In the first episode of our Insights series, David Morris, MD of Transformative Business Services and Marc Hardwick of TechMarketView join host Alison McHarg, Sopra Steria Marketing, to discuss the challenges facing Sopra Steria Lumina's creation and why the need for trusted, responsible AI-enabled transformation has never been more urgent. The discussion examines the challenges facing public services and organisations today, and how Sopra Steria Lumina brings together technology, data and human expertise to help deliver meaningful outcomes with confidence.

Our Insights podcast features host Alison McHarg, Sopra Steria Marketing and panel speakers Nick Heckscher, Chief Experience Officer – Sopra Steria Resourcing and Naomi Appleton Future Skills and Careers Manager, Sopra Steria.

Moving beyond automation and productivity gains, the conversation examines AI’s impact on skills, employability, workforce planning, recruitment, fairness, inclusion and human potential. Drawing on their real-world experience, the panel share practical, human-centred insights into what AI is already changing in the workplace and what these developments mean for employers, candidates and employees alike.

Employee retention in the NHS is under pressure. Organisational culture is defined by what people experience every day.

From first interaction to everyday practice, culture shapes whether people stay.

In this podcast, Allie Kennedy Resourcing Solutions Consultant and healthcare leader Janine La Rosa explore:

- Why culture is built across the entire candidate journey, not just inside the organisation.
- How behaviours under pressure can strengthen or undermine retention.
- The role recruitment plays in shaping culture before day one.

If you’re leading workforce, HR or operational performance in an NHS Trust, this conversation is worth your time.

In this new podcast episode of Sopra Steria Insights, Resourcing Solutions Consultants Allie Kennedy and Ceri Amphlett explore what’s changing in recruitment and what matters most.

If you’ve ever tried to place square pegs in round holes in public sector hiring, this podcast is for you. Allie and Ceri reflect on 2025 and share 10 practical tips for 2026 that teams can use right now.

Included in what they cover:

• AI & automation for speed and fairness (humans make the final call).
• Robust screening for AI‑assisted applications.
• Values‑ and potential‑based hiring.
• Inclusive assessment by design.
• Skills analytics and workforce planning.
• Transparent, fear‑free AI adoption.

In this episode, Adrian Fieldhouse, Managing Director of Strategic Digital Solutions at Sopra Steria, and Marc Hardwick, Senior Research Director at TechMarketView, discuss how organisations can responsibly scale digital transformation by embedding trust, transparency, and human-centered values throughout the process. 

In our new podcast series, we join forces with TechMarketView to unpick what it really takes to embed and scale AI responsibly. Spoiler – you need to look beyond the tech.

Across three episodes, Adrian Fieldhouse, Managing Director of Strategic Digital Solutions at Sopra Steria, and Marc Hardwick, Senior Research Director at TechMarketView, discuss the elements that can make or break an organisation’s experience with AI. 

Adrian Fieldhouse, Managing Director of Strategic Digital Solutions at Sopra Steria, and Marc Hardwick, Senior Research Director at TechMarketView, discuss how organisations can move beyond experimental AI and successfully integrate it as a reliable, scalable core driver of growth and resilience.

In this episode, host Alison McHarg sits down with Nick Heckscher, our Chief Experience Officer – Resourcing, for a thought-provoking conversation about the evolving world of recruitment.

They explore how applying for a role today compares to 30 years ago, what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. From the growing role of AI in job searches to the increasing importance of candidate experience, Alison and Nick unpack the variables shaping the recruitment process, including the wealth of research opportunities now available to candidates.

The discussion also tackles key challenges for employers, such as managing high application volumes in today’s climate, and shares practical ideas on how to help people fulfil their potential and give candidates the confidence to succeed.

If you’re curious about the future of hiring and how to create a better experience for candidates and recruiters alike, this episode is for you. 

From tool to co-worker: The rise of Agentic AI

In this episode of Sopra Steria Insights, Neil Gladstone, AI and Data Practice Director at Sopra Steria, Spencer Izard, Principal Analyst at PAC, and Adam Spearing, EMEA Head of AI Innovation at ServiceNow, explore a major shift in the world of artificial intelligence - the rise of agentic AI.

They discuss what happens when AI stops being just a tool and starts acting like a coworker, bringing autonomy, reasoning, and collaboration into the workplace. Together, they unpack the opportunities and challenges this creates, from trust and accountability to how organisations can prepare for a future where humans and AI truly work side by side.

Join us for a new episode of Sopra Steria Insights, where Neil Gladstone, AI and Data Practice Director at Sopra Steria and Tom Staley, Tech Advisory and Innovation Lead at Sopra Steria Next uncover why so many AI proof of concepts never make it past the pilot stage and what it really takes to scale them successfully. 

Tune in to discover how organisations can move beyond experimentation to deliver AI that’s ethical, valuable, and built for real-world impact.

Empowering people in the age of AI

Join us for an exciting episode of Sopra Steria Insights, where Becky Davis, AI Consulting Director at Sopra Steria Next, and David Parsons, Chief Operating Officer, Transformative Business Services at Sopra Steria, explore what it really takes to help organisations and their people adapt to the AI era.

They discuss how businesses can build confidence in AI, lead meaningful cultural change, and prepare their workforce for the future.