The Irish Tech News Podcast

When you have had a diverse career that takes you from chartered accountant to entrepreneur to author and now mentor and advisor to dynamic owner-managed businesses. What do you next? Well if you are Guy Rigby, you take part in the world’s toughest row, the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. A challenge that will take Guy more than 3000 Miles west from San Sebastian in La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain (28oN 18oW) to Nelson’s Dockyard, English Harbour, Antigua & Barbuda (17oN 61oW). Ronan talks to Guy about his background, his most notable achievements, the book he wrote on entrepreneurship, and people exiting businesses too soon. Guy also talks about startup entrepreneurs, the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge that he is taking part in, and the money he opens to raise. More about Guy: Guy Rigby is a chartered accountant and an entrepreneur, who built and sold his own accountancy firm. He has pursued other commercial interests, has been a director and part-owner of a number of different ventures, including businesses in the IT, property, defence, manufacturing, and retail sectors. He is now an adviser and mentor to many entrepreneurial businesses and their owners. To find out more about Guy’s Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge please click here.

Interesting and lively conversation with Dr Jacqui Taylor More about  Dr Jacqui Taylor One of the 20 most powerful UK entrepreneurs, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science in recognition of her international web science work on inclusion. One of the 250 Founders of Tech City, in 2016 she pivoted her company FlyingBinary to meet the challenge of Brexit and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) with spectacular results. She was recognised as one of the 100 Global Leaders in 2019, Top Ten Global IoT innovators, and is an independent industry analyst for IIoT. An Expert Advisor to the European Commission in a Fire-Starter role for the Future Digital Economy, with specific responsibilities for innovation and improving the health and well being outcomes for 450 million citizens. One of the UK’s most influential Women in Tech, most influential UK web scientist in 2020, 34 IoT Influencers on Twitter, 20 global entrepreneurs to watch, and a UK Smart City leader. Shortlisted for a Cyber Security industry award she was invited to speak in Davos on the future of the Cyber Security Industry. Globally recognised as the world’s first Smart City Tzar, and a strategic Advisor to the UK Government, Cities lead on Digital Built Britain, Principal UK Expert lead for BSI international team for Technology, Data, Smart Cities and AI. She is an Expert Adviser to the G20 members on the Future Digital Economies and an Expert Advisor to the United Nations for the UN 2030 plan. She founded the Empathy Economy to share the secrets of her global success plan with entrepreneurs via a unique membership offering. The Empathy Economy Online launches in 2021 now the UK has exited from the European Union. It will give entrepreneurs resources to meet the challenges of a post Isolation Economy and transition them to grow their companies in the IIoT  LinkedIn   : https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jacqui-taylor/ Twitter      : @jacquitaylorfb Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1332464865 Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/Jacqui.Online Clubhouse: @drjacqui

In this podcast Melanie Boylan spoke with James Temperton about his new book called The Future of Medicine.  Why did this book need to be written and what difference can it make to those that read it?  Listen in and learn about the advances mentioned in the book and hear James briefly touch on the lives impacted by them. James Temperton is the digital editor at WIRED UK. As well as leading the title's digital strategy, he also reports regularly on the gig economy and the scourge of online disinformation. James is host of WIRED's award-winning weekly podcast.

In this Podcast Melanie Boylan spoke to Elma Beganovich about using Influencer Marketing for your business. Elma and her sister have had tremendous success with their agency and made Influencer Marketing a "thing" even before Facebook was around. Grab her tips today and learn more about this to apply to your own strategy or speak to them at A&E Digital (https://www.amraandelma.com/) Ms. Elma Beganovich is a digital marketing authority who has been named by Forbes as "Epicenter of Influence" and credited by Yahoo News as the driving force behind her "digital empire - A&E." She is one of the top U.S. influencers with over 1M followers on social media. Ms. Beganovich is the COO and co-founder of A&E, digital agency, and she is in charge of building the company’s list of world renowned partners and clients, including EssilorLuxottica, Huawei, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, LVMH, Procter & Gamble and Uber . Her area of expertise includes PR , she is responsible for hundreds of top media news placements, such as Time, Washington Post, Inc., Wired, USA Today, and Fast Company, media buying has secured millions of eyeballs for industry leaders and Fortune 500 brands, and digital strategy, she devises and leads integrated marketing efforts for brands like Bvlgari. A&E is a digital agency founded by two mega influencers, Amra Beganovich & Elma Beganovich, with over 2.2 million social followers, that specializes in ad buying, influencer marketing, social media management, Google organic and paid search and creative services. A&E's client portfolio includes Fortune 500 brands and some of the world's most notable companies including Essilor Luxottica, Huawei, Johnson & Johnson , Nestle, LVMH, Procter & Gamble, and Uber . A&E has been credited by Yahoo News as having built a "digital marketing empire" by driving millions of eyeballs towards their customer's products. A&E ranks #1 on Google for some of the most competitive keywords in digital marketing, including "beauty influencers," "top gaming influencers," "top tech influencers in 2020," and more. A&E and its founders have been extensively profiled by some of the most prominent media, including NASDAQ, Bloomberg Television, Financial Times, Forbes and CNBC.

We catch up with  Bianca Nogrady, author of a new book published by Penguin Random House and Wired UK, that looks at the challenges and opportunities we are facing to deal with Climate Change. Climate Change: how we can get to carbon zero by Bianca Nogrady, published 25 March 2021 Man-made global warming is advancing inexorably. Are there ways to halt it? In this invaluable, one-stop guide Bianca Nogrady analyses the science of climate change and offers a concise overview of the ways in which our carbon emissions might be reduced. She examines the challenges posed by food and energy production and the cutting-edge technologies that could mitigate their polluting effects. She looks at initiatives to create green industry and transport. She explains the economics of emissions trading schemes and the practicalities of geoengineering plans to trap greenhouse gases. And she addresses the fundamental question: is it possible to safeguard our future before it's too late? Bianca Nogrady is an Australian freelance science journalist, author and broadcaster. In more than a decade of freelance reporting, her work has appeared in outlets including The Atlantic, Wired UK, The Guardian, Undark, MIT Technology Review, Nature, Scientific American, the ABC, and BBC. Her latest book Climate Change: How We Get To Carbon Zero, is published by Wired UK and Penguin Random House. She is also author of The End: The Human Experience Of Death, editor of the 2019 and 2015 Best Australian Science Writing anthologies, and co-author of The Sixth Wave: How To Succeed In A Resource-Limited World. My website is www.biancanogrady.com, Twitter is @biancanogrady

Jamil catches up with Jonny Fry to learn more about his passion for blockchain and what he is currently working on. Jonny Fry, co-founder and CEO of TeamBlockchain Ltd, is a Blockchain, Digital Assets and funds specialist. He founded, and was the CEO for over 20 years, of Premier Asset Management Plc, a mutual fund company which he floated on the London Stock Exchange. His recent focus has been on the dynamics of financial innovation, advising organisations on how Blockchain and Digital Assets are being used commercially. He works closely with a number of professional firms, such as accountants and lawyers, advising their clients on corporate strategy and adoption of Blockchain technology. Jonny gives 20+ hours of his time weekly to research and write, an analysis of some of the developments in the Blockchain and Digital Asset sectors. This analysis, called Digital Bytes is used globally by a variety of professional advisors, corporate brokers, accountants, lawyers, business schools, universities, trade bodies and corporations and forms the basis of the Digital Bytes show on Blockchain radio which is broadcasted to over 140 countries. He is Non-Executive Chairman of Gemini Investment Management Ltd, which owns a Dublin-based fund hosting platform, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. As Co-founder of The British Blockchain Frontier Technology Association (BBFTA). He is an advisor for several companies helping them with their strategic growth and managing corporate and reputational risk. About Jamil Hasan Jamil Hasan is a Generation X Author and experienced data intelligence technology builder with two decades of experience leading data-based teams at Fortune 100 companies, including AIG, Prudential Financial, and Ingersoll Rand. Jamil believes that skill and experience, not just age, is the most important factor required to build and lead corporate organizations. His unique story, as someone on the ground floor of the 2008 financial crisis and his role to help repay the $180 billion AIG bailout, enabled him to come face-to-face with many of the societal ills facing Generation X today and their causes. As the result of his experience, Jamil has developed a path forward for his fellow Gen Xers to restore his generation’s financial standing in society today and to rebuild the American Dream for Generation X.

In this podcast Melanie Boylan is speaking to Ireland Manager Vincent Kennedy about SITA, the air transport industry and the upcoming plans for the Letterkenny facility. Vincent Kennedy is a Director of Software Engineering at SITA, with a focus on product development for the SITA AT BORDERS portfolio. In addition to this, Vincent is also the Location Lead for SITA Letterkenny. Vincent joined SITA in 2003 as a Project Manager following the acquisition of Eland Technologies. Since then Vincent has served SITA in many different roles both in Ireland and in the UK. Originally from Co. Donegal, Vincent studied Mathematics at Ulster University before joining Eland Technologies as a graduate engineer. More recently Vincent completed an Executive MBS in Leadership and Innovation at the Letterkenny Institute of Technology.

We talk to Des Ryan Director of the Microsoft Ireland Specialist Teams Unit, to learn morn about cyber security risks, supporting your work force and clients, and how to keep innovating during a lockdown . Des is the Director for Microsoft’s Specialist and Technical Sales teams. In this role, he is responsible for driving new business opportunities and solution sales growth, providing leadership to the solution sales and technical sales teams enabling them to thrive and perform at their best. Des also works with customers and partners to understand their key challenges, empowering them to digitally transform and stay relevant within a rapidly changing technological landscape. Des joined Microsoft on returning to Ireland in 2018. He brings a wealth of international experience having spent twenty-five years working internationally with stints in USA, Singapore and Australia. During that time, he held senior executive roles in the partner community focused on Consulting, Managed Services and Solution Sales. He has also served at board level. Des has a technical heritage and so is comfortable in both technical and business forums. Des has a BSc in Information Systems from Limerick Institute of Technology and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Des Ryan, Solutions Director for Microsoft Ireland, said: about digital security ->  “Cyber hackers are opportunistic, skilled, and relentless. They have become adept at evolving their techniques to increase success rates, whether by experimenting with different phishing lures, adjusting the types of attacks they execute or finding new ways to hide their work. While our physical work locations may have changed, our responsibilities in protecting organisational data and complying to data regulations have not.  Now is the time to address this with an increased investment in cybersecurity, secure devices, tighter policies, increased support, and education for employees so they can play an important role in not only protecting themselves but also their organisations.”

Remote working has increased greatly because of the pandemic and what was once a pipe dream is now a reality. Ireland is taking a lead in this and Remote has recognised this in their 2021 Remote Influencer Report. The report lists the top 25 Remote Innovators with five Irish people on the list. Ronan talks to two of the Irish People on the list, Jonny Cosgrove CEO & Co-Founder The Meeting Room, and Rowena Hennigan founder of RoRemote and a lecturer at TU Dublin. Jonny and Rowena talk about the report, how the Irish have been leading the charge, why remote working is good for the environment, and how it’s now possible to start a business remotely that can compete on a global scale. They also talk about the different education initiatives coming out of Ireland, how the last year has been transformative, Ireland inc and how the pandemic has helped the Meeting Room. More aboutJonny and Rowena: Jonny Cosgrove is the founder of MeetingRoom, a tech company which through virtual reality (VR) technology, provides virtual meeting rooms in the cloud allowing global teams to meet and virtually gather around a table from anywhere, on any device. Rowena Hennigan is the founder of RoRemote and a Remote Work Skills Expert, with the unique experience of designing and delivering University accredited courses. She works remotely as an educator, speaker and consultant and recently published an eBook, Better Breaks: Gentle exercises to replenish and recharge your remote work day.  

Informative and interesting conversation with one of the modern day heroes of the internet Jimmy Wales, we cover Wikipedia and the challenges of monetising it, his ongoing passion for innovation and entrepreneurship, the value of being raised in Alabama, Werewolves and his thoughts on the future of media and society. Internet and technology entrepreneur Jimmy Wales, is founder of the online non-profit encyclopaedia Wikipedia and co-founder of the privately owned Wikia, Inc. including its entertainment media brand, Fandom powered by Wikia. Wales serves on the board of trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit charitable organisation he established to operate Wikipedia. In 2019, Jimmy launched WT Social - a news focused social network. In 2006 Jimmy was named in Time magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’ for his role in creating Wikipedia. Jimmy's photo used with permission from here https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Jimmy_Wales-4.jpg/4096px-Jimmy_Wales-4.jpg