The Data And AI Podcast

On Harnham's Data & AI Podcast, Tom Brammer is joined by Keshvi Radia, Head of Product & Data at Balderton Capital, to explore what it takes to move AI beyond experimentation and into everyday business operations.

Drawing on Balderton's experience building internal AI products and supporting portfolio companies, Keshvi explains why AI projects succeed or stall on a few basics: a clear business problem, someone accountable for the outcome and a way to measure whether it's working.

Also in this episode:

Looking ahead, Keshvi believes the organisations that will benefit most from AI are the ones that create space to experiment, learn quickly and build confidence through practical use.

Subscribe for more conversations with the leaders shaping data and AI, and explore the full podcast series on the Harnham website.

"It's not 'don't do,' it's 'how to.'"

James Robson, Founder of Datum Longevitus and former Data Protection Officer for the Labour Party reveals how organisations can use data protection to speed up AI rollouts rather than slow them down.

In this Data & AI Podcast conversation with Waseem Ali, they talk about: 

Waseem and James also explore real examples shaping the future of AI governance, including the Labour Party's data environment, the Housing Helper homelessness chatbot used by local councils, and the facial recognition platform PIM Eyes.

The episode closes with James's view on what's next: trusted data intermediaries that let organisations share data compliantly, and could reshape the AI tools built on top of it.

Plenty to take away for anyone working out where AI compliance ends and AI innovation begins.

In this episode of Harnham’s Data & AI Podcast, Harnham CEO Dave Farmer speaks with Rockborne CEO Waseem Ali about one of the biggest challenges facing organisations today: closing the data and AI skills gap while building a culture that uses data in everyday decision making.

Waseem explains why the gap is often misunderstood. Many companies focus on technical hiring or new tools, but the real issue is confidence and capability across the wider business. People need to understand how data helps them make better decisions, not just how a platform works. That shift takes leadership focus, clear communication and continuous learning, not one-off training sessions.

The conversation breaks down:

Waseem also looks ahead at how AI is changing expectations of data teams. Coding remains important, but problem framing, critical thinking and asking better questions are becoming central skills as automation improves.

He closes with practical steps leaders can take today: get clear on the decisions that matter, train executives first, remove friction around data access and spend time listening to the business before rolling out solutions.

This week on Harnham’s Data & AI Podcast, Senior Growth Manager Jayme Oshaben is joined by Ashish Bansal, founder of StarSpark.AI and former Google leader, for a grounded look at where generative AI is really heading.

Ashish reflects on the breakthroughs that brought us here: from seq2seq models to Transformers and self-supervised learning, and why cost, scale and reliability still determine which ideas make it into production. He explains the common stumbling block teams face with GenAI: it’s easy to get to a promising proof of concept, but closing the gap to a production-ready system demands stronger engineering, cleaner data, and a clear product mindset.

The conversation looks ahead to what’s next:

On skills, Ashish is direct: embrace new tools, but go beyond them. The advantage now lies in pairing technical depth with communication, product sense, and a growth mindset.

Whether you’re testing your first agent, scaling a platform, or planning your next role, this episode offers a clear-eyed view on turning GenAI from demo into lasting value.

This week on Harnham’s Data & AI Podcast, Lloyd Dunstall sits down with Matthew Nixon, Head of Analytics, EMEA at Incubeta, to dive into one of marketing’s toughest challenges: proving impact when the data is fragmented and signals are fading.

Matt explains why effective measurement now relies on combining three approaches: attribution, Marketing Mix Modelling (MMM) and incrementality. Together, they give a clearer view of performance and help businesses build trust in their numbers.

Highlights include:

Looking ahead, Matt reflects on how AI is already embedded in measurement tools and why the future lies in more continuous, real-time models. He also shares advice for clients on how to get started, and for candidates on combining technical know-how with strong communication to stand out.

Catch up on this episode and explore the full podcast series here: https://thedataandaipodcast.podbean.com/ 

In this episode of Harnham’s Data & AI Podcast, Luc Simpson-Kent is joined by Nathalie Baker, Managing Director and Lead Data Scientist for EMEA at FTI Consulting. They delve into the realities behind AI’s rapid adoption in business. What’s working, what isn’t, and where the real challenges lie.

In this episode of The Data & AI Podcast, Elizabeth Stone, Senior Manager at Harnham, is joined by Charlie Nicholls, CMO at Dexata.

To mark Harnham’s 15,000 placements, Elizabeth and Charlie reflect on how data talent, technology, and customer expectations have evolved over the past two decades, and what that means for the future of work and experience design.

They cover:

If you're navigating the intersection of data, AI, and customer experience, or just want to hear what the latest in innovation looks like, this episode is for you.

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Want to learn more about what 15,000 placements at Harnham means for data & ai hiring landscape?

Check out key insights from Harnham’s CEO, here: https://www.harnham.com/15000-placements-global-data-ai-insights/

In this episode of The Data & AI Podcast, Lloyd Dunstall, Principal Recruitment Consultant at Harnham, is joined by Abi Hough, a seasoned consultant specialising in optimisation and user experience.

They cover:

If you want to learn how to improve customer experience, retention, and revenue by looking beyond the numbers, this episode is for you.

This week on The Data & AI Podcast, host Noah Stuckey, Managing Consultant for Market Research & Customer Insight at Harnham, sits down with Abhijeet Roy, Chief Client Officer at Focus Insights, to explore the consumer experience gap, why brands often fail to deliver on their promises and what they can do about it.

With over 25 years in the market research industry, Abhijeet shares how businesses invest heavily in product launches and advertising but often overlook the real-world customer experience. He explains why the traditional approaches to market research don’t always capture genuine consumer behaviour, and how social listening, AI, and new methodologies are helping to close the gap.

Highlights include:

Abhijeet also exposes eye-opening real-world examples, from festive ad campaigns to influencer marketing fails. Keen to learn more? Tune in to the episode to find out.

Catch up on this episode and explore the full podcast series here: https://www.harnham.com/data-and-ai-podcast/ 

This week on The Data & AI Podcast, host Lloyd Dunstall—Principal Recruitment Consultant at Harnham—sits down with Chris Gibbins, Chief Experience Officer at Creative CX, to explore the fascinating evolution of experimentation in digital analytics and CRO.

From the early days of small A/B tests to today's expansive, journey-wide experimentation, Chris reflects on how this scientific approach has transformed not just decision-making, but creativity itself. Highlights include:

Curious about what makes experimentation so powerful or simply keen to learn what metrics Chris wishes he could measure? Tune in to this episode to find out.