116. From Google Leader To Transforming Leadership Through AI w/ Sathya Smith | Piper HQ

Join The BAE HQ: https://www.thebaehq.com/join

To see more like this: https://www.youtube.com/@thebaehq?sub_confirmation=1

Episode 114: Amardeep Parmar (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amardeepsparmar) from The BAE HQ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-bae-hq) welcomes Sathya Smith, Founder of Piper HQ.

In the podcast, Sathya Smith, CEO and founder of Piper HQ, discusses the challenge of improving leadership within organisations despite widespread acknowledgment of its importance, highlighting her journey from an engineer to a tech entrepreneur. She emphasises the necessity of quality management and the role of AI in enhancing leadership skills, aiming for Piper HQ to set the standard in leadership development and become synonymous with exceptional management practices.

Message from our headline partners:

From the first time founders to the funds that back them, innovation needs different. HSBC Innovation Banking is proud to accelerate growth for tech and life science businesses, creating meaningful connections and opening up a world of opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors alike. Discover more at https://www.hsbcinnovationbanking.com/

___

Show Notes:

00:00 - Intro

01:46: Personal background shared, emphasising the influence of a focus on education and the initial indecision between pursuing medicine or engineering, leading to the eventual choice of engineering due to the timing of university acceptance letters.

03:09: Discussion about the potential different career path had the university acceptance been reversed and a reflection on the importance of education and career choices influenced by parental expectations.

05:04: Recount of moving from Montreal to Silicon Valley without a job, highlighting the risk-taking decision that led to opportunities at Ericsson, Google, and beyond. Describes the brave and transformative choice of moving to pursue a career in tech.

07:56: Reflections on time at Google, emphasising the unique, problem-solving culture and personal growth within the company. Involvement in significant projects and the impact of work on widely used technologies discussed.

09:56: Role at Google before leaving, focusing on partner technology and the challenges of managing vast amounts of data for Google's services. Insights into the data management process and the foresight required in the pre-smartphone era.

12:43: Decision to leave Google after a decade discussed, highlighting a moment of realisation brought about by receiving a ten-year tenure plaque and the desire for new challenges outside the Google "bubble."

14:24: Transition from Google to working with one fine stay and then consulting, leading to a venture partnership. This period of exploration and the eventual founding of Piper HQ marked by a desire to address the gap in leadership development.

18:28: Elaboration on the development of Piper HQ, from concept validation and user research to product development and the integration of AI. Challenges of introducing AI in leadership development and the acceptance of technology over time discussed.

24:15: Vision for Piper HQ outlined, focusing on becoming the future of employee engagement and setting a new standard in leadership development. Achievements and the importance of identifying the right market within organisations for their product shared.

32:46: Personal lessons from transitioning to a founder role shared, emphasising the challenges of product sales, the necessity of resilience, and the physical and emotional demands of fundraising.

35:08: Future aspirations for Piper HQ discussed, aiming for it to become synonymous with e