Join Kris and Dan as they sit down with Theresa Neate, the Director of Engineering at Buildkite, to dive into her journey in technology leadership. Theresa shares her unique experiences, from growing up in apartheid South Africa to becoming a prominent tech leader. In this episode, Theresa discusses the impact of her early life on her leadership style, her approach to mentoring and coaching, and the importance of promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. She also touches on balancing innovation with managing technical debt and the significance of autonomy in leadership.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introductions and background 01:50 - Early experiences growing up in apartheid South Africa 06:20 - Transition from South Africa to the US 10:46 - How to get the best out of Theresa 12:20 - The importance of being yourself as a leader 18:26 - Story about her amazing mother's influence 20:32 - Theresa's love for computing 22:01 - Finding more women in technology 29:26 - Diversity in leadership and what we can do to help 36:48 - How to stand out in this market 42:35 - Approach to building great teams 47:35 - Innovation vs tech debt and ways of working 51:29 -The book that changed Theresa's approach