The Technology Boardroom

Dan Finan sits down with Tristan Watkins, Head of Service Architecture at Advania, to break down AI governance beyond the buzzwords. Tristan brings 16 years of experience in security and compliance to tackle the real challenges organisations face when implementing AI safely. From the EU AI Act timeline to managing shadow AI usage, this conversation cuts through the complexity to focus on practical...

In a recent episode of their podcast, Peter Wilson, Mike Harvey, and Oli Compton sat down to unpack the evolving landscape of voice communications in business. What started as a casual catch-up quickly turned into a deep dive into the technologies, trends, and transformations shaping the future of voice solutions. From legacy systems to cloud-native platforms like Microsoft Teams Phone, the trio e...

In this special edition of the Technology Boardroom podcast, recorded at Advania’s London Hub, host Pete Wilson sits down with CEO Geoff Kneen, CRO Paul Barlow, and CCO James Hardy to explore the story behind the merger of Advania UK, Servium, and CCS Media. But this isn’t just a corporate update, it’s a candid, conversation about transformation, trust, and the future of technology. Whether you're...

This week on The Technology Boardroom, join Chris O'Brien, Arno Nel and Jake Harvey as they attempt to carve out an answer to the question everyone seems to be asking: will AI take my job? "I do think expectations are probably a little bit overblown," says Chris, Advania's Products and Services director. But what expectations? And how far are we from them being not overblown, but absolutely correc...

This week on The Technology Boardroom, Anna Worthington (Sustainability Lead at Advania UK) and Mel Thomson (Senior Head of Marketing, Advania UK) are joined by Joe Leggett, a consultant at Carbonology, the leading specialists in Carbon Standards.   The episode highlights the dangers of greenwashing – and how it’s different to genuine sustainability reporting, as well as discussing the newer pheno...

In this episode of  The Technology Boardroom , your hosts Harriet Mahier and Pravesh Kara delve into the rapidly evolving world of cyber threat intelligence and the pressing need for organisations to bolster their security measures. With the rise of AI tools empowering cybercriminals, understanding the current threat landscape has never been more crucial.  Join them to explore how artificial intel...

Is there anything more stressful than building unique functionality into a solution for a client? Turns out, yes, there is! Building the functionality only to see an unexpected software update that releases that same functionality to the world. This week on The Technology Boardroom, as well as pouring over the ever-evolving needs of our clients, Rob Smith, Kate Hutchinson and Alec Gray discuss the...

The Environmental, Sustainability and Governance (ESG) landscape is fast becoming one of the most complex and critical areas of business regulation. No longer a box-ticking exercise, sustainability is now a watchword for globally-conscious organisations that are committed to protecting the planet and creating a safe, sustainable and green future - decisions that are made at Boardroom level.  For b...

Where do you stand on the hybrid vs traditional working debate? In this week’s episode, Rob Smith and Pete Wilson discuss the merits of the modern method – saving time, enriching professional and personal lives through tech, squeezing maximum value from technology and finding new ways to innovate and adapt.  But what about the downsides – the lost spontaneity and creativity borne from face-to-face...

Technical debt can cripple an organisation and with the explosion of AI and AI-based tools, that risk of incurring technical debt is rising steeply. Or is it? Understanding the role of AI in technical debt, developing a key strategy to combat it and understanding AI’s place in the long history of technology development is key to solving the challenges it may pose. Join Dan Coleby and Pete Wilson a...

Career development and advocating for careers in tech is one of the most valuable and enriching things a tech organisation can do. At the same time, it can often be the most challenging.   In this episode of The Technology Boardroom, Kate Hutchinson, Advania's Head of Dynamics, sits down with Masuma Shariff and Aroosa Ali, two participants in Advania's Early Careers Programme. Together they pull b...

The tech sector has seen more radical changes in recent years than most. Now, with both the expectations of the next generation and the requirements of the tech workforce needing to align with the changes sweeping across the industry, organisations are grappling with adopting modern approaches to historic questions.     Chief among these challenges is how to maximise value from your people, upskil...

Join us for a recap of the Microsoft AI Tour in London, where Advania was a Premium Sponsor at one of the UK’s most exclusive AI events of 2025. Rob Smith discusses the March 5 th event, hosted at the ExCel in the heart of London’s Royal Victoria Dock, with Advania colleagues, offering you the chance to experience the buzz of hundreds of industry experts in AI, tech innovators and senior business...

In this special edition of the Technology Boardroom, Advania UK’s Peter Wilson hosts a discussion with two leading insurance industry figures, as Steve Jolley and Pete Robertson join the podcast to debate the evolving role of the CIO in the sector.   In ‘Strategic revolutionaries: redefining technology in insurance’, we examine how the role of CIO has shifted dramatically in recent years, propelle...

On The Technology Boardroom this week, we delve into the world of modern and evolving cyber security threats with Pravesh Kara, Advania UK's Security & Compliance Director, and Steve Goodman, Field Chief Technology Officer.   With organisations and their people at greater risk from cyber security attacks than ever before, a robust and proactive defence is needed – not just to counter those who...

In this episode, hosts Rob Smith, Kate Hutchinson and Oliver Wall dive into the latest trends in ERP technology, exploring how ERP systems have evolved to enhance user experience and the power on offer by combining familiar ERP technologies with cutting-edge AI tools.  The discussion kicks off with a look at how user experience has improved in modern ERP systems, with tailored dashboards and intui...

Few people are better placed to talk about cyber security, navigating risk and modern leadership than our guest this week.  CISO of UK motoring giant, the AA, Darren Desmond is a cyber security veteran with a career spanning the military and Defence sector, a Big Four managed services company and significant experience in security transformation strategies.  Responsible for the risk management and...

Happy new year! In our first podcast of 2025, join Advania’s Director of Sales Expertise, Pete Wilson, Head of Dynamics, Kathryn Hutchinson and Microsoft Alliances Director, Robert Smith as they share their tech predictions for 2025: a mixture of imagination-fuelled dreams and business-driven desires that could see the technology landscape changed for good in the coming 12 months.   We've barely c...

What does a successful future look like for modern businesses? How are leading organisations planning for the next generation workforce - and what should industry expect from the first AI-native generation?   In the Boardroom this week, Thea Fineren, Advania UK's Chief People Office and Eden Pedley, Advania's Head of Resource Solutions, discuss Advania UK's Early Talent Programme and the lessons w...

Join Kate Johnson Lee, Peter Wilson and Dan Coleby as they delve into the highlights and headlines from Microsoft's 2024 annual conference.  The trio also explore AI and hardware innovations announced at the event, particularly the Copilot+  PCs which enables local AI processing, enhancing performance without solely relying on cloud resources. This innovation reflects the broader theme of preparin...

In the Boardroom this week, Steve and Rob discuss the challenge of ensuring AI is ethical and safe, including the principles of responsible AI and its impact on end users, security, and usage, with an emphasis on the need for responsible AI across the tech industry. With insights into global perspectives, corporate responsibilities, and how companies like Microsoft are implementing guardrails and...

The most successful organisations adopt a 'customer zero' mentality across their operations, using their own products and learning from their own experiences to uncover opportunities for growth, evolution and long-term success. In the Boardroom this week, Eden, Anna and Rob discuss Advania's approach to customer zero and dive into the successes and challenges that enable us to think like our custo...

In The Technology Boardroom's first episode, Pete, Chris and Dan get to grips with AI in the workplace. It's the buzzword of the day, it's the phrase on everyone's lips - and it's the tool that your people are desperate to leverage to get ahead. But what does AI really offer businesses at this point in time and more importantly how will it change the nature of what we do each day, how we achieve o...

Your seat in the Boardroom is available - here's your access-all-areas pass at one of the UK's leading technology businesses and one of Microsoft's most trusted UK partners. This is the tech show with a difference... take a seat and join us.