From a small Prague-based consulting firm to a global leader in AI tools, Apify has achieved rapid growth without compromising its core: a culture built on absolute freedom, trust, and radical transparency. This post goes behind the scenes to explore how we maintain a "small-team" feel with over 200 people, why we value curiosity and mindset over traditional degrees, and how our team across 36 nationalities is using AI to redefine what it means to be a "technical" professional. Whether you're a coder, a marketer, or looking to pivot your career, discover why Apify is a place where you can genuinely help shape the future of work.

New role. New responsibilities. New perspective. Liina Adov shares how mentorship helped her navigate the challenges of becoming a first-time manager, develop a more strategic mindset, and build the confidence to lead through uncertainty. From tackling everyday leadership challenges to stepping back and seeing the bigger picture, her mentoring journey equipped her with practical tools, fresh perspectives, and lessons that continue to shape her growth long after the program ended.

What does it really take to grow from technical expertise into real influence? In this interview, Zuzana Kojdjak, Head of PMO at Barclays Prague, shares why stakeholder management, executive presence, and mentoring matter so much for women in tech, and how the right support can turn ambition into action.

Francesca shares how living and working across countries shaped her leadership, how motherhood made her sharper, more empathetic, and more decisive, and how she actively creates space for parents on her team to keep growing without guilt. As a senior marketing leader at Plzeňský Prazdroj, she knows firsthand that ambition and wellbeing are not opposites. They grow together.

Gabriela Borutová has spent over a decade in tech, but what drives her as a Femme Palette mentor has little to do with technical skills. In this spotlight, she shares why she said yes to mentoring, how our upbringing as women shapes the way we see ourselves across every generation, and why professional growth is so often less about learning something new and more about finally being heard. Plus her advice for mentors who want to go beyond giving advice and start creating real, lasting change.

AI is changing fast. But according to Tetiana Lobanovska, Engineering Manager at Everpure, we're still at the very beginning. In this interview, she shares why adaptability matters more than any specific skill, how to introduce AI in a way that builds trust rather than fear, and what it really takes to stay competitive in a world where the rules are still being written.

You move abroad. You are prepared, capable, and ready to make it work. And then something keeps feeling slightly off. The yes that does not actually mean yes. The meeting that felt fine until it did not. The colleague who seemed aligned but clearly was not. The moment you realize that everything you thought was professional, respectful, and clear does not translate the way you expected. Working across cultures is not just about adjusting to a new country. It is about realizing that your version of normal was never universal to begin with. This article breaks down the five moments where that hits hardest, and what to do about each one.

Your best people are not leaving because of the salary. They are leaving because they feel unseen, unsupported, and out of road. And the 2025 data makes that clearer than ever. This article breaks down why mentoring is the most effective answer to the retention crisis companies are quietly facing right now. From the numbers behind why people leave, to what good mentoring actually looks like in practice, to why women in particular are being underserved by most organisations, it is a practical, honest read for any HR or People leader who is tired of losing good people and ready to do something about it. The research is compelling. The cost of doing nothing is significant. And the solution is more straightforward than most companies think.