We@PS Podcast

An Inside Look at the People Behind Publicis Sapient

On the heels of recent accolades from Working Mother Media – 2020 Best Companies for Working Mothers and 2020 Best Companies for Dads – we’ve designed a special feature interview to learn more about how our working mothers and dads thrive at Publicis Sapient. In this episode, you’ll hear from Thierry Elmalem, Senior Managing Director of our Management Consulting practice in the UK. Thierry shares how he keeps up with his three school-aged children and how he works with his team to encourage a supportive environment for working parents. In our Bytes section, we discuss recruiting automation, banning the use of smartphones while walking, and how to make stress work for you. 

In the second episode of our two-part Working Parents series, we are joined by Alexandra Hershey, Senior Manager Agile Program Management and Program Lead for the Publicis Sapient business resource group, Women’s Leadership Network. Alexandra candidly shares her experience of maintaining a successful career with two little ones at home. She gives her advice on finding – and asking for – flexibility and provides insider tips for a sustainable work life. In our Bytes section, we discuss the relevance of alter-egos and empowerment, recruiters’ changed perspectives over the years, and how to not repeat history when it comes to diversity in tech.

Chandrakanth Mahadevaiah, Senior Director Technology, has been a self-starter his whole life. From running a small business during his summer breaks in school, to building a team from two people to more than 100. Chandra joined Publicis Sapient twelve years ago as a Technical Architect and shares his story of how he raised his hand to build the Salesforce practice in India. He also describes a transformational project he’s currently working on, opportunities for our new hires, and what a typical day looks like for someone on his team. In our Bytes section, we discuss ways to help with the disproportional amount of job losses for women through the pandemic, phrases that we all say but can’t stand hearing (and what to stay instead), and resisting the urge to multitask during Zoom meetings.

Nadia Hussain, Early Careers Lead based in London, and Liz Wood, Experience Designer out of Toronto, lead our Mental Health and Wellbeing business resource group, Headline, in their respective regions. Liz and Nadia discuss driving change through Headline to prioritize everyone’s mental wellbeing. In our Bytes section, we have conversations around coping with rejection, statistics and trends in remote working, and perspectives on growing yourself.

Alison Walden is a Senior Director of Technology and leads the Accessibility Service for Publicis Sapient. Close to a billion people in the world need to navigate technology in some other way than a mouse. She started her 16-year career path at Publicis Sapient as a senior developer with curiosity and a passion to make sure every site she created kept this in mind. Today she leads the team creating accessible experiences for our clients that are inclusive and benefit everyone. Alison also shares the story of her career change from an exploration geologist and describes the role she plays to ensure gender parity within her team. In our Bytes section, we discuss the meaning behind Women's History Month, taking the #ChoosetoChallenge pledge for International Women's Day, and providing an environment to enable adults with autism to thrive at work.

Hiba Moujabber, Associate Creative Director located in our Dubai office, attributes her fearless attitude to growing up during a civil war in Beirut. She is the true definition of working hard for what you want - working her entire career as a designer to fund her dream to pursue research in Medieval Art History. Inspired by her PhD dissertation, Hiba compares how her team works today to artists in the 15th century. She shares how Publicis Sapient supported her transition from a part-time freelancer to a permanent employee without jeopardizing her education and academic standing. In our Bytes section, we discuss gender disparity in leadership, the rise of the wellness app, and what is keeping Black workers from climbing up the corporate ladder.

Sergio Falletti, Director of Technology, Ane Gonzalez, Junior Software Developer, and Viktorija Mihailenko, Junior Product Manager have single handedly created a SaaS-like offering to help energy retailers make significant impact on carbon reduction and sustainability. Hear how these three – a seasoned technology leader and two new graduates from our early careers program – came together to research and develop rewarding work that turns passive customers into energy conservation advocates. In our Bytes section, we discuss the labor shortage, how bucket lists have changed since the pandemic, and why people are moving to ‘surban’ areas (and what that even means).

Sara Alloy, an award-winning Creative Director based in D.C., has spent over a decade designing digital experiences and campaigns for global brands. She first found her love for Experience when stumbling on a UX elective course in grad school. Ever since, she’s been passionate about building successful teams and honing her craft. Sara shares her decision to leave Publicis Sapient years ago – and why she ultimately came back – and provides advice to today’s job seekers. In our Bytes section, we discuss brain fog, large tech companies expanding outside of major cities, and how to persuade the unpersuadable.

John Weston, Global Microsoft Practice Lead for Publicis Sapient, was an early entrepreneur. His impressive background started out with a 26-mile daily paper route on bicycle to working 40 hours per week programming while simultaneously going to high school full-time. No wonder when it came to his career after college, he chose to start his own software company. He later sold his company, worked 24 years at Microsoft, and eventually found himself building his own practice at Publicis Sapient. John discusses his motivation for a career switch, why he chose Publicis Sapient, and his lessons learned along the way. In our Bytes section, we discuss the magic of marketing, considering colleagues as family, and how executive mothers cope while facing barriers to progress at work.

Ute Maria Zankl, Chief Talent Officer for DACH (Germany and Switzerland), was an accomplished basketball player in the German national league and the first in her family to achieve higher education. Her open mind and spontaneity led her to an unconventional, but successful, career path. She’s passionate about sharing her advice to others, especially for females early in their careers. In our Bytes section, we discuss how employee protest power is transforming corporate culture, brokerage accounts for teens, and personal branding from Lebron James' Mountain Dew ad.

Charlotte Quatresols, Junior Product Manager based in our London office, and Jillian Duma, Software Engineer based in our Chicago office, both joined Publicis Sapient directly after university. Charlotte and Jillian share why they chose Publicis Sapient, their journey as part of the Early Career Program, and their accomplishments here so far. In our Bytes section, we discuss a grad’s guide to getting hired, basic (but forgettable) job search tips, and navigating long work hours.