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Talking with... Allan Mayberry, Director of Engineering at Planet DDS

1h 8m · Talking with Tech Leaders · 08 Jan 21:00

In this episode of Talking with Tech Leaders, Alan Mayberry chats host Michael Phair through his journey from the early days of his career in his hometown of Dunoon to the top tier of software engineering with Planet DDS today. It’s quite the journey, not only stopping off at the places you might expect, with roles at the likes of Brightree, Amec and Global, but also taking a few detours that might surprise, with a stint on a fishing boat and a role working on a cruise ship.

It's all a far cry from the challenges he’s faced in senior roles like Director of Engineering at Planet DDS. We hear all about scaling a SaaS business – how to strike the between meeting demand and chasing growth, between building a team quickly and maintaining a vibrant, positive culture.

And, as we always do, we’re keen to meet the human behind the leader – getting to know the real Allan with a few personal questions about his motivations, hobbies and dream dinner party guests.

The episode Talking with... Allan Mayberry, Director of Engineering at Planet DDS from the podcast Talking with Tech Leaders has a duration of 1:08:16. It was first published 08 Jan 21:00. The cover art and the content belong to their respective owners.

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