The Irish Tech News Podcast

Lindsay Aamodt, head of marketing of Upland, was previously a ice skater. Representing one’s country at the highest level requires determination, skill and dedication. Lindsay had all three attributes in abundance when as a young girl she followed her heart into ice skating. She takes these attributes into her professional life. In conversation with Jillian Godsil

AI has come along way in recent years and is now becoming more and more part of our daily lives. One question people have been asking is about AI ethics and should we trust it? Ronan talks to Dr. Luca Marchesotti AI Architect & Founder of Gemmo AI, who believes in tech for good and the responsible and ethical use of AI. Dr Marchesotti talks about his background, how Gemmo AI started , What Gemma AI does, the cloud, noisy events, voice recognition and more More about  Dr. Luca Marchesotti and Gemmo AI: Dr. Luca Marchesotti is the founder and CEO of Gemmo AI, a Dublin-based machine-learning company. As a former senior scientist at Xerox, Luca has a reputation for early breakthroughs in Image Aesthetics and has long been an advocate for technical transformation. Through Gemmo AI, Luca continues to champion this cause. Gemmo AI strives to be the preferred AI partner for innovative companies seeking action-driven automation. The company's leadership team has successfully overseen numerous R&D projects for Fortune 500 companies, resulting in groundbreaking products and services that have transformed entire industries. Operating across multiple industries Gemmo AI deploys machine learning models to enable companies to turn their products into smart solutions, particularly within industry 4.0, sustainable food production, and smart environmental monitoring sectors. 

Instead of pursuing growth at all cost, the current economic climate has forced fintechs to go back to the drawing board and focus on the fundamentals of building a more sustainable business. From diversifying product offerings to finding ways to lower the cost of customer acquisition and better monetize existing customer base, fintechs need to recalibrate and build a team that is fit for purpose for the next stage of growth. In this episode of One Vision, Theo and Arun chat with industry veteran, Jeff Tijssen, Expert Partner and Global Head of FinTech at Bain & Company, on the role that fintechs play and why he is bullish about the future. From closing the gap for the unbanked and underbanked, to optimizing efficiencies in banking, there is still plenty of work that fintechs can do to challenge the status quo. While the current generation of neobanks might not have significantly disrupted the financial services landscape yet — the pace of change has quickened in recent years, and will continue for years to come. Transformation is a journey. For Jeff, there has never been a more exciting time to work in financial services. 

Since late last year Insurance providers in the Republic of Ireland have been able to take advantage of some of the latest data innovations of LexisNexis Risk Solutions who have started offering there services here. This helps to ensure that consumers are being priced accurately, fairly and to protect them from fraud risks like ghost broking as the cost of living rises and fraud climbs Ronan talks to Shane McCabe, insurance strategic account manager for LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Shane talks about his background, his role with LexisNexis Risk Solutions in Ireland, the problem of ghost broking and more. More about Shane McCabe: Shane McCabe, is the insurance strategic account manager for LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Shane joined LexisNexis Risk Solutions in July 2022 to lead the company’s client engagement efforts in the Irish insurance market. He brings over 18 years’ experience driving insurance sales, retention, and relationship management across corporate clients and brokers. Shane’s focus is on delivering innovative and proven data enrichment solutions to the insurance market in the Republic of Ireland, to support identity verification, fraud detection, and precise pricing based on a fuller understanding of motor insurance risk.

Chief Futurist for one of the largest consulting practices on the planet, Kasey Lobaugh joins the futurists this week to talk about the building blocks for the worlds of tomorrow. While at Deloitte, Kasey has spearheaded research into the next level of disruptive innovations and technologies that are reshaping business. When talking AI Kasey maintains that this is unlike any other innovation wave we’ve ever faced and that large scale technounemployment is a real possibility. Brett King is a world-renowned entrepreneur, futurist, speaker, international bestselling author, and media personality. China’s President Xi Jinping cited his book Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane on the topic of Artificial Intelligence in his 2018 national address; the same book that was listed as a Top 10 non-fiction book in North America. In 2019 his book Bank 4.0 was awarded the Top Book by a Foreign Author in Russia for that year. Robert Tercek is an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and educator focused on the process of dematerialization and innovation. In his professional capacity, Mr. Tercek is a seasoned business executive with deep expertise in digital media and internet services. He is a prolific creator of interactive programs and products. He has designed and launched successful consumer experiences on every digital platform, including digital television, game consoles, broadband Internet, and mobile networks. In 2021, Mr. Tercek was recognized as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Media Excellence Awards for his leadership in designing and launching COVID SMART™, an interactive training program designed to keep workers safe on the job during the pandemic.

One of the biggest predicted trends on the tech industry horizon will be the solidification and maturation of hybrid working. What were initially ‘band-aid’ hybrid working technologies now need to be solidified and made to work for the long term. Hand-in-hand with this will be data risk management, securing user identities, and extending compliance to cater for the hybrid environment. Ronan talks to Paul Conaty, Principal Consultant at mobile and cloud security specialist CWSI. Paul talks about his background, Microsoft, securing developers environments, the biggest tech trend in 2023 and more. More about CWSI: CWSI are one of Europe’s most experienced mobile and cloud security specialists, providing flexibility, security and productivity solutions to the private and public sectors in the UK and Europe. Our purpose is to help organisations thrive, and stay secure, in a mobile world.   CWSI was founded in Ireland in 2010 by Conor Headon, Philip Harrison and Ronan Murphy. The idea for the business was sparked by the launch of the very first iPad and the realisation that few IT teams had the knowledge or skills to get the best from these devices in an enterprise environment. CWSI originally partnered with MobileIron, one of the first solutions on the market to leverage Apple’s device management APIs to enable enterprise users to maximise the benefits of the smartphone while giving IT teams visibility, control and management of the device. From this simple initial idea, and a single desk in the corner of the living room, the business has expanded to provide a full suite of enterprise mobility, security and productivity solutions to some of Ireland and the UK’s leading organisations and supported by some of the industries most talented technologists.

Thessy Mehrain, co founder of Liquality.ie, talks about raising $7 million in 2021 and how being a female founder influences her work - most notably in creating a workspace that is rich in diversity. She is also founder of Women of Blockchain in NYC which boasts 3500 members

As we have witnessed again and again, compliance cannot be a check-the-box program. In this episode of One Vision, Arun and Theo chat with Jas Randhawa and Jim Prevot — Founders of StrategyBRIX — on AML & KYC Verification, and how things have evolved from traditional finance to digital assets. What does the future hold for AML and identity in the Metaverse? How do fintechs navigate a rapidly changing regulatory environment and how can we strike a balance between control versus privacy?

The recent 10th World Ocean Summit, a leading annual global event on the marine economy took place in Lisbon, focusing on the theme, "inspiring ocean solutions".  I was lucky enough to interview two of the speakers at this years World Ocean Summit and in my second interview I talk to Allan Cannon, CEO of Krucial. Allan talks about his background, what Krucial does, the new space race, helping clients understand their data and more.  More about Allan Cannon: Allan Cannon is co-founder and chief executive officer of space technology scale-up Krucial, where he is responsible for business growth and strategy. With a background in complex technology, business development and spacecraft mission design, his mission is to make digital transformation easier for all, anywhere on Earth. Allan is a keen advocate for the next generation of entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists and leaders. He sits on the board of CodeClan, a digital bootcamp accelerator, and is an active member of the Scottish tech ecosystem.

Discussing Digital Finance policies (in the immediate aftermath of the Silicon Valley Bank shutdown) and the Digital Euro, with Dea Markova. Her global experience and her focus on political risk intelligence in digital assets, web3.0, is unique. She provides us with great clarity around the ECB and European Commission`s thinking around the Digital Euro. Dea works in policy and digital finance across Europe and Southeast Asia. She currently heads the Digital Assets and Finance team at Forefront Advisers, an EU and UK political intelligence and analysis firm. Prior, she led advocacy campaigns on the EU crypto-asset regulation from Brussels. Dea returned to Europe having worked for several years at the Monetary Authority of Singapore on FinTech and shared digital infrastructure. Dea began her career with ten years in London. She was Head of Programmes for Innovate Finance, the UK FinTech trade association. Dea holds MSc in Financial Regulation from the London School of Economics and speaks Spanish, Russian, and Bulgarian. Dea Markova MD of ForefrontAdvisers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dea-markova-00709917/ Dr. Efi Pylarinou is the No.1 Global Woman Influencer in Finance & the Data conversation by Refinitiv, a Top Thought Leader by Onalytica, and a Top Digital Futurist, Linkedin and Twitter Voice, by Engatica. A seasoned Wall Street professional & a recognized technology thought leader on innovation topics. Founder of Efi Pylarinou Advisory servicing Big Tech, Financial Services and Fintech clients. She strongly believes in building bridges between the old and the new economy. She shares her passion of content creation with her 190,000+ followers on Linkedin and 18,000+ on Twitter.  Join her on the social platforms https://linktr.ee/Efiglobal