Designing a data & AI strategy to strengthen a sector
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
Release Date: 06/12/2025
What really shapes great leaders in the age of AI
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
Leadership is often shaped long before someone reaches the boardroom. In this episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster, CEO & Founder of Cynozure, is joined by Kate Boyle, AI, data and technology leader, to explore the experiences that define great leadership. From starting work at 16 and building a career across financial services and the public sector, to leading data and AI transformation, Kate shares the personal and professional lessons that have shaped her approach to leading people. The conversation explores resilience, empathy, workplace culture and why striving for...
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As AI gets smarter, what makes humans more valuable?
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
As AI becomes more capable, the question for leaders is no longer what technology can do, but what people should do. In this episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster, CEO & Founder of Cynozure, is joined by Ollie Pickup, Human Work Evolution Storyteller, to explore how organisations can embrace AI without losing the qualities that make people indispensable. Together, they discuss why removing every ounce of friction from work may come at a cost, whether businesses are unintentionally cutting off the next generation of talent, and why trust, judgement and human connection will...
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The truth about building a data-driven culture
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
Creating a data-driven culture has become one of the most common ambitions in business. It's written into strategies, discussed in boardrooms and increasingly sits alongside AI transformation plans. But what if organisations have been approaching it the wrong way? In this episode, Jason Foster, CEO & Founder of Cynozure, challenges the idea that culture is something you can create through awareness campaigns, training or communications alone. Instead, he argues that culture is the outcome of how an organisation is designed - from its incentives and decision-making processes to the...
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Building agentic AI that scales: Architecture, governance and trust in the age of autonomous systems
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
Agentic AI is moving beyond experimentation. Organisations are beginning to explore how autonomous agents can automate decisions, orchestrate complex processes and unlock new levels of productivity. But how do you build these systems in a way that is scalable, secure and trustworthy? In this episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster, CEO & Founder of Cynozure, is joined by Matt Clarke, Director of Architecture at Cynozure, to explore what it really takes to design and govern agentic AI architectures in enterprise environments. They discuss how agentic systems differ from...
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Can AI improve social mobility or deepen inequality?
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
Artificial Intelligence is often positioned as the great democratiser of knowledge. But could it also widen existing inequalities? In this episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster is joined by Dipi McKernan, Chief Controls Officer at Lloyds Banking Group, to explore the intersection of AI and social mobility. Drawing on her own journey and extensive work championing socioeconomic diversity, Dipi shares why social mobility remains a significant challenge across financial and professional services, despite growing awareness and progress. Together, Jason and Dipi discuss how AI...
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The human side of AI: building customer-centricity at scale
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
In this episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster, CEO & Founder of Cynozure, speaks with Tom Spencer, Director of Customer Data Sciences at Aviva, about what it takes to build a genuinely customer-centric organisation using data and AI. Tom shares how Aviva is using customer analytics, machine learning and emerging AI technologies to improve customer relevance, strengthen retention and create more joined-up experiences across millions of customers and multiple product lines. The conversation explores how large organisations can connect data strategy directly to business...
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AI, algorithms and the future of the internet business model
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
In this episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster, CEO & Founder of Cynozure, speaks with Alessandra Di Lorenzo, advisor to CMOs, author of Adjust and TEDx speaker, about how AI is reshaping the internet business model. They explore the rise of zero-click search, recommendation engines and feed-based commerce, and discuss why brand trust, direct traffic and consumer awareness are becoming more important as AI increasingly acts as a gatekeeper between brands and audiences. For senior business and technology leaders, this episode offers a timely perspective on what happens when the...
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A data and AI time capsule: what's changed, what hasn’t and what comes next
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
In this special 10th anniversary episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster, CEO & Founder of Cynozure, creates a time capsule for the data and AI industry: looking back at the last decade, reflecting on where we are today and exploring what the next ten years could bring. Drawing on voices from people who have seen the shifts, lived the challenges and done the work, Jason explores what the industry got right, where expectations have run ahead of reality and what still matters when it comes to creating value from data and AI. The episode explores AI’s rise in the boardroom,...
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Building data and AI capability inside the UK's data regulator
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
What does it take to build a modern data and AI capability inside the organisation responsible for protecting information rights across the UK? In this episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster, CEO and Founder of Cynozure, speaks with Rob Holtom, Executive Director for Digital, Data, Technology and Customer Experience at the ICO, the UK's independent regulator for information rights. Together, they explore what it means to lead data and AI adoption from inside a regulator: balancing innovation with public trust, building capability without losing sight of value, and creating...
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Data, cyber and the business of defence: lessons in leadership and capability
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
In this episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster, CEO and Founder of Cynozure, speaks with Lieutenant General Sir Tom Copinger-Symes KCB CBE, Former Deputy Commander Cyber & Specialist Operations Command at the Ministry of Defence. Lieutenant General Sir Tom shares his journey from a traditional infantry career through deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan to leading one of the UK's most important cyber and data capabilities. Drawing on decades of operational experience, he explains how the realities of modern conflict have reshaped the role of data, technology and cyber across...
info_outlineIn this episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster, CEO & Founder of Cynozure, speaks with Lisa Allen, Director of Data at The Pensions Regulator (TPR), about the role of data in protecting savers and shaping a more resilient pensions industry.
Lisa shares the story behind TPR's new data strategy and how it's helping to modernise an ecosystem that oversees more than £2 trillion in savings across 38 million members. Drawing on her experience at organisations including the Ordnance Survey and the Open Data Institute, she explains why strong data foundations, industry collaboration, and adaptive thinking are essential to success.
The conversation explores how the regulator is building a data marketplace, adopting open standards, and applying AI to enable risk-based regulation, while reducing unnecessary burdens on the industry. Lisa also discusses the value of working transparently, co-designing with stakeholders, and staying agile in the face of rapid change.
This episode is a must-listen for business leaders, regulators, and data professionals thinking about strategy, innovation, and sector-wide impact.
Cynozure is a leading data, analytics and AI company that helps organisations to reach their data potential. It works with clients on data and AI strategy, data management, data architecture and engineering, analytics and AI, data culture and literacy, and data leadership. The company was named one of The Sunday Times' fastest-growing private companies in both 2022 and 2023 and recognised as The Best Place to Work in Data by DataIQ in 2023 and 2024. Cynozure is a certified B Corporation.