leadership Archives - Don't Stop Us Now

Where Luxury Travel Meets AI – Sean Seah

February 6, 2026February 6, 2026
by Claire

Most conversations about AI implementation come from consultants selling solutions or vendors pitching tools. This one doesn’t.

Sean Seah is SVP of Strategy, Technology and Innovation at Langham Hospitality Group, where he’s leading AI adoption across a global luxury hotel portfolio. With over two decades in digital transformation at Microsoft, HSBC, and Zuji, Sean brings a rare perspective as he’s living inside the messy reality of making it actually work.

What emerges from our conversation is a refreshingly practical playbook for AI implementation. Sean reveals why the “boring stuff” nobody discusses—data infrastructure, change management, measurement frameworks—determines whether AI delivers business value or not. He advocates starting small, proving value in weeks rather than years, and letting success create momentum for long term transformation.

We explore how Sean balances short-term wins with long-term strategic vision, how he thinks about his AI strategy in a global context, and why luxury hospitality, with its complex blend of human service and operational efficiency offers surprisingly universal lessons for AI implementation across industries.

In this episode:

How Sean’s approach to long term tech transformation includes the necessity that it must deliver short term value as well.
Why one of Langham’s first major AI investments is customer facing and how it’s faring
Examples of how they practically trained their AI agents and staff, and
How Sean’s ensured Langhams isn’t reliant on any one large language model

Whatever sector you’re in, Sean’s boots-on-the-ground experience offers a practical roadmap for leaders navigating the gap between AI potential and AI reality.

Enjoy this episode!

Useful Links:

Sean Seah on Linkedin
Langham Hospitality Group

Interview

Agents Explained – Dominick Ng

December 19, 2025December 19, 2025
by Claire

If you’ve heard the term ‘AI agents’ but aren’t quite sure what they actually are or how they could help you at work, this is the episode for you.

Our guest is Dominick Ng, Director of Engineering at Relevance AI, a platform that helps businesses build and deploy AI agents. Before joining the startup world, Dom spent nine years at Google, rising from software engineer to senior manager. He also holds a PhD in Computational Linguistics and won a Fulbright Scholarship to UC Berkeley.

What makes Dom such a brilliant guide for this topic is his ability to explain complex technology in human terms. As he puts it, agents are fundamentally about adding human-like decision making to automation — handling the qualitative judgments that previously only people could make.

In this conversation you’ll hear:

A clear explanation of what agents actually are and why they’re different from previous automation
Real examples of agents creating entirely new business possibilities that couldn’t exist before
How to address privacy and security concerns when handing tasks to agents
Dom’s advice for anyone feeling overwhelmed by all of this

Dom is refreshingly honest about both the opportunities and the concerns he has about AI’s impact. His perspective on how humans and AI can work together — and the ‘spark’ that makes human creativity irreplaceable — is genuinely hopeful without being naive.

If you’ve been curious about agents but not sure where to start, this is the conversation you can thank us for later.

As this is our final episode of the year, we want to wish all our listeners Season’s Greetings. Thank you for listening throughout the year, and we wish you a kind and fulfilling new year ahead.

Enjoy this episode with the ever-curious and articulate Dominick Ng.

Useful Links

Relevance AI

Dominic Ng on LinkedIn

Interview

Life Inside an AI-Native Success Story – Donna Thomas

August 20, 2025
by Claire

Ever wondered what it’s really like inside one of the world’s fastest-growing AI companies? This week we get unprecedented access to the inner workings of Leonardo AI through their Chief Commercial Officer, Donna Thomas.

Leonardo AI is a Gen AI-powered image and video generator and it’s one of Australia’s AI success stories. It scaled from zero to 19 million users in just two years before being acquired by Canva last year.

At ‘Leo’ as they call it, Donna plays a central role overseeing customer, marketing, sales and enterprise adoption, as Leo charts its evolution from a fast-growing creative AI platform to an enterprise-scale solution.

Donna takes us behind the scenes and shares what hypergrowth feels like from the inside. She says Leo has redefined her understanding of speed itself.

In such a fast moving environment, the challenges of managing and sustaining teams through constant change become critical and Donna shares the specific structures and rituals Leo uses to maintain team stability while moving faster than she’s ever experienced.

In this conversation, you’ll also discover:

The key differences between working at a traditional tech giant versus an AI-native startup and what skills become essential
The “listening muscle” required to synthesise signals from customers, competitors, and tech developments in real-time
Practical strategies for managing and sustaining teams through hypergrowth and hyper-fast work rhythms
Why Leonardo embeds AI across everything from customer service to engineering and HR, and how they manage the complexity of using multiple different AI tools internally; and . . .
Donna’s advice for professionals wanting to become more AI-fluent and free up time for deep work.

Whether you’re curious about life inside a cutting-edge AI company or looking for practical insights on adapting and leading in our rapidly changing work environment, this conversation offers a rare glimpse into how a world-leading AI-native organisation is managing these challenges and opportunities.

Enjoy this episode!

Useful Links

Leonardo AI

Interview

AI at the Speed of Trust – Ann Maya

August 7, 2025
by Claire

Our guest this week gets straight to the heart of what actually makes AI work in practice: seamless data integration and moving at what she calls “the speed of trust.”

Ann Maya is the EMEA Chief Technology Officer at Boomi, a company that connects applications, devices, and systems to help organisations navigate digital transformation. With over 20 years in software—from developer to solution architect to senior leadership—Ann has a rare ability to bridge technical complexity with business reality.

In this conversation, we explore why most organisations struggle to scale AI beyond pilots, and why the answer isn’t just about the technology itself. Ann shares:

How a container ship insurance company transformed their underwriter workflow from three days to 15 minutes—and why their legal team immediately wanted in
Why she believes your company’s data is your “competitive secret sauce” and how to protect it while still leveraging AI’s power
The psychology behind why change happens at “the speed of trust” and how smart companies bring their people along on the AI journey
Real examples of what she calls “creative destruction”—and why the next revolution might come from the most unexpected places

Ann also reveals how Boomi has embedded 11 different AI agents into their own platform and shares a fascinating perspective on the current AI race: who’s winning, who’s getting left behind, and what you can control when everything feels like it’s moving at breakneck speed.

Whether you’re wondering how to turn AI skeptics into advocates or trying to understand why your organisation’s data strategy matters more than ever, this conversation offers practical insights from someone who’s helping companies navigate this transformation every day.

Enjoy this episode with the innovative and customer-focused Ann Maya.

Links

Ann on LinkedIn

Boomi home page

Boomi – Discover

Interview

AI for Marketing & Creative – Emma Wharton Love

July 23, 2025July 23, 2025
by Claire

This week we explore how AI is reshaping all things marketing with Emma Wharton Love, co-founder of UK-based Spark AI.

Emma helps creative agencies and in-house teams navigate the AI era, and her unique background includes helping the entire UK House of Commons transition to hybrid working during Covid.

That experience taught Emma something crucial that we explore in this episode, successful AI deployment isn’t really about the technology, it’s about people and change management.

We also probe one of the most sensitive areas for the marketing services industry, how AI is impacting the creative process itself. We also explore what AI video means for advertising and how it may result in a much bigger pool of advertisers in future.

During this great conversation you’ll also discover:

What to avoid when starting out on the AI pathway
The value of synthetic market research (and what it is)
Where Emma believes the biggest gains for agencies lie
How she thinks about AI’s future role in marketing creativity, and
The one mindset Emma believes is essential for AI success.

Whether you’re in marketing or not, Emma’s approach to managing AI transformation offers valuable lessons for any professional or business trying to harness this technology thoughtfully.

Useful Links

Spark AI website

Emma Wharton Love on LinkedIn

How To Episode

Practical AI Use Cases You Can Try Today

March 11, 2025March 11, 2025
by Claire

This week’s episode of Don’t Stop Us Now AI Edition brings you something a little different as we share behind the scenes insights into the different ways we’re currently using and experimenting with AI to improve our productivity.

AI tools are evolving so fast and we know how hard it is to try and keep up with it all. This is exactly why we’re sharing specific use case examples with you in this week’s episode. These practical use cases are all things you can try out for yourself today if you’re curious about easy ways to incorporate AI into your work and life but aren’t sure where to start.

As you’ll hear, we’ll share some useful and fun ways to test Perplexity’s Deep Research, Open AI’s image generation capabilities, and Google’s Notebook LM.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

How we transformed some everyday tasks using Perplexity’s new Deep Research
How AI-generated images have become dramatically more useful and accurate in recent months and what we’re using these images for
How to easily digest lengthy business reports by turning them into interactive audio conversations you can listen to while commuting or exercising, and
Practical advice for navigating privacy considerations while experimenting with AI

You’ll also get to listen in on a live conversation we have showcasing a new feature on Notebook LM that really ups the ante for quickly and easily finding the information you want in a dense and lengthy document.

There’s something for everyone to try here so enjoy this practical episode sharing real-world AI use cases and tips…

Useful Links

Perplexity AI

Google’s Notebook LM

ChatGPT (includes image generation capabilities)

Greta’s LinkedIn article on data poisoning

If you haven’t already, subscribe to Don’t Stop Us Now – AI Edition to stay in the know

Why not connect with Claire and Greta on LinkedIn to share your own AI use cases and experiences

Interview

Cultivating Your Inner Data Scientist – Pinar Ozcan

February 27, 2025February 27, 2025
by Claire

In today’s world, data underpins almost everything—from the financial decisions we make to the way businesses and governments operate. What’s more, in the world of AI, data is the fuel and the ‘secret sauce’ that produces the time saving outputs and future potential breakthroughs.

But while companies are collecting more data than ever before, many are still struggling to store it effectively, let alone make sense of it, and most of us are not equipped with the skills we all need personally to have sustainable careers in this new, AI-powered era.

In our episode this week, we speak with Pinar Ozcan, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Said Business School, Oxford University, to explore the profound impact of AI on jobs, skills, and industries—and what you can do to stay relevant.

Pinar is a leading expert on AI disruption, open banking, and the strategic role of data in innovation. From the rise of AI-driven financial services to the skills that will define the workforce of tomorrow, she shares invaluable insights on how individuals and businesses can navigate this changing landscape.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How AI and data are reshaping industries, particularly finance and fintech
Practical ways you can stay competitive in the AI-driven job market
Why data literacy is becoming a must-have skill for professionals
Pinar’s take on which countries and companies are leading the way in AI regulation and education
How AI is both creating and eliminating jobs, and what that means for your career

We’ll also hear about the personal AI tool that’s transformed the way Pinar works.

Don’t miss this fascinating and thought-provoking conversation with Pinar Ozcan.

Useful Links

Pinar’s website

Learn more about Pinar’s research: Oxford Future of Finance and Technology Initiative

Recommended book: Prediction Machines by Ajay Agrawal

Pinar’s favourite AI tool: Superhuman – an AI-powered email assistant

Info on the EU AI Act

Share this episode with a friend or colleague who needs to upskill for the AI era

Subscribe to Don’t Stop Us Now – AI Edition wherever you get your podcasts

Interview

Our Chat with Chat – ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode

February 11, 2025
by Claire

Drumroll . . . our episode this week features a world famous guest who needs no introduction.

After detailed negotiations with their agent 😉 we’re thrilled to share that our guest is none other than ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode.

Since launching in the 3rd quarter of last year, Open AI’s ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode has been transforming how people interact with AI. It’s played countless roles – from life coach to confidant, knowledge companion to conversation practice partner.

And now? We’re adding ‘podcast guest’ to its extensive repertoire!

We approached our unique conversation with this famous ‘synthetic’ guest as both a test drive and a demonstration; taking ChatGPT for a ‘spin’ and letting you experience its capabilities in real-time.

You’ll hear Chat switch between languages effortlessly, offer predictions and insights about adapting to tomorrow’s workplace, and even attempt some dad jokes. Groan! (We apologise in advance!)

Through some persistent questioning, we also uncovered what might be previously unreported usage data. Is it a world-first revelation or an AI hallucination? Only OpenAI knows for sure!

We’re confident you’ll find this conversation as fun and intriguing as we did. So settle in and enjoy this episode featuring our first-ever synthetic guest, ChatGPT.

Useful Info for trying Advanced Voice Mode yourself:

Advanced Voice Mode is easy to access. You open your ChatGPT app and you’ll see a button on the bottom right that has white zigzag bars with a black background – it’s called the Wavelength icon. Click on this and you can get started. It’s worth noting that ChatGPT free users have limited access.

Image Credit: ChatGPT

Interview

Leaning into AI – Julie Hood

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025
by Claire

What happens when AI transforms one industry? The ripple effects can reshape entire business ecosystems – from healthcare innovations forcing insurance companies to adapt, to retail transformations rippling through supply chains.

In this episode, we dive deep into these cascading effects with someone who sees them firsthand. Through fascinating real-world examples, Julie Hood reveals how AI isn’t just changing isolated business functions – it’s creating a domino effect that no industry can ignore.

As EY’s AI Enablement Leader for Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa, Julie guides organisations through this transformation daily, bringing insights from her work with teams across 90 countries.

You’ll discover:

Why every corner of your business needs to prepare for AI transformation
How to get involved in AI projects, even without technical expertise
Practical ways to use AI tools like ChatGPT in your daily life (including Julie’s personal travel planning secrets)

Join us as we explore the interconnected AI future and more with the well-travelled and design-curious Julie Hood.

Useful Link

EY website AI centre

Interview

AI for Human Flourishing – Nathalie Nahai

January 5, 2025January 6, 2025
by Claire

Our guest this week is an expert in psychology, persuasive technology, and human behaviour. Nathalie Nahai is also an author, international keynote speaker and artist.

Nathalie has thought deeply about the impact of AI on humans and what she has to share with us in this episode is really thought provoking.

In this episode we cover what it will mean to be human in the coming years as AI evolves around us. We talk about what happens if businesses just default to using AI to cut costs and roles, and explore how to create AI that has values truly ‘baked in’ to support humanity.

Nathalie also shares an inspiring call to pursue the answer to perhaps the most important question for today: how do we create businesses that harness technology and support the flourishing of life? And she shares a diverse range of AI resources to listen to or read (see links below).

This is Nathalie’s second appearance on the show and an obvious choice for us given her global perspectives on humans and their relationship with tech. (It’s been six years since we last spoke to her on the podcast after meeting at SXSW in Austin. You can find that episode here.)

Nathalie’s humane perspective and questions are so important in the world right now.

Enjoy this new episode with the deep thinking and inspiring Nathalie Nahai.

Useful links

Nathalie’s AI resources page

Nathalie Nahai Art

Nathalie’s podcast

Joanna Kavanna (author she mentions)

Sanger Institute (for Genomics)

MIT AI Basics

Harvard free machine learning course

Your Undivided Attention (podcast)

Gary Marcus