What happens when your industry needs cutting-edge technology, but nobody's building it for you?

In this episode of The Digital Lighthouse, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Austen Robilliard, Chief Executive at Asher Wealth Consultancy. Known as “The Fund Geek,” Austen is one of Europe's most decorated fund selectors, with 20 years' experience across investment, technology, regulation and compliance.

Together they explore how to set a technology strategy in a market that's chronically underserved by tech vendors, why legacy systems that everyone distrusts often remain the safer bet, and what it really takes to prove — not just claim — that a fund meets its ESG commitments.

You'll hear about:

•    Why retail wealth management is stuck with decades-old, hand-me-down technology

•    How to weigh the risk of replacing a system that still “just about” works

•    Why consumer duty regulation means there's now “nowhere to hide”

•    What Moore's Law means for an industry that moves slowly by design

•    Why ESG scoring can unfairly favour large companies over genuinely green ones

•    Why better data leads directly to better client outcomes

Whether you're setting technology strategy in a niche or underserved market, or simply curious how wealth management works behind the scenes, this episode is a candid look at balancing innovation with the cost of getting it wrong.

As AI becomes part of courts, healthcare and other critical public services, how do we build systems that people can trust?

In this episode of The Digital Lighthouse, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Alex Wolff, Public Sector Director at Softwire, who has spent more than 20 years helping government, NHS and healthcare organisations deliver complex digital transformation.

Together, they explore why comparing AI to perfection is the wrong benchmark, how to balance automation with human judgement, and what responsible AI looks like in practice.

You’ll hear about:

• Why AI should be compared with today’s systems, not an ideal world
• When mistakes are acceptable, and when they simply aren’t
• Why humans remain central to trustworthy AI
• Three practical principles for building safe AI systems
• How AI could make public services more accessible, personalised and efficient

Whether you’re working in government, healthcare or any organisation deploying AI in high-stakes environments, this episode offers practical lessons for building technology people can trust.

The water sector faces some of the UK’s biggest environmental and infrastructure challenges. But solving them requires more than better technology. It requires better collaboration. 

In this episode of The Digital Lighthouse, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Melissa Tallack, co-lead of the Stream initiative and former Head of Data and Digital at Anglian Water. Together they explore how water companies are working together to share data, learn from other industries and create more value for customers, society and the environment. 

Melissa explains why breaking down data silos within organisations is only the first step. The real opportunity comes from sharing knowledge across an industry, and ultimately across sectors. From rail and energy to health and citizen science, she shares why the best ideas rarely stay in one place. 

Whether you’re leading digital transformation in utilities, government or another regulated industry, this conversation offers practical lessons on open data, collaboration and creating lasting value. 

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• Why water companies are collaborating on open data rather than competing. 

• How Stream is creating shared data infrastructure for the sector. 

• Why borrowing ideas from rail, energy and other industries accelerates innovation. 

• How to break down organisational and industry data silos. 

• Why publishing data only matters if it creates measurable value. 

• What other sectors can learn from the water industry’s collaborative approach. 

Why are driverless cars taking so long? And what role does insurance play in getting autonomous vehicles safely onto UK roads?

In this episode of The Digital Lighthouse, host Zoe Cunningham speaks with David Williams, a senior executive and non-executive director with more than 30 years’ experience in insurance.

David previously worked at AXA Insurance UK, where he led work on connected and autonomous vehicles, including involvement in five government-backed consortia. He was also chair of the Association of British Insurers Motor Committee.

Zoe and David explore the future and present of driverless vehicles, and the role insurance plays in helping new technology reach the road safely.

David explains why many vehicles described as autonomous are still driver assistance systems, why insurance relies so heavily on data, and what happens when a new technology has no historic claims data to draw from.

They also discuss the UK’s role in supporting autonomous vehicle development, how data and machine learning have changed insurance, and why driverless cars are designed to avoid accidents rather than make moral judgements about human life.

• Why driverless cars are closer than many people think
• What different levels of vehicle autonomy really mean
• Why insurance is central to autonomous vehicle development
• How data has transformed risk assessment in insurance
• Why the UK could be well placed to support autonomous vehicle innovation
• Why the trolley problem is not the right way to think about driverless cars

Why do so many transformation programmes fail? And what does it take to actually deliver change at scale?

In this episode of The Digital Lighthouse, Zoe Cunningham speaks with Andy Burton, a technology leader with over 30 years of experience delivering large-scale digital transformation across industries including insurance, retail, and online gaming.

Andy has held senior roles at organisations including Sky Betting & Gaming, The Very Group, and most recently esure, where he led a multi-year transformation to replatform the business and build a modern, digital-first insurer.

They explore what transformation really looks like in practice. While many organisations begin with clear plans and ambitious timelines, the reality is far messier. External events, legacy constraints, and constant change mean even the best plans rarely survive intact.

Andy shares what made the esure transformation successful, why many programmes go awry before the final step, and what it really means to become “digital on the inside”.

In this episode of The Digital Lighthouse, host Zoe Cunningham speaks with Paul Spiers, founder of The New P&L Institute and host of The New P&L podcast.

Zoe and Paul explore how leaders can create the conditions for better thinking, creativity, and innovation in a world shaped by constant change and emerging technologies.

While organisations often say they value curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity, Paul explains why many fail to create the space needed for those qualities to thrive. Instead, speed and efficiency dominate, limiting long term innovation.

Paul shares how leaders can focus on self awareness, purpose, and culture to drive better outcomes. They also discuss why context matters when introducing AI, why leadership behaviour shapes culture, and how small, consistent actions can transform both individuals and organisations.

• Why organisations struggle to enable creativity and innovation
• Why self awareness is the foundation of effective leadership
• Why context shapes how employees respond to AI
• How leaders can create space for better thinking
• Why culture, leadership, and technology must be aligned
• How small, consistent actions drive meaningful change

Host Zoe Cunningham speaks with Steve Burrows, a global product delivery and technology leader with more than 20 years of experience delivering digital platforms and transformation programmes across industries.

Zoe and Steve explore how organisations can actually capture value from AI in complex environments. While excitement around generative AI is high, many initiatives struggle because they begin with the technology rather than the problem.

Drawing on his experience across consulting, product development, and delivery, Steve explains why the most successful AI implementations start by understanding users and mapping workflows. Instead of replacing people, AI works best when it removes repetitive work and allows humans to focus on judgment, creativity, and decision-making.

He also shares a practical way to think about AI: treat it like a highly motivated intern. Useful for many tasks, but still requiring oversight, guardrails, and human judgment.

Why successful AI adoption starts with the problem, not the technology

Why many AI initiatives fail due to unrealistic expectations

How to identify the right workflows for AI automation

Why AI works best when it removes repetitive work but keeps humans in control

Why treating AI like a highly motivated intern is a useful mindset

Why agile delivery is essential when working with rapidly evolving technology

Host Zoe Cunningham speaks with Macs Dickinson, Director of Engineering at LHV Bank on the challenge many technology leaders are facing as AI tools become embedded in everyday work. While generative AI can accelerate delivery, it can also create a hidden risk: knowledge debt. The loss of deep system understanding when teams rely too heavily on generated outputs.

Drawing on his experience in highly regulated industries including banking and gambling, Macs explains why “fail fast” does not translate to environments where reliability and accountability are critical. He shares how his teams are adopting machine learning and AI agents safely, starting with narrow internal use cases, building strong guardrails, and ensuring engineers retain ownership of what they ship.

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In this episode of The Digital Lighthouse, host Zoe Cunningham speaks with Jamie Dobson, founder of cloud consultancy Container Solutions and author of Visionaries, Rebels and Machines.

Zoe and Jamie explore how technology really evolves. They discuss why innovation has never been a solo pursuit, why leadership and management matter as much as scientific breakthroughs, and why many of today’s debates around AI echo arguments that have played out before.

Drawing on examples from Edison and Oppenheimer to Amazon and modern cloud platforms, Jamie explains why users, not inventors, ultimately determine how technologies succeed or fail. He also shares practical lessons for today’s technology leaders on building real cloud and AI capability, removing organisational bottlenecks, and navigating periods of rapid change.

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In this episode of The Digital Lighthouse, host Zoe Cunningham speaks with Rachael Morgan, an experienced Head of Technology. She has worked in different industries, from the NHS, betting and gaming, and is currently in finance.

Zoe and Rachael dive into a challenge every technology leader will recognise. Between the excitement of project kick-off and the celebration of delivery lies an unpredictable and challenging phase that often determines success or failure. Rachael calls this the messy middle. It is the period where unknowns surface, processes expand or falter, and teams must navigate complexity while maintaining momentum.

Drawing on her experience across regulated industries and large-scale engineering environments, Rachael explains why tech projects get messy, why process alone cannot fix it, and why the human element always sits at the heart of delivery. She also shares the leadership practices and mindsets that help teams survive and thrive through the toughest parts of a project.

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