In this episode of The Digital Lighthouse, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Glen McCracken, the Head of Data and Analytics at ION, a leading firm in automation solutions for the financial sector. With a rich background in corporate finance and applied statistics, Glen delves into the pivotal role of data analytics in shaping business strategies and enhancing operational efficiency. His unique perspective, born from years of experience and a passion for innovation, offers invaluable insights into...

In this enlightening episode of the Digital Lighthouse, we sit down with Denholm Hesse, Chief Data Officer at BDO. With a rich background spanning over a decade in data management, including pioneering roles at Deloitte and Prudential, Denholm brings unparalleled insights into leveraging data as a strategic asset. Our conversation dives into the evolving role of data governance, the innovative concept of a data marketplace, and the critical importance of data quality and trust in driving...

In this special episode of The Digital Lighthouse, we are thrilled to host Rajani Rao, a luminary in the tech industry and a staunch advocate for the role of women in technology. As a principal technologist at Aveva and director of Women Who Code, Rajani shares her inspiring journey and the transformative work her organization does to break barriers for women in tech. Through her story, we explore the importance of diversity for innovation, the power of challenging assumptions, and how...

In this episode of "The Digital Lighthouse," Zoe Cunningham welcomes Thomas Harris from MasterCard, delving into the transformative currents of digital innovation. Thomas shares the strategic intricacies of MasterCard's journey, and the broader impact on global markets, in a conversation that lights the way through the complex landscape of digital transformation, offering invaluable insights on navigating change with agility and foresight.

Back in 2008, Herb Kim founded the Thinking Digital conference series. Little did he know that 15 years on, the event would still be going, having established itself as a popular fixture in the north-east tech calendar. Herb joins Zoe Cunningham to talk about the importance of events, both for networking, and as powerful and serendipitous learning and development opportunities for anyone in the sector. The discussion then moves on to tech leadership, with Herb explaining why he believes...

Using generative AI to improve CX and meet regulatory requirements in insurance Insurance is a challenging market to be operating in these days. A perfect storm of the squeeze on household budgets, rising costs when handling claims, and new regulation, mean many insurers are struggling to stay afloat and remain competitive. Rashed Younas is the insurance practice lead at The Dot Collective, which helps organisations make smarter use of their data. During his chat with Zoe Cunningham, Rashed...

Georgina Owens knows a thing or two about leading successful technology functions. Having held senior leadership roles in organisations across finance, telco and utilities, she now heads up the 300-person technology function at William Hill. In her chat with Zoe Cunningham, she reflects on how you can successfully oversee teams at this scale, while instilling a culture that fosters creativity and innovation. There’s also a revealing chat about many of the unseen jobs a CTO must do to succeed.

If you’re not using microservices already, you’ve probably heard people raving about how amazing they are. If you’re tempted to dip your toes in the water, then this podcast with independent tech consultant, author, and former FT technical director for engineering enablement, Sarah Wells, is a must-listen. During her chat with Zoe Cunningham, she talks about what organisations need to consider before diving into the microservices world (spoiler alert, it’s not just about tech), and the...

Getting it all done as a senior tech leader by Softwire

The things I didn't expect I would have to do as CTO by Softwire

In our latest Digital Lighthouse episode, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Joanna Smith, Interim CIO at University Hospitals Sussex. We dive deep into the world of healthcare technology with Joanna, a seasoned professional who has worked across various organisations. She shares her insights into the differences between the pharmaceutical industry and the NHS, shedding light on the challenges they face and the opportunities technology presents. Discover why embracing technology in healthcare is...

In our latest Digital Lighthouse episode, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Will Dixon, Professor of Digital Epidemiology at the University of Manchester. Will discusses how digital health data sources create exciting opportunities, like using de-identified electronic health records to analyse large populations for medication safety and COVID risk factors during the pandemic. He also explores the risks and challenges of managing data from patients and the public via smartphones and wearable...

In our latest Digital Lighthouse episode, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Daniel Whitston, CTO of AutogenAI. The adoption of AI tools is on the rise, with a large number of them utilising the large-scale language model, GPT-3. While these models can solve difficult problems, they tend to be trained on a large corpus of the entire internet and may not capture an individual company’s voice or values. Daniel discusses how CTOs can embrace and use AI large language models in their company, and...

Zoe Cunningham is joined by Aya Stead, software developer at Softwire to talk about neurodiversity in her role. She shares the ways she developed to look after her mental health, in the hope it can help other software engineers too. View the full transcript at: https://www.softwire.com/insights/navigating-neurodiversity-how-can-software-developers-support-their-mental-health-in-the-workplace/

In our latest Digital Lighthouse episode, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Anne Currie, Community co-Chair of the Green Software Foundation. Anne shares her experience and talks about the key pressing climate issues for the tech industry right now, the best things that tech teams can do to reduce their impact on the planet, and what research is saying about how the digital age has changed. Learn more by listening to the podcast or reading the full transcript at:...

In a frank conversation with Kevlin Henney, packed with interesting anecdotes and thought-provoking suggestions, we discussed topics such as: Why most developers code for the past, our moral responsibility to think about future uses of our code, as well as how technology companies can weather tough economic times. Read the highlights summary here: www.softwire.com/insights/highlights-from-kevlin-henneys-techtalk-developers-have-a-moral-responsibility-to-code-for-the-future

In our latest Digital Lighthouse episode, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Jason Souloglou, founder and CEO of SeeChange Technologies, a world-leader in real-time AI powered recognition systems, with expertise in making complex, state of the art AI technology simple to deploy and scale. Jason speaks about how their AI technology services excel within the retail sector to support loss prevention and health and safety compliance, where AI can go in the future and how it can support positive social...

Zoe Cunningham is joined by Sophia Lin, senior sales manager, and Sasha Burgoyne, head of academy operations at TechSwitch to talk about how people of all backgrounds can approach career changing into technology successfully. See the full transcript and more at: https://www.softwire.com/insights/what-routes-into-technology-are-available-for-female-and-diverse-career-changers

In our latest Digital Lighthouse episode, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Hywel Carver, founder of Skiller Whale. This organisation provides deep coaching for tech teams, believing that learning that is core to how an engineering team operates and should align with business priorities. In our conversation, Hywel discusses why Skiller Whale came about and how to make the most of any tech training for your team. Read the full transcript here:...

As a CTO, how can you create your own community of peers? Even if you're working with your team leads and C-Level colleagues, you may still feel lonely at times. CTO Craft’s community brings together technology leaders from across the world and its founder, Andy Skipper, shares how it all started and how to build your own network of peers. Transcript available at: https://www.softwire.com/insights/cto-craft-building-a-community-for-ctos-and-digital-leaders/ If you’re interested in seeing...

In our latest Digital Lighthouse episode, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Jonny Britton, who is a co-founder and the CEO of LandTech. He discusses how LandTech started as a response to unclear and missing tools for property developers and self-builders to buy land. Jonny shares how the company is fulfilling its customers' needs and how technology has been the catalyst for supporting urban development. To find out more and access the transcript, visit:...

Joe Edwards, Technical Principal, and Daniel Waters, delivery principal at Softwire, share how to use DevOps to make your developers more productive. They discuss what they mean by productivity and DevOps, and why DevOps is particularly relevant for financial services. To read the transcript, visit https://www.softwire.com/insights/how-to-use-devops-to-make-your-developers-more-productive

In our latest Digital Lighthouse episode, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Kim Nilsson and Ole Moeller-Nilsson, founders of PeripherAi. This startup is helping founders of small and medium-sized businesses to create a scalable, predictable and efficient sales function, by integrating the human knowledge and the data insights within. We take a sneak-peak behind the scenes at why this startup's mission is so important and what it's taking for this startup to grow during turbulent times. See the...

In our latest TechTalks episode, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Kyla Guru and Molly Graton, co-founders of GirlCon. We explore the story behing Girlcon, a Chicago-based tech conference for female/non-binary high schoolers to promote diversity in STEM fields. Recently it was help at Google Chicago, before becoming a virtual global event in 2020. Transcript available at: www.softwire.com/insights/the-story-behind-girlcon-the-international-tech-conference-for-women