Behind the Growth
Not everyone makes the news. But behind every growth-driving experience, product, and transformation are experts who shaped the outcome.
Behind the Growth is a podcast for digital leaders and those aspiring to become one.
Each episode celebrates remarkable individuals, and our candid conversations focus on their struggles, wins, and lessons learned you won’t find anywhere else.
Episodes
71 episodes
Valerie McMurtry on Corporate Partnerships Creating Social Value
Valerie McMurtry, President & CEO of Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, joins Mudassar Malik on Behind the Growth to discuss how purpose-driven leadership, data, and partnerships are reshaping outcomes for children and youth in care. Draw...
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Episode 69
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38:52
Brian Shickluna on How Legacy Mindset Limits Tech Teams
Brian Shickluna, Director of Software Engineering at Staples Canada, joins Mudassar Malik on Behind the Growth to unpack the leadership principles and organizational design strategies that have shaped his career. Drawing on experience from star...
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Episode 68
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28:29
Naresh Babu on When Legacy Cores Become Black Boxes
Naresh Babu, AI Technology Leader and Digital Transformation Specialist at mobileLIVE, joins Mudassar Malik to unpack the tough decisions behind core banking modernization. Together, they explore how leaders can balance customer demands, operat...
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Episode 67
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28:44
Zahid Salman on Scaling Enterprise Innovation with Purpose
Zahid Salman, President and CEO at GreenShield, joins Imran Mian on Behind the Growth to unpack the strategy behind building Canada’s first payer-provider platform, and how a nonprofit model is enabling innovation at enterprise scale. ...
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Episode 66
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25:01
Janet Sherlock on Simplifying Org Complexities for Better Results
Janet Sherlock, Founder & CEO at Org.Works, joins Mudassar Malik on Behind the Growth to challenge how most companies approach transformation, org design, AI strategy, and why their structures are often built to fail. Drawing from her execu...
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Episode 65
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31:53
Hanni Doch on Why Big-Bang Transformations Fail
Hanni Doch, VP of Digital Technology, joins Mudassar Malik on Behind the Growth to explore what enterprise transformation really looks like when it's done sustainably, incrementally, and with an eye toward value—not buzzwords. With experience s...
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Episode 64
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23:42
Charu Pujari on Architecting Enterprise Systems that Scale with Customers
Charu Pujari, Vice President of Engineering and Data Science at Loblaw Digital, joins Imran Mian on Behind the Growth to break down what it really takes to architect enterprise systems that move fast, scale reliably, and stay relentlessly focus...
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Episode 63
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35:53
Akua Mensah on Why Soft Skills Aren’t a ‘Nice to Have’ Anymore
Akua Mensah, Senior Director of Process Engineering & Business Enablement at CIBC, joins host Mudassar Malik on this episode to explore the real drivers of transformation—and why soft skills aren’t just a “nice to have,” but a strategic nec...
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Episode 62
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37:27
Sid Kumar on an Integrated Go-To-Market System
Sid Kumar, Head of Global GTM Strategy & Planning at Databricks, joins host Mudassar Malik on Behind the Growth to unpack what it really takes to design and run a connected go-to-market engine—one that aligns across marketing, sales, custom...
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Episode 61
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28:50
Hamza Qamar on Balancing Product Innovation with User Value & Business Urgency
Hamza Qamar, Senior Director of Product, Innovation & Design at mobileLIVE, joins Mudassar Malik on Behind the Growth to break down what it really takes to lead product innovation inside enterprise environments—and why technical talent alon...
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Episode 60
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22:28
Justin Bundick on Embedding AI Into Daily Decision-Making
Justin Bundick, Managing Director of AI and Data Transformation at Southwest Airlines, joins host Imran Mian to explore the real-world complexities of scaling AI in one of the world’s most operationally intense industries. With a focus on turni...
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Episode 59
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30:17
Vipul Lalka on What’s Driving Digital Adoption in Banking
Vipul Lalka, Vice President of Canadian Personal Banking Digital Transformation and Strategy at TD, joins Behind the Growth to discuss how technology is reshaping banking. He breaks down the challenges and opportunities in driving digital adopt...
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Episode 58
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35:11
Shalu Bains on Leading Healthcare with Data-Driven Insights
In this episode of Behind the Growth, Imran Mian speaks with Shalu Bains, Chief Information and Analytics Officer at Trillium Health Partners, about the vital role of technology and analytics in modern healthcare. Shalu shares how her non-clini...
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Episode 57
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34:30
Saby Waraich on the Pitfalls of Fear-Based Management
In this episode of Behind the Growth, host Imran Mian speaks with Saby Waraich, CIO and CISO at Clackamas Community College, about transformative leadership and the evolving role of technology in education. Saby shares his unique leadership fra...
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Episode 56
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36:43
Holly Heglin on Scaling AI Solutions in Heavily Regulated Industries
In this episode of Behind the Growth, Holly Heglin, Head of AI Product & Strategy at Layer 6 AI discusses AI innovation and operational transformation with host Imran Mian. A seasoned leader in AI strategy and governance, Holly dives into t...
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Episode 55
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28:52
Dr. Brian Gardner on the Opportunities and Risks of AI in Cybersecurity
In this episode of Behind the Growth, Dr. Brian Gardner, Interim CIO for the City of Dallas, discusses cybersecurity and the unique challenges of managing a diverse IT department in the public sector. Drawing from his transition from forensic a...
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Episode 54
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27:12
Julie Lane on Lessons from High-stakes Transformations in FS
Julie Lane, Global Head of Ways of Working in Financial Services at AWS, joins host Imran Mian on Behind the Growth to discuss the evolution of financial services. Julie shares insights from her 20-year career, focusing on digital transformatio...
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Episode 53
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33:45
Davood Shamsi on Leveraging AI for Business Optimization
In this episode of Behind the Growth, Davood Shamsi, Executive Director at JPMorganChase, shares his journey from academia to industry in the field of AI and machine learning. Davood discusses the importance of understanding busine...
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Episode 52
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36:42
José Ignacio Sordo Galarza on The Communication Gap Between IT & Business
On this episode of Behind the Growth, host Imran Mian speaks with José Ignacio Sordo Galarza, Founder & Managing Director of CIO Eureka, about his career and insights on bridging the gap between IT and core business functions. ...
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Episode 51
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42:43
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REPLAY: Ujjwal Goel on Centralizing Data Strategies for Success
In this episode of Behind the Growth, host Imran Mian engages in an insightful discussion with Ujjwal Goel, Senior Director at Loblaw Companies Limited. Their conversation delves into the crucial role of data strategy within the realm of artifi...
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33:21
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Robert Strickland on Strategic Leadership in Evolving Markets
In this episode of Behind the Growth, host Mudassar Malik speaks with Robert Strickland, founder and managing director of M37 Ventures, about the evolving landscape of technology, leadership, and innovation. With decades of experience leading t...
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Episode 50
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33:03
Christian Rohrer on Innovation Through Human-Centered Design
Correction at 3:48: Realtor.com was the #1 real-estate website in the USA and Canada at the time. _______ In this episode of Behind the Growth, Imran Mian celebrates Christian Rohrer, VP of Design at TD Bank, to expl...
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Episode 49
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22:30
Amit Sharma on Navigating Career Transitions in IT & Product Management
In this episode of Behind the Growth, host Mudassar Malik interviews Amit Sharma, Vice President of SMB Product and Services at TELUS, about his career transition from IT to product management. Amit provides a detailed look into his strategic p...
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Episode 48
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28:30
Andree Gosselin O’Meara on Home Automation and Sustainability
In this episode of Behind the Growth, Imran Mian sits down with Andree Gosselin O'Meara, VP of Customer Support at ecobee, to explore her career journey and the transformative projects she has led. Andree shares her experience in customer servi...
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Episode 47
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29:03
Gurvinder Gill on The Evolving Landscape of Urban Mobility
In this episode of Behind the Growth, host Imran Mian celebrates Gurvinder Gill, Chief Information and Security Officer at the Toronto Parking Authority. Gurvinder recounts his 22-year career journey, detailing his roles at Longo's, Credit Vall...
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Episode 46
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30:44
