In this episode of the Executive Technologist podcast, Josh Hill interviews Will Liang, a tech and finance expert. Liang recounts his career trajectory, including his leadership roles in technology at Macquarie Capital and MA Financial, and his personal project of teaching financial literacy through a Pokémon store. The discussion pivots to Liang's fascination with AI, sparked by AI's victory over a Go champion. He emphasises the importance of data architecture in AI implementation and predicts AI's transformative impact on society, akin to electricity. The episode also covers the challenges of AI, such as job displacement and the ethics of open-source AI models.

Will Liang's Career and Passion for Financial Services (00:00:05)
Will Liang's Personal Life and Financial Literacy (00:00:58)
Will Liang's Journey into AI and Technology (00:02:40)
The Strategic Game of Go (00:04:47)
Will Liang's Career Path and Early Ambitions (00:06:36)
The Transformative Power of Data and AI in Financial Services (00:07:30)
The Role of Empathetic Communication in Professional Services (00:09:56)
Challenges and Opportunities in Adopting AI (00:10:47)
The Critical Role of Data and Technology Architecture (00:13:16)
The Importance of Data Hygiene and AI's Potential Disruption (00:14:54)
The Future Impact and Disruption of AI (00:16:25)
Democratization of AI Capabilities and Economic Transformation (00:17:45)
OpenAI's Approach and the Controversy of Open Source (00:20:59) 
Regulation challenges (00:22:04)
AI Risks and Concerns (00:23:05)
Regulatory Framework (00:24:13)
Applications and Positive Outlook (00:28:43)
Challenges and Mistakes in AI Usage (00:30:01)
Technology Stability and Advice (00:33:21)
Excitement about Generative AI (00:38:16)
Research and Positive Impact (00:39:26) 

In this episode we talk to Luke O'Brien, the former CIO at ISS Facilities Services. Luke has a background in Financial Accounting; he bridges the gap between Finance and Technology, creating cohesion via business partnering. 

We discuss being in the right place at the right time and taking opportunities as they come up, how keeping the customer at the heart of your business can lead to better cohesion and business outcomes.

Luke tells us why 8/10 projects fail and all about the lessons he learnt with 350 cleaners in Melbourne train stations!

In this episode Josh is joined by Chris Stone, experienced COO and SaaS expert who has steered multiple companies to successful exits. He discusses the mechanics of good leadership, digital transformation and the potential pitfalls of growth businesses. They also talk about the importance of the individual in the journey and how people are central to the success of transformation. 

In this first episode of Season 2, Josh is joined by not one but two special guests -  co-host Luca Marzorati (Practice Lead for Cyber Security at The Network) and Gergana Winzer (Partner, Cyber Risk at KPMG). Gergana is an expert on all things Cyber, did you know that 33% of Australian businesses have suffered a breach in the last 12 months? Have you ever thought about the possibility of electric vehicles being hacked? Well, prepare for some deeply concerning insights! We also discuss the importance of Cyber understanding at the board level and if you were not scared yet, we’ll also talk about the emergence of AI and what that means for the Cyber Security landscape.   

Timestamps:
Introduction (00:00:00)
Defining the Mid-Market (00:01:08)
Career Background and Transition to Cybersecurity (00:02:05)
Challenges in the Australian Cybersecurity Market (00:03:15)
Board Engagement in Cybersecurity (00:06:13)
Impact of Cyber Attacks on Businesses (00:10:12)
Ransomware and Business Disruption (00:13:53)
Broader Impacts of Cyber Attacks (00:16:42)
Evolution of Cyber Threat Landscape (00:17:47)
Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity (00:21:05)
Demand for Cybersecurity Talent (00:22:10)
Future of Technology and Talent (00:24:08)
Shortage of Cybersecurity Professionals (00:26:36)
Preparing for Future Technology (00:27:20)
Ethical Concerns of Artificial Intelligence (00:30:47)
Cyber Threat Landscape (00:35:03)
Vulnerability and Risk Management (00:40:41)
The evolution of cybersecurity (00:41:18)
Challenges for small businesses (00:45:08)
Empowering small and mid-market businesses (00:47:43)
Advice for small to medium businesses (00:48:31)
Leadership and stress management (00:49:19)
Government and citizen responsibility (00:51:26)

In this episode we’re joined by Andrew Murphy. Andrew is the Founder of Debugging Leadership, a company dedicated to upskilling technology leaders. His career has taken him around the world and includes technology leadership positions in companies like Appscore and one of Australia's fastest growing startups, Linktree in Melbourne. We talk all things technology leadership, hiring and upskilling engineers and how Chat GPT and Co-Pilot are only going to increase the speed of innovation in technology, not reduce the amount of engineers. 

In this episode we meet Jason Pereira, currently head of Platform & Engineering at OFX. Jason discusses what it is like working in large enterprises and the scale up environment, as well as sharing some of his best advice and experiences over his career. We also chat about the need to focus on the next generation to help ease the talent shortages in our industry. 

It was a pleasure to sit down with Ed Hatrick-Smith and cover a wide range of topics from the future of technology, hiring for culture and competency over experience, and his experience bringing his Design Degree into the world of Software Engineering.

In this episode I am joined by Nadav Yogev who is currently the Head of Engineering at oOh!media. Nadav talks about his background in the Israeli army and how that has positively influenced the way he works today, as well as gives advice to all young and aspiring software engineers out there who are looking to create a great career in IT. Nadav also gives us his worst interview experience and how it positively impacted his future career decisions.

In this Episode I’m joined by the impressive Dr. Fawad Nazir who is currently Head of Product, Engineering & Design at the CSIRO. Fawad touches on his background and story including how he got to work at CERN in Geneva, the home of the famous Hydron Collider, as well as providing some invaluable advice for people starting their career in Engineering.

In this episode I interview Connor Hughes from DX Labs. We cover topics such as the implications of COVID-19 on remote working, talent shortages, prioritising reduced IT budgets and the upside of driving a Tesla!