The Tech Leaders Podcast

After every crisis there’s an entrepreneurial boom – and the pandemic has been no exception. Today I explore how the tech space is massively evolving across the UK, with Gerard Grech, CEO at Tech Nation. His passion for mobile and media is shown through his impressive career, where he has worked for brands such as Blackberry World, Nokia, and Orange.We’re recording at the Excel Centre from this year’s London Tech Week, so I’m excited to catch up with Gerard and hear more about his latest insights. In this episode we discuss unicorns – and decacorns – across the country, the impact of consumer behaviour changes, the rise of alternative currencies, the tech space in climate change and robotics, and much more.Talking PointsWhy the UK leads so strongly with its tech scene (05:15)Gerard’s background and role at Tech Nation (08:02)How Tech City turned into Tech Nation (12:27)Tech changes from the pandemic that are here to stay (15:03)The UK FinTech scene (17:46)Trends in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies (20:57)Tech Nation’s accelerator programmes (24:48)What is deep tech? (29:19)The Net Zero Pledge (34:20)Keep insights from the Job and Skills Report 2021 (39:50)The education system’s role in technology (41:55)The effects of Brexit so far (45:09)Gerard’s advice to aspiring young entrepreneurs (49:19)LinksLondon Tech WeekNet ZeroFuture FiftyApplied AIJob and Skills Report 2021‘Principles’ by Ray DalioTech Nationhttps://www.bedigitaluk.com/

As a mobile-first world, things are changing fast – and according to today’s guest, the future lies in data, privacy and trust. Richard Rosenberg was appointed CTO at the Financial Times at the start of 2021. He leads the FT’s technology strategy across the development and operations teams, and oversees the delivery of cross-platform customer experiences. Richard previously worked in a number of positions within the Expedia Group, and spent time at Sky, where his team produced award-winning and innovative products including the revolutionary Sky News for iPad application. I can’t wait to learn more about the technology challenges Richard is tackling under his role. We discuss the advancement of machine learning and AI, having clarity with priorities, the future of journalism, the power of positive thinking, and training for the London marathon. Talking PointsSky’s product development approaches (08:38)The move from Sky to Expedia (12:11)Learning from Expedia’s A/B testing (13:04)The impact of the pandemic on the travel industry (18:37)The current technological challenges at the FT (27:53)The future of content through blockchain and NFTs (39:30)The impact of online censorship (43:15)Richard’s approach to changing goals and embracing failure (48:39)LinksRichard’s LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/richard-rosenberg-00b3a01 Donate to Richard running the London Marathon in aid of NSPCC: ​​https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RichardRosenberg1https://www.bedigitaluk.com/

PensionBee is on a mission to create a future of financial freedom through their technology platform. Pensions can be overwhelming and confusing, so I’m excited to bring on PensionBee’s co-founder and CTO, Jonathan Lister Parsons, to unpack how their disruptive technology has enabled hundreds of thousands of people to be "pension confident" through their technology platform. Join our discussion as we explore the impact of being a technology disruptor, the social impact of investing, blended learning, trusting your inner voice – and what we can learn from Japanese culture.Talking PointsAdvice for small companies with lean teams (10:37)The future of work for software developers (14:44)Equipping the future labour market with the right technology skills (21:06)Launching PensionBee (26:01)The pension culture in the UK (31:14)Disrupting the pension industry (35:47)Upcoming projects for PensionBee (40:44)The future of batteries (47:00)What we can learn from the Japanese culture (50:54)Where to start with your pension savings and how to build a £1 million pension pot (53:59)LinksPensionBee: https://www.pensionbee.com/Clayton Christensen: https://claytonchristensen.com/How you could build a million pound pension: https://www.pensionbee.com/blog/2021/april/how-you-could-build-a-one-million-pound-pension ‘Other People’s Money’ by John Kay: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781254435https://www.bedigitaluk.com/

Neil Bellamy is responsible for NatWest’s strategy, proposition and risk appetite for the whole sector vertical. He is currently the Head of Technology, Media, Telecoms & Services, and has an impressive 26 year career in banking to date. As a leader, Neil is truly customer focused and enjoys advising tech start-ups at Natwest Accelerators and as a Mentor with Imperial Ventures.Tune into this conversation as Neil reflects over the impact of being a purpose-led organisation. We also explore effective graduate schemes, B Corps, the future of digital currencies, NatWest’s environmental goals – and being raided at gunpoint.Talking PointsCultural shifts towards entrepreneurialism in banking (03:54)Neil’s work at Hughenden Valley Football Club (06:14)Lessons from football coaching for the business world (07:31)NatWest’s post-pandemic reflections (12:50)Transitioning into being a B-Corp organisation (17:58)The three areas of focus for NatWest (20:21)Cryptocurrencies and central banks (26:24) Supporting entrepreneurs in the UK (30:52)FinTech projects to look out for (35:41)AI and quantum computing use cases for the banking industry (39:26)The future of talent and the role of education and training (41:25)The K-shaped economic recovery (45:58)Learning from your customers (49:51)LinksHughenden Valley Football ClubB Corporation The NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator‘The Test of Courage’ by Christopher Robbins‘Man’s Search For Meaning’ by Viktor FranklNatWest Business HubNeil’s LinkedInhttps://www.bedigitaluk.com/

Recognised as one of the global leaders in weather and climate science, the Met Office is powered by advanced models and a high performance supercomputer. I was very excited to catch up with Charles Ewen, the CIO at the Met Office, to learn more about how the organisation operates on such world leading technology.Charles is accountable for all aspects of technology within the Met Office and manages a dedicated engineering team of over 350 people. With a fascinating career trajectory delivering big transformation programs in the private sector, Charles made the jump (and pay cut) to work in the public sector. Tune in to this conversation as we discuss delegating tasks, making data available on the public cloud, what the Met Office are doing to combat climate change, measuring productivity – and what Charles has learned from reading pulp sci-fi. Talking PointsTaking on a CIO role (10:24)Advice to choosing the right job role (13:21)Setting aside time for ‘mental downtime’ (18:38)Lessons learned from the pandemic (20:12)On neurotypes and how they impact leadership style (27:14)How does the Met Office predict the weather? (32:12)The Met Office’s role in combating climate change and research (54:46)The environment and the impact of cumulative small changes (58:08)LinksCharles Ewen’s interview on One Zero One PodcastMet Office Hadley CentreNatural Environment Research Council‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ by Philip K. Dickhttps://www.bedigitaluk.com/

Today’s guest joined the digital assets firm Gemini in 2020, when they expanded to the UK. As the Head of UK, and former Chief Compliance Officer for Europe, I’m excited to hear what Blair has learnt from the expansion, and how the digital assets market has changed over the past year. Gemini builds crypto products for both individuals and institutions to help buy, sell and store cryptocurrency. It was founded in 2014, by brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, to build a bridge to the future of money.Tune in to this conversation as we explore the role of compliance, the power of perseverance, investing in digital assets, the energy consumption of mining crypto, how Gemini are developing their work culture – and what we can learn from the All Blacks. Talking PointsBlair’s career at RBS (10:55)The compliance mindset within an entrepreneurial organisation (15:18)Cultural differences between large financial institutions and small startups (19:00)Working with Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss (27:38)Getting institutions to invest in crypto (31:13)Why the crypto market exploded in 2020 (35:29)The corporate interest in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies (39:46)Energy consumption and the future of green mining (40:53)The impact of remote-first work (55:37)LinksInsights DiscoveryPeter McCormack, Podcaster and Journalist - Bitcoin SpecialCameron & Tyler Winklevoss on What Bitcoin DidMicroStrategy‘Legacy’ by James KerrNifty Gatewayhttps://www.bedigitaluk.com/

Having worked in three countries, Didem has more than 20 years experience in the global technology industry, spanning Enterprise Software and SaaS, Big Data and AI, Managed Services and Cloud business models. Under her current role as General Manager, Data & AI Acceleration at EMEA Microsoft, she’s responsible for the Data & AI customer success strategy, readiness, and execution.Didem’s energy is infectious. I was so excited to speak with her to learn more about her mission to empower more female leaders in technology, and what she’s doing to help combat domestic violence through technology. Tune in as we also discuss Satya Nadella’s leadership style, Microsoft’s work culture, some inspiring use cases for AI, how we can strive for more diversity and inclusion in the workplace  – and bumping into Bill Gates in the office.Talking PointsThe cultural transition moving from Turkey to USA (05:22)Lessons from the consultancy world when working for Capgemini (10:50)Cultural differences between UK and US (17:10)Satya Nadella's "growth mindset" and Microsoft’s transformation over the last decade (18:149)Didem’s role and mission at Microsoft (27:35)Striving for more diversity and inclusion in technology (28:34)What technology leaders can do to foster diversity and inclusion in their teams  (36:18)How AI can help solve domestic violence (38:15)Microsoft’s remote working policy (47:33)Advice for young female engineers who want to pursue a career path like Didem’s (48:53)Links‘Hit Refresh’ by Satya Nadella, Greg Shaw and Jill Tracie Nichols‘Brotopia’ by Emily ChangThe RSA FellowshipDidem’s LinkedInDidem’s Twitterhttps://www.bedigitaluk.com/

80% of under 8s have their own tablets – there’s no doubt that the impact of technology on the next generation will be huge. The Chairman of UK Finance and author of ‘Born Digital’ joins the show to distil his research on why we need to alter our relationship with technology.Robert Wigley backs young entrepreneurs in cutting edge technology businesses and Chairs UK Finance. He spent 25 years as a banker, rising to be EMEA Chairman of Merrill Lynch and a member of the board of the Bank of England during the 2008 financial crisis. Tune in as we discuss the impact of technology on empathy, Generation Z’s values, UK vs UK banking cultures, concorde flights – and Margaret Thatcher’s attention span.Talking PointsMeeting Margaret Thatcher when as a teenager (5:44)Lessons learnt from working at Merrill Lynch (8:22)Cultural differences between Wall Street and the City of London (10:43)Navigating through the 2007 - 2008 financial crisis (12:40)The stages of a digital detox (14:16)Research findings from his book (16:40)The rise of the ‘nones’ (21:22)What parents can do about digital overload with their children (27:19)What we can learn from Gen Z (33:04)The post-covid economy (37:58)The development of central bank digital currencies (39:59)Links‘Born Digital’ by Robert Wigley‘Deep Work’ by Cal Newport‘The Madness of Crowds’ by Douglas MurrayMaPSElon Musk: why we are cyborgsThe Good Childhood ReportBlockchain.com‘Birdsong’ by Sebastian FaulksRobertWigley.ukhttps://www.bedigitaluk.com/

As a self-confessed former frustrated civil servant, James Herbert set himself on a mission to help scale the public sector’s digital transformation. It’s a big feat, but he launched Foundry4 to do just that. They provide teams of experts to solve complex problems for large organisations through end to end solutions across insights, strategy and delivery.James has worked with Cabinet Office teams designing the G-Cloud procurement framework, the foundations of the Digital Marketplace and the world’s first government Cloud-First technology strategy. In this discussion we explore digital identity, working for both private and public sectors, and how to productise a service-based business.Talking PointsThe Government’s investment in suppliers (10:44)The impact of the Digital Services Marketplace (16:03)Stress-testing an IR35 conspiracy theory (19:53)The digital transformation (25:44) The story behind Foundry4 (31:14)Preparing a business for IPO from day one (38:28)Advice for launching a service-based business (42:53)LinksThe Digital Services MarketplaceTom Loosemore‘Man's Search for Meaning’ by Viktor FranklRyan Prince - VC Investor and Chairman, Realstar GroupFoundry4Panoplyhttps://www.bedigitaluk.com/

As an ex-contractor himself, Dave Chaplin wrote and published the first ever interactive online IR35 tax calculator. IR35 refers to the UK's anti-avoidance tax legislation designed to tax 'disguised' employment at a rate similar to employment. And as it sounds, it can get messy. I’m super excited to catch up with Dave again to hear more about how IR35 may affect you this year. Dave is the Founder and CEO of ContractorCalculator and CEO of IR35 Shield. He assists with IR35 tax tribunals, and regularly attends those he’s not involved with to increase his knowledge. Tune in as we discuss Dave’s former campaigns, the delays from the pandemic, and working on high profile cases such as Kay Adams. It’s about having the right processes in place, so enjoy this episode as Dave shares lots of helpful resources. Talking PointsDave’s key milestones and campaigns over the last 12 months (4:10)Lobbying in parliament in front of 30 MPs (5:48)The impact of blanket bans and determinations (9:03)The problem with the tool for checking employment status for tax (11:38)Lessons from high profiles cases (13:26)Working with agencies (19:15)Demystifying VAT when working inside (22:01)The firms that HMRC are likely to be ‘going after’ (28:07)The future of the Small Company Exemption Clause (35:10)LinksDave Chaplin - IR35 SpecialContractorCalculator.co.ukIR35Shield.co.ukBBC Radio 4 Money BoxUmbrella Reclaimhttps://www.bedigitaluk.com/