Beyond the Blue Badge

Dec 18 2024 100 ep. 36 mins 9
Beyond the Blue Badge Podcast artwork

Beyond the Blue Badge - by the Microsoft Alumni Network Microsoft Stories that Inform and Inspire This podcast features alumni who are leaders in business, careers and philanthropy as they talk about lessons learned, overcoming obstacles, finding their bliss and thriving post-Microsoft.

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Best of Beyond the Blue Badge

Dec 18 2024 23 mins  
Season 8 recap with Sabine Morlock After eight seasons of producing the Beyond the Blue Badge podcast, common themes emerged during our conversations with dozens of Microsoft alumni. In this final episode of Season 8, host Sabine Morlock revisits some of the more poignant conversations and reflects on the lessons learned from this year’s guests. Enjoy!

Driving innovation with David Risher | Part 2

Dec 11 2024 19 mins  
A ride through technology, leadership and philanthropy In part two of this episode with Microsoft alumnus and Lyft CEO David Risher, he discusses future opportunities in the rideshare business and how he is inspired philanthropically—including an experience that led him to co-found Worldreader in 2010, an international nonprofit organization to get children reading so they can re

Driving innovation with David Risher | Part 1

Dec 04 2024 27 mins  
A ride through technology, leadership and philanthropy In part one of this engaging Beyond the Blue Badge episode with David Risher, CEO of Lyft, talks with host Rich Kaplan about his journey from launching Microsoft Access early in his career, to shaping Amazon’s retail success, to his current mission at Lyft to “get people out of their houses and bring them together.”

Making your network count with Ken Horenstein

Nov 20 2024 42 mins  
How Microsoft alumni can provide rocket fuel for the startup ecosystem Ken Horenstein cut his investing teeth at what is now Microsoft’s M12. He leaned into the “learn-it-all culture” to soak up the ins and outs of venture capital before leaving to start his own venture fund. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, host T.A. McCann talks with Ken about his Microsoft journ

From leader to advisor with Kevin Ackhurst

Nov 06 2024 37 mins  
The intertwining of experiences, values and purpose Following an impressive career as a technology executive, including 14 years at Microsoft, Kevin Ackurst transitioned from leading organizations to advising them. As the founder of Gentle Giant, he now focuses on helping leaders navigate challenges and discover their purpose using perspectives influenced by his own journey. In thi

Mobilizing startups with Tom Button

Oct 16 2024 34 mins  
Insights from a founder and startup leader Some may know of Tom Button as a leader in Microsoft’s developer division and “Mr. Visual Basic.” Others know him from his role as Corporate Vice President of Windows Product Management. After nearly two decades of shaping products at Microsoft from the late ‘80s to 2007, Tom went on to found Mobilize.Net in 2012, taking the role o

Changing career lanes with Benjamin Tan

Oct 02 2024 34 mins  
World Vision Singapore CEO shares lessons from the journey Benjamin Tan is the CEO of World Vision Singapore. However, before landing at the international relief organization that works with children, families and communities to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice, Ben’s career took an unlikely path from the tech industry — including two stints at Microsoft — to the

Propelling growth with Melissa Mulholland

Sep 18 2024 33 mins  
Leading with a customer-first mindset After 12 years in leadership positions at Microsoft, Melissa Mulholland joined Crayon where she now leads the company as its CEO. Crayon, based on Oslo, Norway, is a global leader in IT optimization and innovation guiding businesses toward impactful technological advancements for the greater good. In this Beyond the Blue Badge episode with host

Opening doors with Sriram Krishnan

Sep 04 2024 37 mins  
The journey from tech leader to venture capitalist In this Beyond the Blue Badge episode, Sriram Krishnan joins host T.A. McCann and talks about his journey in tech from product and business leader to investor and podcast co-host. The pivotal points in Sriram’s career include leaving Microsoft in Redmond to pursue tech in the Silicon Valley, and later shifting from being an execu

From techie to generalist with Kenneth Rivera

Aug 07 2024 31 mins  
Becoming a Swiss Army Knife in his homeland of Costa Rica Microsoft alum Kenneth Rivera has been in love with computers since he was 10 years old. He is a Costa Rican native and worked in the Microsoft subsidiary in Costa Rica where he managed a group of Customer Success Account Managers. Kenneth is now the vice president of engineering at Growth Acceleration Partners (GAP). H