I speak about the decisions technology leaders are actually facing, drawing on twenty-five years across financial services, defence, retail, and data platforms, and on what I’m currently seeing across engagements as a Field CTO. No slideware theatre: practical talks grounded in real trade-offs.
Topics I speak about
AI adoption you can govern. Most organisations aren’t short of AI enthusiasm, they’re short of a way to adopt it without giving up on rigour. I talk about AI-assisted development, verification and compensating controls, and how to separate the substance from the noise. My writing on this includes Beyond Vibe Coding , and sessions often start with the room scoring itself against my governance self-assessment .
Platform modernisation without the rewrite fantasy. Kubernetes versus serverless, build versus buy, when to modernise and when to leave well alone. How to make architecture decisions that your teams can operate long after the consultants have gone home.
Cloud strategy in regulated environments. What changes when security, regulation, and audit are fundamental requirements rather than afterthoughts, informed by work inside investment banking, payments, and defence.
Bridging engineering and the business. How to explain technical complexity to boards, and commercial reality to engineers. Building product functions, aligning platform teams, and making the case for technical investment in business terms.
Formats
Conference talks, panels, podcasts, webinars, and private sessions for leadership teams. I’m equally comfortable with a keynote slot or an unscripted fireside conversation, and I’d generally rather take questions than overrun with slides.
Interested?
If any of this fits your event or your leadership team, get in touch or message me on LinkedIn . I’m based in the UK and happy to travel or join remotely.