is laden with sound advice for anyone interested in starting a tech company or venture. Conversation highlights Career switch from chemical engineering to tech and his journey so far (01:08) The motivation behind creating his most successful and biggest tech product so far (05:36) Building and managing highly skilled, reliable and successful cross-functional start-up teams (13:07) Navigating the treacherous waters of intellectual property and copywriting (20:40) Parting words of wisdom for aspiring or early-stage start-up founders (29:17) Keep up with Ayo on  ayo.fowode.com LinkedIn Ayodeji Fowode IG @ayo_magnifico Twitter @Ayo_Jnr Follow this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Tunein --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/converse-withwinsala/support

Welcome to my podcast. These are laid back conversations with my friends and I. This season is us talking about creating products in tech. I speak with every guest about their journeys so far and their impartations on the creation processes. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/converse-withwinsala/support