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 and lead a world-class AI or data team?
I’m Michael Young, founder and CEO of MBN Solutions in Scotland. After two decades placing top talent across data, AI, and tech, I’ve seen what actually separates high-performing teams from the rest, and it’s rarely what the headlines tell you.
A Class Act is where I bring you those stories.
Honest, experience-led conversations with the data and AI leaders making the hard calls right now: who they hire, how they build data science capability, and what real leadership looks like when the technology never stops moving.
No hype. No jargon. Just practical insight from people who’ve actually done it.Whether you’re a data leader, a people manager, or hiring in tech, you’ll walk away from every episode with something you can use.
New episodes twice a month. Follow A Class Act so you never miss one.
Most organisations adopting AI are bolting agentic AI onto the same old processes, then wondering why nothing actually changes.
In this season 2 finale of A Class Act, Michael Young sits down with Stuart Bell, Head of AI & Innovation M&G who went from Java developer to shaping how some of the biggest regulated financial-services firms adopt agentic AI at enterprise scale.
It’s a straight-talking, practical conversation about why the gap between a slick demo and real production is a strategy gap, why you should treat AI agents as products rather than one-off projects, and the question Stuart says every leader should be asking, and almost nobody is.
What you’ll discover⬇️
☑️Why starting from your existing process only ever gives you incremental AI
☑️Why the demo-to-production gap is really a strategy gap (and the three reasons slick demos die)
☑️What changes when you treat AI agents as products, not one-off projects
☑️How to reframe guardrails from risk controls into UX metrics your teams actually want to hit
☑️How to decide what to actually build when every business unit swears their use case comes first
☑️The value-vs-complexity and risk-vs-reuse framework Stuart uses
☑️Why experimenting up front and benchmarking models protects you when the model underneath changes
☑️What “responsible AI” really looks like when it’s working
☑️Why governance done right lets you move faster, not slower
☑️Stuart’s closing advice for any leader who wants to build agentic AI capability
Guest Information⬇️
Stuart Bell is Head of AI & Innovation at M&G, a senior AI leader shaping how large, regulated financial-services organisations adopt agentic AI at enterprise scale. He began his career as a Java developer before moving through software architecture into CTO positions across private-equity-backed and venture-backed businesses as well as large corporates, including a spell at Sky over a decade ago.
Today he focuses on getting agentic AI out of the demo and into production, safely, inside a regulated environment.
Connect with Stuart Bell on LinkedIn⬇️
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-bell-a355283/
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.
About Your Host ⬇️
Michael Young is the Founder & CEO of MBN Solutions and host of A Class Act: Conversations in Data & Leadership. With nearly two decades of experience helping organisations build high-performing data, analytics, and AI teams, he brings frontline insight into what makes exceptional talent and leadership.
Connect with MBN Solutions
If you’re hiring for data or AI leadership roles, scaling AI capability, or rethinking how talent supports your AI strategy, the team at MBN partners with organisations to build data and AI teams that actually deliver.
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: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbn-recruitment-solutions/
For questions, guest recommendations, or to connect:
Email: [email protected]
Visit MBN Solutions website at www.mbnsolutions.com
Subscribe & Follow⬇️
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