This podcast series interviews interesting people around the world representing a wide range of business, technology, political, and cultural professions.
Each conversation highlights the unsung work that goes into averting disasters related to business operations, reputations, even lives.
Irene is responsible for all things marketing at Mechanical Orchard.
She began programming on a Commodore 64 and have held product management and senior marketing positions at Cisco Systems and Cognizant Technology Solutions, where she was on the Executive Leadership Team.
After nearly two decades in the corporate world building high-performing teams, she has returned to startups: Mechanical Orchard is her seventh.
Leda Glyptis is a seasoned fintech executive and former banker with a career spanning two decades in transformation and technology roles across institutions like BNY Mellon, Qatar National Bank, 11:FS, and 10x. She is the author of the highly acclaimed #LedaWrites column on Fintech Futures and has penned two influential books: Bankers Like Us: Dispatches from an Industry in Transition and Beyond Resilience: Patterns of Success in Fintech and Digital Transformation. A frequent keynote speaker at global industry events such as Sibos, Money20/20, and Finovate, Leda also serves as a Visiting Professor of Practice at Loughborough University, London, focusing on fintech and the digital economy. She holds a BA and MA from King's College, Cambridge, and an MSc and PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Logan Allin is the Managing Partner & Founder of Fin Capital. Logan was most recently Vice President of SoFi Ventures, where he was tasked with investing in and working hands-on with FinTech companies, as well as running SoFi’s accelerator and corporate development efforts.
Margaret Exley, CBE, is a board advisor and expert in change management and organizational growth. She has worked extensively with CEOs, boards, and government departments across the UK and Europe, helping organizations navigate complex transformation and improve decision-making at the highest levels. A serial entrepreneur and former European Head of Consulting at Towers Perrin, Margaret has founded multiple successful consultancies—including SCT Consultants, where she now focuses on board effectiveness and advisory work. She was awarded a CBE in 2001 for her contributions to public sector management and is a contributing author to Building Better Boards.
Paul Gaffney is a transformational leader with over three decades of experience driving technology and operational advancements at major American companies, including The Home Depot, DICK’s Sporting Goods, Kohl’s, Staples, Office Depot, and Charles Schwab. In 2023, he joined Omni Logistics as Chief Digital Officer, leading the company's digital strategy and transformation initiatives. Paul was inducted into the CIO Hall of Fame by CIO magazine in 2007. He is a 2009 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and serves as a Moderator for its Executive Leadership Seminars. Paul holds an A.B. in Computer Science from Harvard College and has completed graduate coursework in psychology at Harvard University.
Paula Rosenblum is co-founder and Managing Partner at RSR Research and is widely recognized as one of the industry’s top retail technology analysts. She was selected as one of the “Top 50 Retail Technology Influencers” from 2014 - 2018. In 2022, she was nominated among the Top 100 Retail Influencers by RETHINK Retail for the second year in a row, reflecting her expertise across all retail tiers.
J. Peter Donald is the founder and managing director of Arena Advisory Group, a leading reputation management firm. With nearly a decade of service at the FBI and NYPD, including as Assistant Police Commissioner overseeing public affairs, he has extensive experience in crisis management, media relations, and public affairs. Peter has advised on complex reputational issues, including responses to terrorist attacks and high-profile investigations. He has been recognized by PRWeek’s 40 under 40 list and has contributed op-eds to The Washington Post and New York Daily News.
Herb Krasner is a renowned expert in software engineering with a distinguished career spanning over five decades. He served as a Professor of Software Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, where he also founded and led the Software Quality Institute (SQI). Krasner has authored influential reports, including "The Cost of Poor Software Quality in the US," highlighting the significant economic impact of technical debt. His work has been pivotal in advancing software quality standards and practices.
Liam Byrne is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North, previously Birmingham Hodge Hill, since 2004.
His latest book, The Inequality of Wealth, explains why wealth inequality has grown so fast in recent years; how it threatens our society, economy and politics; shows where economics has got it wrong – and lays out a path back to common sense, with five practical ways to rebuild an old ideal: the wealth-owning democracy.