The Irish Tech News Podcast

Interesting conversation with Nicole Cox, who has been working to help promote awareness and support for Irish bees as part of her work at Siemens Ireland. Nicole also shared more information about how to find out more about bees and what can be done to help them. Here are the links for DC for Bees and the National BioDiversity Data Centre which have been particularly helpful. https://www.hostinireland.com/dc-s-for-bees https://pollinators.ie/resources/ To clarify two points – It is the red-tailed bumblebee which I am particularly fond of (I said red-bottomed by accident). Also rather than 10% of solitary bees, the number likely to use bee hotels/nest boxes is actually approximated to be 10 of the 77 native solitary bee species. As for Nature on our Doorsteps, copies were still available for sale at the Tallaght Library as of September and I’ve personally found it to be highly informative. https://www.echo.ie/show/article/nature-on-our-doorsteps-book-launch Nicole Cox is a volunteer beekeeper and DC (Data Centre) for Bees Ambassador on behalf of Siemens Ltd., Dublin. A smart meter data management consultant with Siemens Advanta since 2014, she has joined the Siemens Ltd. Sustainability group after moving to Dublin in June 2020. Sustainability is one of the key pillars of the overall Zero Harm Culture at Siemens Ltd. which seeks to grow initiatives such as personal wellbeing, health and safety, thinking green, and giving back to the community. As a partner with Host in Ireland, the overall goal of DC for Bees and Siemens’ Sustainability group is to raise awareness of the importance of Irish pollinators and encourage changes to support the local ecosystem on a corporate and individual level. More about DCs for Bees Why Are We Doing This? As well as helping fight one of the greatest threats not only to bees but to the entire planet there are numerous benefits to coming together as an industry for this initiative: Snowball effect: Act as an exemplar for other industries to follow suit and make a real difference ​Community with a common purpose: Bring an industry together in a way that has never been done before Awareness: Reach a far wider audience than the Native Woodland Trust or the National Biodiversity Data Centre could do alone ​​Meaningful Action: Help businesses to create and supplement a meaningful CSR programme Go global: This programme can act as a blueprint for our members' businesses to make an even bigger impact within their global offices Do the right thing right: People in the industry want to make a difference but it's not always clear how to go about it in a way that doesn't create unintended consequences. By working with the Native Woodland Trust and the National Biodiversity Data Centre we can do our very best to ensure the actions we take are the right ones and as impactful as possible.”

Latest interesting interview by Melanie Boylan with Katie Doyle, founder of Mentor Her. Mentor Her is all about women connecting with women. We believe that when we support each other, and elevate each other's profile, we can lift ourselves up in the world. ​Whether you're looking to join our Mentor Her programme, our Membership programme's limited availability from Oct-Dec 2020, or you're seeking to collaborate with us on our corporate programme- these are the women who you should work with. The women involved in our programme are ambitious, helpful, kind and motivated. The companies that are dedicated to our corporate mission are self-aware, committed to improving their internal representation and dedicated to mentoring Her. ​Mentor Her is a Covid-19 business, that originated when Katie Doyle (CEO, Founder) realized that she wanted to do two things: have a Mentee, and also be mentored. And so the business was born! https://www.mentorher.ie/ More about Melanie twitter.com/STOMPSMTraining Over the years I have worked with SME, FMCG and State Bodies I'm delighted to say I now support and train all sizes of business and my business has grown with my clients. I provide Adult Education and support for people in Business. With my many years of experience in promoting services and charities in Ireland and the UK; I have been very fortunate to establish a strong network of contacts and over the years have learnt how best to promote a business online and improve their social media scoring. Creating a professional image and maintaining it is the crux of a great marketing plan and is instrumental in today’s climate in making your business stand out, I can tailor my services to your requirements. Over the last few years I have started working in other areas I have a genuine passion in. I have been avid writer for a number years and started working as a Freelance Writer with Irish Tech News since 2016 and StartUp Mindset since October 2019.

Ronan last spoke to Kamil Kus the founder of CK Design two years ago and he is back talking about an exciting new product that is built for the COVID-19 world we are living in. Kamil has launched irishdirectory.ie a new online platform that allows you to boost your website ranking, post jobs, post promotions and start blogging. Kamil talks about how Irishdirectory.ie started, what it does, how it will help businesses in the present COVID-19 world sell online and what future updates will bring.

We catch up with Spiros Margaris for the latest insights into AI, fintech and much more. See more about him on his website here https://www.margarisventures.com/spirosmargaris Venture capitalist, futurist, keynote speaker and senior advisor (some of the advisory mandates: wefox Group, SparkLabs Global, mediastalker, Yield Growth, and F10 Accelerator), is the founder of Margaris Ventures, and is the first international influencer to achieve ‘The Triple Crown’ ranking. He was ranked the international № 1 FinTech, Blockchain, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) influencer by Onalytica. He regularly appears in the top three positions of established global industry influencer rankings. He is a keynote speaker at international FinTech, and InsurTech conferences. He also gave a TEDxAcademy Talk. He published an AI white paper, “Machine learning in financial services: Changing the rules of the game,” for the enterprise software vendor SAP. First non-IBM Keynote Speaker at the biggest IBM event in Europe (10/2019) “2019 IBM Systems Technical University”. MBA Toronto University & EMBA Universität St. Gallen (HSG), Switzerland. ​ Sotheby’s ‘Styles In Art’ Course, London. Investment committee member of one of the leading multi-family office fund advisory firms in Switzerland and Europe. Its 10-year return placed the firm within the top 5 percent among its peers. Been chosen as an Author for @TheFINTECHBook (Wiley will be the global publisher of The FINTECH Book available from January 2016) to write about the Future of FinTech. Placed 2nd in the equities division of Financial Trader magazine’s trading competition. Co-founder of an innovative financial technology company based in New York that develops software to bring measurable accountability to investment advice at financial institutions through an objective, proprietary tracking and rating system. Founder of one of the first innovative expert websites based in New York. Unlike traditional search engines and search sites, it provided an efficient mechanism, with a valuable human element, for users to find answers to their questions.

In this podcast Melanie Boylan interviews Lorna Martyn, SVP, Head of Technology, Fidelity Investments Lorna Martyn is a global technology leader with diverse experience in financial services, consulting and telecommunications, spanning almost 30 years. As Head of Technology for Fidelity Ireland, Lorna leads over 900 technologists who develop superior quality innovative technology solutions for the Fidelity business. In her 15-year career to date at Fidelity, she has held a number of leadership roles both in Ireland and the US. Beginning her Fidelity career as a senior project manager in 2004, Lorna is now a member of Fidelity’s global technology leadership team driving technology strategy. Lorna is incoming Chairperson for Technology Ireland in 2021 and sits on the Board of the Irish American Partnership and is actively involved in developing the technology ecosystem in Ireland. As a recognized advocate for inclusion and diversity, and most particularly, greater female representation in technology, Lorna has led the development and delivery of a multi-faceted program which is focused on affecting sustainable change for women in STEM within Fidelity, local communities and industry. The program received the inaugural Women in Technology Award from Technology Ireland in 2018. Lorna’s work as a technology leader and as an advocate for women in STEM has contributed to her being recognised at industry level; • Women Mean Business: Woman in Technology Award 2019 • Silicon Republic: Invent 100 List 2018 • ITAG: Digital Woman of the Year Award 2016 Lorna holds a honours B.Sc. degree in Computer Systems from the University of Limerick, a honours masters (MBS in management information systems) from UCD’s Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business, and leadership qualifications from Simmons school of management and The Center for Creative Leadership. For more information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fidelitylornamartyn/

We catch up with Nick Ayton to learn more about Quantum Computing. See more about Nick and his work here https://www.nickayton.com/ Nick studied Computer Science in the 1970’s and has seen many technologies come and go… He has been involved in more than a dozen tech start ups and has run some very large technology services businesses that deliver operating model transformation and business improvement… In a career spanning 40+ years, he can be found at the forefront of technology and considered a Crypto and Blockchain pioneer and ‘Thought Leader’ having architected and built many decentralised business models since 2013. More recently he has been working with AI, Edge Computing, VR and new Nano Technologies and is very close to the latest commercial advancements in Quantum Computing. Nick has been working with boards, family offices and government to help understand and deploy new tech to defend against cyber attacks, eliminate counterfeit, ensure supply chain provenance and create competitive advantages. Nick is working in Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Nano Materials, Atomic Keys and more recently securing products, devices, networks and infrastructure to make them Quantum Safe. “Classical Computing has reach its physical limit as quantum mechanics moves everything to the atomic level, harnessing the brute force power of Quantum Computing many millions of times more powerful than todays technologies”… Nick Ayton Deep Tech Advisor

One of the most popular ways for students to get a job is to do an internship but how do you match up the right student for the right internship and how do you this during a pandemic? Well a new venture between Accounting Pro and LIT (Limerick Institute of Technology), Outsourcing Pro aims to solve this. Ronan talks about this with Kevin Deasy the founder of Accounting Pro, Marie Mitchell a lecturer at LIT and Laura Forrestal Marketing Manager Accounting Pro who was an intern from LIT.

We chat with Susan McPherson about her Angel investing strategies with female founders to help support their businesses and the planet too. SUSAN MCPHERSON is a serial connector, angel investor, and corporate responsibility expert. She is the founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies, a communications consultancy focused on the intersection of brands and social impact, providing storytelling, partnership creation and visibility to corporations, NGOs and social enterprises. She is the author of The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Relationships. Susan has 25+ years of experience in marketing, public relations, and sustainability communications, speaking regularly at industry events including Inspirefest/Dublin, BSR, Center for Corporate Citizenship's Annual Summit, DLD and Techonomy., and contributing to the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Forbes. She has appeared on NPR, CNN, USA Today, The New Yorker, New York Magazine and the Los Angeles Times. Currently, Susan invests in, and advises women-led technology start-ups, including iFundWomen, Inc., Messy.fm, Our Place, The Riveter, Park Place Payments, Hint Water, Apolitical, Arlo Skye, Giapenta and The Muse. She serves on the boards of USA for UNHCR, The 19th News, and the Lower Eastside Girls Club, and previously served on the board of Bpeace. Additionally, she is a member of the MIT Solve Women and Technology Leadership Group and serves as an adviser to several nonprofits, including Girls Who Code, Ocean Collective, She’s The First, and The OpEd Project. Susan is a Vital Voices global corporate ambassador and has received numerous accolades for her voice on social media platforms from Fortune Magazine, Fast Company and Elle Magazine. She resides in Brooklyn. We are McPherson Strategies, a communications consultancy founded by serial connector and sustainability expert Susan McPherson. McPherson Strategies develops, amplifies and communicates social responsibility and philanthropic initiatives. We help companies, nonprofits, foundations and social entrepreneurs influence stakeholders and reach influencers. We do it because we believe business is a force for good -- and that sustainability is good for business.

Liberty IT is the software house for Fortune 100’s global insurance company, Liberty Mutual Insurance. So how have they managed with remote working, with hiring new staff and their work with charities in Belfast and Dublin during a pandemic? Ronan talks to Andy O’Sullivan, a Solutions Engineer based in their Dublin office and Cathy Donnelly, a Senior Director of Talent in their Belfast office about this and more.

Inspiring conversation with Hazel Henderson, who has been at the forefront of many important trends to help nudge our planet into a better and smarter way of living. Hazel Henderson is the founder of Ethical Markets Media, LLC and the creator of the Green Transition Scoreboard® and executive Producer of its TV series. She is a world-renowned futurist, evolutionary economist, a worldwide syndicated columnist, consultant on sustainable development, and author of The Axiom and Nautilus award-winning book Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy (2006) and eight other books. She co-edited, with Harlan Cleveland and Inge Kaul, The UN: Policy and Financing Alternatives, Elsevier Scientific, UK 1995 (US edition, 1996), and co-authored with Japanese Buddhist leader Daisaku Ikeda, Planetary Citizenship (2004). Her editorials appear in 27 languages and in 200 newspapers syndicated by InterPress Service, Rome, New York, and Washington, DC, and her book reviews appear at www.ethicalmarkets.com (Books and Reviews). Her articles have appeared in over 250 journals. Her books are translated into German, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, Swedish, Korean, Portuguese, and Chinese. She sits on several editorial boards, including The State of the Future Report, and E/The Environmental Magazine (USA), Resurgence and Foresight and Futures (UK). Since founding Ethical Markets Media Certified B Corporation in 2004, Hazel stepped down from her many previous board memberships, including Worldwatch Institute (1975-2001), Calvert Social Investment Fund (1982-2005), and other associations, including the Social Investment Forum and the Social Venture Network. She remains on the International Council of the Instituto Ethos de Empresas e Responsabilidade Social, Sao Paulo, Brasil; the Program Council of FORUM 2000, Prague, Czechoslovakia, founded by their late President Vaclav Havel. She is a Fellow of the World Academy of Art & Science and World Business Academy. She created the Ethical Markets initiative on Transforming Finance and the EthicMark® Award for Communications Uplifting the Human Spirit and Society. www.ethicmark.org. And the global standard EthicMark® GEMS certifying only gems not mined from Mother Earth. www.ethicmarkgems.com In addition, she has been Regent’s Lecturer at the University of California-Santa Barbara, held the Horace Albright Chair in Conservation at the theUniversityofCalifornia-Berkeley, and advised the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Science Foundation from 1974 to 1980. She holds Honorary Doctor of Science degrees from the University of San Francisco; Soka University (Tokyo); Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts (USA); and Wilson College, Pennsylvania (USA). She is an active member of the National Press Club (WashingtonDC), advisor to the World Future Society (USA), She serves as an Honorary Judge for the KATERVA Global Awards for Sustainability. Henderson has many awards and is listed in Who’s WhoUSA, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in Business and Finance and Who’s Who in Science and Technology. She is an Honorary Member of the Club of Rome. She shared the 1996 Global Citizen Award with Nobelist A. Perez Esquivel of Argentina. In 2007, she was elected a Fellow of Britain’s Royal Society of Arts, founded in 1754. In 2010 and 2012 she was honored as one of the “Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior ” by Trust Across America; the Good Business New York™ Leading Women of 2012; and for her lifetime achievement, the Award for Natural Law and Order from the Maharishi University School of Management and the Reuters Award for Outstanding Contribution to Development of ESG & Investing at TBLI Europe. Her personal site is www.hazelhenderson.com and her recent articles can be found at www.ethicalmarkts.com.