IT COFFEE BREAK

Hosted by EPAM Systems

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Oct 2026

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About the show

IT Coffee Break is a podcast featuring EPAM professionals and leading experts who share their career paths, experiences and personal stories from the world of tech. Each episode explores a different domain and highlights the real journeys behind the roles — from professional growth to international opportunities. Grab a coffee and join us on the adventure at EPAM.

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60 recent

October 26, 202621 min

The Human Side of AI Transformation

Sappho Payne’s career journey began in software development, driven by a passion for mathematics, before leading her to business analysis. A self-described “talkative engineer,” she was always curious about the people behind the technology: who uses software, why they use it and what they need it to achieve. Timestamps: 00:14 – Intro & Meet Sappho Payne 01:23 – Career Journey: Australia to the Netherlands 03:05 – From Software Engineering to Business Analysis 04:27 – Leading Teams & Experience Consulting at EPAM 07:55 – Cultural Differences & Working Across Countries 12:44 – AI, Change Management & the Future of Work 18:28 – Women in Tech & the Women@EPAM Network

October 5, 202627 min

Who are the forward-deployed engineers and where to find them?

AI has fundamentally transformed the tech landscape—and with it, the expectations facing engineers today. In our latest podcast episode, Izabella Heda joins us to discuss how the role of the software engineer is evolving, moving far beyond narrow technical silos.Timestamps: 1:22 – Isabella’s Career Journey: From Data to AI Engineering 3:04 – Balancing Technology and Leadership5:25 – Building an AI-Native Data & AI Practice 10:18 – AI in Engineering vs. AI Engineering 12:41 – How AI Is Changing Pre-Sales and Client Work 16:26 – The Skills Engineers Need in the AI Era 20:53 – Becoming a Forward Deployed Engineer

August 28, 202621 min

Client engagement in AI Engineering

With AI solutions being in high demand, Nino Pozar, Senior Data Scientist from EPAM Croatia, gave an overview of his process of working with clients on the newest episode of the IT Coffee Break Podcast. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction & Nino’s career journey 02:00 - From Biotechnology to Data Science 05:00 - What does a Senior Data Scientist actually do? 08:00 - How AI is transforming retail 11:30 - What do clients really want from AI? 15:00 - AI adoption & understanding the end user 19:00 - Data Scientist vs. AI Engineer & skills for the future

July 30, 202628 min

A Career Built On Creativity

Mariia Safanova, Senior Project Administrator at EPAM Bulgaria, has already built an inspiring career path that combines creativity, communication, and project management. Her journey began far from the tech industry. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction & Meet Mariia Safonova 01:00 – From International Relations to UX Project Administration 06:00 – A Day in the Life of a Senior Project Administrator 12:30 – Biggest Challenges & Managing Cross-Team Communication 17:30 – Requirements-Driven vs. Design-Driven Projects 24:30 – How Design Thinking Creates Business Value 29:30 – Final Success Story & Closing Remarks

June 15, 202635 min

From Economics to AI: How David Atanaszov Turns Data Into Business Decisions

David Atanaszov, Chief BI Analyst at EPAM Hungary, traces his journey from behavioral economics and a decade of teaching to leading complex analytics projects for global enterprise clients. The conversation covers how AI is reshaping business intelligence, where it genuinely helps and where human expertise still matters most. 00:00 – Introduction and educational background05:37 – Career path from Nielsen to Morgan Stanley to EPAM13:35 – What a Chief BI Analyst actually does day to day20:40 – Gross margin optimization and real-world analytics in life sciences29:29 – How AI is changing analytics and where its limits are

April 30, 202628 min

Redefining Leadership: Insights from a Gen Z Sales Lead

Giovanna Pimenta, Sales Development Lead at EPAM Hungary, is part of a new wave of Gen Z leaders redefining leadership. Despite her young age, she brings several years of experience and has intentionally shaped her leadership style through continuous learning and practice. Timestamps: 1:00 – Giovanna’s career journey and early leadership signals 4:30 – Learning to lead: studying communication, feedback, and team dynamics 7:00 – How to handle people who resist feedback and support 10:30 – Core sales mindset: curiosity, flexibility, humility, and proactivity 13:30 – Motivation strategies and building a clear career progression path 16:30 – Gen Z leadership: impatience, ambition, and “trusting the process” 23:00 – Leading across generations and adapting communication styles

March 20, 202636 min

What do clients want?

Inecke Snyder-Laurens has over 30 years of experience in project management. She has worked in the financial and automotive industries in both large and small organisations. Currently, she is overseeing 9 project management teams and is the principal delivery manager for a major client at EPAM. Timestamps: 0:19 – Introduction and overview of Ineke Snyder Lawrence’s career 1:32 – Ineke’s career journey and current role as Principal Delivery Manager at EPAM 3:07 – Women at EPAM initiatives and mentoring programs 6:06 – How project management skills transfer across industries 11:19 – Managing global teams across countries and cultures 19:33 – Handling challenging projects and legacy system transformation 24:03 – How AI is changing project management 32:17 – The human side of AI adoption and addressing job concerns

February 25, 202628 min

Solution Architects: The Power Players Between Tech and Business

When EPAM Systems Hungary brought together tech professionals for the CEE Tech Meetup, one role took center stage: the Solution Architect. And for good reason. Solution Architects sit exactly where technology meets business strategy. They translate complex technical possibilities into real business value. Timestamps: 00:21 – Introduction 01:14 – Career beginnings 02:51 – Misconceptions about solution architecture 05:55 – Essential skills for solution architects 07:47 – Career paths and training 14:13 – Documentation and processes 15:01 – AI in solution architecture 23:46 – Client projects and impact

February 12, 202621 min

Bridging the Gap: Accelerating Careers Through EPAM Campus

Dávid Hegyi and Henrietta Ábrányi, two software engineers at EPAM Hungary, are participating in a flagship initiative designed to accelerate the onboarding of EPAM Campus graduates onto projects through the combination of AI and structured mentorship. Timestamps: 1:15 – Guest Introductions 2:00 – Campus Program Overview 4:33 – Henrietta’s Campus Experience 7:57 – Transition to Epam Company 13:14 – AI in Mentorship and Work 17:44 – Roles as Mentor and Mentee

December 19, 202528 min

2025 Wrapped: How AI Shaped Our Year

A look back at the most exciting AI conversations of the year. In this special Wrapped episode, we revisit key insights, bold ideas and memorable moments shared by our guests in 2025 — from real-world AI use cases to future-looking perspectives.