For this episode of Talking with Tech Leaders, we’re getting to grips with the challenges of optimising architecture teams for a platform and SaaS world – with Jonny Mallabar of ACCA. 

That means we’re delving into the world of architecture once again. And we couldn’t ask for a better guide. Jonny has had a fascinating career, having led teams at Harmonic, HP and Cassidian, as well as consulting with organisations a wide range of organisations, including Serco in the UK and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education. Today, he is the Head of Architecture, Design & Planning at ACCA (which makes this an interesting follow-up/companion-piece for our chat CIO, Tony McClelland, from May 2023).

Jonny shares his career journey and gives us some insights on systems thinking, enterprise architecture, technology development, corporate strategy and leadership. Finally, as ever, we finish off with a more personal interrogation – looking beyond the professional to the man behind the career. 

What if your childhood hobby could propel you into a leading role in one of the world's top tech companies? Join us as Steve Orrin, federal CTO at Intel, shares his extraordinary journey from hacking on a TI-994A and Apple IIe to steering cutting-edge security initiatives at a global scale. Initially set on a path in medical research, Steve's fascination with the internet in the mid-90s led him to pivot into technology, despite family skepticism. His story is a compelling testament to following one's passion and the transformative power of staying curious.

Throughout the episode, Steve recounts pivotal moments that shaped his career, such as transforming Lockstar from a security-focused firm into an enterprise application enabler and his innovative tenure at Sanctum. He provides a behind-the-scenes look at the acquisition of his startup by Intel, highlighting key projects like the Trusted Cloud Architecture and DeepSafe. Balancing innovation with security, Steve offers valuable insights into navigating the ever-evolving challenges posed by AI, quantum computing, and other emerging threats.

Moreover, Steve discusses the critical importance of resilience in cybersecurity planning and the need for continuous learning. Drawing from experiences with mentors like cryptography giant Bruce Schneier, he emphasizes understanding customer needs and maintaining robust communication with stakeholders. As we wrap up, Steve also shares his thoughts on personal resilience, the joy of family time, and must-read books for tech enthusiasts. Don’t miss this episode filled with actionable advice and inspirational stories from a tech leader at the forefront of innovation.

It’s often said that change is a constant in the tech sector. But it’s not constant: the big leaps in technology are coming faster than ever. Just think about the last few years. Cloud, mobile, AI – the pace of change is extraordinary.

Pete Dale knows all about digital transformation, not only in his role as Club Exec (think MD) at AND Digital Almeida, but from 20+ years spent in tech. In this episode of TWTL, he talks through his experience and his journey through the industry. 

Together with host Michael Phair, he explores the theme of exponential change – how we can navigate the cutting edge, how governments and regulators struggle to keep up, how to harness the power of AI without losing control. 

It’s vital listening, whether you’re curious about the evolution of digital technology at this incredible inflection point, or you’d like to hear why Pete would choose Trump as a dream dinner party guest...

Success in software development – perhaps in any sphere of technology – demands a fine balance of customer focus and engineering skill. Getting it right is easier said than done, with different skills, priorities and goals to wrangle into order. But our guest for this episode of Talking with Tech Leaders knows better than most how to find that balance. 

Because Dwayne Pascal – Chief Product Technology Officer at flatfair – is an enthusiastic and passionate technical leader, well versed in managing multi-disciplinary teams in developing the kind of products across web and mobile that deliver business results. In short, an expert in the intersection of product and engineering.  

Together with host Michael Phair, Dwayne chats through his career – charting his journey to his current role at flatfair, an innovative rental solution that protects landlords and cuts costs for tenants. They discuss the ins and outs of a product-led approach, how to balance technical innovation with market needs, and how the relationship between product and engineering might evolve in the years ahead. And, as with every episode, they finish things off with a few questions about Dwayne himself – his passions, interests and a few personal stories. 

It's a bumper episode, so strap in and enjoy!

From senior manager in the NHS to tech founder & entrepreneur: it sounds like a leap from one end of the spectrum to the other. But, after 28 years working with the health service – a career culminating in roles as CEO and Board Member – that’s the move that Amanda Philpott, our guest for this episode of Talking with Tech Leaders, made.  

When she personally experienced age-related hearing loss, she saw the dire need for earlier intervention – and an opportunity for an innovative solution. Having left her high-profile management role, she became a different kind of leader: a healthtech entrepreneur, improving public health from a different perspective, when she co-founded eargym with DJ Andy Shanks in 2020.

Talking with host Michael Phair, Amanda explains how hearing loss is continually overlooked as a workplace issue and discusses the potential for tech-enabled training to limit the social and cognitive impacts of the condition. She explains how the hearing tech platform is designed to tackle the hearing loss epidemic, by empowering users to test and train their hearing regularly through immersive games.

Amanda also shares many of the lessons gleaned from her journey as an entrepreneur and innovator, since leaving the NHS – from the challenge of founding a tech business to the overlooked crisis of hearing loss.

While this podcast has often touched on the topic of AI – it would be hard not to – rarely have we got so far into the nuts and bolts of how it works and what it can do. That’s because Neil Burnett and his team at Arria NLG are doing some incredible work in natural language generation, or the process of transforming data into human-readable text and valuable insight. 

You may have heard of NLP, a catch-all term that covers speech recognition, machine translation, sentiment analysis and more. NLG is a subset of the field, which aims produce fluent and meaningful text that conveys the relevant information from the data source. Neil tells us how it works in practice, describes some examples of Arria’s work and talks through the ethical issues, privacy concerns and potential limitations.

 Of course, we also hear about Neil’s own career journey, from his uni days to director level, and get to know a little bit more about this personal interests and life outside work. All in all, it’s a great listen: enjoy!

For this episode of Talking with Tech Leaders, we’re talking Architecture. And there are few more qualified to talk about the subject than Jem Anderton. As the Chief Architect at the Student Loans Company, he’s a member of the Technology Group leadership team, heads up a team of 25 architects and plays a key role in modernising an organisation with more than 8m customers. 

Together with host Michael Phair, Jem chats through the journey to his current role – charting a 20-plus-year career across both the public and private sector, including the likes of ACCA, Heineken and Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council. He also discusses the discipline of architecture and talks about the challenges and rewards of building and leading teams. And, as ever, we get to know the personality behind the tech leader, with a quickfire round of personal questions too.

Jem is just the kind of tech leader we love speaking to – experienced, engaging and ready to share his insights. It’s a great listen: enjoy!

In our latest episode of Talking with Tech Leaders, our host Michael Phair chats with long-time colleague, client and friend, Jonathan McNamee – a seasoned pro and leading voice in digital strategy, continuous improvement and automation. They discuss the ins and outs of Jonathan’s career, tracing his path from Dublin City Universe to the likes of Salesforce, the Student Loans Company and the Test Factory.

They cover Jonathan’s work setting up a Student Loans Company outpost in Darlington – a contingency during the Scottish independence referendum campaign – as well as his foray into founding a gifting app. Along the way, they talk about leadership in the digital age: what it takes to manage teams, how to handle conflicts, motivating different personalities and much more.

And, as ever, Michael finishes off with a few searching questions to get to the person behind the leader. Packed with insight and opinion, it’s a great listen: enjoy!

If you asked an expert on Scottish tech for a list of the biggest success stories of the past few years, you can bet that Skyscanner (a true Scottish unicorn) and Current Health (sold to US retail giant Best Buy for $400m) would top it. Richard Lennox played a big part in both – working his way up to Senior Director at the former, before joining the latter as Chief Operating Officer.

We were lucky enough to talk to him about the lessons learned, the insights gleaned and his view on the Scottish tech ecosystem. And, as you might expect, he knows his stuff – so strap in for a bumper episode!

He takes us through his own journey in tech, from his formative years in education through to his most recent role. And, as his time with Current Health came to an end since we recorded this episode, he was kind enough to come back and discuss his plans for the future. Sounds like the first few lines of yet another Scottish tech story to us... 

Our latest episode is all about the power of tech to do good for our communities, as we meet Kirsty McIntosh of the Scottish Tech Army. The charity was founded during the pandemic to bring tech-savvy volunteers together with third-sector organisations in need of support – on everything from managing websites to bolstering cyber security. With over 2,500 volunteers supporting 300 organisations (so far!), it’s vital work.

Together with host Michael Phair, Kirsty discusses the Tech Army’s activities, growth and impact – as well as her role as Head of Partnerships. As ever, we also get to know the person behind the role, charting Kirsty’s journey through the tech sector and into her current position as a tech leader.  And, finally, Michael puts Kirsty on the spot with a few personal questions around her motivations and recommendations.

All in all, it’s a great episode – we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did producing it!