In this 'Meet the Gurus' discussion, you get to hear from Thomas Giordano about navigating career transitions between engineering, business, and leadership roles...

• Why shifting your "love affair" from technology to customer impact drives career transformation
• The recurring career moment every 4–5 years when saying yes to an uncomfortable opportunity pays off
• How embedding engineers in real customer environments changes what they choose to build
• Overcoming the natural suspicion between technical teams and sales/marketing folks
• Why "failed" products often just need a different market, a different moment, or a different problem to solve
• The loneliness that comes with the top job and why peer mentorship becomes essential
• Finding mentors who will be honest with you rather than simply validate you
• Translating deep technical expertise into customer-centric business value

ABOUT OUR GURU

Thomas Giordano spent the majority of his corporate career at Philips Healthcare, beginning as an engineer, rising to lead the engineering department, and ultimately retiring as Vice President of Marketing after transitioning across functions. His background includes undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, service as a Signal Corps officer in the military, and early work at CBS Laboratories in Connecticut alongside a Nobel laureate and the inventor of the cardioid microphone. At Philips, he worked on notable projects including collaboration with Pixar and Steve Jobs on 3D imaging for CT scans and the introduction of the first digital replacement for film-based radiography in Japan. Following his corporate career, Thomas served as president of a healthcare company and now teaches product management in MBA programs, drawing on decades of career transitions to mentor the next generation of business and technology leaders.

ABOUT OUR HOST

Paul Siegel is an entrepreneur and educator working to help technology professionals transform into world-class experts and business leaders become tech-savvy innovators. Paul is an inventor and patent (pending) holder in talent management software and has co-authored or edited more than 30 books.

ABOUT MEET THE GURUS

Meet The Gurus is a program sponsored by Starweaver devoted to spreading ideas, knowledge, and insights in short-form conversations typically lasting around 30 minutes.

The show focuses on technology, business, entertainment, entrepreneurship, and design.

Learn more at: https://www.starweaver.com/