Throughout season 3 we've continued to chat through our well-trodden topics of data, intelligent automation and digital transformation but with a Black Swan lens. For our last episode of the season, we've pulled together some of our guests' thoughts on learnings so far, what we can expect in the near term and what the power of hindsight has really taught us.   

You can find all the blog write ups on xceptor.com. 

"The events of last year showed large organisations that those processes aren't fit for major unexpected events... but it did also show that change is possible"

This week we were joined by Jibran Ahmed, Executive Director at Capco - where he leads the Research & Development team and Innovation Lab. Jibs has a passion for people, technology and change and today's discussion focusses on just that, with a wrapper of organisational change. We look at the effect a human-centric approach to change can have on digital transformation at some of the largest banks, how roles and skillsets must evolve in the next 5-10 years, why top-down approaches to change are still hampering transformation and why we have to put power into the hands of the business user. During the personal quickfire round we find out that Jibs' perfect time to work is midnight. Our first owl of the season!

You can find the blog write ups on xceptor.com. 

"The black swan event of the pandemic has actually been a lesson for us as an industry...the momentum around not having to have any physical documents per se, we just need to make sure we don't lose that opportunity"

This week's guest is Sam Riley. Sam is a member of the executive board at Clearstream and Head of Investor Services and Financing. Listen as Sam outlines an industry vision for tax services, and the key role automation and digitisation play in creating a standard by which tax reclaims, relief at source and other tax items are processed. We look at how some of this has been accelerated due to the pandemic and the need to maintain momentum. During the personal quickfire round, we get to know Sam a little better and he tells us which 5 famous people he would invite to a dinner party. One not to miss for any rugby fans!

You can find the blog write ups on our website.

“The business users that will own and drive this should be able to learn it… that brings me to zero or low code"

This week we're joined by Puma Energy's Tanay Tiwary. Tanay leads business process transformation at Puma Energy, and brings a wealth of experience from both the Banking and Energy sectors. During the episode, Tanay thoughtfully outlines the challenges still facing firms in the arena of digital transformation, the promise vs reality of RPA technologies and takes us through some of his more recent no-code automation projects. Listen to the final 5 minutes to hear Tanay's ambitious bucket list challenge.

You can find the blog write ups on our website.

"There's a lot of Financial Services DNA missing from a lot of the RPA tools".

This week we're joined by Xceptor's very own Product Director, Trevor LaFleche. Trevor calls for more Automation Ambition, with plenty of scope left for improvement across the enterprise. We discuss the value of end-to-end automation and why task-based RPA tools can only get you so far. With true process efficiency being the ultimate aim, we explore the impact of no-code platforms and placing the power in the hands of the business user. Don't miss the chance to get to know Trevor in our personal quickfire round... Which 5 famous people does Trevor want at his dinner party?

You can find the blog write ups on our website. 

"The pandemic has shone a light on how extremely manual the processes remain in the post trade ecosystem".

This week we're joined by the DTCC's Val Wotton. Val oversees the strategic direction of the derivatives and trade reporting businesses. Val gives us the inside track on the realities within the post trade ecosystem, the impact of the pandemic and whether firms have finally reached an inflection point on Operations investment. Don't miss our quickfire round at the end of the Ep, where we ask what makes Val tick and what's on the bucket list for 2021?

You can find the blog write ups on our website. 

"We are at a tipping point now"

In our first episode we welcome back, friend of the podcast, PJ Di Giammarino, CEO & founder of JWG Group. PJ shares invaluable insight into the future of regulation, what key challenges remain, and which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. We explore the intersection of compliance and technology and how data remains a key driver and must be valued.

You can find the blog write ups on our website. 

Unleash Your Data, the podcast that puts data at the heart of the conversation, is back for Season 3.

This season we'll be speaking to leaders from the likes of EY, the DTCC and JWG, covering regulation, intelligent automation and the power of hindsight, as we remain in a global pandemic. We'll get their thoughts on how Covid-19 has impacted industries already, expected and surprising outcomes, any hindsight learnings to be taken from previous black swans, what to expect in 2021 and get insights into what smart people and firms are doing to get ahead. And then there’s the personal round of quickfire questions…

You can also find the blog write ups on our website. 

Happy listening.

The insurance industry is the biggest buyer of carpets - what does that mean for the environment? Jimmy Williams, CEO and co-founder of Urban Jungle, talks about this, how insurance companies have been using data in a negative way and how AI explainability will need to improve quickly in our latest episode.

Jimmy's firm, and many others, are shaking up the insurance industry - what does this mean for 2020 and beyond? Listen and find out more.

"Without a good handle on their data, firms can not steer their programmes and have a clear understanding of the impact and associated transition risk".

To get a view on what progress is and isn't being made, we were joined by Baringa partner and IBOR expert, Lucine Tatulian.

2019 saw the mobilisation of many firms' IBOR transition programmes, but with the 2021 deadline looming, regulators have flagged that transition is not happening fast enough. To speed up progress, steer transition programmes and to ultimately be successful, firms must get a handle on their data.