The Diary Of A CTO

Eugi Bartolo is an award-winning technology and product leader who operates right at the intersection of private equity, digital transformation, and value creation.Eugi has built an impressive career working with global brands like Just Eat, Sky, and The Economist, and more recently partnering with private equity and venture capital firms to turn technology from a cost centre into a true driver of EBITDA growth, through implementation of AI, data, and operating models.In addition to this, he even has time to squeeze in being the drummer for Europes most prominent Queen tribute band.A must listen episode!

Peter is a highly seasoned CTO with more than two decades experience in technology. His career has spanned high-performance engineering environments such as Formula One, through venture-backed startups, founding his own SaaS business, as well as acting in and advising on private equity backed growth companies.In this episode, we discuss Peter’s approach to leadership and how to use technology as an enabler for business outcomes.

My guest this week is Swen-Helge Huber, Senior Director at Solace.Swen has held senior technical and leadership roles across a range of areas including systems architecture, consultative presales, software development as well as people and technology leadership, and worked with some of the biggest names in enterprise technology — including Sun Microsystems, TIBCO, Software AG, Talend to name a few.

I was recently joined by the excellent Andrew Winnicki, Director of Technology and Data for Hakluyt & Company.Andrew is a technology leader with over 25 years of experience building, scaling, and transforming digital products across media, fintech, SaaS, and enterprise environments. He’s led engineering and technology functions at organisations including NVIDIA, Discovery+, carwow, and most recently as CTO at Omnevue, where he built and scaled a high-performing remote engineering team and delivered AI-enabled SaaS platforms. Alongside his technology leadership work, Andrew is also a mentor and facilitator, focused on mindful leadership, personal growth, and building meaningful connections in tech. We explored his journey, his approach to leadership and transformation, and what it really takes to build sustainable, people-first technology organisations.

I was recently joined by Andrey Kozlov, Chief Technology Officer at 1FS Wealth.Andrey has spent close to two decades building complex, high-scale mobile applications. He has performed senior engineering and architecture roles at the likes of Betfair, Trainline and BCG, and now heading up technology at 1FS, where he’s building an innovative wealth management product.In this episode, we talk through Andrey’s career journey and the key chapters along the way that have led to him becoming CTO of 1FS Wealth.

I was joined this week by Michael Kennedy, Chief Technology Officer at K2 Corporate Mobility.Michael has circa 20 years experience leading large-scale technology transformation and building global teams across industries — highlights include launching Goldman Sachs’ Warsaw office from the ground up through to co-founding a tech start-up.In this episode, we discuss Michael’s super interesting career journey, lessons learnt along the way and how he has become such a valuable technology leader.

My guest is Anvar Karimson, author and Group CTO and Executive Committee member at Kepler Cheuvreux, one of Europe’s leading independent financial services groups.Anvar has crafted an impressive career, driving technology innovation across global financial markets — assuming roles such as leading front office development at ICAP and heading up client facing technology at BGC Partners, to now overseeing group technology for Kepler Cheuvreux.He was also named European Trading Technology Industry Professional of the Year.Having recently launched his book ‘Work smarter’, we talk through Anvar’s career journey, lessons learned and approach to leadership and the tenets his lives his life by that make him such an influential asset.

My guest is Alexander Scott, Chief Technology Officer at Sustainable Advantage.Alex is a highly experienced CTO and CIO who has spent over 25 years leading digital and technology transformation within various industries — from education, logistics, gaming, financial services, and ESG consulting, and on a global level across UK, Europe, US, EMEA and APAC regions.Now Chief Technology Officer at Sustainable Advantage, where he is leading the comprehensive transformation of systems across the organisation to further driving innovation in their ESG Consultancy Services. In this episode we talk about Alex’s fascinating career journey working in a number of different countries and his approach to effective leadership.

Federico Cicchi is VP of Engineering at Roli, a super cool digital piano / musical education company. Federico’s impressive career has spanned gaming, AR construction tech, hardware and Web3.In this episode, we discuss his journey from hands-on coding into leadership and all the lessons learned along the way.

Peadar Coyle is founder and CTO of AudioStack, an innovative company pushing the boundaries of AI in media and entertainment. In this episode, Peadar and I have a frank and open conversation about the challenges of starting a business and the emotional rollercoaster that results.

I was delighted to be joined recently on the podcast by Carlos Andrioli, a senior technology leader with over 20 years of experience building high-performance, scalable and secure systems across fintech, SaaS, AI and cloud-native platforms. Carlos has led engineering teams at organisations including Liberis, Trade Republic, Plum and ultimate.ai, and is also the CTO & Co-Founder of GetLost, where he’s helped shape both the technical architecture and the product vision from day one. With deep expertise in microservices, event-driven systems, cloud infrastructure and regulated environments, Carlos brings a pragmatic “build smart, do more with less” mindset to leadership. In this episode, we talk about scaling engineering teams, building resilient architectures, hiring great engineers, and what strong technical leadership really looks like in fast-moving businesses.

This week I am joined by Matt Westrup, CTO for Hearst Networks EMEA, a highly respected media and entertainment group. In this episode, we talk about Matt’s very interesting and impressive career, working in some of the biggest names in media and broadcasting. We discuss his early days as a camera operator, through to taking senior operational leadership roles, and now leading technology strategy for Hearst Networks. A must listen episode!

Niteen Crawford-Prajapati is a technologist, privacy advocate, and CPTO at Verifymy.Niteen's career spans from an early ad-tech and large corporates like Microsoft to leading startups and now building privacy-focused verification systems. He's gone from helping design some of the tracking technologies that power the internet to creating tools that help people disappear from it entirely. In this episode we talk about the ethics of data, online identity, and the fine line between regulation and personal freedom - and he shares his views on what the future of privacy might really look like.A must listen episode!

Michael Moore is CTO of Nmible, and a seasoned tech leader who has grown his career from a hands-on Software Engineer, through to Technical Lead, Engineering Manager and then to CTO.In this episode, we discussed Michael's approach to hiring talent and building culture as well as him sharing personal recent experiences in the job market as a candidate.A must listen episode!

Miguel Marin Vermelho is CTO at Flown. An innovative start-up building a platform to encourage deep work in a remote setting.In this episode, Miguel talks us through his career journey and his approach to managing his own productivity, mental health and energy levels to allow for deep work.If you ever procrastinate or struggle with concentration levels, this is the episode for you!

David Stringer is the Director and Head of Technology & Innovation at Bidwells. After a long and accomplished career in the Royal Navy, David carved out a new path as a technology leader, assuming influential roles with Cushman & Wakefield, PWC and now Bidwells. In this episode, David shared with us the problem solving mindset he has crafted over the years that not only enables him to be an effective leader, but ensures he adds real world value to the business.

In this episode, I sit down with James, a seasoned technology leader whose career spans roles as a software engineer, consultant, founder, lecturer, and more — with experience across both nimble startups and major corporates like BAML and Schlumberger. We dive into his journey, his work at Tau Ceti, helping build high-performing teams, and the key principles behind effective tech leadership. James also shares the challenges he’s faced, and his favourite piece of advice for anyone in tech.

Stuart Wright is CTO of SEGA Europe and top 100 CIO for 2025. In this episode, Stuart shares his highly entertaining career journey, his approach to fostering culture and his actions around striving for real equality and diversity in the workplace.

Krishna Dubba, Cofounder and CTO of Covent.Covent is a start-up using AI to match together event organisers and sponsors.In this episode, Krishna shares his inspiring career within tech and data, across academia, research and applied ML and of course as an entrepreneur. He achieved his PhD in Machine Learning & AI and then has gone on to found a number of exciting data and AI focused business.

Anna Keren is the CTO & Co-founder at Falkin, an innovative start-up doing some super interesting work around fraud and real-time scam prevention.In this episode Anna shares her fascinating career story and talks us through how she pushed past a number of limiting beliefs to continue to grow and develop her career, before finally taking the plunge to found her start-up, Falkin.

Ben is CTO of Bayezian, a leading Data Consultancy and Solutions Business. In this episode, Ben discuss his leadership style, his approach to Data & AI initiatives and how to ensure companies are actually deriving value from their data platforms.

Alaa Abouzeid is VP of Software and Firmware Engineering for Reveal Media, a company building innovative body worn camera solutions for front line workers in a number of important critical cases.Alaa has been with the company for over 14 years and grown his career there into a position of tech leadership. In this episode, Alaa shares his approach to engineering leadership and more about the innovative work being done at Reveal Media.

Ben Jarvis is CTO of the Data & AI Practice at Telefónica Tech, a Data and Technology services Consultancy. In this episode, Ben shares his inspirational story of how he has worked his way up from a Data Analytics Consultant to CTO.We hear his thoughts on how important it is to stay technically involved as a CTO and how do you ensure you are getting value out of a data platform.

Dedy Kredo is the Founder and Chief Product Officer at Qodo, an agentic AI platform designed to help developers build high-quality software at scale.Before launching Qodo, Dedy held senior roles across product, data, and technology in both early-stage startups and global enterprises like VMware. In this episode, he shares his journey from curious coder to startup founder, offering insight into the evolving role of developers, building aligned teams, and what it takes to lead in the fast-moving world of AI and software development.

Daren Rudd is the Vice President of Consulting for CGI, leading the insurance business and technology division. He has a long standing career in consulting and insurance, having taken leadership roles at Cognizant, Brit Insurance and Hiscox.In this episode, we take a walk through his career and discuss how to create a competitive advantage in the Consulting world.

Andy is a CTO who has assumed a wealth of C-suite and technology leadership positions largely within the financial services sector, having played key roles for companies like Citi, Admiral, HSBC, Mastercard to name a few.In this episode, Andy talks to us about how he sees the Financial Services world evolving in light of recent technology advancements.

Jon has had an extremely impressive career as a CTO, carving a reputation out for himself particularly within the insurance sector having been CTO of companies like Hiscox and most recently CFC Underwriting.In this episode, Jon and I reflect on his career journey and discuss the key lessons learned along the way.

Azam is a leading technologist and entrepreneur, with experience across research and applied technology.He has worked for many different types of organisations, but with particular emphasis on the Telecoms sector, having done great things at companies like Vodafone and Comarch. Azam talks us through his unique and inspiring career journey to date and discusses his role as Co-founder of Niioma, a start-up fostering a very innovative approach to building marketplaces.

Joe is the CTO of Hedgehog Lab, a software services consultancy. In this episode, Joe shares with us his career journey working within influential Product and Tech Leadership positions at companies like Expedia, Xoomworks and then Accenture. He also talks about his views and approach to ensuring digital inclusion and sustainability in tech.

Frank Gibson is a highly experienced and respected CTO, who has carved out a very successful career path in the interim leadership space. He has fulfilled interim CTO roles for brands such as The Economist, Kantar and now more recently with Timeout.In this episode, Frank shares his career story, we discuss the nature of the interim role and the expectations and challenges that come along with it. 

Russell is a highly experienced technology leader, who has recently moved into the role of CTO for Leapfrog Technology. In this episode, Russell shares his career story, we discuss his mindset around career progression and how he has approached the first few months as a CTO for a global Software Services business.A genuinely great episode!

Chris currently the CTO of Pie, an innovative tax app, streamlining the process of how people do their taxes. Prior to this, Chris has enjoyed an accomplished career as a software engineer and tech leader in many other interesting companies in many different countries. Chris shares his career story and lessons learned along the way.

I had the pleasure recently of being joined by Sam Hill, a highly experienced CTO who has successfully built and exited a business as an entrepreneur and then moved on to influential technology leadership roles for organisations such as Tesco, BBC and M&S.Sam shares his career journey with us and his unique style to leadership. A must listen episode!

This week I have the genuine pleasure of being joined by Jim Beattie, CTO of Transreport. Jim is a highly experienced and respected technology leader, having multiple successful exits from various companies such as JustEat and Timeout.Jim (accompanied by his faithfull Bulldog companion, Douglas) talks me through his career story and how he went from the world of being an international DJ to transitioning into the world of tech. He also outlines his mission for his role at Transreport and discusses how this innovative start-up business is helping people with disabilities enjoy seemless travel and holiday experiences.A not to be missed episode!

David is the CTO for Tillo, an innovative embedded rewards and incentives platform that connects customers with rewards and incentives from 2000+ global brands.In this episode, David shares his journey through tech and how he arrived at the CTO position. We discuss the toolkit needed and the skills he developed to become a successful technology leader.

This week, I speak with James Carey, CTO of Bordeaux Index, an innovative company changing the Landscape of the world’s of fine wine and spirits through LiveTrade.James talks us through his journey into tech leadership and how he approaches building a successful culture in his division.

Meri is the CTO for PLEO, an innovative FinTech company, and has years of experience as a Technology Leader, NED and Advisor. In this episode, Meri talks to us about shaping an engineering culture and fostering a workplace where diversity and inclusion can truly thrive.

Dan is VP of Technology for Cera Healthcare, a leading HealthTech business building a platform around home healthcare. Dan has had a highly impressive career to date in tech assuming C-suite and leadership roles for a number of big brands the likes of Experian, CreditKarma and Gostudent. In this episode, Dan talks us through his career path and choices along the way. A must listen!

Mike is CTO of loveholidays, one of the fastest growing technology retail companies in the world today. In this episode, Mike shares his incredible personal career story and talks us through the mind-boggling scale of the platforms that underpin this extradinary travel tech business.

Nina is the Head of Technology for Portfolio Management at Northstandard, a highly successful and respected Protection and Indemnity Club, specialising in the Marine Insurance space. Since a merger last year between the two companies of North and The Standard Club, NorthStandard are now one of the largest P&I clubs in the international group. The merger has brought about a lot of cultural and digital transformation. In this episode, we talk through Nina's incredible career story, her approach to building a culture and leading in her current role, along with some of the challenges faced and she has overcome those.

This week I am joined by the fantastic Andrew Radcliffe, CEO for Spyrosoft.Andrew and I discuss the inspiring success story of Spyrosoft, a Software Development Services organisation founded in 2016 and is now over 1500 people strong.We reflect on Andrew's journey and he shares his thoughts on what is important in shaping a company culture to allow this level of scale.

This week I speak to the highly experienced and inspirational Dan Gwalter. Dan has played vital technology and transformation leadership roles throughout his career for many blue-chip companies. And more recently, he has launched his own Leadership Consultancy business called 'No-Nonsense Leadership'.In this episode, Dan and I discuss his approach and how the role of a CTO ensures it adds value to the organisation.

Allen is CTO of Leesman, an exciting company building a platform to measure the experience of employees in their places of work.This week, I discuss with Allen his route into the position of CTO and how his experiences along the way have shaped his Leadership style. We also discussed the often overlooked topic of security and what are the ramifications for companies that don't get they security strategy right.A must listen episode!

Alex is the CIO of Neuron, an incubation start-up within Willis Towers Watson, developing of a new digital trading platform for commercial insurers and brokers.In this episode, Alex gives us fascinating insight into his journey leading the way in building and shaping this product from conception to implementation.

Martin is the Head of Engineering for Cisiv, an innovative platform enabling Pharmaceutical and Medical Device companies to collect and manage safety and efficacy studies in the real world.  This week, Martin and I discuss his style and approach to managing his division and just what makes him such an inspirational leader.

In this weeks episode I'm delighted to be joined by two very good friends in Alex Davidson and Ant Newman. We discussed the impact the AI will have in the workplace and the trends we are currently seeing now but also speculate about what's to come.

Greg is the Chief Technology Office for Fairstone Group, one of the fastest growing financial services organisations in the UK and Ireland with run-rate fee income in excess of £135 million.The group operates from over 55 locations, made up of over 1200 operational staff and regulated advisers.The company oversees £15 Billion in funds under management on behalf of over 55,000 wealth management clients.And they recently surpassed 10,000 reviews on Trustpilot, securing Fairstone’s position as the most trusted wealth advisory firm in the UK.In this episode, Greg and I discuss how to best align technology with the wider business strategy to ensure cohesion and success.

Tia is the Director of IT Data and Information Services (UK & EMEA) for Gallagher. In this episode we discuss Tia's approach to implementing a data-driven culture in an established global insurer.

Mike Samra is the CTO of The AA. This week, Mike and I discuss his unique and fascinating journey throughout tech leadership and his approach to aligning with the business and ensuring the tech function is demonstrating business value.

I personally have known Yinka for over a decade and he is one of the true greats. He possesses the rare skillset to be not only extremely knowledgeable technically but has the ability to understand, prioritise and deliver on key business objectives. In this episode, we discuss Yinka's journey as a tech professional and how he has developed the vital skills to lead both technical projects and people.