Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed

Design: it’s a fundamental way for companies to understand their end users’ needs. Jyothish Nair understands this better than anyone. A VP and associate partner at McKinsey, Jyo has been helping clients create optimal physical, digital and spatial experiences for over two decades.Sitting down with Lloyd and Mana Search Co-Founder Mimi Nguyen, Jyo tells us about his journey with McKinsey, whether it’s better to have four specialists or four jacks-of-all-trades, and why designers need to turn in work quickly while developing other skills. Plus, he digs into ethnography’s significance in crafting effective user experiences and shares how the Big Four consultancies are still succeeding without working on-site.Check out Jyo’s graphic novel project hereMana Search on TwitterMana Search on LinkedInEpisode Highlights:07:13: How companies can use design to understand customers’ needs15:13: Why Monzo succeeded and Pingit didn’t20:00: Are small teams inherently better for fostering disruption?25:00: Why designers need to strike a balance between iteration and other skills33:20: Repercussions of scale: how designers can take on an adoption mindset41:16: Ethnography and its importance in the design process48:40: How design can help alleviate fears around COVID-1954:45: How the Big Four are adjusting to remote working

On a special edition of Searching for Mana, Lloyd chats with Nicky Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Cotes. After serving for over a decade in Parliament – a term that included cabinet positions as Education Secretary, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture Media and Sport, and more – Nicky earned peerage in January 2020.In a wide-ranging chat that touches on politics, education and leadership, Lloyd and Nicky talk about achieving optimal performance, the frustrations of being and MP and the ways in which young people are still limited in their career options. Plus, Nicky tells us about the two types of people you meet in politics and divulges the “mana” of such notable leaders as David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn.Mana Search on TwitterMana Search on LinkedInNicky on TwitterNicky on LinkedInThe books Nicky mentioned on the show:The Age of Surveillance CapitalismTaught Not Caught  Episode Highlights:05:00: Why politics is a 24/7/365 job.15:00: Nicky describes the superpowers of colleagues such as David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn.23:40: The problem with careers – why too much still depends on who you know.36:45: What’s the answer to massive student debt?44:19: Why students need better career counselling prior to university.54:30: What are Nicky’s three main career drivers?01:00:00: The promise of UK FinTech.

This week, Binance UK Director Teana Baker-Taylor joins Lloyd for an enlightening chat about career progression, crypto and so much more! A financial veteran with over 20 years’ experience at companies like HSBC, Global Digital Finance and Coinfloor, Teana offers incredible insight into both blockchain and financial services in general.Touching on everything from the importance of community building to tokenisation’s potential for financial inclusion, Teana and Lloyd talk everything crypto has to offer. Then they dig into Teana’s career to provide crucial advice: how to forge your own career path, how to take feedback effectively, how to find the right mentor and other valuable lessons!Episode Highlights:06:10: Teana walks us through her experience with big banks.10:50: How Binance offers a customer-centric approach to blockchain.16:40: Why crypto companies need to deliver on the promise of tokenisation.24:55: Teana shares her vision of the future of crypto.32:10: How Binance contributes to the growth of the crypto asset community.39:50: Why it’s crucial to bring your authentic self to work.44:10: Teana’s tips for finding the right mentor.

On this episode, Lloyd sits down with Joseph George, Managing Director and Partner at Dufrain. In his work with both Dufrain and Deloitte, Joseph has worked with major financial institutions such as Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, JPMorgan and more. Earlier this year, DataIQ named him one of the UK’s most influential people in data and analytics.In a wide ranging discussion, Lloyd and Joseph talk about the role education plays in career advancement, why mechanical engineering is a great specialty for future managers, and why FinTech companies are so exciting right now. Plus, Joseph shares his best advice for young professionals and tells us why the consultancies of the future will need to prioritise culture.If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a review! And don’t forget to follow us on social media:Mana Search on TwitterMana Search on LinkedInJoseph George on LinkedIn Episode Highlights:[08:11] Joseph outlines how his cultural background instilled the importance of education from an early age.[18:38] How mechanical engineering preps professionals for management roles.[26:30] Why Joseph came to study in the UK rather than the US.[33:30] The best advice Joseph ever got in university.[44:10] Why experience is more important than education in the UK.[54:25] How the significance of data caused Joseph to jump from Deloitte to Dufrain.[01:02:15] Why culture is the future for financial consultancies.[01:14:50] How the financial services industry embraced data, and why SMEs are just catching up.[01:25:25] Why FinTech companies are so exciting for Joseph right now.[01:28:30] Joseph’s tips for young professionals.

This week, Lloyd chats with Dr Karen Elliott, a Senior Lecturer in Enterprise/Innovation at Newcastle University. Karen was voted one of Innovate Finance’s #Standout 35 Women in FinTech, and in 2018, she and her colleagues earned a £1.2-million grant to help Atom Bank elevate its FinTech services. In this interview, Lloyd and Karen discuss the future of work, why a strong sense of purpose is the best incentive in the FinTech space, and the unexpected challenges facing emotionally intelligent bots. Plus: how can we stop the next Wirecard before it happens, breaking down the divide between academia and business, and so much more.If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a review! And don’t forget to follow Mana Search on Twitter and LinkedIn.To learn more about the study Lloyd discusses at 21:45, click here: https://hbr.org/2011/05/the-power-of-small-winsShow Notes:[02:10] Karen walks us through her experience and credentials.[13:40] Explaining the theory of trust.[23:40] Why working collectively makes leaders better.[31:25] AI’s blackbox issue: if complex machine learning systems can’t be explained, how do we get consumers to trust them?[35:45] Why consumers don’t always want emotionally intelligent bots.[53:32] Karen tells us why we don’t see more collaboration between academia and business.[01:05:16] Which courses can help students get ahead in FinTech?

[03:45]: Charlie explains the importance of anti-money laundering efforts and why it’s ‘the hardest problem within FinTech’.[16:20] After raising $40 million for a company he founded in his room, what challenges does Charlie continue to face?[30:50] Charlie explains how his approach to company culture has changed over the course of the past year.[39:35] How Charlie went from picking fruit to earning £400,000 in his first term at university.[53:20] ‘Do I love it enough to actually work there full time?’ The questions Charlie asks when he considers investing in a company.

Freddy Kelly is the CEO and co-founder of Credit Kudos, a challenger credit bureau that uses financial behaviour to measure creditworthiness. Credit Kudos aggregates and interprets transaction data for use by lenders, brokers, and financial institutions: going beyond traditional scoring to provide a comprehensive view of a borrower’s creditworthiness. Freddy started his career in Silicon Valley, with a background in Software Engineering, studying Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. Since co-founding Credit Kudos, Freddy has been the driving force behind its core accomplishments; achieving full FCA authorisation as the first of its kind Credit Reference Agency, and most recently winning ‘Best New Innovation in Consumer Lending’ by FDATA Global 2018, and ‘Innovation of the Year’ at the Consumer Credit Awards 2018. Credit Kudos is the first challenger credit bureau which uses open banking to replace traditional, narrow methods of credit assessment and make credit fair, and accessible to all. Credit Kudos has become the chosen partner for credit intermediaries including ClearScore, CarFinance 247, and Mojo Mortgages, allowing customers to use their bank data to secure better offers across unsecured loans, car finance and mortgages.

4:10 how was iwoca in 2014 at Series A and the power of people behind creating products and innovations (guest Mimi Nguyen)7:21 iwoca in 2020 funding last year over 1 billion. Culture being a big part of iwoca9:45 Mission of SME lending and what is iwocaPay?22:45 How is technology supporting the underwriting process?   The balance between machines and humans in the decision process.24:50 How did COVID-19 affected iwoca and it’s clients?30:00 Fintech 2.032:32 Lara’s background and what brought her to fintech39:15 Lara’s mana - what has shaped her career48:27 What makes a good researcher?

Joe is Head of the UK Banks and Digital Channels business at BlackRock - The World's Largest Asset Manager. He is responsible for delivering BlackRock’s full suite of investment products, bespoke client solutions and propriety technology capabilities to some of the firm’s largest clients, including UK & Global Private Banks, UK Retail and Challenger Banks and Digital Channels (Robo Advisors & brokerage Platforms).

[00:05:00] Fiona talks us through her work overseeing one of the worlds largest strategic alliances between the Volkswagen Group and the Ford Motor Company[00:18:30] We learn more on Addleshaw Goddard and how the practice breaks down[00:27:45] Fiona and Lloyd talk about the opportunities still to be uncovered in the Middle Eastern Tech market[00:34:00] Lloyd begins to dig into Fiona’s biography - when did she first want to be a lawyer? Her experiences at Oxford and beyond![00:55:00] Covid and how regulation will take even more of an important role57m - What lessons does Fiona try to enstill on her children?