Thoughtworks Canada

Priscila Araújo has worn many hats across multiple countries, and we’re lucky to have her at Thoughtworks Canada. With over 10 years of experience from Brazil to Canada, she has engineering, delivery and product experience, just to name a few. Currently, as a Lead Product Manager, she works collaboratively with Thoughtworkers to build great software, driving impact by helping clients scale and grow. Priscila also shares her thought leadership by speaking at conferences and providing mentorship at Thoughtworks. As a strong believer in taking risks and trusting the process, find out in her Thoughtworker Spotlight how visiting Toronto on a scholarship and doing a Thoughtworks internship ten years ago influenced her trajectory from software engineering into the realm of product. When she’s not helping clients scale and grow or sharing tasty Brazilian treats with the office (the bolo de rolo she brought back from her recent Brazil trip was devoured in minutes), you can find her playing basketball, taking her dog out to play in the sun, biking by the lake and doing stand up paddleboarding in Toronto. If the weather calls for the indoors, she is a passionate plant parent and a coffee aficionado. With all of these interests, can you guess what her favourite product is? Hint: It definitely works as a great pair with any of these hobbies! Find out more in this week’s Thoughtworker Spotlight.

Some may know him as Canada’s Head of Delivery, but Jagbir Lehl Singh is also a writer (check out some of his articles!), a foodie and a runner. His team would add aspiring rapper to the many hats he wears – you’ll have to join the team to see why! As a builder of high performance teams, he is laser-focused on driving his teams to deliver impact to clients by achieving their business goals. When it comes to scaling agility in organizations and creating structures where teams thrive, Jagbir uses his 18+ years of experience to support the growth of Thoughtworkers, developing them into leaders through his mentorship.  If he’s not exploring Toronto’s latest gems for unique cuisine and beverages, you can find him outdoors, taking long weekend walks with his family. As a continuous learner who enjoys staying on his toes, can you guess what his favourite product is? Hint: It has been a constant companion of his for the last five years.

On this week’s Thoughtworker Spotlight, we have Eisa Keramatinejad! He’s a multi-talented individual, who’s as skilled in developing robust code as he is in nurturing creativity. By day, he’s a software engineer, working with clients to continuously improve processes and introduce best practices in product development. Eisa is also a leader in the API (Asian Pacific Islander) ERG at Thoughtworks Canada, building a supportive community for API Thoughtworkers to strengthen ties, raise API voices and visibility. This API Heritage Month, the mighty leaders organized celebrations ranging from a Snack Showdown, movie viewing and discussions, and an in-person API Festival, to name just a few. Beyond the realm of coding, Eisa steps outside of his comfort zone, taking on stand-up comedy at open mics and embracing the wild ride of laughter. When he’s not cat caregiving, you can find him playing the cello, setting his team up for success at volleyball and dedicating time for life drawing. Based on his strengths and skills, can you guess Eisa’s favourite products? Hint: These are great tools for keeping his creative juices flowing.

Nafisha Budhwani is a risk taker, relationship builder and world traveler. As the Director for Products and Channels for Global Partnerships at Thoughtworks, Nafisha leads new partnerships that Thoughtworks embarks on (outside of cloud providers) and works closely with all partners and Thoughtworks cross-functional stakeholders to package Thoughtworks solutions with partner services and products to build new GTM (go-to-market) strategies to increase outbound demand. With her client-centricity and innovative nature, she helps Thoughtworkers boost their knowledge to support partnerships while leveraging her program management and delivery leadership in building client connections to solve problems and accelerate value creation.   When she’s not scaling all types of partnerships, you can find Nafisha traveling to breathtaking landscapes, jamming to ’90s R&B and designing her new home with her family from scratch, while tuning into home renovation/DIY shows for design inspiration.  Can you guess what Nafisha’s favourite product is? Hint: This product follows her all over the world and has seen some gorgeous seascapes.

Mandy K Yu is a creative problem solver, talented builder and, what she’s most loved here at Thoughtworks, a leader. When she’s not soaring acrobatically through the air with aerial tricks, you can find her designing, defining and building better product experiences. As a Principal Product Designer and Manager, Mandy leverages her expertise to inform clients on product strategy, drive human-centred design and deliver impactful products.

Teacher, learner and explorer. Darrell Grainger is always on an adventure, whether he is in the world of software testing and quality assurance, or racing on his motorcycle. While Darrell did not end up becoming an elementary school teacher (find out more about his career path below!), as a strong advocate for education, you can still find him teaching and sharing his deep knowledge of the world of quality assurance and automation with fellow Thoughtworkers. When he's not flying a plane to new heights or scuba diving deeper depths, you can find him making a difference as a QA Lead Consultant, ensuring teams are producing quality software by sharing his insights, and helping clients reduce defects with the correct and high quality tests in place. Finally, can you guess what his favourite product is? Hint: This product helps Darrell conveniently troubleshoot his queries and he would probably need it to listen to his very clever choice for question #7. Find out in this week’s Thoughtworker Spotlight.

Matt Pendrill enjoys moving the needle and bringing ideas to life, both as a Client Service Principal and in the DJ booth. Ambitious, reliable and determined, he bridges technology and Thoughtworkers together, collaborating with partners to solve their biggest problems and enabling our product teams to do their best work. When he's not carefully crafting the perfect musical ambiance, be it on a dancefloor or in his living room, you might catch Matt travelling, golfing or programming. But whatever he's doing, he's most likely snapping a ton of photos along the way. So, based on his skills and interests, can you guess his favourite product? Here's a hint, you may want to hit pause and take the headphones off before venturing a guess. Discover this and more in this week's Spotlight.

Bubble tea enthusiast, crafting up homemade desserts and adventures in new cities – these are a few of Vivian So’s favourite things outside of work. When she’s not solving the latest musical easter eggs from Taylor Swift’s album, you can find her leading high-performing teams to solve complex business problems while building value for clients as a lead software developer. As a strong mentorship advocate, when she's not crafting sweets or exploring the streets, you can find her teaching and facilitating practice sessions for upskilling developers. As a dedicated individual who is both a learner and teacher, can you guess what her favourite product? Hint: It may be as versatile as she is! Check out this week’s Thoughtworker’s Spotlight to find out. 

By day, Thien-An is an infrastructure consultant working on cloud infrastructures and applications while creating great developer experiences. Inquisitive and constantly learning, he brings a positive energy in his collaborations and problem solving. When he’s not coaching and sharing his knowledge to fellow consultants as a Thoughtworks University trainer, you catch him out and about, above the real clouds where he is rock climbing, snowboarding, cooking and traveling. As a jack-of-all-trades who enjoys the Star Wars Trilogy (4, 5 and 6 specifically) and exploring a variety of cuisines wherever he is in the world, can you guess what his favourite product is? Hint: It can take you on many culinary journeys and requires some Force. Check out this week’s Thoughtworker Spotlight to find out.

Deep thoughts, long walks and weekend adventures - that's what you'll find Sanya Pecenovic, Delivery Principal at Thoughtworks Canada, doing when she's not building teams and leading complex transformation journeys for future-focused enterprises. Possessed with an edacious curiosity and contagious outlook, her ability to approach challenges as learning opportunities consistently turns team roadblocks into stepping stones, making her a partner and practitioner favourite. With a passion for strategy, execution and technology, it's no wonder she turns to her favourite product to give her some downtime for deep thinking and creative work. Can you guess what it is? Here's a hint - you probably read 3-5 LinkedIn posts about it daily! Click below to find out what it is in this week's Thoughtworker Spotlight.

Judy Chen blazes her own path and embraces change, both in her personal recipes for growth and her tasty culinary creations. From taking the leap and pivoting careers into the technology space, she uses her creativity, organization and communication skills to bring her love of products to life. As a Client Service Manager, she manages client relationships and ensures that cross-functional teams of Thoughtworkers are working cohesively to build and deliver extraordinary impact. A proud cat parent of two, you'll find Judy pushing the envelope while experimenting in the kitchen when she’s not doting over her feline fur babies. From fresh new cuisines to ambitious meal prep, Judy is always cooking up a storm (ask her about themed tea sets!) and finds herself constantly inspired by exploring the endless food options Toronto offers. Since she enjoys melding teams and ingredients together to deliver stellar experiences, can you guess what her favourite product is? You can find out in this week’s Thoughtworker Spotlight.

Justine Lachapelle is a world traveller, and we couldn't be happier her travels have taken her to us (likely her favourite product helped with that). But, whatever she is doing, there is one constant in Justine's life - people. When she's not earning more stamps in her passport, this health enthusiast constantly stays active, from hiking to snowboarding and everything in between. As Head of People in Canada, you can find her working with the People team, constantly ideating, implementing, and supporting new initiatives and programs like remote-first work and work abroad programs for Thoughtworkers across Canada. Did we give you enough information to guess her favourite product? We didn't think so either. But you can click below to find out in this week's Thoughtworker Spotlight.

Who better than Jason Zheng to jazz (or should we say, Jepsen, as in Carly Rae) us up this January? Whether he's delivering product impact to our clients or coaching and mentoring future generations of engineers, his skill, dedication and passion always shine. When he's not busy wearing iconic nature landmarks shirts (or looking for new ones to add to his collections), you'll find Jason cooking up new recipes, gaming with friends, or savouring in the runner's high. Now, can you guess what his favourite product is? Here's a hint: he can spend hours with it and has not parted with them even after discontinuation, buying multiple pairs as backup.