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
82 episodes
Svetlana Makarova on Why AI Isn’t Delivering P&L Impact
Svetlana Makarova, AVP of AI Technical Product Management at IKS Health, joins Imran Mian on Behind the Growth to break down what’s actually happening inside organizations trying to adopt AI. She starts by outlining a fragmented landscape where...
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Roman Itskovich on What Businesses Get Wrong About Cyber Risk
Roman Itskovich, Co-founder & CRO at At-Bay, joins Mudassar Malik on Behind the Growth to unpack how cyber risk has evolved into a primary business risk—and why traditional approaches to managing it are no longer sufficient. Roman traces hi...
Ben Volkwyn on Why Dashboards Alone Don’t Drive Decisions
Ben Volkwyn, Senior Vice President of Data, Analytics & Research at Triumph, joins Mudassar Malik on Behind the Growth to discuss what it actually takes to turn data from a reporting function into a real driver of business decisions. Rather...
Mike Bruno on Overcoming Change Management Friction
Mike Bruno, AVP of Digital at Co-operators, joins Imran Mian on Behind the Growth to unpack what digital transformation really looks like inside a large, regulated financial services organization and why it’s far more than launching a new platf...
Saeed Shamsi on Sovereign AI Data Centers in Canada
Saeed Shamsi, Director of Engineering and AI Factory Lead at TELUS, joins Mudassar Malik on Behind the Growth to break down what it takes to build enterprise AI infrastructure that can ship fast, compliant, and within Canada’s regulatory bounda...
Kushal Munir on Evolving From Tech Owner to Value Creator
Kushal Munir, Executive Vice President and Head of IT at Green Shield, joins Imran Mian on Behind the Growth to unpack what it really takes to turn emerging technology, especially generative AI, into measurable business value inside complex, re...
Ilse De Bruin on Reframing Logistics From Assets to Decisions
Ilse De Bruin, Managing Partner at Trade Exchange, joins host Mudassar Malik on Behind the Growth to break down how logistics and supply chain leaders are navigating a world where volatility is no longer episodic, but constant. Drawing from rea...
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Zamina Walji on Blending Innovation with Operational Discipline
Zamina Walji, VP Growth Businesses at EQ Bank, joins host Imran Mian on Behind the Growth to talk about how she builds scalable systems, accountable teams, and a culture of innovation inside one of Canada’s most forward-thinking digital banks.&...
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Jyoti Bansal on the Builder's Playbook for Repeatable Success
Jyoti Bansal, Founder & CEO of Harness, Traceable, and Unusual Ventures, joins host Mudassar Malik to discuss the ideas and lessons that have shaped each of his companies. He begins with the transition from engineer to founder, describing h...
Mohammad Yousaf on the First 90 Days of Transformation
Mohammad Yousaf, Chief of Operations and Technology at National Mortgage Insurance Corporation, joins host Mudassar Malik to discuss how trust, alignment, and disciplined technology choices drive lasting transformation in financial services.&nb...
Rohit Prabhakar on Evolving From AI Add-Ons to AI-Native Systems
Rohit Prabhakar, Global Head of Experiences & Capabilities at Visa, joins Mudassar Malik on Behind the Growth to explore how leaders can move from AI add-ons to AI-native marketing ecosystems that deliver hyper-personalized experiences at s...
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...
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...
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...
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. ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
