The Influencers: Digital Transformation

In this episode of The Influencers, Sophie Sohm, Privacy and Data Policy Manager at Meta, joins host Leo von Gerlach to explore the future of AI regulation in Europe. As governments race to establish guardrails for emerging technologies, Sophie argues that the biggest challenge is not the technology itself, but creating clear, practical rules that allow innovation to thrive. From AI adoption to re...

In this episode of The Influencers, digital marketing and transformation advisor Steven Golus joins host Leo von Gerlach to examine what is really holding organizations back from getting value out of AI. Across global media and technology businesses, teams are experimenting, but very few are integrating AI in a way that changes how they operate or compete.   From low leadership fluency to unclear...

AI disputes are moving from theory to reality. In this episode of The Influencers, partners Morten Petersenn and PJ Kaur take host Leo von Gerlach inside a fast-evolving litigation landscape where copyright, data, and AI collide across Europe and APAC. As generative AI scales, disputes now cut across multiple risk areas, from deepfakes and platform liability to data protection and personality righ...

Data centers are fast becoming the defining infrastructure story of the AI economy. In this episode of The Influencers, Andi Brocks of Amazon Web Services takes co-hosts Karishma Paroha from Hogan Lovells and Tom Hughes from the IUA inside a global build‑out reshaping how businesses operate and scale. As demand for AI and cloud accelerates, data centers are no longer just technical assets, they ar...

Digital transformation is no longer a specialist issue. It is reshaping every business, including sectors that have traditionally moved more slowly. For legal teams, that shift brings a new set of expectations and a new level of scrutiny around risk, decisions, and execution. In this episode, Hogan Lovells partners and co-leads of our Future of Digitalization initiative Louise Crawford and Vassi I...

Law and legal services are among the toughest tests for artificial intelligence. In this episode of The Influencers, Alexander Kardos Nyheim joins Leo von Gerlach to discuss why legal work demands AI models that are pre-trained differently on top of their general‑purpose abilities.   Drawing on his experience founding Safe Sign Technologies and now leading machine learning research at Thomson Reut...

Risk leaders are being asked to make bigger decisions, faster, with less certainty than ever before. Diane Maxwell, CEO of Airmic, joins Karishma Paroha and Tom Hughes in this episode of The Influencers to reflect on what that reality means for the future of risk management and insurance. From cyber threats and AI to quantum computing and systemic risk, Diane explores why technology is both a solu...

The ocean sends signals long before a tsunami reaches land. In this episode of The Influencers, Dr Usama Kadri, reader in applied mathematics at Cardiff University, explains how scientists are finally learning how to listen. Drawing on his pioneering work with acoustic gravity waves and physics‑informed AI, Dr Kadri shares how real‑time sound data from the ocean could transform tsunami early warni...

We’re kicking off a three-episode special miniseries of The Influencers focused on the intersection of insurance and digital with a spotlight on stablecoins and their growing role as financial infrastructure. Karishma Paroha of Hogan Lovells and Tom Hughes of the International Underwriting Association of London are joined by Luke Kovic of Applied Blockchain to unpack how stablecoins are moving fro...

In part two of our conversation on AI, ESG, and ethics, the discussion between Hogan Lovells Global Head of ESG Adrian Walker and Sustainable Finance Co-Head Rita Hunter with host Leo von Gerlach the conversation goes deeper and reveals how governments, regulators, and global corporations are racing to keep pace with AI’s rapid rise. Discover what is truly at stake as policy, politics, and emergin...

Step inside a conversation that is shaping the future of sustainability in our two-part series on AI, ESG, and ethics. In this first episode, Hogan Lovells Global Head of ESG Adrian Walker and Sustainable Finance Co-Head Rita Hunter, along with host Leo von Gerlach, explore how AI is colliding with and accelerating the biggest issues in ESG, from climate innovation to human‑centric governance. If...

In this candid episode of The Influencers, Sebastian Lach, CEO of ELTEMATE, joins host Leo von Gerlach to break down the actual state of legal tech in 2025–26. From short, medium, and long verticals to the hard grind of data structuring, Sebastian explains how legal teams are moving from experimentation to true adoption, and why the winners will be the ones who invest in the foundations, not the f...

In this episode of The Influencers, Hogan Lovells partners Tommy Liu and Byron Phillips, along with host Leo von Gerlach, unpack how Asia—particularly China, Singapore, and South Korea—is rapidly shaping the global AI race through accelerated innovation, regulatory ambition, and strategic public–private investment. They explore what this means for legal teams navigating complex cross‑border compli...

In this episode of The Influencers: Digital Transformation, Caroline Reppert, Senior Director for AI and Technology Policy at the National Retail Federation, joins Leo von Gerlach to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping retail. From customer service chatbots and fraud prevention to supply chain optimization and workforce empowerment, Caroline shares how retailers of all sizes are navig...

In this episode of The Influencers, host Leo von Gerlach sits down with Lukas N P Egger, VP of Product Strategy & Innovation at SAP Signavio, for a wide-ranging conversation on the realities behind today’s AI “bubble,” the shifting economics of innovation, and what leaders must rethink as AI transforms every layer of business. Lukas unpacks why organizations often fail in their AI implementati...

In this episode of The Influencers, host Leo von Gerlach sits down with Hogan Lovells partners Joke Bodewits and Paul Otto to explore how AI is reshaping the cyber-attack landscape—strengthening defensive tools while also enabling more convincing phishing, deepfakes, and other sophisticated attacks. They unpack the legal, regulatory, and operational challenges facing global companies, from NIS2 an...

In this episode of The Influencers, our host Leo von Gerlach speaks with Lucy Tyrrell, General Counsel at Wordsmith AI, about how AI-native platforms are transforming the daily realities of corporate legal departments. They discuss practical ways in-house teams can automate contract review, manage knowledge, and scale effectively without losing control of risk. Whether you’re a sole GC or leading...

In this episode, Mark Brennan and Charmian Aw join host Leo von Gerlach to explore how clients can navigate the rapidly evolving geopolitical tensions around the development of AI & data technology. The conversation spans the global “AI race,” the balance between innovation and regulation, and how multinational businesses can build smart, scalable compliance strategies amid diverging global fr...

In this special edition of The Influencers, recorded live at Hogan Lovells’ Digital Assets and Blockchain Summit, Elise Soucie Watts, Executive Director at Global Digital Finance, speaks with Senator Kyrsten Sinema about the dramatic shift in U.S. digital-asset policy under the new administration. Together they explore the transition from regulation-by-enforcement to a coordinated legislative and...

In this episode of The Influencers, Meta’s Ania Helseth joins Hogan Lovells’ Leo von Gerlach to talk candidly about Europe’s fast-moving AI regulatory landscape. From the AI Act to the EU’s code of practice, she explains why a patchwork of rules and signals is making it “really difficult to start launching new products when you don’t really know what rules apply to you.” For in-house lawyers and b...

In this new feature of The Influencers, we turn the spotlight on our own Hogan Lovells partners for the first time. Melissa Bianchi and Cybil Roehrenbeck join Leo von Gerlach to unpack how U.S. federal AI initiatives are reshaping healthcare. They explore the government’s digital health ecosystem, the CMS interoperability framework, and the balance between innovation and privacy. This episode deli...

In this episode of The Influencers, Edward Britan, Senior Vice President at Salesforce, discusses with Hogan Lovells host Leo von Gerlach how AI agents are transforming privacy, governance, and the way legal teams work. He explains how Salesforce builds trust with customers through rigorous AI governance processes, close collaboration with regulators, and a focus on high-quality data. For in-house...

In this episode of The Influencers, Lord Kulveer Ranger, member of the UK House of Lords offers advice for leaders in government and business to navigate the accelerating pace of digital transformation. In conversation with Hogan Lovells host Leo von Gerlach, he shares lessons on how legal teams can collaborate more effectively with technologists, avoid common pitfalls in tech-driven change, and e...

In this episode of The Influencers, Christian Temath, Managing Director of KI.NRW, explores how businesses and legal advisors can move from AI curiosity to concrete application. From practical use cases like AI-enabled ovens to broader conversations about regulatory uncertainty and Europe’s technological sovereignty, Temath offers a grounded, forward-looking view on applied AI. His insights reveal...

In this third episode wrapping up our insurance-focused miniseries of The Influencers, Hogan Lovells host Karishma Paroha and Tom Hughes of the International Underwriting Association dive into the business-critical role of cloud technology with James Lord, Head of Insurance, Legal and Financial Services at Google Cloud UK & Ireland. Together, they explore how the cloud is reshaping the insuran...