Good Company: The Zngly Podcast

"If you want to get the best out of me, let me do my thing. I've been doing this a bloody long time... I do know better than most people."From dodging transport police with a spray can to being commissioned by global brands, Remi Rough is a world-class artist who has kicked down the doors of the contemporary art world. His journey is a masterclass in turning a subversive street art form into a legitimate, sought-after creative force.In this episode, Michael Wilson sits down with Remi to talk about the reality behind the "currency of cool." He shares unfiltered truths about the business of being an artist, the unregulated "Wild West" of the gallery world, and the constant hustle required to balance creative integrity with commercial survival.The Highlights:From Vandal to Visionary: Remi's journey from graffiti writer to gallery artist, and how his first T-shirt deal became the unlikely bridge between the street and the store.The Art of Collaboration: His one non-negotiable rule when working with big brands and why creative control is paramount to producing your best work.The "Wild West" of the Art World: An astonishing story about battling an Italian gallery to recover €150,000 worth of his art and why your peers are your only real support system.Ageism in Art: A blunt assessment of how the industry is broken, chasing inexperienced 20-somethings while ignoring artists who are creating their best work in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.On AI: Remi's powerful, unfiltered take on why Artificial Intelligence can never replicate the human, emotive, and handmade craft of a true artist. "It's taking human intelligence and filtering it out... **** AI."Legacy is Story: Why he cares more about telling his own story than leaving a legacy, and the power of documenting your history in print."Excursions": The story behind his choice of A Tribe Called Quest, and the song that instantly takes him back to being 20 years old again."You have to keep moving as a business, you have to keep moving as a creative, and you have to keep moving as a human being."Listen now for a masterclass in creative survival and the art of resilience.Good Company. Real conversations with interesting people.*

"Speed is important and it wins headlines. But speed is irrelevant if you're going in the wrong direction. Direction is everything and in the end wins results."From code reviews in Chicago to boardrooms in Milan, Joanna Pamphilis has navigated the seismic shifts of global finance for decades. Now, with the launch of her new venture, JP Global Consulting, she's acting as a "Parachute CIO" for organizations struggling to turn technological ambition into tangible business value.In this episode, Michael Wilson sits down with Joanna to uncover why most digital transformations are doomed from the start and what leaders can do about it. She provides a masterclass in human-centered transformation, explaining how to speak the board's language and why chasing speed over direction is a recipe for disaster.The Highlights:The CIO's New Mandate: Why the CIO role has quietly undergone the biggest transformation in the C-suite, shifting from a back-office utility manager to a strategic visionary whose success is measured in "influence and impact."Why 85% of Transformations Fail: Joanna breaks down the three core reasons it's rarely about the tech: "Cultural Resistance," "Digitising Dysfunction," and the "Shiny Toy Syndrome."Direction Beats Speed: A deep dive into why the immense pressure for short-term results and a "bias towards action" causes companies to move fast in the wrong direction, creating debt and high sunk costs.Speaking the Board's Language: Her brilliant framework for getting funding: "Zoom Out" (connect to strategy), "Zoom In" (show value), and then "Quantify, Connect, and Commit." As she says, "Boards don't fund better data... They fund strategic competitive advantage."The "Parachute CIO": How fractional CIOs provide crucial strategic guidance and an outside perspective to help leaders navigate complexity without getting lost in organizational politics.Advice to the Next Generation: Why the most critical skill for future leaders is "disruptive adaptability" and the importance of staying human, growing others, and building resilience."On The Other Side": The story behind her choice of the song "Other Side" by Kaleida and its message of hope and optimism amidst transition."Successful transformations require a balanced human-tech mix."Listen now for a masterclass in navigating corporate transformation and leading with purpose.Good Company. Real conversations with interesting people.*

"It's a brutal journey... you have to be a little bit crazy to be a founder."If we were playing a VC drinking game, what buzzwords would be on the list? Agentic AI? Democratising Finance? Legacy Stack?Michael Wilson sits down with Mark Beeston, founder of Illuminate Financial. Mark isn't your typical VC chasing the latest tech trend; he's a seasoned operator and investor who believes the real value lies in solving fundamental business problems with technology.From derivative trading floors to building a leading FinTech VC, Mark brings a no-nonsense, grounded perspective to the world of investment. In this episode, we cut through the noise to talk about what really matters: identifying real market needs, the brutal realities of selling to banks, the mental journey of founders, and why a "business solutions" approach trumps tech-first hype.The Highlights:Problem First, Tech Second: Mark’s core thesis – Illuminate Financial invests in solving real business challenges, not just the hottest AI or blockchain trend. "We're not actually technology investors at all... we're old-fashioned business solutions investors."Selling to the Giants: Why convincing banks is a decade-long marathon, not a sprint, and the real art of finding the "problem holder" with budget.The Founder's Gauntlet: Candid insights into the mental toll of entrepreneurship and the investor's role as a supportive, yet objective, guide – the "agony aunt" for founders.VC Differentiation: Navigating the post-venture winter landscape, where genuine business value and strong theses are key to survival and success.Global FinTech Hubs: Mark’s take on London, New York, Europe, and the shifting centre of gravity for innovation.The "T-Shirt Guy" VC: Mark’s personal identity and what truly motivates him beyond the financial returns – the game, surrounding himself with energetic people, and leaving a legacy."Insomnia" and the Founder's Mind: The story behind his track choice, "Insomnia" by Faithless, and its profound connection to the entrepreneurial journey.Good Company. Real conversations with interesting people.*

"The consultant is someone who steals your watch to tell you the time." Tony Clark has heard it all. After 30 years navigating the world of big consulting and finance, he founded NextWave Consulting to do things differently.In this episode of Good Company, Mike Wilson sits down with Tony, founder of the "Challenger Consultancy," to dissect the consultancy landscape, the fintech-client dynamic, and the true state of AI in financial services.Tony shares why boutique firms are outmaneuvering the Big Four, the critical mistakes fintech founders make when selling to banks, and what AI actually means for financial institutions beyond the hype. We also dive into the evolving role of human consultants in an AI-driven world, and the surprising truth behind Tony's weirdest client location.It’s a no-holds-barred conversation on what it takes to deliver real outcomes in today's fast-paced financial world.The Highlights: Consulting's "Swear Jar": Tony explains why the old model of "land and expand" is out, and client-focused, practitioner-led delivery is in. AI Reality vs. Hype: Beyond the 200 POCs, Tony breaks down where AI is actually making an impact in banks today (spoiler: it's coding assistance and knowledge bots). Fintech Founders' Blind Spot: Why you need commercial sales DNA and a "Lighthouse Account" from Day 1, not just a cool product. The "Challenger" Model: How NextWave bridges the gap between enterprise banks and agile fintechs by offering deep industry expertise and cutting-edge tech solutions. The Human Differentiator: In an AI-driven world, why empathy, communication, and "showing up" are more crucial than ever for consultants. War Zone Pitches: Tony shares the surprisingly dangerous location where he's had to build slide decks. The Soundtrack: Tony closes the show with a song that holds a special personal connection."The models are doubling their power every four months, but it takes an enterprise one to two years to move the ship."Good Company. Real conversations with interesting people.

"Just because we can, doesn't mean we should."That is the mantra of Dr. Lollie Mancey, Anthropologist, Futurist, TV Presenter, and the only person we know who can seamlessly connect 1980s Ska music with the future of AI ethics.In this episode of Good Company, host Mike Wilson sits down with the woman he describes as "Indiana Jones meets Silicon Valley." Lollie isn't interested in the tech hype; she’s interested in what the tech is doing to us.From her upcoming keynote with a "MetaHuman" co-star named Anya, to the terrifying reality of "Sweetpea" (the AI voice that never stops listening), this is a conversation about the fight for human solitude in a noisy world.We also dig into the "Innovation Theater" of corporate life (post-it notes won't save you), why Dutch children are dropped in forests to build resilience, and why we might be in danger of becoming a "footnote" in our own lives.It’s deep, it’s fast-paced, and it’s definitely Good Company. The Co-Star: Lollie reveals why she is sharing a stage in Croatia with "Anya"l a MetaHuman designed to challenge (and annoy) her. Future Archaeology: What will historians in the year 3025 think when they dig up a WeWork and find a "Live, Laugh, Love" sign? Innovation Theater: Why beanbags and hackathons are useless without culture change. The Forest Experiment: Why 18-year-olds need "old-fashioned orienteering" (and less screen time) to build grit. The Death of Solitude: The "Sweetpea" problem; are we outsourcing our inner thoughts to AI? The Closer: Why The Specials are the perfect soundtrack for a generation that needs to fight back."The most ethical AI systems of the future will not be the most powerful. They will be the ones that know when to step back."Good Company. Real conversations with interesting people.

"No one has the capacity for long-form whitepapers anymore. We’ve changed. We’re moving to something faster and sharper."Marketing in the City used to be simple: Golf days, expensive dinners, and a handshake. Today, the buyer is 70% through the journey before they even speak to a human.So, how do you steer a giant ship like the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) from an event-led culture to a digital-first machine?In this episode of Good Company, host Mike Wilson sits down with Laura Craft, Group Marketing Director at LSEG, to decode the reality of marketing financial infrastructure.We dive deep into:The "Colouring-In" Myth: How Marketing fights for a strategic seat at the table (and stops just being a service desk for Sales).The Attention Economy: Why LSEG is killing the 40-page whitepaper in favour of Instagram Reels and sharper storytelling.AI vs. Creativity: Why an AI-generated podcast was "the worst thing she ever heard" and why humans still own the narrative.Culture in Chaos: Laura’s strict rule for protecting her team from burnout in a high-adrenaline market (hint: the power of "Scheduled Send").Plus: A New York anthem to close the show from Alicia Keys. Good Company. Real conversations with interesting people.

"Don't believe everything you see on LinkedIn. People see the top, but they don't see the work you put in. They don't see the unglamorous side of the story."What happens when a Chemical Engineer looks at the Banking system? They see leaking pipes that everyone else is trying to paint over.In this episode of Good Company, host Mike Wilson sits down with Theodora Lau; author, influencer, and self-proclaimed "troublemaker"; to strip away the LinkedIn glamour and get to the heart of what’s broken in financial services.Theo isn't afraid to ask the questions that make incumbents squirm. We dive into:The Silo Problem: Why do banks still treat loyal customers like strangers across different products?The Ethics of Debt: Why "Buy Now, Pay Later" is a symptom of a broken system, not a solution to the cost of living crisis.AI vs. Humanity: The specific moments where a bot should never replace a human voice (and why we need to slow down).But the most powerful moment comes when we go off-script. Theo opens up about the "un-Instagrammable" side of success, sharing a heartbreaking wake-up call from her son that changed her perspective on work-life balance forever.It’s a conversation about money, morals, and the radical power of "just being."Plus: A nostalgic outro track from The Carpenters. Good Company. Real conversations with interesting people.

"We were promised flying cars; instead, we got robo-advisors and a box full of old cables." Welcome to the debut episode of Good Company, the podcast that ditches the corporate script to find the human side of B2B. Host Mike Wilson sits down with the legendary Elizabeth Lumley; journalist, keynote speaker, and self-proclaimed "Girl Disruptor"; for a conversation that pulls no punches. Elizabeth has been covering the sector since the 90s and has zero tolerance for fluff, kicking things off by banishing the phrase "Agentic AI is your best Intern" to the Buzzword Bin forever!Swapping war stories from the golden age of banking conferences, including a legendary 90s party featuring caviar and champagne that preceded a bankruptcy filing by just three weeks. But it’s not all laughs; Elizabeth gets candid about the reality of ageism in Fintech and challenges the myth of the perfect 30-year-old founder. We wrap things up with a surprising confession about why this veteran journalist is an unapologetic Taylor Swift fan. It is smart, loud, and definitely Good Company. Real conversations with interesting people.