Digital: Disrupted

Paul is joined by Ismail Amla for a conversation around banking, financial services and the need to reach the unbanked population. Traditional banking models are being challenged and Ismail argues that will lead to better access to financial services for many. The two also discuss the impact legislation has on innovation. Ismail Amla is the Executive Vice President, Professional Services, for NCR Corporation, an enterprise provider of software, hardware and services for banks, retailers, restaurants and more. Ismail has had a high-profile, technology-focused career spanning Europe and North America. Prior to joining the NCR Corporation, Ismail was the Chief Growth Officer at Capita. He joined Capita from IBM, where he was managing partner for the IBM Services business in North America.  Ismail is the co-author of the book, “From Incremental to Exponential: How Large Companies Can See the Future and Rethink Innovation.” Follow him on Twitter and be sure to follow Paul and Rocket Software.  

Paul is joined by Francisco Webber for a conversation around high-efficiency artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language understanding (NLU). Paul and Francisco dive into the concept of Semantic Folding and the idea of Green Software – a new trend for a better planet. Francisco Webber is co-founder and CEO of Cortical.io, and inventor of Semantic Folding, the company’s patented approach to NLU. Cortical.io provides intelligent document processing solutions that enable large enterprises to automate the extraction, analysis and classification of key information from unstructured text and complex business documents. He has explored search engine technologies and documentation systems in various contexts but became frustrated with the limitations to current methods. For an explainer video on Semantic Folding, click here. Follow him on LinkedIn and be sure to follow Paul and Rocket Software.  

Paul is joined by Sharra Owens-Schwartz for an important episode about the need for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Sharra and Paul dive into how companies can rethink each stage of their hiring process, culture, work/life balance and more to support a workforce with diverse backgrounds. Sharra Owens-Schwartz has committed her personal and professional life to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She currently achieves this in her role as Rocket Software’s inclusion, diversity and equity senior director, also called the RIDE initiative. Sharra has a background in communications and policy in the public, private and non-profit sectors. She earned a B.A. from Bethune-Cookman University and an M.B.A. from The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. Follow her on LinkedIn and be sure to follow Paul and Rocket Software.  

Paul is joined by Peter High for part two of his two-partepisode. Paul and Peter dive into the importance of processes within an organization to empower IT employees. Peter also explains the importance of strong ecosystems and what exactly that means in today’s business landscape. If you haven’t, check out part one of this episode. High is a strategist, lecturer, and author of three books: Getting to Nimble: How to Transform Your Company into a Digital Leader, Implementing World Class IT Strategy and World Class IT: Why Businesses Succeed When IT Triumphs. Peter hosts the "Technovation with Peter High" podcast, in which he interviews CEOs, CIOs, other executives and academics about ideas centered around the principles of World Class IT. Connect with him on Twitter and be sure to follow Paul and Rocket Software.  

In this episode, Paul is joined by Peter High for part one of a two-part episode. Paul and Peter discuss the importance of companies taking risks and remaining nimble in order to keep their competitive advantage. Peter High is a strategist, lecturer, and author of three books: Getting to Nimble: How to Transform Your Company into a Digital Leader, Implementing World Class IT Strategy and World Class IT: Why Businesses Succeed When IT Triumphs. Peter hosts the "Technovation with Peter High" podcast, in which he interviews CEOs, CIOs, other executives and academics about ideas centered around the principles of World Class IT. Connect with him on Twitter and be sure to follow Paul and Rocket Software.  

In this episode, Paul and Patricia Thaine discuss the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI) and dive into the world’s first concrete proposal for regulating AI with the goal of uncovering ethically acceptable uses of AI and how will organizations use it going forward. Patricia Thaine is a Computer Science PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto researching privacy-preserving natural language processing. She is the co-founder and CEO of Private AI, a company providing cutting edge Machine Learning models that find, redact, and protect Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from unstructured datasets. Connect with her on Twitter and be sure to follow Paul and Rocket Software.  

In this episode, Paul and Charlene Li discuss what failure really means and the importance of positive disruption. The best leaders know that when a project goes awry, it’s critical not to play the blame game. So how should leaders approach perceived failure and turn it into a win? Charlene Li is the founder of Altimeter Group and is the author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller, Open Leadership and is the co-author of the critically acclaimed book, Groundswell. Connect with her on Twitter and be sure to follow Paul and Rocket Software.  

In this special bonus episode, go behind the scenes from our previous episode with crypto journalist Laura Shin. Paul and Laura discuss the possibilities for the future of cryptocurrency as well as some of its benefits and drawbacks. Laura is the host of the podcast Unchained and author of the upcoming book The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze. Follow her on Twitter here and be sure to connect with Paul and Rocket Software.

In this episode, Paul and Spencer discuss the events leading up to and the aftermath of GameStop stocks becoming the most-traded security in the world in January 2021. One year later, did what appeared to be a revolution only reinforce the existing power dynamics of the financial market? Spencer Jakab is the Wall Street Journal’s Heard on the Street editor and author of the newly released book The Revolution That Wasn't: GameStop, Reddit, and the Fleecing of Small Investors. Connect with him on Twitter and be sure to follow Paul and Rocket Software.  

In this episode, Paul and Rob discuss how too much collaboration (and the overload of tools that encourage it) is hindering our ability to get work done, leading to longer hours, decreased productivity and more burnout. Rob Cross is a professor of Global Leadership at Babson College and author of Beyond Collaboration Overload: How to Work Smarter, Get Ahead, and Restore Your Well Being. Connect with him on LinkedIn and be sure to follow Paul and Rocket Software.