The Forward Podcast with SmartOSC

What does it really mean to rethink not just technology — but the culture behind it?In this episode, we talk to Shawn Lim, a journalist-turned-solopreneur whose work now lives at the intersection of identity, media, and digital transformation. After more than a decade reporting on adtech, agency shifts, and marketing innovation across APAC, Shawn now runs Human Algorithm — a newsletter and podcast that challenges surface-level stories in business and explores more human, inclusive ways forward.We cover #AIagents, #brandloyalty, #parenting, #burnout, and why #internalculture is no longer something that stays hidden behind closed doors. Shawn shares his own story of #reinvention, from being told he couldn't write without a degree, to becoming one of the best tech reporters in #APAC. “We live in an age of automation, but we still need that human connection. That’s why I chose the name Human Algorithm.” - Shawn LimWhether you're working in retail, BFSI, or tech or you're simply trying to build something that lasts this episode is about moving beyond the hype and doing business in a way that feels more honest.⏱️ Episode Chapters:00:00 – What moves Shawn forward07:29 – Bullying & self-acceptance11:28 – Solopreneur life & parenting 15:38 – Human connection in the attention economy19:21 – Accountability & what AI could actually solve23:22 – Outdated business assumptions26:44 – Future trends: storytelling, B2H, and AI agents30:22 – The fall of brand loyalty34:33 – Burnout & letting go of people-pleasingThe Let Them Poem by Cassie PhillipsThe Let Them Book from Mel Robbins

Flat websites. Frustrating Size Guides. Endless scrolling. Overwhelmed customers.While it seems everything else has evolved around us, in 2025, online hopping still hasn’t caught up with consumer needs. To kick off our Rethink series, we speak to Olivia Lee. Olivia is the founder of LIVVIUM, a digital fashion and Web3 consultancy helping brands create more immersive, human-centered experiences online. Named one of the Top 100 Global Women in Emerging Tech, she works at the intersection of digital fashion, consumer experience, and the future of the metaverse. In this episode, Olivia challenges the assumptions digital fashion and retail need to rethink and shows us what a better future could look like.In this episode, we talk about: Why online shopping is overdue for a radical redesignHow digital fashion is moving from novelty to purpose: reducing waste, building communities, and changing how we express ourselves online Why the future of shopping won’t be about search bars, it’ll be about experiences that anticipate your needs How small businesses can rethink without needing massive budgets - and the free tools already availableWhat it means to build shopping experiences for people, not just for brandsIf you’d like to skip along to key moments that work best for you, here you go: 00:00:00 - Olivia Lee: Speaking on Retail & Reinvention04:00 - Career Journey &Coming across the Metaverse07:40 - Metaverse Career Path11:13 - Human-Centric Digital Fashion15:05 - Digital Fashion: Moving from Novelty to Community18:32 - Digital Fashion's Evolution22:16 - Digital Fashion: Innovation26:01 - Brand Loyalty Through Data30:05 - Metaverse Shopping Revolution37:10 - The Future of Fashion & AI AgentsAbout The Forward Podcast: Rethink- When the old answers don’t fit, it’s time for new questions. Rethink is a new season of the award-winning Forward Podcast built around slowing down, questioning assumptions, and sitting longer in the problem stage -  before rushing to solutions.Too often, businesses cling to what they know, hiding behind the old “this is how we’ve always done it” line. It's the fastest way to kill diversity of thinking, new ideas, and meaningful change.This series is about rethinking what's broken: outdated products, workplaces stuck in the past, leadership resisting change, and tech that no longer serves the people using it. In each episode, we sit with rethinkers:  founders, creators, strategists, and innovators, who are challenging norms and building better ways forward. From redesigning shopping experiences to making digital finance more accessible, we explore how slowing down to ask better questions leads to stronger, more human-centered futures. Because solving yesterday’s problems with yesterday’s solutions won’t get us where we need to go. Slow down. Look closer. Build better.

When the old answers don't fit, it’s time for new questions. New season coming soon:🎙The Forward Podcast: Rethink!A lot of the problems we’re trying to solve today are built on assumptions that no longer fit.We’re asking:What’s overdue for a rethink?Instead of rushing to solutions, we're sitting longer in the problem stage.This season, we’re speaking to rethinkers. The ones who stay curious instead of comfortable. The ones who are rethinking how we build communities, how we design shopping experiences, how we make digital finance more accessible - those who are rethinking outdated products, workplaces stuck in the past, leadership resisting change, and tech not serving the people using it.Because solving yesterday’s problems with yesterday’s solutions won’t get us where we need to go. Slow down. Look closer. Build better.First guest announcement coming to you this Friday, 25th April - Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, we’re peeling back the layers with Rebecca Parsons — Board Member, Author, Speaker, and Former CTO Emerita of Thoughtworks! As a long-term tech devotee, Rebecca has left her mark across academia, government research, nonprofits, startups, manufacturing, and massive enterprises. She’s a passionate advocate for programming languages, AI, and evolutionary computation — all while keeping her feet firmly planted in the ever-evolving tech community. 💡 In her own words:"I’m a geek through and through. I can’t imagine not being in the technology community. That’s just who I am." What’s inside this conversation: 👀 The myth of “magic fairy dust” technology and solutions 🔍 Balancing fairness and profit in data collection (and the risks of using proxies for race, gender, and religion) 🌍 Performative DEI, personal values, and advice to future selves 🔑 The future of the CTO role: will we see more combined CTO/product roles? 🤖 Continuous Delivery and DORA Metrics: transforming deployment practices 💡 The value of saying “I don’t know” in a constantly changing world …and so much more! 🌟

In this engaging discussion, Charity Majors, CTO and Co-founder of Honeycomb.io, shares her vast expertise in observability and large-scale systems. She delves into the critical evolution from Observability 1.0 to 2.0 and the necessity for transparency in leadership. Charity emphasizes the importance of nurturing junior engineers and the role of personal values in shaping diverse tech environments. With insights on performance metrics and the interplay between AI and software engineering, she highlights the socio-technical pathways to building high-performing teams.

Today, we're peeling back the layers with Philip Gill, CTO at SmartBox Group - the number one experience #gift provider in Europe, selling millions of gifts every year!! From #QualityAssurance to #CTO, it's a road less traveled, but it comes with incredible stories and perspectives. These stories include Phil’s experience working in various countries before joining Smartbox a decade ago. How he has surrounded himself with smart, driven, and passionate people, who always keep user experience at the heart of their work.  As a CTO, Phil advocates for #sustainable working environments and avoiding single points of failure. In this episode, we hear all of this and more… 🔑How to build trust and agility in tech teams 🤝 The importance of calling BS (B*llsh*t) on some #AIhype and finding real value 🛠️His thoughts on #BuildVSBuy 📈 The Keys to Delivering Strategic Projects: Lessons from Smartbox's #eCommerce Rebuild ⏱️ How to Improve #CycleTimes and Team Happiness 🚫 The importance of Zero Distraction 💬 How to Empower Decision-Making and Shorten Decision Chains 00:00:40 - Introduction and Typical CTO Day 00:03:37 - Balancing Planned and Operational Work 06:54 - Importance of Collaboration and Quality 10:45 - Evolution of CTO Roles and Leadership 00:14:04 - Challenges and Hype in AI Industry 17:04 - Custom Solutions and Expertise 00:20:07 - Business Continuity Challenges 23:36 - Evolution of Scalable Systems 00:27:22 - Delivering Major eCommerce Projects 00:33:41 - Advice for Digital Transformation Success Cut The Onion, hosted by @AzizaOBeirne, is a mini-series where we peel back the layers of tech roles, exploring the stories of those working in tech across various industries. Honest takes, trends, and tips for going forward! Brought to you by @SmartOSC

In this episode, we’re peeling back the layers with Florian (Flo) Pasquier, CTO at Carma. From engineer to co-founder and CTO, Flo’s career has been filled with eye-opening twists, turns, and valuable lessons! We’ll be getting a front-row seat to his brilliant mind and experiences and hearing about why building strong engineering teams with empathy and storytelling is critical for navigating the fast-changing tech landscape. You’ll hear all of this and more: 📈 Continuous Learning & Strong Foundations – Why these are essential for staying ahead in a rapidly evolving industry. 🔧 The Tech Leader Toolbox – From DevOps and CloudOps to SecOps (Security Operations), CTOs are managing an increasingly complex set of tools and responsibilities. 📣 Bridging the Gap – How CTOs and technical leaders can connect technology with decision-makers to drive meaningful impact. 📖 Storytelling & Leading by Example – Why these tools are crucial for shaping boardroom conversations and promoting tech understanding across an organization. 💰 Tech as a Revenue Enabler – The challenge of shifting the perception of tech teams from cost centers to value-driven enablers—and the cultural change needed to make that shift. About Carma: Carma is a fully digital car dealership, offering a wide range of quality pre-owned vehicles at fixed prices, delivered right to the home with a 7-day returns policy with no questions asked! Visit their website here About Cut The Onion: Cut The Onion is a mini-series where we peel back the layers of what it truly means to be a Chief Technology Officer. We’re diving deep into tech roles that are often misunderstood, exploring the stories of leaders across various industries, and bringing you the honest takes, trends, and tips you need to move forward. It is all brought to you by SmartOSC - With 18 years in operation, SmartOSC is an award-winning digital commerce agency of 1,000+ experts, across seven countries including Vietnam, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, the US, and the UK. Check out our website: https://www.smartosc.com/

“We cannot solve a misuse of trust in people with blockchain technology. But I think what we can solve is the trust in systems challenge.” Today, we're peeling back the layers with Sebastian Bode, The VP of Engineering at the Cardano Foundation. Sebastian turned his childhood dream job at Ubisoft into a career that’s spanned robotics, automotive, finance, and now blockchain! After years as an engineer, Sebastian made the leap to leadership and realized what really excites him isn’t just solving technical problems—it’s working with people and creating environments and systems that thrive on truth, education, resilience, and adoption. We spoke to Sebastian to hear about his experience, getting to the core of his motivations and the future of the Cardano Foundation. Here’s what you can expect to hear: 💡 Blockchain Education, Literacy, and Regulation ⚙️ Chang hard fork and decentralized governance 🚀 Innovations and trends that he is keeping a close eye on 🔎 Leadership advice - The importance of curiosity and stepping out of the blockchain bubble ...and much more! Also, this week, over 10,000 attendees from over 25 countries will gather in Dubai for the Cardano Summit 2024. The Cardano Foundation will be joined by speakers such as Binance CEO Richard Teng and Animoca Labs Co-Founder and Chairman Yat Siu at the global blockchain event. The Cardano Summit brings together industry leaders, blockchain enthusiasts, regulators, policymakers, engineers, and developers. You can still get tickets by clicking the link below, listeners of Cut The Onion also get a lovely 10% discount on tickets by using the code: CDS24MEDIA10 https://summit.cardano.org/ What is Cut The Onion, we hear you ask? It’s a mini-series where we peel back the layers of tech roles. We’ll be getting to the core of tech roles that can oftentimes be misunderstood and exploring the stories of those working in tech across a multitude of industries - bringing you honest takes, trends, and tips for going forward.

Join Joel Beasley, creator of ModernCTO.io and host of the Modern CTO podcast, who has interviewed nearly 1,000 CTOs. He shares his biggest frustrations and joys in the tech world, emphasizing the importance of focusing on 'the next right thing.' Discover why understanding your role as a CTO is essential and how systems dictate success. Joel dives into the impact of AI and the importance of self-awareness, mentorship, and resilience within tech leadership—all from a refreshingly candid perspective.

If you could speak to your future self, what advice would you offer? That’s the question we've been asking our guests this season. To celebrate #InternationalPodcastDay, we’re wrapping up this season with a special compilation of sage advice from our brilliant lineup! From savoring the wins, and trusting your gut, to promoting people sooner, this season has been filled with invaluable wisdom to help you move forward. We’ll also have a very exciting announcement to make so make sure to stay to the end to hear about it!  In this episode, you’ll hear from: Simon Torring the CEO and Co-founder of Cube Asia  Andre Menezes Co-founder of TiNDLE Natalie Dau Author of Run Like a Woman Terry O’Connor Strategic Advisor to Bain & Company, Trustana, SmartOSC and more Jeffrey Tan President of the Singapore Computer Society Catherine D Henry Author of Virtual Natives Dennis Trawnitchek CTO of SCBX Andy Chang Global Head of Marketing Tech at Electrolux Emily Hinks, Co-Founder and CEO of Mischief Makers  Mint Kaewmanorom Head of Analytics & AI Business Development at True Digital