On a Limb

Send us Fan Mail What if modernization wasn’t about the next hype cycle…but about the courage to ask questions and a reframing of the exam question altogether? In this holiday special, we're looking back on some of our favorite conversations that shaped 2025 — the ones that challenged us to rethink risk, rethink modernization, and rethink what “doing the right thing” actually looks like.  Hap...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, host Irene speaks with David Linthicum, a leading figure in cloud computing and digital transformation.  They explore the risks associated with following technology trends without understanding their business value. David shares insights from his extensive experience at the top of one of the world's leading consultancies, highlighting patterns of failure in t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of On A Limb, host Irene speaks with Alastair Levy, a seasoned leadership advisor and executive coach, about the evolving landscape of business risks and the complex challenges leaders face today.  Alastair shares insights from his diverse career, emphasizing the importance of systems thinking, the balance between short-term and long-term objectives, and the courag...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of "On A Limb," host Irene delves into the world of AI hype with Nikhil Suresh, founder and CEO of Hermit Technology. Known for his critical stance on Silicon Valley's obsession with AI, Nikhil discusses the real cost of AI hype on business decisions. From the dangers of symbolic efforts to the widespread distraction caused by AI trends, this convers...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Irene is joined by Samuel Arbesman, PhD, to discuss his new book, 'The Magic of Code'. With a Ph. D. in computational biology from Cornell University, Sam currently serves as Scientist-in-Residence at Lux Capital. He’s well known for his writings, published in Wired, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, among others, and he’s authored several popular books. Sam...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of On A Limb, host Irene Sandler chats to Logan Allin, founder and Managing Partner of global investment firm Fin Capital, about the critical state of America's financial IT systems and why he believes this is America's Great Infrastructure Challenge.  They delve into the challenges of modernizing outdated banking systems, the catastrophic risks associate...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Irene sits down with world-renowned financial services transformation expert, Dr. Leda Glyptis. With two decades of experience driving modernization in financial institutions, Leda unpacks the risks of resisting change and the critical need for banks to adapt in an increasingly dynamic landscape. She explores the impact of regulation, the human factors that often...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, the celebrated retail analyst and ex-CTO, Paula Rosenblum, and Irene discuss the critical need for modernization in customer service systems across the global retail industry.  They emphasize the importance of extensibility in solving the challenges posed by legacy systems, as well as how IT leadership can manage organizational inhibitors that hinder change. ...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Irene is joined by British politician Liam Byrne. Liam is a Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, a member of His Majesty's Privy Council, elected chair of the Global Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF, and chair of the House of Commons Business and Trade Select Committee. He's also a former Gwillem Gibbon Research Fellow at Nuffield College...

Send us Fan Mail Margaret Exley, CBE, is the Chairman and Founder of SCT Consultants,  a management consultancy specialising in board evaluation and development.  A highly sought-after change management expert, Margaret advises the most senior levels of business and central government on how to navigate risk, in pursuit of growth. In this episode, Irene and Margaret delve into the evolving role of...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with Peter Donald, Founder & Managing Director of Arena Advisory Group, a leading reputation management firm. As former Assistant Police Commissioner at the New York Police Department (NYPD) and FBI Spokesperson, Peter has been on the front line of some of the world's most challenging and complex reputational issues.  Sharing experience in bot...

Send us Fan Mail Recent Mechanical Orchard research found that 71% of enterprise IT leaders find modernization stressful. In this episode, we are joined by transformational technology leader and veteran CTO, Paul Gaffney , who shares his wisdom on how to find joy in modernization, even when the mountain looks too big to climb.  We dive into: The root causes of joyless modernization Why Paul’s phil...

Send us Fan Mail In our inaugural episode, we welcome Professor Herb Krasner, Founder and former Chairman of the Software Quality Institute at the University of Texas. Together, we delve into the concept of technical debt and the significant risks that poor-quality software presents to the global business landscape. We explore the critical need to proactively address technical debt to prevent cost...