The Irish Tech News Podcast

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.

More about Melanie 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.

Working remotely during a pandemic has brought challenges to businesses namely how can we do this securely and comply with GDPR. Ronan talks to Des Ryan director of Solutions at Microsoft about new research that Microsoft Ireland published yesterday. Des talks about this research which concentrated on remote working, digital security behaviours, and the concerns they now face. Des also talks about what we can do to ensure our remote working environment is more secure and the latest Microsoft digital defence report.

In this episode, we talk with James Ellsmoor the founder and driving force behind Island Innovation, which helps to support and inspire island communities globally to remain viable and sustainable. More about James Ellsmoor below, and check out the website https://islandinnovation.co/ James is the founder of Island Innovation, an organization that works with diverse rural and island communities around the world to develop solutions for sustainable development and prosperity. Island Innovation uses its global network to find innovative answers through modern technology and sharing good practice, building digital bridges between far-flung islands. James has a Master’s Degree in Island Studies from the University of the Highlands and Islands. He is also a co-founder of Solar Head of State (SHOS), which works with governments to push action on renewable energy. The NGO has focused on small island developing states (SIDS) with solar installations on the Office of the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Government House in Saint Lucia and the Presidential Palace of the Maldives. SHOS is now working with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States and the Pacific Island Development Forum to install solar on the official residences across these organizations’ combined 24 member states. Growing up on a farm in Shropshire, England, James now lives as a digital nomad, moving wherever his latest project takes him!

Pleasure to catch up with global Irish man Oisin Lunny. We cover a range of topics including his perspectives on the latest tech trends for events, the power of podcasts, and why music has helped to keep us sane during the lockdown. Oisin Lunny is an award-winning marketer, webinar and podcast host, MC, public speaker, virtual event consultant, UX business professor, and journalist. His work has been translated into Chinese and Arabic, and read over half a million times as a senior contributor to Forbes, music editor at PHOENIX Magazine, and via regular contributions to The Guardian, CX Magazine and many others. Oisin has hosted, moderated, and given keynote presentations at over 200 conferences in every corner of the world, including TEDx and SXSW, where he is a member of the advisory board. He is the host of the Siemens Advanta podcast and the Audio Talks podcast by HARMAN and has worked in a series of leading global technology firms over the past 20 years as Global Product Manager, Country Manager, VP of Technology, Senior Market Development Manager, and Chief Evangelist.