A Class Act: Conversations in Data and Leadership
A Class Act: Conversations in Data and Leadership
Podcast Description
Welcome to A Class Act: Conversations in Data and Leadership. Hosted by Michael Young of MBN Solutions, a data talent expert with nearly two decades of experience at the forefront of tech recruitment, this show dives deep into what it really takes to build high-performing teams. Each episode features candid conversations with the leaders behind the progress - those hiring top tech talent, scaling data science teams, driving digital transformation, and leading with purpose (not just a job title).Whether you're a data leader, people manager, recruiter, or simply passionate about building great teams, you'll walk away with insights, lessons learned, and fresh perspectives on talent, strategy, and leadership in today’s tech economy.Follow A Class Act for honest, human-first leadership conversations in the data and tech space.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers themes such as data leadership, team dynamics, and personal growth, with episodes featuring topics like leading with trust, building diversity in teams, and navigating complexity in tech environments. For example, episodes have explored how cognitive diversity improves decision-making and the importance of vulnerability in leadership.
What does it really take to build world-class tech teams and lead with impact in today’s data-driven world?
I’m Michael Young from MBN Solutions and after two decades placing top talent across data, AI, and tech, I’ve seen the real stories behind high-performing teams.
On A Class Act, we go beyond buzzwords. You’ll hear real life, experience-led conversations with the leaders shaping digital transformation – those hiring top tech talent, building data science capability, and leading with purpose.
Whether you’re a data leader, people manager, or recruiter, join us for honest, human-first insights into leadership, strategy, and building great teams in tech.
Follow A Class Act for honest, human-first leadership conversations in the data and tech space.
Most enterprise AI strategies fail not because the technology isn’t ready, but because organisations are still operating with 20th-century models. In this episode, Global Chief Digital, Data & AI Officer Eddie Short breaks down what’s really going wrong, and what leaders must do instead to build AI into the DNA of their organisations.
With over 30 years of experience as a Fortune 1000 CTO/CDO, Big Four partner, and transformation leader across telecoms, retail, FMCG, healthcare and private equity, Eddie has helped global organisations embed AI at scale, redesign operating models, and drive step-change performance.
This is a direct conversation about what actuallymoves the needle in enterprise AI adoption.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- Why most enterprise AI strategies fail
- Why bolt-on approach never works (and what built-in AI means)
- How to architect an AI-enabled organisation
- Why use-cases are outdated thinking
- Why AI success is 70% reinvention of work, 20% data & tech, 10% algorithms
- How to move from backward-looking to predictive-by-design
- The new talent model: hybrid, fractional, capability-based
- Real examples from telecoms,healthcare, retail, FMCG, and private equity
CONNECT WITH EDDIE SHORT
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-short-0b683a/
WORK WITH MBN SOLUTIONS
If you’re building AI, data or engineering capability or redesigning your operating model , MBN helps organisations hire better, move faster, and build world-class teams.
🔗 Follow MBN Solutions on LinkedIn: Explore industry updates, groundbreaking projects, and the latest in data and analytics talent. Join the conversation and discover how MBN Solutions is shaping the future of data leadership. Visit the company page here.
📩 For questions, guest recommendations, or to connect:
Email: [email protected]
Visit MBN Solutions website: www.mbnsolutions.com
If you enjoyed this conversation with Eddie Short, make sure you:
👉 Follow the podcast
👉 Leave a comment with your biggest takeaway
👉 Share this with a colleague working in AI, data or transformation
Please note: The views expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not reflect those of their current or former employers.
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