Building data excellence: culture, value and the human side of AI
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
Release Date: 10/30/2025
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...
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Why now is a great time to be a woman in data and AI
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
In this International Women's Day special of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster, Founder and CEO of Cynozure, is joined by Kavita Sandhu, Client Services Manager, and Jane Usoskina, Senior Solution Architect, for an honest conversation about careers, confidence and change in the data industry. Together, they explore how data has shifted from a back-office reporting function to a strategic business capability and why that change is creating new opportunities for more diverse talent to thrive. They discuss the outdated idea of what it means to be 'technical', the growing importance of roles...
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How to prioritise data when everything is important
Hub & Spoken: Data | Analytics | Chief Data Officer | CDO | Data Strategy
As organisations grow, data teams face a familiar challenge - staying focused on what matters while supporting an increasingly complex operation. In this episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster, CEO & Founder of Cynozure, is joined by Rob Kent, Head of Data and AI at Greggs, to explore what pragmatic data leadership looks like in practice. Rob shares how he prioritises work, aligns data initiatives to business strategy and builds trust with stakeholders across the organisation. The discussion spans how data supports both running and growing a business, from forecasting and...
info_outlineIn this episode of Hub & Spoken, Jason Foster, CEO and Founder of Cynozure, speaks with Roberto Maranca, data & digital transformation expert and author of Data Excellence.
They explore what it really means to build a 'data fit' organisation, one that treats data capability like physical fitness by understanding where you are, training for where you want to be and making improvement a daily routine.
Drawing from ancient philosophy and modern business, Roberto explains how concepts from Socrates and Aristotle can help leaders rethink culture, value and human responsibility in an AI-driven world.
Together, they discuss how organisations can:
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Shift from seeing data as a tech issue to a leadership mindset
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Build collective intelligence and cultural readiness
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Stay human in the age of intelligent machines