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Mark Palmer has had a career most people only dream about - working on aircraft across the globe, before landing at Shield AI as VP of Vision Systems, one of the most exciting defence tech companies operating today.

In this episode, Matt and Mark explore what happens when two businesses with a genuine meeting of minds come together - and why the Shield acquisition of Sentient felt like a natural fit from day one.

We cover a lot of ground in 30 minutes: what scaling businesses consistently get wrong, why culture becomes your most important asset the moment you start to grow, and how to hold onto and develop your best people through periods of rapid change.

Mark also shares his take on autonomy as the future of work, what it actually takes to move into defence tech, and why Australia is rapidly becoming a serious global player in the space - without needing to rely on government funding to get there.

If you're building a team, thinking about your next career move, or just fascinated by where defence tech is heading, this one's worth your time.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion.

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This week on scalr sagecast, I sat down with Sam Young, founder of SIID Labs.

Sam is a counsellor and psychotherapist with frontline experience in mental health and addiction - and he’s using both professional and lived experience to build something different.

SIID is a personalised, AI-powered micro-guidance companion designed to support people in the moments that matter most - those brief spikes of anxiety, overwhelm, rumination or task paralysis that can derail focus and momentum.

Many people either can’t access mental health systems, don’t engage with them, or don’t get support when they actually need it. SIID is designed to bridge that gap.

In this episode, we explore:

• What “micro moments” are and why they’re so important
• Why traditional support models often fail in real-time situations
• How AI and wearable tech can enable proactive, pre-emptive support
• The role of personalisation in improving outcomes
• And how Sam’s lived experience has shaped the product and its intent

A raw and honest conversation about mental health, technology, and building more human solutions.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion.

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Joining this week's scalr sagecast is Vanessa Raath - global sourcing expert, AI commentator and one of the most engaging speakers in the talent industry.

V’s career journey spans South Africa, London and Thailand, with a decade in tech consulting before building her current business and becoming a recognised voice on sourcing, AI and innovation.

In this episode, Matt and V explore:

• V’s unconventional path into tech and sourcing.
• Where TA and AI are truly converging.
• Why sourcing capability is back in demand.
• What stage we’re really at in the AI journey.

It’s a high-energy, wide-ranging conversation packed with insight on the future of talent acquisition.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion.