Walk in the Cloud

Whether it's a narrow focus on carbon reduction or a broad approach to behavioural change, every company has sustainability on their agenda. However, what actions they take and who is responsible can often differ. Jen Courant from Deutsche Bank joins us to talk about their compelling new model for corporate sustainability leadership. 

When you think of Scotland do you think of data? After this episode, you certainly will! Edinburgh is on the road to becoming a data capital of Europe. Join us to find out why it matters. With data, the possibilities are endless; from predicting epileptic fits, or enabling people to pivot their careers, to saving millions in manufacturing infrastructure costs. And small but mighty Scotland has big ambitions to put a ding in the universe.

Changing the world for the better has become a thread in the narrative for most big companies and it's simply a necessary part of doing business in the 21st century. But what happens when everyone embraces the opportunity for real change, rather than just doing the basics? Join us to learn more about an example that stretches employee skill and creativity, and most importantly makes a real difference to people in need.

The right combination of data, tech and people can boost profitability and revenue - but only 5% of companies are making it happen. This episode has more than one surprising statistic as we talk about talent, the gender pay gap, skills, technology, and the critical role of the CHRO as a growth executive.

The UK has a productivity problem, but it's not what it seems. The UK was ranked 4th in the G7, behind the US, Germany and France – join our walk to find out why and what can be done. We explore how technology can increase workforce productivity, not by doing more but by creating more value.

Technology and sustainability – is it an oxymoron? Our research shows that 100% of CIOs agree that technology is critical to sustainability, but we also know that it creates its own environmental impact. Join us as we explore each side of the coin; how technology can help sustainability, and how technology can be sustainable.

Technology and health care has been a conversation for years, but a unique conjunction of change means that the time has never been better to turn dreams to reality. AI-enhanced data analysis, smarter diagnostic equipment, hybrid environments where humans and technology work side-by side and new approaches to digital experience are revolutionising medicine. We look at the consequences for an overstretched system always looking to do more with less. 

If you don't work in financial services, you might not even know what Open Banking is. But you should. New European banking rules on data have transformed the services banks can offer, and provide the model for what may happen with data across other industries. The UK was an early leader in Open Banking but some say it's falling behind. What can British execs do to stay in innovation pole position?

The Great Resignation: we've all heard about it, read about it, and many of us have experienced the shift it's caused in the professional world. But what is really happening and how can cloud technology help us adjust? Our host sits down with Carolyn Horne of Workday and Colin Anderson of Accenture to discuss the intricacies of the new normal — and the role technology has played in facilitating remote work and retaining talent.

Supply chains have become sexy. In this episode, our host talks with Stephane Crosnier of Accenture UK and John McNiff of SAP. The last two years have been a perfect storm of critical supply chain issues; our experts offer practical insight into how businesses have used innovative technologies to stay ahead of perpetual disruption.

What does it take to win customers for life? Creating exquisite personalised experiences at the right moment. But with so much data to sift through it can be a challenge to find the right solutions for buyers. In this episode of Walk in the Cloud, our host is joined by Saul Lopes of Currys and Accenture's Katrina Harianto to discuss the most effective ways to build stunning solutions that have customers coming back for more.

Any tool is only useful in skilled hands—and that's especially true for the cloud. In this episode of Walk in the Cloud, our host is joined by Accenture's Stephanie Sadowski and Stuart Mills of Salesforce to discuss how highly skilled organisations can maximise the value of their cloud investments to find and grow the talent they need.

In the world of constant change, adaptability has never been more crucial than it is today. Building speed and agility allows us to thrive in times of digital disruption. On this episode of Walk in the Cloud, our host is joined by Oracle's Alastair Watts and Accenture UK's David Middup to discuss a more systematic, yet holistic, approach towards embracing digital fluency to develop strategic agility and resilience within big organisations.

Innovating is one of the hardest things for organisations of any size to achieve, but that doesn't mean that innovation is the exclusive purview of a few elite businesses. On this episode of Walk in the Cloud, our host is joined by Google Cloud's Finn Toner and Accenture UK's Akosua Kudom to discuss how the right partnerships and cloud technology can help organisations of all sizes to innovate better.

Potential cost savings are a major draw for cloud transformation. But the cloud's financial potential doesn't stop there. In this episode, our host is joined by Kevin Long, Cloud Economist at Amazon Web Services, and Dean Oliver, Accenture's Cloud First UK FinOps Lead, to explore all of the financial use cases of moving to the cloud—and how the right partnerships can help unleash the cloud's full potential.

What happens when the world's largest software company, a multinational energy company and Accenture get together to tackle decarbonisation? They try to save the world. Microsoft's Matt Highman and SSE's John Downes explain why their organisations see partnerships as essential to achieving the most audacious goals of their businesses.

No organisation can hope to complete its cloud transformation journey without strong leadership from its CIO and CTO. Emma Roscow, Accenture UK's Cloud Infrastructure Engineering Lead, unpacks how these roles are changing as the cloud goes mainstream. She argues that as tech and business needs become more intertwined, the remit of these roles is continuing to expand.

People are the engine of every organisation. What will it mean for them as organisations move to the cloud? Nicole Knott, Managing Director, HR Consulting with Accenture UK, looks at how the cloud opens up new doors of inclusivity, productivity and talent management. Nicole argues that organisations can only meet expectations for an employee experience if they embrace the cloud.

The cloud can help us to make things better—and to make better things. Maddie Walker, Industry X Lead for Accenture UK, unpacks how the cloud can create the digital intelligence that will drive the fifth industrial revolution, dives into how the cloud is changing the role of the COO today, and shares how today's manufacturing leaders think and what they do differently.

Marketing hasn’t always thought of itself as a technological field, but new tech like the cloud is placing tremendous new opportunities at the doors of marketing leaders. Accenture Interactive Lead for the UK and Ireland, Pritesh Gadhia explains how Chief Marketing Officers can embrace the cloud to achieve more with less and drive customer obsession.

Ambrose Shannon, Accenture’s CFO and Enterprise Value UKI Practice Lead shares why cloud is one way for CFOs to arm themselves with faster insights to inform business decisions in today’s fast-moving world. By embracing lifelong learning, Shannon explains, CFOs are in the unique position to help organisations successfully navigate cloud transformations.

Chief information security officers play an invaluable role in spotting and mitigating risks so the rest of the organisation can get on with building the dream. Cyber security guru Jane Frankland explains how the best do it, while bringing up some hidden threats they may be missing. Amongst them: a worrying lack of women in the field which may leave doors open to targeted fraud.

Applied Intelligence leader Vikas Sindwani believes the best cloud transformations start with innovative dreamers who spot the potential in vast lakes of data, then dream up business-changing things to do with them. Chief Data Officers' enterprise data strategies are driving a new breed of super-responsive, super-flexible organisations. Vikas explains how they do it.

CEOs who think of cloud simply as technology and relegate it to their tech teams are doomed to failure, argues Accenture’s Strategy & Consulting lead Rachel Barton. Rachel talks about the three categories of CEO she tends to see when relating to cloud and the challenges facing each. Building back better in the UK after COVID-19 and Brexit makes this episode particularly relevant.