The Caribbean Data Science Podcast

In this episode, Kesann shares his framework for problem-solving, coding tips, and how he cracked an interview at Google. He is originally from Barbados and is currently a Senior Software Engineer at Google and also worked at amazon as Intern and Software Engineer.✅ Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/markmoyou/✅ Connect with Kesann Walrond-McClean on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kesann-walrond-mcclean/📒 Chapters0:00:00 Opening0:00:39 Kesann Mcloud introduction0:01:53 Journey to Google0:04:24 Impact and future of tech in the Caribbean0:05:59 High school journey & getting started with programming0:09:56 Choosing college and maintaining a good habit system0:14:57 Hardwork sets you for success in career0:18:04 Kesann's coding best practices 0:19:03 Lessons learnt as an intern at Amazon0:24:04 Experience working at Amazon0:28:12 Interviewing process at Google 0:30:36 Kesann's framework for problem solving0:33:12 Working as Individual contributor at Google0:37:40 Experience as working on campus 0:40:39 Advice for students and professionals0:51:25 How to keep yourself motivated0:53:23 Kesaan's personality and strength0:55:39 Top 3 investing advice tips0:57:41 Book recommendations✅ Email us at: caribbeandatascience@gmail.com#caribbeandatascience #motivation

Dion Paul is originally from Trinidad and Tobago and is currently a Program Manager at Google where he has had a strong career there for the past 7 years working as a Solutions Consultant and IT Resident. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Electronics Engineering and a Masters Degree in Computer Science from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. ✅ Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/markmoyou/✅ Connect with Dion Paul on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/pauldion📒 Chapters0:00:00 Opening0:01:01 Dion Paul Introduction0:02:37 Impact and future of Tech in the Caribbean0:04:58 Getting jobs beyond your local region0:08:01 Physical products vs Digital products0:11:53 High school journey and collective learning0:14:51 Playing sports help with leadership in Tech0:16:29 Having fun and managing discomfort0:19:21 Advice for High School and College students0:23:47 Why you should focus on problem solving0:26:33 Why agriculture is an important aspect of our lives0:32:40 Life lessons that you can learn from farming 0:42:40 Switching from Electronic Engineering to Computer Science0:51:06 How your Caribbean heritage helps in your Tech Career0:57:39 Journey to Google1:07:27 Consistency and patience leads to success1:13:27 Why mindset matters in your professional career1:18:27 Career Advice1:25:16 Book Recommendations✅ Email us at: caribbeandatascience@gmail.com#caribbeandatascience #motivation

Stefan is currently a Staff Machine Learning Engineer at Deliveroo working on ranking and recommendations in London, UK. Previously, he worked at Google and Twitter doing a lot of work in the search and Natural Language Processing space. He got his Masters from Cambridge and bachelors from the University of the West Indies.✅ Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/markmoyou/✅ Connect with Stefan Hosein on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-hosein-36991798/📒 Chapters0:00:00 Opening0:01:57 Stefan Hosein Introduction0:05:50 Being a Staff Machine Learning Engineer0:07:47 How Data Science works in Production0:11:15 Why Machine Learning Infrastructure is Important0:15:17 High School Journey and Being a DJ0:20:22 Having Fun and Working Harder0:26:20 Advantages of Pursuing Music in your Career0:31:00 How to Solve Problems at Work0:34:12 How Common Interests help you to Network0:36:05 How Caribbean Heritage helps your Leadership Career0:38:27 How to overcome Imposter Syndrome0:40:52 How Writing Well can advance your Tech Career0:45:19 How to have a Larger Impact at Tech Companies0:53:48 College Journey and Working Extra Hard to be Successful0:58:39 Leverage your Strengths to have a great Career1:04:52 The True Value of Top Educational Institutions1:09:38 How to Succeed coming from a Small Place1:15:57 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome at Google1:22:10 You must take chances to be successful1:24:59 Advice for High School, College, and Professional1:29:37 Increasing Tech Salary and Book Recommendations1:31:57 How to Manage Stress in your Tech Career✅ Email us at: caribbeandatascience@gmail.com#caribbeandatascience #motivation

Anthony Cole is a Sr. Program Manager of Employee eXperience & Trust (EXT) for Amazon Music and serves as president of Amazon's Black Employee Network (BEN) HQ chapter. Prior to joining Amazon Anthony had ten years of experience in private banking, sales, and account management with J.P. Morgan and Wealth-X. At Wealth-X, he was responsible for leading a team of Client Success Associates to drive client retention, fostering engagement and adoption of Wealth-X solutions via consulting, wealth information and market research services. At Wealth-X he managed a $10MM book of business achieving a 90% revenue retention rate, streamlined processes for client onboarding, engagement and issue resolution to achieve scalability for global team implementation, and collaborated with sales, marketing, technology, and product teams to deliver solutions tailored to client needs. His background enabled Anthony to ramp quickly at Amazon, embracing the leadership culture.Most recently Anthony was a Senior Business Developer for Amazon Business (AB) where he led the seller success strategy in the public sector business for small and diverse businesses, and managed the AB Corporate Social Responsibility storefronts. As a leader of the Black Employee Network he champions inclusion, diversity and equity for Black employees and the Black community. He is passionate about empowering underserved communities while ensuring that Amazon is a place where everyone shines for their differences. Anthony is also very involved in the company culture having hosted the Amazon Career Day "Ask Me Anything panel" and was co-host of Represent the Future Summit in 2021.Anthony is originally from one of the creative capitals of the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago, where the Steel Pan, Calypso and Soca music were all invented. He's also a singer songwriter, and now made a name for himself in the Pacific Northwest, performing at Umoja Fest, one of the largest festivals in the region, also at Recompress and Reconnect at the Seattle Arboretum, and at the Women on the Rise Gala at the Seattle Museum of Flight. He composed a reggae rap celebrating what it means to be an Amazon Bar Raiser, to inspire others to be the best versions of themselves, and Amazon Be Strong to provide inspiration to Amazonians globally during this unprecedented period. He is currently looking forward to being on stage at the Crocodile, where he will open up for Phylissia Ross on April 15th in Seattle. ✅ Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/markmoyou/✅ Connect with Anthony Cole on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonycole1/📒 Chapters0:00:00 Opening0:02:42 Introduction0:05:43 Impact of Tech in the Caribbean0:07:34 Being a Leader at Amazon0:11:49 Becoming a Leader in Your Career0:15:48 Journey to Amazon0:18:25 What is a Mentor vs a Sponsor0:21:41 High School Journey and Working Hard0:26:37 Journey to the US0:29:10 The Importance of Working Out for your Career0:32:04 Early Days as a Musician0:35:22 Why You Should Pursue Music & Your Passion0:40:32 How To Ask For What You Want 0:43:06 How To Be Successful in Private Banking0:50:59 The Importance of Learning To Sell0:53:52 Caribbean Heritage gives you an Advantage0:58:06 Using People Skills to Break Into Tech1:01:04 The Importance of Writing in Your Career1:03:31 Working with High-Net Worth Clients1:07:27 How to get Mentors1:10:04 How to Quit Your Job1:14:22 Aligning Your Passion With Your Career1:19:02 The Importance of Mutual Benefit1:20:15 Advice for High School, College, and Professional1:28:12 Using Music to Influence Your Mind for Success1:35:26 Book Recommendations✅ Email us at: caribbeandatascience@gmail.com#caribbeandatascience #motivation

In this episode, we learn about Kyle De Freitas's journey from St Vincent and the Grenadines to Trinidad and then to Canada where he works as a Machine Learning Engineering Lead at CashApp. Kyle's story is a true reflection that hard work and setting vision plays a big role in your professional success and asking yourself "what is next" is the key for finding motivation to work harder. ✅ Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/markmoyou/✅ Connect with Kyle De Freitas on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kyledef/📒 Chapters0:02:06 Doing Machine Learning at CashApp0:10:35 Impact of AI on the Caribbean0:17:38 Journey to CashApp from the Caribbean0:23:03 Early Motivation0:25:23 How Kyle got International Exposure0:30:51 How to be a Team Leader0:34:11 Building Teams0:35:33 Finding International Opportunities0:39:27 How to Gain a Global Network0:45:39 Motivation for Working Hard0:51:38 Working in a Startup0:58:11 Working for a Silicon Valley Company1:02:56 Know what makes you good at your job1:07:06 How Caribbean roots makes you a better team player1:14:42 Principles to live by1:21:49 Advice for a successful career1:25:06 Book Recommendations1:28:06 How to manage burnout1:33:06 Career and Life Advice✅ Email us at: caribbeandatascience@gmail.com#caribbeandatascience #motivation

In today's episode, we speak with Jonathan Pierre. He is the CEO of GEOTree, a deep learning startup for Environmental Monitoring. He is also the President of Mantle Labs, a fintech startup that enables farmers to get funding by leveraging satellite imagery. He has over a decade of experience trading commodities at top companies such as citibank and is originally from Trinidad and Tobago. ✅  Connect with Jonathan Pierre on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonpierre1✅  Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect):https://bit.ly/3jx8AVQ

In today’s episode, my guest is Dion St. Hilaire. He has over a decade of experience as a Cloud Architect at Microsoft and does Cloud Computing consulting.  He breaks the mold of the typical software engineer, running a party events company while being a Cloud Computing consultant. I hope you enjoy the interview and take some lessons for your own journey in machine learning and tech.✅  Connect with Dion St. Hilaire on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dionst/✅  Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect):https://bit.ly/3jx8AVQ📒  Chapters 00:00 Teaser00:34 Introduction02:40 Perspective and Views on the future of Tech Caribbean.07:43 What is the biggest entry barrier in cloud computing for in the Caribbean08:27 Recommended Cloud Training Programs10:20 Early High School Journey17:45 Coding mindset and journey to computer engineering 26:09 Experience of getting recruited by Microsoft29:23 Does Caribbean culture naturally help in consultancy at tech companies?39:01 How to be a good digital transformation consultant at a tech company46:20 Roadblocks, opportunities and advice on getting a job at big tech companies54:15 Private consultancy and traveling experience58:58 Balancing social life as a software engineer and the power of networking1:08:39 General advice for high-schoolers, college students and professionals for their tech careers1:16:20 Book Recommendations

In today’s episode, my guest is Cecil Phillip. He is a Senior Developer Advocate at Stripe. He was a Senior Cloud Developer Advocate at Microsoft and has had roles at numerous software companies.  I hope you enjoy the interview and take some lessons for your own journey in machine learning and tech.✅  Connect with Cecil Phillip on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecil-phillip/✅  Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect):https://bit.ly/3jx8AVQ📒  Chapters 00:00 Opening02:33 Career Overview and Impact of Tech on the Caribbean07:51 What is developer advocacy and why you should consider it.15:06 The Caribbean is poised for an E-commerce revolution21:26 Early career choices in the Caribbean and choosing schools34:00 The importance of relationships for getting into top tech companies39:00 Why you must leverage your skills as a leader42:25 The Caribbean and the Metaverse45:40 How to develop motivation and choosing a different path from your youth52:03 How to get to the next level in your career, it takes time57:20 Journey to Microsoft and opening opportunities for yourself in large companies01:08:30 Mindset for being a top performer in tech01:19:30 Career advice 01:27:21 Book recommendations01:32:20 How your Caribbean background leads to greater success in Tech

In today’s episode, my guest is Dr. Deana A. She is originally from Jamaica and is currently a Staff UX Research & Strategy Lead at Google. Her journey from Jamaica to Silicon Valley is truly inspiring.Dr. Deana also runs a non-profit, Azarae Foundation, where the mission is to support  Caribbean youth towards fulfilling their education and passions through helping minimize financial barriers and connecting them with mentoring, developmental programs and opportunities. ✅ www.azaraefoundation.orgYou can also find her at the Black UX Network✅ https://www.instagram.com/blackuxnetwork/✅ Connect with Dr. Deana A. on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanab/✅  Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect): https://bit.ly/3jx8AVQ📒  Chapters 0:00 - Introduction05:40 - Why you chose to work at Google doing User Experience Research16:57 - How your Caribbean heritage can help in a global career25:00 - Early career journey from high school in Jamaica 34:45 - Diversity of careers and lucrative careers in Tech40:46 - How Deana got 7 internships and journey to Google51:06 - Do you need a PhD to do User Experience Research at Google?54:21 - How to build your personal brand in Tech 01:01:50 - Three pieces of advice for career and life, finding your passions01:15:50 - Book recommendations

In today’s episode, my guest is Dennis Ramdass. He is a Staff Engineer 2  Stripe at VMWare where he focuses on building ML-based products. Dennis is an MIT Alum and is originally from Trinidad and Tobago. He shares some great lessons for having a great tech career and how to be at the intersection of software engineering and machine learning.✅  Connect with Dennis Ramdass on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-ramdass-98425718/✅  Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect):https://bit.ly/3jx8AVQ📒  Chapters 00:00 Opening03:00 What is VMWare and compute virtualization07:13 Working across different sizes of organization, startups vs enterprise10:17 What is the future impact of tech and ML for the Caribbean region14:17 You should be contributing to opensource, great for tech career17:04 Early high school journey to MIT26:12 Experience at MIT and fast track master degrees34:45 Early career at NetApp - Enterprise Data Storage38:40 Moving to a startup and getting acquired41:20 Evaluating when to shift companies 44:32 The importance of customer-facing skills in your Tech Career50:14 Internal networking at large companies54:30 Leading teams in software engineering and adding value57:20 Day to day job, coding, machine learning01:00:45 Ways to stay sharp in your Tech Career01:02:28 General advice for high-schooler, college student and professional01:13:14 Book recommendations

In today’s episode my guest is Dr. Naila Murray. She is from Trinidad and Tobago and is currently a Research Engineering Manager at Meta AI (formerly facebook AI). Prior to joining Meta AI she was the Director of Science of Naver Labs Europe, and a Manager & Senior Scientist at Xerox. Dr. Murray obtained her B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University in 2007, and the Masters and PhD in Computer Science from Univesitat Autonoma de Barcelona. While Dr. Murray’s career path may seem very intentional you will learn in the interview that her journey to Meta AI was on of just following the opportunities that presented themselves to her as she went along. I hope you enjoy the interview and take some lessons for your own journey in machine learning and tech. Connect with Dr. Naila Murray on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naila-murray-8a5b9a7/ Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect):https://bit.ly/3jx8AVQ

In today's episode we speak with Gerald Jean-Baptiste, he is our first guest representing the  Haitian region. The focus of today’s podcast is creativity and cultivating it in our data-driven careers. Gerald currently works at YouTube, as a Video Producer in the YouTube Support Solutions Organization. While at Google, he co-produced Google’s first-ever Black Culture and Music festival, SoulFest. He hails from the great city of Miami and is of proud Haitian descent. Gerald had the privilege to study at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and received his Bachelors in Fine Arts (BFA) in Film and Television in 2012. As an emerging filmmaker, Gerald has directed various shorts, and his most notable work is his thesis film entitled The Choice. After Gerald completed his studies at NYU, he felt impassioned to return to Miami to improve the education system in his hometown. Gerald was then inducted as a 2012 Teach For America Miami-Dade Corps Member and placed at Miami Edison Senior High. He had the fortune of teaching English Language Learners at Miami Edison, many of whom were recent Haitian immigrants. Gerald then received a master's degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a focus on Arts in Education. Any type of innovation in tech and machine learning requires creating something new given what currently exists, so pay attention to the gaps in your own creative process.Connect with Gerald on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerald-jean-baptiste-79336418/

Today my guest is Dr. Andrew Russell, our first guest from Jamaica. Dr. Russell currently works at NVIDIA as a Principal software engineer. He has worked at other top companies such as Google, Magic Leap and Texas Instruments. Dr. Russell, received three degrees from MIT a Bachelors, Masters and PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has more than 40 patents filed in his name and is one of the inventors of Google's Project Starline, a holographic video conferencing system. Dr. Russell, has also taught at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus in Jamaica and attended highschool at Campion college and munro college for A-levels. He now lives in florida with his wife Wendy and 4 children. Dr. Russell has accomplished a great deal in his technical career, there are many lessons he shares that you would find interesting for your own journey. Connect with Dr. Andrew Russell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-russell-2031825/Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect):https://bit.ly/3jx8AVQ

In todays episode we speak with Marcelle Bonterre. He is a Senior Machine Learning Engineer focusing on Natural Language Processing at Turnitin. Before Turnitin, he was either the first or an early engineer at several startups, whose businesses ranged from smartwatches to FinTech. He holds a Bachelors in Computer Science from Wright State University. Marcelle spends part of his spare time mentoring new engineers through affiliations with various organizations, and spinning through his rolodex of hobbies including mountain biking, rock climbing, tinkering with electronics, roasting coffee, falling down wikipedia language-origin rabbit-holes, or indulging his passion for autodidactic study of astronomy, quantum physics and various mathematical esoteria. Marcelle is an immigrant from Trinidad & Tobago and what I want you to take from his journey is his focus on learning the skills needed to be successful in your data science career even without a formal education in machine learning. Connect with Marcelle Bonterre on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelle-bonterre-1a375b63/Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect):https://bit.ly/3jx8AVQ

In this episode, we learn about Dr. Jason Pinto's journey from Trinidad to the UK. He is currently the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Pace Revenue, a machine learning startup in the UK focused on dynamic price optimization. Jason loves the world of fast, dynamic startups and has advised several companies and been a venture partner at Amadeus Capital Partners where he focused on companies in the online services and digital media space. Dr. Pinto obtained his bachelor's in materials science and engineering from MIT, his master's in Materials science and engineering at Stanford University, and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Cambridge. Jason shares many great lessons in this interview around balance, maintaining your health for the long startup journey, and the mindset it takes to succeed at startups.Connect with Dr. Jason Pinto on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-pinto/Connect with Geoff Seyon on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect):https://www.linkedin.com/in/gseyon/

Sekou L. Remy is a Research Scientist and Technical Lead at IBM Research – Africa. A member of the healthcare team, he is excited about developing appropriate technologies which will transform Africa, and the world. A proud alum of the Georgia Institute of Technology, and of Morehouse College (both in Atlanta, GA USA), Sekou has had teaching and research appointments at Clemson University, the University of Notre Dame, and Spelman College.Connect with Dr. Sekou Remy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sekoulremy/Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect):https://bit.ly/3jx8AVQ

In this episode we interview Professor Anil Kokaram. He graduated in 1993 with a PhD in Signal processing from the Cambridge University Engineering Department in the UK. He is now Professor and Chair of Electronics at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. From 2011-2017 he was the lead of the Media Algorithms Team at YouTube/Google. Before that, he founded a media digital signal processing group at Trinity College Dublin working in the broad areas of Digital Signal Processing for Video Processing, Bayesian Inference and motion estimation. He has published over 200 referenced papers in these areas. He was a former Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Video Technology and IEEE Transactions on Image Processing and currently serves as Senior Area Editor. He was founder of a company (GreenParrotPictures) producing video enhancement software that was acquired by Google in 2011. In 2007 he was honoured with a Science and Engineering Academy Award from the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his work in video processing for post-production applications.Hope you enjoy the interview and remember that it is possible to do great things in tech and machine learning by leveraging your caribbean background.Connect with Dr. Anil Kokaram on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anil-kokaram-8661417/Connect with Dr. Mark Moyou on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect):https://bit.ly/3jx8AVQ

This video covers some best practices for professional networking as a data scientist. It also covers some things you should consider to become the best data scientist that you can be. Consider this career advice for data scientists that I would share if we sat down and had a chat.

In this episode, we learn about Dr. Nick Fuller’s career journey. He is currently the Vice President of the Distributed Cloud organization at IBM Research and has held numerous leadership positions in the company over his 18+ year career. Hope you find some inspiration from this interview.Connect with Dr. Fuller on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholascmfuller/   Connect with Mark Moyou on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect):https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmoyou/Book recommendations:Struggle and Progress by Dr. Nicholas FullerFrom Colombus to Castro by Eric WilliamsMaking of Port-of-Spain by Michael AnthonyRasta and Resistance by Horace Campbell

In this episode, we learn about Yinka Badejo’s journey from St. Maarten in the Caribbean all the way to Silicon Valley. She is currently a Data Science Manager at Facebook. Her story has many lessons for women in tech and data science. Connect with Yinka Badejo on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3fGaUZEConnect with Mark Moyou on LinkedIn (leave a note about the video to connect):https://bit.ly/3jx8AVQ