Here at AWS podcast

Amplifying the voices of our team

What’s it really like to be an AWS employee? Listen as hosts Geetha and Constance talk with some of our outstanding people about a range of inclusion, diversity, and equity topics. These intimate, informative conversations with team members from around the world explore unexpected career paths, challenges they’ve overcome, and building an environment where anyone can flourish. Join us for all of these inspiring stories about life in the cloud.

Your Hosts


Chief Technologist

Simon Elisha

Simon is a longtime Amazonian, passionate about helping customers get the most out of cloud technology. A pragmatic technologist at heart, Simon holds an Honors Degree in Information Systems from Monash University. Follow him on Twitter.

Sr. Manager, SA

Hawn Nguyen-Loughren

Hawn is a results-oriented IT Professional. She has extensive experience and strong knowledge of software architecture, software development and DevSecOps with over 20 years in the IT Software Engineering Field across diverse industries.  Follow her on Twitter.

Two AWS employees having a conversation in an office setting.

Season 2: Trailer

We’re back for a second season. So get ready for more in-depth conversations with the people that make AWS tick.

We’ll be speaking to amazing colleagues from all over the organisation, asking them about the projects and co-workers that inspire them every day.

We’ll also dive into what makes this place somewhere you can thrive, whatever your circumstances. There will be conversations on how we approach mental health, how we support those with disabilities and how we’re working with other organisations to change the world for the better.

Join us for season two up in the cloud.


Season 1 Episode 9: Everyone is welcome

Host: Constance Souchet

As a Nigerian woman and a ProServe Specialist, Nnedi feels the tech industry has a diversity problem. She discusses coming to AWS as an intern and international student, and how affinity groups and mentoring programs at AWS empower her and thousands like her to pursue the future they desire. 


Season 1 Episode 8: Coming out of my shell

Host: Geetha Annamalai

New jobs can create self doubt that make you wonder if you can really do it. It took some time for Meena, an Enterprise Solution Architect, to settle into life in the UK. She talks about quelling those feelings and how diversity at AWS has made her feel like she belongs.


Head shot of Tanuja, a builder with AWS.

Season 1 Episode 7: What does the future hold for AWS?

Host: Geetha Annamalai

In today’s episode, we’re taking a birds-eye view of AWS. We want to see how decisions at the top are directly affecting the people we’ve talked to so far on the podcast.

Geetha chats to Tanuja, Managing Director for AWS in EMEA. Tanuja is part of the decision-making process that moves this company forward. She tells us about AWS’ goals and priorities. She also talks about being an international citizen, and how energetic she is to promote diversity in tech. 

Listen and subscribe to Here At AWS.


Season 1 Episode 6: From South Africa to Dublin

Host: Constance Souchet

Dive into a stunning story of overcoming adversity with Mark. He shares the importance of being part of an organisation full of people with diverse backgrounds. Hear about growing up on the Cape flats in South Africa and his path to becoming a Solutions Architect Manager at AWS.


Head shot of Anita, a Partner Sales Lead at AWS.

Season 1 Episode 5: Love, listen, learn

Host: Geetha Annamalai

At AWS, we think it’s important to have a core philosophy behind our work - something that guides all our decisions and interactions. That’s why we have the Leadership Principles, a set of beliefs that keep us thinking on the same page. But how exactly can a guiding philosophy enrich life at AWS? In this episode, Geetha chats to Anita, a Partner Sales Lead for Asia. She tells us about her personal outlook, one that sees the humanity and empathy in the Leadership Principles.  


Head shot of Nick, an AWS Solutions Architect, standing in front of a waterfall.

Season 1 Episode 4: Building community with affinity groups

Host: Constance Souchet

At work, we’re all more than just colleagues — we’re friends, allies, mentors, and champions. Nick, an AWS Senior Solutions Architect, talks about finding connections through AWS affinity groups like Glamazon, which supports our global LGBTQIA+ community and empowers people to lead.


Head shot of Emma, an Associate Solutions Architect at AWS, with her dog in an outdoor setting.

Season 1 Episode 3: The next generation of AWS

Host: Geetha Annamalai

Cloud innovation relies on passionate people with fresh perspectives. Emma, an Associate Solutions Architect, talks about her experience with AWS Tech U, an early career development program, and how it gave her the knowledge and tools to excel on a fabulous team — that includes her dad!


Head shot of Sandra, who works for AWS Employer Brand in APJC.

Season 1 Episode 2: Culture and diversity create innovation

Host: Constance Souchet

Inclusion and diversity have been essential to Sandra since growing up in multicultural, multilingual Singapore. She shares the global path that brought her to AWS, the superpowers her team brings to their work, and her passion for creating possibilities for women in the cloud.


Head shot of Karen, who works in GFS Partner Program Sales at AWS.

Season 1 Episode 1: My path to a career in STEM

Host: Geetha Annamalai

There are many factors to job satisfaction. Karen from GFS Partner Program Sales speaks to us about her journey from the Philippines to London, how AWS is unlike anywhere else she’s worked, and what it's like being a woman in a male-dominated industry.


A diverse group of AWS employees work at different tables in a common workspace.

Season 1 Trailer: What's this podcast all about?

Curious about what it’s like to work at AWS? Hear about it straight from our builders on Here At AWS. Check out this trailer to meet our hosts Geetha and Constance, hear more about the podcast, and explore AWS through candid conversations with team members around the world. 


Have feedback?

Send your suggestions, show ideas, and comments to awspodcast@amazon.com.