The esynergy Podcast

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Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

Brought to you by esynergy, this podcast pairs business and technology leaders with our team, each bringing their own perspective and expertise. Together, they explore emerging trends, share real-world stories of both success and failure, and unpack practical case studies and use cases. The esynergy Podcast goes beyond theory to reveal what truly works in today’s fast-changing landscape. Whether you’re a business leader, technologist, or innovator, you’ll leave each episode with fresh insights and actionable advice to drive meaningful change.

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26 recent

June 3, 2026Episode 1122 min

Data-driven lending at speed: How Carmoola is using AI to improve decisions and stay ahead

What does it take to modernise credit decisioning in a fast-moving fintech and deliver measurable impact? In this episode of The esynergy Podcast, Grant Ongers speaks with Dan Kellett, Director of Lending and Data Analytics at Carmoola and former UK Chief Data Officer at Capital One, about applying data and AI to real-world lending challenges. After 24 years at Capital One, Dan made the move to a smaller, faster-paced organisation to get closer to delivery and strategic impact. He shares how Carmoola increased loan approvals by 10% while maintaining stable risk, by upgrading credit models with more recent data, richer predictive sources, including enhanced credit reference agency data and open banking and more sophisticated algorithms. The conversation also explores how customer segmentation enables more tailored lending strategies and communications, and how organisations can balance innovation with regulatory expectations. Key topics covered: • Improving credit decisioning with better data and more advanced models • Using open banking and enhanced data sources to increase predictive power • Achieving higher approvals while maintaining risk discipline • The role of customer segmentation in lending and engagement • Insights from the FCA/Bank of England AI forum and evolving governance • A practical, three-layer approach to embedding AI across an organisation • Why leaders must adapt and avoid over-relying on past approaches Dan also shares his perspective on leadership in a rapidly changing landscape, including the need to embrace change, let go of legacy thinking, and build organisations that can move faster and learn continuously. This episode is essential listening for CTOs, data leaders, fintech executives, and AI practitioners looking to deliver measurable business impact through data and intelligent decisioning.

April 30, 2026Episode 1028 min

The future of insurance: How PPL is moving from digital replication to real transformation

What does it take to modernise one of the most relationship-driven industries in the world? In this episode of The esynergy podcast, Ulrike Eder, Chief Marketing Officer at esynergy, speaks with John Mason, CEO of Placing Platform Limited (PPL), about how digital trading, APIs, and AI are reshaping the London insurance market. PPL supports 80–85% of specialty placements in London, making it a critical platform in the industry’s transition from manual, relationship-led processes to structured, data-driven workflows. John explains how the market is moving beyond “digital replication” — simply recording deals after conversations — toward true end-to-end digital trading, where placement and binding happen within a single lifecycle. The conversation explores how API integration, automation, and agentic AI are changing how brokers and underwriters operate — not replacing relationships, but redefining them. John shares why brokers may evolve toward more advisory, trader-like roles, and how the concept of an “experience economy” will be key to maintaining value in a more digital market. Key topics covered: • The shift from digital replication to fully digital trading • How APIs are enabling integrated, data-driven insurance workflows • The role of agentic AI in operational efficiency and decision-making • Evolving roles of brokers and underwriters in a digital market • Using generative AI to extract and compare unstructured data • Ethical AI adoption, data protection, and secure identity management • Why leaders must move beyond POCs to drive true transformation John also shares practical advice for business leaders, including the importance of conducting an “AI reality audit” — understanding where AI can genuinely deliver value and committing to meaningful change, not just experimentation. This episode is essential listening for insurance leaders, CTOs, digital transformation executives, and anyone navigating AI, automation, and platform-driven change in complex industries.

March 18, 2026Episode 929 min

Embedding AI across the business: How loveholidays turned strategy into real impact

What does it really take to move AI from experimentation into everyday business operations? In this episode of The esynergy Podcast, Grant Ongers speaks with Mike Jones, CTO of Loveholidays, about how one of the UK’s largest online travel companies is embedding AI across its organisation — from engineering and operations to customer service and content. Rather than creating a separate AI lab, Loveholidays adopted a three-pronged strategy: improving how software is built, upskilling teams across the business, and evolving the operating model so AI becomes part of how the company works every day. Mike shares how this approach delivered immediate impact in the contact centre. Their chatbot “Sandy”, originally developed during the COVID refund surge, now handles around 60% of chat interactions and 20–25% of voice calls, generating millions in operational savings. Meanwhile “Agent Aura” supports agents with summaries and guidance to improve efficiency and customer outcomes. The conversation also explores how deterministic workflows can constrain LLM behaviour, how AI enables content generation and personalisation at massive scale, and why speed, security, and changing search behaviour make AI both an opportunity and a competitive threat. Key topics covered: • Embedding AI into the operating model rather than isolating it in a lab • Scaling AI in customer service with chatbots and agent-assist tools • Using deterministic workflows to control and operationalise LLMs • Generating and personalising content across thousands of travel products • AI as both a competitive advantage and a new security challenge • Lessons learned from hallucinations, data architecture, and AI governance This episode is essential listening for CTOs, digital leaders, AI strategists, and product teams looking to move beyond experimentation and deliver measurable impact with AI. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

March 4, 2026Episode 826 min

Product Leadership at Scale: Delivering on the Business Promise with Clarity and Focus

What does product leadership really look like inside a platform serving 60 million customers? In this episode of The esynergy Podcast, Ulrike Eder speaks with Roland Butler, Head of Product Content Solutions at Zalando, about leading products at scale — and ensuring they deliver on the promises the business makes to customers. Drawing on his experience across Zalando, Just Eat, and Book a Table, Roland shares why product leadership is less about functional expertise and more about business accountability. From aligning closely with sales and marketing, to “gear changing” between execution detail and executive context, he explores what it takes to move from product manager to product leader. Roland also discusses the risks of well-intentioned complexity — what he calls the “reverse onion” — and why decisive prioritisation is essential. He advocates for a story-first approach to planning, using a press-release-style narrative to align product, design, and engineering around shared outcomes. Key topics covered: • Defining product leadership beyond the product function • Aligning product with sales, marketing, and business strategy • Avoiding unnecessary complexity through clear prioritisation • “Gear changing” between tactical detail and executive context • Building stakeholder buy-in through proactive relationship management • Creating collective ownership across product, design, and engineering This episode is essential listening for Chief Product Officers, product leaders, digital executives, and scale-up teams navigating complexity, alignment, and growth.

February 18, 2026Episode 732 min

Customer-Centric AI at Scale: How Dunnhumby Engineers Retail Data for Real Impact

What does it really take to operate customer-level analytics at global retail scale — and where does AI genuinely add value? In this episode of The esynergy Podcast, Ulrike Eder sits down with Ben Burdsall, CTO of Dunnhumby, to explore how one of the world’s leading retail data science organisations puts the customer at the centre of every decision. Dunnhumby operates within a complex three-sided marketplace connecting retailers, consumers, and CPG brands — balancing loyalty, shelf performance, and commercial tensions. Ben explains how tracking 2.1 billion individual customer profiles (and processing roughly 24 billion records weekly) requires a fundamentally different approach to data architecture, performance, and AI adoption. From building proprietary C++ database accelerators to reduce reporting times from hours to minutes, to balancing experimentation with operational stability, Ben shares what it takes to engineer for scale — and why innovation must start with the problem, not the technology. Key topics covered: Operating customer-level analytics at massive retail scale Why Dunnhumby built proprietary database accelerators in the cloud Balancing traditional AI and generative AI (“staples vs cupcake”) Personalisation done responsibly — and the risks of getting it wrong “AI as a judge” and managing generative AI reliability Bridging batch retail processing with fast, interactive AI experiences Data ethics, privacy, and delivering genuine customer value This episode is essential listening for CTOs, data leaders, retail technologists, and AI strategists navigating scale, performance, and responsible AI in complex commercial ecosystems. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

February 4, 2026Episode 619 min

Data for Good: How The King’s Trust Is Using Architecture, Collaboration, and AI to Drive Social Impact

What does it take for data and technology to deliver real social impact in the third sector? In this episode of The esynergy Podcast, Neil McIvor, Head of Data for the Public Sector at esynergy, speaks with Ryan Preece, Deputy Chief Technology Officer at The King’s Trust, about how third sector organisations can use data, collaboration, and architecture to improve outcomes at scale. They explore the realities facing charities today — from funding pressures and rising demand to digital divides — and why data sharing across organisations is critical to delivering social value. Ryan also shares a pragmatic view on AI adoption in the sector, emphasising the importance of building strong architectural foundations before embracing new technologies. Key topics covered: • The King’s Trust mission and the challenge of youth unemployment in the UK • Data sharing across the third sector to improve efficiency and outcomes • The role of organisational architecture in enabling change • A cautious, purposeful approach to AI adoption • Why collaboration and social value must come before technology hype This episode is essential listening for data leaders, public sector professionals, technologists, and anyone interested in using data and technology for social good. Available on Spotify, Apple , Amazon Music, and YouTube.

January 21, 2026Episode 524 min

Security by Design & Scaling with Confidence: A CTO’s Journey at Allica Bank

What does it take to modernise legacy technology, scale teams, and embed security at the heart of product development — all while navigating growth and regulation? In this episode of The esynergy Podcast, Grant Ongers, Head of Security Practice, speaks with Ravneet Shah, CTO of Allica Bank, about her journey from Lead Developer to CTO and the realities of building secure, scalable technology in a fast-growing fintech. Ravneet shares how Allica Bank improved legacy systems, built a modern technology stack, and upskilled growing teams — while ensuring security is designed in from the start through continuous collaboration, awareness, and threat modelling. Key topics covered: • Transitioning from Lead Developer to CTO during rapid growth • Modernising legacy technology and building a new tech stack • Embedding security by design through awareness and threat modelling • Upskilling teams while maintaining regulatory and technical discipline • Why technology should be treated as a strategic partner, not a cost centre This episode is essential listening for CTOs, security leaders, engineering managers, and fintech leaders navigating scale, regulation, and secure digital transformation. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

January 7, 2026Episode 424 min

AI In Healthcare: How WPA Is Turning Automation Into Better Outcomes

How do you adopt AI in a highly regulated environment —without losing the human touch? In this episode of The esynergy Podcast, Paul Shiu speaks with Mike Downing, CIO of WPA Healthcare, about WPA’s evolving AI journey, from early experimentation to today’s use of generative AI and intelligent agents.They explore how organisations can build AI capability responsibly, balance automation with human interaction, and use AI to remove bottlenecks and improve outcomes — particularly in customer service and back-office operations.Key topics covered:WPA’s journey from early AI adoption to generative AI and agentsEmbedding AI into processes, not just pilotsBalancing automation with human-led customer experiencesGovernance, skills, and building AI capability in-housePractical advice for leaders starting their AI journeyThis episode is essential listening for CIOs, digital leaders, and healthcare and public-sector organisations exploring practical, responsible AI adoption.Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

December 17, 2025Episode 344 min

Situational Awareness & Strategy: How Wardley Mapping Helps Leaders Navigate Complexity

How do leaders make confident decisions in a world of constant disruption, rapid technological change, and growing complexity? In this episode of The esynergy Podcast, Ulrike Eder (CMO, esynergy) sits down with Simon Wardley, renowned strategist and creator of Wardley Maps, to explore why so many organisations struggle with situational awareness — and how mapping can change that.Simon shares the origins of Wardley Mapping, the patterns he observed in historical strategy, and how maps help leaders understand their competitive landscape, user needs, and sources of value. The conversation also dives into the evolution of AI, predictions for future technology shifts, and the risks of chasing “shiny new” innovations without strategic context.Key topics covered:• Why leaders struggle to make informed decisions without effective maps• Situational awareness and its role in modern business strategy• The evolution of Wardley Mapping and how it reveals hidden complexity• AI, large language models, and what’s coming next• Common strategic mistakes, organisational inertia, and how leaders can overcome them• The emerging role of games and open-source models in executive decision-makingThis episode is essential listening for business leaders, strategists, technologists, and executives looking to sharpen their strategic thinking, navigate uncertainty, and make better decisions in complex environments.⁠Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, andYouTube.

November 26, 2025Episode 219 min

From Hurdles To Highlights: A Deep Dive Into Flagstone's Platform Migration

How do you tackle transformation when your platform, processes, and commercial pressures all need to evolve at once? In this episode of The esynergy Podcast, Andy Bold (Head of Cloud & Platform Engineering, esynergy) speaks with Lee Provoost (CTO, Flagstone) about leading a major replatforming and migration programme — and the realities behind delivering large-scale change.Key topics covered:• Understanding the difference between commercial debt and technical debt• Breaking down large initiatives into manageable, low-risk phases• Managing bespoke legacy complexity during replatforming• Securing executive alignment and maintaining strong team dynamics• Lessons in resilience, agility, and personal well-being during transformationThis episode is essential listening for CTOs, engineering leaders, digital strategists, and anyone navigating complex system modernisation, organisational debt, or high-stakes technology delivery.Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, andYouTube.