The Tech Leaders Podcast

"You can't have good Cyber Security without Economic Security.'' Join us this week on The Tech Leaders Podcast, where Gareth Davies sits down with The Rt Hon Stephen McPartland, former MP and author of the McPartland Review into Cyber Security. Stephen talks about his time in Parliament, the impact of AI on Cyber Security, and why the UK is both uniquely well prepared and uniquely vulnerable. On this episode, Stephen and Gareth discuss what it’s like to work with Prime Ministers, how to prevent the widespread adoption of AI leading to “digital exclusion”, why we need to automate processes rather than jobs, and how a Scouser became Tory MP for Stevenage…Timestamps: Intro and good leadership (1:33) Proudest achievements and lessons learned in Politics (7:54) Ministerial role, and working with Prime Ministers (10:09) Cyber Security and the Digital Economy (17:50) AI, Government and Cyber Security (23:23) Fostering a Cyber workforce (29:35) LLMs and Agentic AI (33:14) Cryptocurrencies and Post-Quantum Cryptography (38:28) AI concerns – Digital exclusion and Rules of Engagement (46:25) Stephen’s advice to his younger self (49:00) https://www.bedigitaluk.com/

Join us this week on The Tech Leaders Podcast, where Gareth Davies sits down with Matt Armstrong-Barnes, Group AI Practice Director at Servita, and former AI CTO at Hewlett-Packard Enterprises. Matt talks about his new role at Servita, the lessons he learned at HPE, and how effective AI Asset Management can help you keep control of your data. On this episode, Matt and Gareth discuss effective AI implementation and adoption, the existing AI skills gap, and the new roles and careers that will emerge, and what we don’t understand about how AI works. Timestamps: Joining Servita (2:00) AI Implementation and Adoption (5:40) What “Data is the new Oil” actually means (12:00) What we don’t understand about how AI works (18:33) Lessons learned at HP (22:13) Sports and AI (25:28) AI Safety and even Blackmail? (28:19) Trust and transparency in practice (35:40) The AI skills gap and emerging careers (39:30) AI Summit highlights (48:32) Brought to you by bedigitalhttps://www.bedigitaluk.com/

Join us this week on The Tech Leaders Podcast, as Gareth sits down with Joseph Connor, Chairman of Agentic AI specialist, CarefulAI and Professor at UCL and formerly Director of AI innovation at NHS England. Joseph talks about his allegiance to the NHS, his love of Stoicism, and his experiences building AI agents for businesses. On this episode Joseph and Gareth discuss why innovation is difficult in the public sector, how AI can help with effective ITAM and compliance, and how to make sure everyone benefits from Agentic AI.Time Stamps: Good leadership and Joseph’s early days (2:30) Lessons learned and musings on Stoicism (7:19) Allegiance to the NHS (11:10) Careful AI (15:20) What is Agentic AI? (23:48) Maintaining control of AI Agents (30:44) Always read the terms and conditions (35:55) Concerns around the next five years of AI (40:10) AI in education (49:10) Conclusions (53:48) Access CriticalAIonAI podcast mentioned in the show here - https://www.carefulai.com/accelerating-safe-ai-providers.htmlhttps://www.bedigitaluk.com/

“I had a team of me…and that was it!” Join us this week on The Tech Leaders Podcast, where Gareth Davies sits down with Darren Desmond, CISO at the AA, to discuss how AI will change the Cyber Security arms race, why it’s a strange time for CISOs, and how he was the most un-military recruit his training Sergeant had ever seen… Time stamps:What makes effective leadership in tech? (2:32) Starting from scratch: "I had a team of me... and that was it!" (4:20) Lessons from the Army and Atomic Weapons Establishment (6:20) The Betfair culture shock: "Decisions made on the hoof" (15:20) The key cybersecurity threat: Why ransomware remains a top concern (16:50) How asset management strengthens cybersecurity (18:10) CISO advice: Why asset management is critical for security (22:17) The CyberSec arms race: How AI will change the game (24:58) Why security is a team effort, not a standalone activity (26:00) Ransomware evolution: "The risk of AI-driven attacks" (36:45) AI in cybersecurity: The future, risks, and opportunities (40:20) Career advice: "Pick a goal and work towards it" (45:06)https://www.bedigitaluk.com/

Join us this week on The Tech Leaders Podcast, where Gareth Davies sits down with Arun “Rak” Ramchandran, President and Global Head of Consulting and GenAI at Hexaware, on the day they launched a multi-Billion Dollar IPO in India. They discuss the Indian economic boom of the ‘90s, and why Gen AI is different to previous tech revolutions. Time stamps: Hexaware’s Big Day: The IPO Launch (2:25)US vs. India: Where to List the IPO? (3:57)Leadership Philosophy: “Do It for Fun” (6:15)Rak’s Early Career Journey: Meandering, Horizontal and Vertical (7:51)The Indian Economic Boom (10:51)From Infosys to Virtusa: Regrets and Learnings (13:12)Leadership Lessons from Infosys Founder, N.R. Narayana Murthy (15:54)Why Rak Chose Hexaware (19:56)How Gen AI Differs from Previous Tech Revolutions (24:04)AI’s Ability to Consider Alternatives Humans Can’t (28:50)Will AI Displace White-Collar Workers? (31:10)Gen AI’s Impact on the SaaS Industry (33:47) https://www.bedigitaluk.com/

Join us this week on The Tech Leaders Podcast, where Gareth Davies sits down with Andre Durand, Founder and CEO of Ping Identity, to discuss how early-stage entrepreneurs form a blood pact with their colleagues, what it’s like to found a company in an industry that doesn’t exist, the million dollar deep-fake risk, and why life is like a hockey stick… Time stamps:Lessons from Andre’s First Two Exits (8:18) The True Goal of an Entrepreneur (10:00) Balancing Work and Life in a Startup (11:42) Day One at Ping: The Journey Begins (15:58) The Evolution of Identity & Access Management (IAM) (23:29) The Future Without Passwords? (27:11) The Rise of New Biometrics (28:51) Fundraising Tips for Entrepreneurs (32:25) How AI & Deepfakes Challenge IAM Security (35:19) AI, Fear & Excitement: “Intelligence Defines the Hierarchy” (38:26) Advice to 21-Year-Old Andre (40:49) Book recommendation: “Good & Great by Choice”: Jim Collins https://www.bedigitaluk.com/

This fifth instalment of TTLP’s AI Series 2.0 concludes a quintet of insightful conversations about the tech innovation that’s having a huge impact on the world as we know it.Matt Armstrong-Barnes, CTO for AI at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, joins Gareth and Kerensa for the final conversation of the series; this episode may be last but it’s certainly not least.With a career spanning over 25 years, Matt has led game-changing transformation programmes across the public and private sector, he’s a Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Chartered Engineer, and a passionate champion of open-source tools that make AI accessible for all.Now as the CTO for AI at HPE, Matt’s role as a tech leader is marked by helping blue chip organisations navigate AI adoption.Featuring stellar insight into what businesses need to prioritise for successful AI adoption, the surprising environmental cost of an AI query to the perils of 'AI washing,' and even how to explain AI to a six-year-old—this episode is the perfect conclusion to the AI Series 2.0!Time stampsWhat excites Matt most about AI? (02:26)Matt’s favourite GenAI tools (03:50)The journey to CTO (06:07)The difference between Computer Science and IT (13:27)Why use cases for GenAI are problematic (15:34)How to ensure your data is AI-ready (22:07)Where are businesses failing most with AI strategy? (25:39)The industries most likely to be impacted by AI (37:47)Matt’s biggest AI fears (47:53)https://www.bedigitaluk.com/

*Brought to you by bedigital*This week’s guest joins us for the penultimate instalment of TTLP’s AI Series to give a masterclass in how businesses can get the most out of AI. Dr Djamila Amimer, esteemed AI thought leader and founder of Mind Senses Global, joins Gareth and Kerensa and offers incredible insight into her path to becoming an AI expert.Joining the Oil and Gas industry at the start of her career with a passion to drive change in environmental resource, Djamila’s tech journey is marked by a desire to optimise both technological development and societal impact. Using “AI for good” is a key component to her work in Mind Senses Global and her overall stance on AI usage in business.Believing that “AI is more than a technology—it’s a way of thinking,” Djamila offers invaluable insights into how technology leaders can ethically harness AI to boost productivity and efficiency. This episode is an expert guide into AI and a perfect overview into some of the key points explored on this series so far. Time stamps·       What excites Djamila most about the future of AI (02:27)·       Why Djamila joined the oil and gas industry (06:23)·       What is AI? (13:51)·       Corporate lessons that were key for entrepreneurship (19:12)·       What are AI hallucinations? (25:36)·       Importance of human influence in AI (31:37)·       Being more environmentally efficient with AI (36:00)·       Battling bias with AI (42:12)·       The key to AI consultations (48:41)·       Combatting job displacement within AI (54:34)https://www.bedigitaluk.com/

For the third instalment of TTLP’s AI Series 2.0, we wanted to bring in a tech leader with a different outlook on AI,  CTO and co-founder of PensionBee and self-confessed AI sceptic, Jonathan Lister-Parsons. This episode marks Jonathan’s second feature on TTLP, and this time he joins Gareth and Kerensa discuss not only PensionBee and how they transformed the pension market, but also Jonathan’s unique perspective on AI innovation. Reinforcing the fact that AI exists as “the output of human input”, Jonathan explains the current AI ‘hype cycle’ and why an AI apocalypse is not on the cards.From his role in bringing pensions to the forefront of table-top discussions, to his assurance in the stability of a human-centred labour market, this episode is perfect for leaders who want to understand how to harness technology in a safe, responsible, and genuinely impactful way.Time stamps What excites Jonathan most about GenAI? (02:28) Jonathan’s favourite AI tools (05:20) Innovating the pension industry (08:55) Balancing dynamics between co-founders (17:42) Defining AI (22:20) How has GenAI improved PensionBee’s vision (28:31) Does Jonathan fear an AI Apocalypse? (39:00) AI in education (42:48) Regulating FinTech (47:12) Security considerations for GenAI (49:51) The future of PensionBee (56:00)  https://www.bedigitaluk.com/

*Brought to you by bedigital*We’re back with the second episode of TTLP’s AI Series 2.0, where Gareth and Kerensa are joined by an AI leader driving change at one of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers, Jair Ribeiro, Analytics and Insights Lead at Volvo.Swedish automotive brand Volvo, approaching its 100-year anniversary, is one of the most iconic automotive brands globally and is at the forefront of AI and generative AI innovation. Growing up in Brazil, Jair moved to Europe, where he worked with major industry players like Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and now, Volvo. An expert in both traditional and generative AI models, with a deep understanding of the ethical dimensions of AI adoption, Jair is a recognized thought leader in AI innovation.In this episode, we explore a wide range of topics, from ethical AI and the diverse applications of generative AI to how businesses can leverage data more effectively. This episode is a masterclass in the multiplicity of AI, as told by a true expert in the field.Time stamps What most excites Jair about AI adoption? (02:59) From humanist to technologist (04:30) Why creativity is crucial to success with AI (06:00) Lessons learned from IBM (09:05) The biggest mistakes businesses make with their data (13:34) Democratising AI in education (20:52) The difference between American and Swedish working cultures (27:54) Volvo’s new ‘AI truck’ (33:00) Ethical considerations of AI within trade (43:00) How to be a good tech leader in the age of AI (53:53) https://www.bedigitaluk.com/