The AI in Business Podcast

Closing the Gap Between Commercial Plans and What Happens on the Shelf - with Stephanie Lilley of Reckitt

15 sept 2026 · 24:14

For consumer goods companies, the gap between the commercial plan agreed at head office and what gets executed on the shelf is one of the costliest disconnects in the business — investment goes out against activity that never happens, and revenue never arrives against activity that does. ​ In this episode, Stephanie Lilley, VP of Transformation for Europe at Reckitt, examines why rigid rep call cycles and fragmented store-level data keep that gap open, and where AI is starting to close it — from image recognition that verifies in-store compliance to dynamic routing that sends field teams to the stores with the highest return — with host Daniel Faggella, Emerj CEO and Head of Research. ​ She outlines the practical shifts underway: from fixed call files toward a mix of core relationship stor

Why Traditional Training Can't Keep Technical Teams Current - with Nicola Lyons of Andela

14 sept 2026 · 19:47

Traditional, event-based training can't keep pace with technical skills that now shift every six to twelve months. ​ In this episode, Nicola Lyons, Senior Director of Talent Operations at Andela, breaks down why assessment-based, personalized learning is replacing one-time training programs. ​ The conversation covers how leaders can build continuous learning loops that keep technical teams current without turning into another mandatory course. ​ This episode is sponsored by Andela. ​ Reach VP+ leaders at America's largest enterprises through Emerj's podcasts. Emerj reaches 1 million listeners annually. Learn how AI brands use Emerj to generate leads: emerj.com/AD1

Responsible Generative AI in Healthcare and What Leaders Need to Know for 2026 - with Rhett Alden of Elsevier Health

8 sept 2026 · 21:54

Generative AI is entering clinical workflows just as healthcare institutions grapple with black-box outputs, unclear regulation, and the need for provable accuracy. In this episode, Rhett Alden, CTO at Elsevier, joins Emerj's Yolandi de Weerdt to articulate how claim-level validation and transparent sourcing are becoming prerequisites for clinical trust in AI. The conversation covers emerging AI governance boards modeled on clinical trial review structures, the limits of current US regulation, and why final clinical responsibility remains with the physician. Learn the strategies Emerj uses to help leading AI brands and startups connect with their ideal enterprise AI buyers: emerj.com/AD1

Building AI Into Systems That Can't Afford to Be Late - with Drew Barbier of MIPS

4 sept 2026 · 20:09

For AI systems built into vehicles, robots, and industrial equipment, being smart isn't enough — the difference between success and failure often comes down to whether real-time performance was designed in from the start or added on afterward. In this episode, Drew Barbier, Vice President, IP Business Unit at MIPS, breaks down why starting with the software workload, rather than the hardware, produces measurably better outcomes in real-time compute design. The conversation covers a real-world example of a three-to-five-times performance gain from workload-first design, what changes on a team's side when real-time becomes a starting requirement instead of an afterthought, and how leaders can tell within six months whether their approach is working. This episode is sponsored by MIPS. Learn h

AI-Powered Revenue Operations: The Future of Sales for SMBs - with Vanessa Tabbert of Salesforce

2 sept 2026 · 30:58

Enterprise sales teams routinely let the majority of inbound leads go untouched simply because there isn't enough team bandwidth to work them all. In this episode, Vanessa Tabbert, VP of Agentic Transformation and Sales Development at Salesforce, breaks down how her own team deployed an AI SDR agent to recover leads that would otherwise go cold, without replacing the humans who convert the best ones. The conversation covers how to identify a low-risk first use case, why an AI agent should be coached and measured like a team member rather than launched and left alone, and how the same approach scales down to a small SMB sales team. This episode is sponsored by Salesforce. ​ To learn the exact strategies we use to help leading AI brands and startups connect with their ideal enterprise AI buy

Where Agentic AI Pays Off in the B2B Back Office - with Chris Bradley of Veritiv

1 sept 2026 · 20:49

Large B2B operations keep running order entry, invoicing, and other repetitive back-office workflows by hand, years after most companies started investing heavily in AI. In this episode, Chris Bradley, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of AI Transformation at Veritiv, breaks down why legacy systems have kept agentic AI out of these workflows, and what changed once Veritiv began automating a process handling 1.7 million orders a year. The conversation covers the audit-trail controls needed to trust an agent with an end-to-end task, how a supervising AI agent checks another agent's work, and how to pick a first automation target based on headcount concentration rather than project size. ​ If you offer AI products or services into the enterprise, you need to find enterprise leaders with releva

The Real‑World Conditions That Shape Industrial AI - with Scot Burdette of ABB

31 ago 2026 · 25:13

Industrial environments run on a different set of constraints than the typical enterprise office — physical risk, standalone factory sites, and workflows where a fragmented handoff can cost time, quality, or worse. ​ In this episode, Scot Burdette, Global CIO of Measurement & Analytics at ABB, examines why industrial AI has to be built around knowledge capture, human-in-the-loop oversight, and frontline usability, and shares how ABB's own tools are helping a retiring generation's expertise transfer to the workers replacing them, with Emerj host Marilie Fouché. ​ He outlines the practical shift underway, from siloed, tribal knowledge toward a shared operational data layer, and from pilots that prove a concept to the design and implementation work that changes how a factory runs. ​ This epis

Closing the Skills Intelligence Gap in the AI Era - with Cory Hymel of Andela

27 ago 2026 · 26:15

Job titles routinely undercount what employees can actually do, especially in fast-moving technical roles. In this episode, Cory Hymel, Head of Research at Andela, explores why mapping skills instead of roles gives leaders a far more accurate picture of workforce capability and AI readiness. The conversation covers how continuous skills assessment, rather than one-time training, keeps pace with a technical skill half-life that's now down to two or three years. This episode is sponsored by Andela. Learn how select AI vendors reach Fortune 500 decision-makers through Emerj's research and media platforms. Download our media kit at emerj.com/AD1

Scaling Agentic Automation With Open Architecture - with Arun Chandra of NICE

26 ago 2026 · 23:37

A quarter of enterprise teams have gotten a single AI channel into full production — the rest are stuck somewhere behind it. In this episode, Arun Chandra, Chief Operating Officer at NiCE, explores why that gap persists and what closes it. The conversation covers getting data, knowledge, and organizational context ready for scale, building the financial case for AI investment with the CFO, and how open protocols like MCP are reshaping enterprise architecture decisions. This episode is sponsored by NiCE Cognigy. Learn how leading organizations approach AI investment more like a venture portfolio, and why interdisciplinary collaboration is critical to defining the right data for AI success. Download our free PDF report, "Beginning with AI," at emerj.com/aik1

AI for Patient Critical Uptime in a Shrinking Technician Workforce - with Michael Goldman

25 ago 2026 · 22:41

The service environment is straining under rising equipment complexity and a rapidly shrinking technician workforce, making patient‑critical uptime harder to guarantee. In this episode, Michael Goldman, Senior Director of Business Operations and Transformation at Patterson Dental, examines how AI can preserve service continuity by capturing institutional knowledge, supporting technician workflows, and enabling earlier, more accurate equipment diagnostics — in conversation with host Yolandi de Weerdt. Learn how leading brands and AI startups connect with enterprise AI buyer audiences at scale, download our media kit at emerj.com/AD1

Intelligent Operations at Enterprise Scale - with Dave Glick of Walmart

24 ago 2026 · 22:11

Enterprise engineering teams often spend more time triaging recurring incidents than building the features customers are asking for. In this episode, Dave Glick, Senior Vice President of Growth Technology at Walmart, explores how his teams are using AI agents to catch and fix small, recurring issues before they turn into support tickets. The conversation covers the internal tools Walmart built to scale this work, the governance model that keeps experimentation safe, and why closing the distance between engineers and the people using their tools speeds up every iteration. ​ This episode is sponsored by BigPanda. If you offer AI products or services into the enterprise, you need to find enterprise leaders with relevance, and readiness. Emerj attracts VP+ enterprise audiences who are already

How Leaders Build for the Next Era of Compute - with Sam Grove of MIPS

20 ago 2026 · 25:04

Consolidating hardware into fewer, more capable chips looks like an unambiguous win — until the complexity those separate components used to handle resurfaces in the software binding everything back together. In this episode, Sam Grove, Head of Software and Tools Business at MIPS, examines why hardware and software teams can't keep building in sequence, and why MIPS bet its roadmap on the open RISC-V standard instead of defending a proprietary instruction set, with host Yolandi de Weerdt. The conversation also covers how tools like MIPS Atlas Explorer help engineering teams see where hardware acceleration pays off before silicon gets committed, and why the real risk in overhauling a build process is rarely the technology — it's bringing already-productive teams along with the change. This

How Regulated Enterprises Turn Governance Into AI Scale - with Julian Tang of BlackRock

18 ago 2026 · 18:23

Enterprise leaders face a growing gap between AI ambition and the fragmented data, legacy systems, and cultural friction that prevent pilots from becoming scalable value. In this episode, Julian Tang, Chief Operations Officer for the Innovation Office at BlackRock, examines how unified data foundations, modernized infrastructure, and transparent governance enable organizations to move from reactive experimentation to intentional, enterprise‑wide AI deployment, in conversation with host Matthew DeMello. He highlights the practical shifts required to reduce friction, build trust in AI systems, and create repeatable playbooks that let teams scale responsibly and with confidence. Learn how to identify real AI trends by tracking where venture funding is flowing, and by listening to how leading

Determining Virtual Cell Impact for Drug Discovery - with Kristóf Szalay and Gerold Csendes of Turbine

17 ago 2026 · 41:01

Virtual cell models promise faster, cheaper early-stage drug discovery. However, the industry still lacks a shared way to judge which of these models can actually be trusted on a given problem. In this episode, Kristóf Szalay, CTO and Co-Founder of Turbine, and Gerold Csendes, Scientist at Turbine, set out what virtual cell models can and can't do today, in conversation with host Marilie Fouché. They cover why benchmarking remains fragmented across the field, how pharma teams build confidence in a model before trusting it with real R&D decisions, and how compressing the feedback loop between experiments can cut months out of the discovery process. This episode is sponsored by Turbine. Emerj works with a select group of AI vendors to reach Fortune 500 decision makers through research, media

[AI Futures] Paolo Ardoino of Tether on Merger or Obsolescence - The Future for Humanity (Stewarding the Flame, Episode 3)

15 ago 2026 · 40:47

The rise of non‑invasive BCIs and the privacy, security, and human‑relevance questions they introduce is becoming a central concern as this technology moves toward practical use. In this episode, Paolo Ardoino, CEO at Tether, examines how lightweight on‑device models, silent‑speech inputs, and anonymized brain‑wave data can turn low‑bandwidth neural signals into real‑world actions, in conversation with host Daniel Faggella, Emerj CEO and Head of Research. The discussion focuses on emerging consumer use cases, long‑term cognitive augmentation, and the safeguards needed to keep these systems private and safe. Emerj works with a select group of AI vendors to reach Fortune 500 decision makers through research, media, and direct access. If you want to be considered, download our media kit at em

The Predictive Model Reshaping Retail Operations at Scale - with Chris Slovak of Unframe

13 ago 2026 · 37:50

Most retail AI pilots stall waiting on a years-long project to centralize and clean data before any agent can go live. In this episode, Chris Slovak, Global Field CTO at Unframe, makes the case for a different path: letting agents pull context directly from ERPs, CRMs, and point-of-sale systems as needed, in conversation with host Marilie Fouché. He walks through concrete results from that approach, including an inventory intelligence deployment that saved tens of thousands of dollars in time and data costs, and a deployment cycle that shrank from nine months to two weeks. This episode is sponsored by Unframe. Emerj works with a select group of AI vendors to reach Fortune 500 decision makers through research, media, and direct access. If you want to be considered, download our media kit at

Managing Change Across Modern Financial Operations - with Ajay Swamy of JPMorganChase and Founder of FundLens.ai

13 ago 2026 · 21:41

Banks can process millions of transactions an hour, yet even routine steps in financial operations still require constant human judgment to hold together. In this episode, Ajay Swamy, Senior Executive Product Director for GenAI Products and Governance at JPMorganChase, and Founder of FundLens.ai, explores why data fragmentation and manual judgment make BFSI workflows hard to run consistently, and what it takes to make AI‑driven decisions explainable enough to trust at scale. The conversation covers evaluating AI for regulated environments, building oversight into agentic systems, and treating trust as something institutions have to engineer deliberately rather than assume. This episode is sponsored by Reindeer. To go deeper on this topic and learn how financial institutions are digitizing

The Future of Customer Success and Turnkey AI Agents for SMBs - Matt Kravitz of Salesforce

12 ago 2026 · 24:33

Service leaders are increasingly asked to deploy AI agents without a clear sense of what these systems can safely handle today, or where to start. In this episode, Matt Kravitz, Head of Customer Transformation for Service Cloud at Salesforce, breaks down a three-level maturity model for AI service agents — answering questions, accessing account data, and taking action — and how to sequence adoption. The conversation also covers a channel-strategy framework for deciding which support requests to deflect, route to digital-assisted support, or escalate to a live conversation, and how a business's overall service model should guide which use case to prioritize first. This episode is sponsored by Salesforce. In this episode, we cover how enterprise service leaders can sequence AI agent adoption

What Mature Security Programs Need Before Deploying AI - with Mark Alvarado of Academy Sports + Outdoors

11 ago 2026 · 28:18

The security landscape is shifting as AI accelerates existing vulnerabilities faster than most retail enterprises can adapt. In this episode, Mark Alvarado, CISO at Academy Sports + Outdoors, examines how AI amplifies gaps in identity management, data governance, and human behavior, joining Emerj's Yolandi de Weerdt to clarify where leaders must focus before deploying AI‑enabled tools. He highlights the operational foundations that determine whether AI strengthens detection and response or simply magnifies unresolved weaknesses. Learn how leading brands and AI startups connect with enterprise AI buyer audiences at scale, download our media kit at emerj.com/AD1

Closing the Medical Device Knowledge Gap with AI Driven Field Service - with Ryan Makely of Bruker

7 ago 2026 · 31:18

A growing gap between device complexity and organizational knowledge is turning service reliability into an enterprise‑level risk for regulated industries. In this episode, Ryan Makely, Senior Director of CALID Service at Bruker Scientific, breaks down how fragmented documentation, rapid loss of expert judgment, and inconsistent field diagnoses undermine both operational performance and any future AI‑enabled support capability — in conversation with Emerj's Marilie Fouché. Leaders will hear practical themes around building structured knowledge foundations, reducing repeat‑visit failure cycles, and preparing service teams for scalable AI adoption. This episode is sponsored by Aquant. Learn more about how Emerj drives pipeline for other AI brands - download our media kit at emerj.com/AD1

How Industrial Leaders Are Redefining AI for the Factory Floor - with Antoine Bisson of Poka

7 ago 2026 · 32:50

Industrial AI is forcing leaders to confront a fundamental gap between digital systems built for offices and the high‑risk, real‑time demands of the factory floor. In this episode, Antoine Bisson, CEO & Co‑founder at Poka, joins host Marilie Fouché and dissects why industrial environments require contextual data, strict governance, and human‑validated autonomy to safely scale AI‑driven operations. The conversation surfaces practical considerations for executives, from structuring governance and standardizing workflows to determining where autonomous agents can responsibly support frontline teams. This episode is sponsored by Poka. Learn the exact strategies we use to help leading AI brands and startups connect with their ideal enterprise AI buyers, visit: emerj.com/AD1

Machine‑Speed Security Risk in the Age of AI - with Niro Rajadurai of XBOW

6 ago 2026 · 38:56

AI is generating code and surfacing vulnerabilities faster than security teams can review them, compressing the time between a vulnerability discovery and its exploitation. In this episode, Niro Rajadurai, Chief Revenue Officer at XBOW, examines how autonomous offensive security can match that pace, in conversation with host Marilie Fouché. He discusses why distinguishing exploitable vulnerabilities from false positives is critical at scale, how pairing multiple AI models improves results without costly retraining, and why governance has to be built into automated security systems from day one. This episode is sponsored by XBOW. Emerj works with a select group of AI vendors to reach Fortune 500 decision makers through research, media, and direct access. If you want to be considered, downlo

Accelerating Evidence to Action in Pharma with Practical AI Adoption - with Nabil Khan of Pfizer

4 ago 2026 · 24:35

Pharma organizations are generating more clinical and scientific evidence than ever, yet the path from that evidence to a confident strategic call hasn't kept up. In this episode, Nabil Khan, Medical Director for Internal Medicine Antivirals at Pfizer, digs into where AI genuinely helps medical affairs and clinical teams move faster from raw data to decisions, in conversation with host Yolandi de Weerdt. He lays out the risk of treating AI output as fact rather than a starting point, why training is the piece organizations most often shortchange, and what it realistically takes to build a foundation AI can be trusted to work from. Emerj works with a select group of AI vendors to reach Fortune 500 decision makers through research, media, and direct access. If you want to be considered, down

AI for Industrial Service Leaders Improving Diagnostics and Field Efficiency - with Scot Burdette of ABB

3 ago 2026 · 17:27

Industrial service teams are facing two compounding pressures at once: decades of hands-on expertise walking out the door through retirement, and the equipment itself growing more complex to diagnose and maintain. In this episode, Scot Burdette, Global Division CIO at ABB, unpacks how remote diagnostics and AI-driven insights are reshaping who does the work of keeping industrial equipment running, in conversation with host Yolandi de Weerdt. He outlines how leaders can prioritize the most critical processes first, build the data discipline needed to support predictive maintenance, and transfer expertise before it's lost rather than after. This episode is sponsored by Aquant. Emerj works with a select group of AI vendors to reach Fortune 500 decision makers through research, media, and dire

Risk and Cost Governance for AI Agents in Regulated Institutions - with Shahir Daya of Zafin

29 jul 2026 · 29:14

As AI agents move from pilots into live financial workflows, most institutions still can't answer a basic question: who authorized this action, and what evidence backs it up? In this episode, Shahir Daya, Chief Product & Technology Officer at Zafin, examines why uniform governance policies fail at scale and what a tiered, control-tower approach to agent oversight looks like in practice. The conversation covers execution-layer governance, cost visibility across models, and the shift required to move agentic work from promising pilot to defensible production. This episode is sponsored by Zafin. Learn the exact strategies we use to help leading AI brands and startups connect with their ideal enterprise AI buyers: visit emerj.com/AD1

Turning Manual Manufacturing Variability into Data‑Driven Control – with Sebastian Dykas of Smith+Nephew

28 jul 2026 · 32:52

A persistent gap remains between what modern manufacturing technology makes possible and how day‑to‑day work is still executed, with paper workflows, limited machine visibility, and siloed data preventing real operational control. In this episode, Sebastian Dykas, Director of Manufacturing, Engineering, and Maintenance at Smith+Nephew, examines with host Marilie Fouché how tighter data capture and connected systems can move leaders toward real‑time process control and reduced variability. The discussion highlights practical shifts in measurement, machine connectivity, and automation that help teams stabilize output and build more reliable, digitally enabled operations. ​ Learn how leading organizations define the right data — and why cross‑functional collaboration is essential to getting i

Building the Infrastructure Behind AI-Enabled Field Service - with Deniz Mullis of Cytiva

27 jul 2026 · 24:00

Experienced field engineers are retiring or moving on faster than ever, and the troubleshooting knowledge they carry rarely makes it into a manual before they go. In this episode, Deniz Mullis, Senior Director of Global Technical Operations at Cytiva, examines why closing that knowledge gap takes daily feedback loops, cleaner documentation, and technician trust. Deniz joins Emerj's Yolandi de Weerdt to walk through what breaks first during a rollout, how her team builds confidence in AI-assisted guidance, and what has to be true inside a service organization before an AI investment can pay off. This episode is sponsored by Aquant. Learn how consultants are winning business with evidence-based AI ROI, and building long-term capabilities instead of chasing short-term gains. Download our free

How to Reset Your IT Operations and Build for Intelligent Response - with Luke Rotta of Charles Schwab

24 jul 2026 · 20:29

The pace of modern IT operations is collapsing under the volume of alerts and the slow speed at which teams can contextualize data during active incidents. In this episode, Luke Rotta, Director of Site Reliability Engineering at Charles Schwab, examines how fragmented tooling, slow triage, and human‑driven workflows create persistent drag on response speed in conversation with host Yolandi de Weerdt, and why AI‑driven pattern recognition and automation meaningfully change that equation. He highlights how leaders can reduce operational noise, build trust in automation through simulation, and sequence high‑volume workflows to move teams from reactive firefighting toward more intelligent, reliable operations. This episode is sponsored by BigPanda. Emerj works with a select group of AI vendors

Driving Operational Impact in BFSI with Agentic AI - with Yoav Naveh of Reindeer AI

24 jul 2026 · 24:59

Financial institutions are pushing agentic AI past pilot mode and into document-heavy, regulated workflows like AML alerts and account closures, but many leaders still lack a clear model for where automation should run freely and where human judgment has to stay in the loop. In this episode, Yoav Naveh, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Reindeer AI, examines how banks are structuring agent oversight so automation earns trust incrementally instead of replacing compliance teams outright. The conversation covers how to identify workflows ready for agentic AI, what signals show an agent is learning rather than failing, and how public and historical data can strengthen both compliance decisions and customer retention. This episode is sponsored by Reindeer AI. Learn how financial institutions are digitiz

Agentic CRM for SMB Automation - with Sharif Karmally of Salesforce

23 jul 2026 · 30:04

CRM is shifting from a static repository to the core system that supplies the real‑time customer context required for dependable AI‑driven work. In this episode, Sharif Karmally, VP of SMB Product Marketing at Salesforce, explores with host Daniel Faggella how unified CRM data supports automated lead handling, accurate record updates, and predictive sales and service actions. Leaders will hear practical guidance on system integration, governance for human‑agent workflows, and building a data foundation that scales. This episode is sponsored by Salesforce. Learn how leading organizations approach AI investment more like a venture portfolio, download our free PDF report, "Beginning with AI," at emerj.com/aik1

AI Deployment at Retail Speed - with Larissa Schneider of Unframe

22 jul 2026 · 21:42

Most enterprise AI pilots don't stall because the underlying models fail — they stall once real production stakes, fragmented systems, and unclear ownership enter the picture. In this episode, Larissa Schneider, Co-Founder & COO at Unframe, unpacks why AI initiatives lose momentum on the way to production and how modular, reusable architecture changes that trajectory. The conversation covers where deployment friction actually originates, how modular AI components cut integration time from months to weeks, and what governance and auditability enterprises need before pushing AI-driven workflows live. This episode is sponsored by Unframe. Emerj reaches 1,000,000 listeners every year. Learn how leading AI brands partner with Emerj to build credibility and generate pipeline. Learn more about ho

Models, Infrastructure, and Enterprise Readiness for Agentic AI - with Alex Tyrrell of Wolters Kluwer

21 jul 2026 · 23:56

Infrastructure readiness has become the real bottleneck for agentic AI in healthcare, as enterprises confront the shift from systems that generate content to systems that execute tasks across complex, regulated workflows. In this episode, Alex Tyrrell, SVP and CTO of Health at Wolters Kluwer, examines how agentic AI changes operational demands for healthcare organizations in conversation with host Matthew DeMello, highlighting the need for domain‑adapted reasoning, granular APIs, and stronger observability as agents drive higher‑volume system interaction. He underscores the practical implications for leaders: preparing backend systems for agent‑driven load, adapting models to real‑world workflows, and avoiding monolithic architectures that limit safe, scalable deployment. Learn how to eval

The Mobile Security Imperative for Regulated Industries - with Tom Tovar of Appdome

21 jul 2026 · 30:49

Mobile app attackers already operate at machine speed, but most enterprise cyber functions still rely on manual, human-paced patch cycles to keep up. In this episode, Tom Tovar, Co-Creator at Appdome, examines how agentic AI is replacing manual vulnerability assessment and forcing cyber teams to become producers of protection rather than evaluators of risk. The conversation covers the shift from application-level security policies to release- and user-level personalization, the data and context needed to run agentic protection pipelines, and the accountability questions that come with agentic decision-making. This episode is sponsored by Appdome. Learn how financial institutions are digitizing paper-based records to unlock usable data for AI, and using alternative data to enhance risk asse

Preparing Enterprise Data for Safe AI Deployment - with Todd Vancil of Securiti AI

15 jul 2026 · 32:21

A surge in AI adoption is forcing enterprises to expose sensitive data to new systems and access paths, creating security risks that traditional perimeter models can't contain. In this episode, Todd Vancil, Vice President of Veeam's Securiti AI Sales Engineering Team, examines how securing the data itself — through classification, labeling, and governed access — becomes the prerequisite for safely deploying AI at scale, in conversation with host Daniel Faggella, Emerj CEO and Head of Research. This episode is sponsored by Securiti AI . Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

AI Assistants and Preparedness Among Enterprises - with Chris Caldwell of Concentrix

14 jul 2026 · 28:21

Enterprises rushing agentic AI into production are running it through approval gates, batch windows, and audit systems built for human speed — and the gap is where most operational risk lives. In this episode, Chris Caldwell, President and CEO at Concentrix Corporation, examines how machine-scale transactions break processes designed for human pace and why bounded digital delegates outperform unrestricted digital twins in the enterprise. The discussion covers compliance bots that check other bots, the cost reality of poorly tuned agentic agents, and what leaders need to stop doing if they want a defensible AI roadmap. Learn how to evaluate AI vendors by assessing leadership expertise, and why funding benchmarks can signal product maturity and stability. Download our free PDF report, "5 Way

How Enterprise Leaders Are Building Their Agentic AI Strategy - with Matt Renner of Google Cloud

11 jul 2026 · 35:56

Legacy enterprises are facing a decisive shift from stalled pilots and fragmented data toward agentic systems that reshape customer experience, operations, and net‑new revenue. Matt Renner, President and Chief Revenue Officer at Google Cloud, examines how leaders can move beyond early AI failures to build modern data foundations, orchestrate heterogeneous agents, and accelerate transformation in conversation with Daniel Faggella, Emerj CEO and Head of Research. The discussion highlights capability‑driven ROI, structured AI governance, data modernization, agentic orchestration, and the emerging security imperatives shaping enterprise adoption. To listen to the conversations other infrastructure and AI leaders in the Fortune 500 are tuned into, subscribe to the AI infrastructure podcast at e

How AI Is Transforming Governance and Workflow Automation in the Enterprise - with Tsavo Knott of Pieces

9 jul 2026 · 41:00

The rapid expansion of AI‑driven knowledge work is exposing a growing tension: teams are moving faster across more surface areas, but their context is fragmented across tools, personal systems, and ad‑hoc workflows. In this episode, Tsavo Knott, CEO and co‑founder at Pieces, examines how the shift toward AI‑native individual contributors requires a unified substrate for capturing and retrieving operational context, and how this enables more effective coordination between humans, agents, and cross‑functional teams with host Daniel Faggella, Emerj CEO and Head of Research. He highlights the practical implications for leaders, from standardizing how context is recorded to enabling context‑router roles that keep decisions and execution aligned at the speed modern AI workflows demand. This epis

Making Visual AI Standard Practice in Complex Manufacturing - with Brian Ton of Florida Crystals Corporation

8 jul 2026 · 18:50

Visual AI gets stuck not because the technology fails, but because enterprises cannot move it from controlled environments into the variability of daily operations. In this episode, Brian Ton, Senior Laboratory Manager at Florida Crystals Corporation, examines why building operational trust in visual AI requires more than a successful pilot — and what actually determines whether a deployment becomes standard practice or stalls. The conversation covers validation and verification frameworks, the role of the feedback loop in sustaining trust, and why starting with small, demonstrable wins is more effective than reaching for enterprise-wide solutions from the outset. This episode is sponsored by Roboflow. Do you sell AI products or services? Emerj gives you access through trusted content and

AI, Evolution, and the Future of Human-Centered Farming and Manufacturing - with Kun He of Bayer

7 jul 2026 · 33:20

A growing reliance on data‑driven systems is creating tension for enterprise leaders between operational efficiency and the human judgment required for high‑risk, high‑reward decisions. In this episode, Kun He, Lead Scientific Advisor at Bayer, examines how AI improves agricultural decision‑making while still leaving critical gaps that only human intuition and risk tolerance can fill, in conversation with host Matthew DeMello. He highlights where AI reliably accelerates complex workflows and where leaders must preserve the capacity to recognize outlier opportunities and make unconventional calls that data alone would never surface. Learn how to structure landing pages for higher conversion and how to use self-qualification systems to prioritize high-intent leads. Download our free PDF repo

Reengineering Work with Intelligent Agents - with Debanjan Saha of DataRobot

4 jul 2026 · 30:31

A growing share of enterprise work now depends on systems that can support both human and AI agents, exposing bottlenecks in coordination, governance, and cross‑functional process design. In this episode, Debanjan Saha, Chief Executive Officer at DataRobot, examines how enterprises can rebuild their operational architecture to support digital employees at scale in conversation with host Daniel Faggella, Emerj CEO and Head of Research. He highlights the practical shifts required — from identity and access control to auditability, simulation, and cross‑system orchestration — that enable agents to take on back‑office and cross‑functional work reliably and safely. To hear the full conversation, visit: emerj.com/inf1

Inside the Shift to Agentic IT Ops - with Assaf Resnick of BigPanda

3 jul 2026 · 34:05

Enterprise IT teams are drowning in alert volume as cloud, microservices, and CI/CD pipelines outpace what human operators can process. In this episode, Assaf Resnick, CEO and Founder at BigPanda, examines how agentic AI can shift IT operations from reactive troubleshooting to a prevention-first model built on an enterprise IT knowledge graph. The conversation covers how to build and own that knowledge graph, where human judgment still belongs in the incident response loop, and why an evolutionary rollout beats a full system overhaul. This episode is sponsored by BigPanda. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/partner

Managing AI Agents at Scale Across BFSI Operations - with Yoav Naveh of Reindeer AI

3 jul 2026 · 22:03

As financial institutions move beyond AI experimentation, the primary bottleneck is no longer capability; it is governance. In this episode, Yoav Naveh, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Reindeer AI, examines how enterprises can operationalize agentic AI inside regulated financial workflows, including the two-loop oversight model that keeps agents compliant, self-correcting, and continuously improving. The conversation covers what it means for agents to self-heal when they encounter exceptions, how decision logic should be governed in practice, and how to approach the build-versus-buy decision in a way that places accountability ahead of capability. This episode is sponsored by Reindeer AI. In this episode, we cover how enterprises in banking and financial services are operationalizing agentic AI i

Why Data‑Driven Efforts Stall in Fragmented Environments - with Jason Loomis of Freshworks

30 jun 2026 · 21:11

Enterprise AI adoption is moving faster than security and governance frameworks can follow, forcing organizations to make difficult trade-offs between competitive urgency and operational risk. In this episode, Jason Loomis, CISO at Freshworks, examines why most enterprises have not yet resolved the tension between AI deployment speed and security maturity, and outlines a sequenced approach; beginning with regulatory compliance, advancing through data trust, and extending into AI-specific security frameworks. The conversation covers how leadership can build the investment case for AI, how culture shapes adoption outcomes, and why the biggest executive mistake is expecting returns before committing the resources that make them possible. Connect with ideal enterprise AI through the strategies

From Connected Agents to Collective Intelligence with Guillaume De Saint Marc of Outshift by Cisco

29 jun 2026 · 29:20

As enterprises move from single to multi-agent AI deployments, a coordination infrastructure problem is emerging that connectivity protocols alone cannot solve. In this episode, Guillaume de Saint Marc, VP of Engineering at Outshift, examines why agents that can communicate still fail to collaborate — and outlines the semantic alignment, shared memory, and authorization architecture required to address it. The discussion covers specific failure modes in production multi-agent systems, the organizational security and observability decisions that determine whether agentic deployments scale, and how open standards protect enterprises from vendor lock-in as the space evolves. This episode is sponsored by Outshift by Cisco. In this episode, we cover why enterprises scaling multi-agent AI need m

Building Compute Foundations for the Physical Economy - with Drew Henry of ARM

27 jun 2026 · 28:56

A widening gap between mature digital compute and the newly awakening physical world is forcing enterprises to rethink how they embed AI into logistics, manufacturing, and other high‑stakes environments where errors carry real operational risk. In this episode, Drew Henry, Executive Vice President for Physical AI at Arm, joins host Daniel Faggella and examines how leaders are navigating the shift from fixed automation to model‑driven intelligent control, and what it takes to make confident, high‑impact infrastructure decisions amid rapid algorithmic and hardware change. The discussion highlights how advanced teams ground adoption in concrete operational problems, build competency around new model‑based interfaces, and use simulation and digital twins to de‑risk retooling in power‑ and comp

AI Copyright Risk in Financial Services and the Limits of Legacy Licensing - with Roanie Levy of CCC

26 jun 2026 · 30:34

A surge in AI adoption is creating a rights gap inside financial institutions, where everyday workflows now generate copyrighted reproductions at a scale existing governance models were never built to manage. In this episode, Roanie Levy, Licensing and Legal Advisor at CCC, joins host Yolandi de Weerdt and examines how AI‑driven content use is outpacing traditional licensing frameworks and why leaders must verify rights before embedding copyrighted material into AI systems. The discussion highlights the operational decisions executives need to make around content governance, rights validation, and cross‑functional controls to prevent downstream legal and workflow disruption. This episode is sponsored by CCC. If you offer AI products or services into the enterprise, you need to find enterpr

How Financial Services Leaders Operationalize Safe AI - with Dr. Oscar A. Rodriguez of Citi

25 jun 2026 · 22:45

The rapid expansion of AI in financial services is creating a widening gap between enterprise ambition and the operational readiness required to deploy systems that are secure, compliant, and trusted. In this episode, Dr. Oscar A. Rodriguez, Vice President of Data Analytics at Citi, joins Daniel Faggella, Emerj CEO and Head of Research, to describe how leaders build the operating model for safe AI at scale, from aligning stakeholders to embedding governance, accountability, and data quality from the start. The discussion highlights practical decisions around cross‑functional alignment, foundation‑first governance, risk ownership, and preparing for evolving regulatory and security demands. This episode is sponsored by Securiti AI. Download the free "AI in Financial Services Executive Cheat

Closing the Decision Gap in Volatile Supply Chains - with Prasad Mahajan of Optilogic and Dr. Gopalendu Pal of Target

25 jun 2026 · 31:53

Supply chains are moving from predictable planning cycles to a reality where volatility demands continuous redesign and faster decision‑making. In this episode, Dr. Gopalendu Pal, Director of Operations at Target, and Prasad Mahajan, Senior Director of Customer Engagement at Optilogic, examine how leaders can adapt by tightening the gap between sensing disruption and adjusting operations, as Emerj's Daniel Faggella guides the discussion toward the implications for enterprise decision speed. They outline the practical shifts required — reassessing outdated constraints, strengthening data foundations, and using scenario analysis and human‑guided AI to evaluate operational options with greater accuracy and responsiveness. This episode is sponsored by Optilogic. Learn how brands work with Emer

Why AI in Document-Heavy Workflows Fails Without the Right Foundation - with Sumedh Chaudhary of IBM

24 jun 2026 · 29:03

Enterprise AI initiatives consistently break down in document-heavy environments, not because the underlying models are inadequate, but because fragmented data silos, page-break context loss, and uncoordinated extraction tools erode the semantic layer AI needs to reason accurately. In this episode, Sumedh Chaudhary, CTO US Industry Market at IBM, breaks down why a multi-agent architecture is the operational prerequisite for AI to function reliably in regulated, document-intensive workflows. The conversation covers how governance frameworks with measurable error-rate targets distinguish pilot success from production failure, and how enterprises can structure a phased AI approach that blends automation, fit-for-purpose models, and human oversight. ​ This episode is sponsored by Arango. In th

AI-Empowered Customer Service, From Hype to Scalable Operations - with Shri Nandan of Comcast

23 jun 2026 · 19:25

Significant enterprise investment in AI-driven customer service is producing inconsistent outcomes — and the gap between deployment ambition and measurable business value remains striking. In this episode, Shri Nandan, VP of AI Products and Experiences at Comcast, examines why organizational culture and readiness are the primary determinant of whether AI in CX delivers results that move the needle. The conversation covers how to define resolution in an agentic AI environment, how context transforms the role of human agents, and why a conservative, staged rollout reduces the risk of large-scale failure. This episode is sponsored by Dialpad. In this episode, we cover how to move from AI proof-of-concepts in customer service to deployments that consistently improve business outcomes. To go de

Unified Predictive Decision Making for Retail Growth - with Felix Hoffmann of 7Learnings

22 jun 2026 · 19:19

Retailers managing pricing, marketing, and inventory through separate teams with separate data are losing margin not to market volatility, but to decisions that were never designed to work together. In this episode, Felix Hoffmann, CEO at 7Learnings, examines how predictive, unified commercial decision-making replaces reactive, rules-based approaches — and why most retailers underestimate how much revenue they leave on the table by optimizing each function in isolation. The conversation covers how AI-driven demand simulation enables coordinated pricing, marketing, and reordering decisions, and which commercial use cases enterprise leaders should prioritize first to prove ROI before scaling. This episode is sponsored by 7Learnings. If you offer AI products or services into the enterprise, y

How Commerce Leaders Avoid Renewal Traps and Vendor Drag - with David Cost of Rainbow Apparel

19 jun 2026 · 18:19

Enterprise software costs are rising while vendor performance often isn't, and AI has fundamentally changed what enterprises can credibly threaten to build in-house. In this episode, David Cost, Chief Digital Officer at Rainbow Apparel, explores how enterprise leaders can restructure vendor contracts to maintain exit leverage, eliminate auto-renewal traps, and use AI-enabled build alternatives as a legitimate negotiating tool. The conversation examines the cost-benefit calculus of build versus buy in the AI era, red flags in service-level agreements, and how to negotiate exits from underperforming contracts. This episode is sponsored by UpperEdge. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Moving from Delayed Data to Event-Level Visibility - with Alex Curran of Aptitude Software

18 jun 2026 · 34:24

Finance teams are being asked to influence outcomes in real time while operating on architectures built for delayed, aggregated, and heavily reconciled data. In this episode, Alex Curran, CEO at Aptitude Software, examines how finance functions can move toward real‑time, event‑level visibility and discusses this shift with host Dan Faggella. She highlights the practical changes required for CFOs — from capturing every financial event at the transaction level to enabling continuous reconciliation and full lineage — so finance can surface exceptions immediately and support decisions as they unfold. This episode is sponsored by Fynapse. Learn how financial institutions are digitizing paper-based records to unlock usable data for AI, and using alternative data like public web and social signal

Scaling Agentic AI in CX Without Losing the Customer - with Shri Nandan of Comcast

17 jun 2026 · 21:04

As enterprises move agentic AI from controlled pilots into production customer-facing workflows, the gaps in data continuity, governance, and human-agent coordination become the deciding factors in whether AI scales or stalls. In this episode, Shri Nandan, VP of AI Experiences at Comcast, examines why customer experience has become the real stress-test for enterprise AI — and what it takes to scale with customer trust intact. The conversation covers the three data foundations required for context continuity in production, practical principles for human-AI orchestration, and why cross-team governance — a single North Star across CX, IT, and operations — is what separates the organizations that scale from those that fragment. This episode is sponsored by NiCE. Learn how to structure landing

How Vertical AI Achieves Defensible Accuracy - with Steve Hasker of Thomson Reuters

16 jun 2026 · 26:42

The rising use of general‑purpose models in regulated environments is creating a widening gap between what AI can generate and what fiduciary professionals can safely rely on. In this episode, Steve Hasker, CEO at Thomson Reuters, examines how AI must be trained, validated, and governed to deliver the level of accuracy required in legal, tax, and audit workflows in conversation with host Dan Faggella, Emerj CEO and Head of Research. The discussion highlights the operational demands of vertical AI, the role of expert‑trained agents, and why human oversight remains essential in high‑stakes professional work. Learn how financial institutions are digitizing paper-based records to unlock usable data for AI, and using alternative data like public web and social signals to enhance risk assessment

Fixing the Decision Speed Gap in Modern Supply Chains - with Joris Wijpkema of Optilogic

15 jun 2026 · 27:24

Supply chain organizations still struggle to respond to major disruptions because their core planning systems can't evaluate structural options or network‑level changes at the speed required. In this episode, Joris Wijpkema, Executive Vice President for Solutions and Strategy at Optilogic, joins host Marilie Fouché and examines how a dedicated, high‑compute modeling layer enables teams to run thousands of scenarios in minutes and make faster, better‑aligned decisions. The discussion highlights how leaders can strengthen resilience by unifying data foundations, building trust in modeling before a crisis, and integrating design‑grade optimization directly into planning cycles. This episode is sponsored by Optilogic. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.c

How Enterprise Leaders Should Measure the ROI of AI - with Darko Todorovic of HTEC

12 jun 2026 · 31:38

Enterprise AI investments frequently succeed at the pilot stage and collapse at scale, not because the technology fails, but because the organizational conditions for adoption were never established. In this episode, Darko Todorovic, CTO at HTEC Group, examines why most AI ROI gaps originate in poor problem definition and inadequate change management, and outlines how senior leaders can build the baselines, KPIs, and organizational readiness needed to measure and sustain real returns. The conversation covers practical guidance on assessing technological and organizational maturity, avoiding POC-to-production pitfalls, and selecting the right AI tools for specific business contexts. This episode is sponsored by HTEC. In this episode we cover how enterprise leaders can measure and prove AI R

Modernizing Targeting to Close the Field Execution Gap - with Damion Nero of Daiichi Sankyo

10 jun 2026 · 24:40

Pharma commercial teams are generating more data than ever, but field intelligence is still arriving too late to change rep behavior before the engagement window closes. In this episode, Damion Nero, Global Head of Statistics at Daiichi Sankyo, joins Emerj editor Yolandi de Weerdt to examine why fragmented data pipelines, not a shortage of data, are the structural root of the gap between commercial insight and field execution. The conversation covers what separates teams that successfully adopt AI from those stuck in the pilot phase, and why starting with routine, high-certainty use cases consistently produces more commercial lift than chasing ambitious automation. This episode is sponsored by ODAIA. Learn how leading organizations approach AI investment more like a venture portfolio, and

How Unified Context Turns AI Into Real Enterprise Performance - with Ravi Marwaha of Arango

10 jun 2026 · 38:01

Enterprise AI agents fail consistently in production, not because of model limitations, but because they lack a live, temporally aware context layer grounded in the actual current state of the business. In this episode, Ravi Marwaha, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Technology Product Officer at Arango, explores how treating context as infrastructure—rather than a data pipeline problem—enables agents to reason accurately, explain their decisions, and deliver measurable outcomes across customer support, semiconductor engineering, and clinical trial site selection. The discussion covers five practical frameworks for CIOs and chief data officers on building real-time, explainable context layers on top of existing enterprise systems, without ripping and replacing current infrastructure. This ep

AI Models as a Commodity and Why Data Foundations Decide Who Wins - with Guillermo B. Vazquez of SAP

9 jun 2026 · 21:47

Enterprise leaders face a growing gap between rapid AI advancement and the fragmented data and processes that limit their ability to operationalize it. In this episode, Guillermo Vazquez, Chief Architect in the Business Transformation Services for SAP America, examines with host Nick Gersch how harmonized data, standardized processes, and clear identification of differentiating workflows form the groundwork for effective AI‑enabled ERP. He highlights the practical sequence for building this foundation so future AI‑driven adaptation becomes seamless rather than disruptive. For AI brands trying to reach senior decision-makers, podcasts are one of the few channels that earn 20+ minutes of focused attention from VP+ leaders. Emerj reaches 1,000,000 listeners annually — see how other AI brands

From Overwhelm to Working AI in Pharma and Life Sciences - with Art Shectman of Elephant Ventures

8 jun 2026 · 34:01

Regulatory volatility, scientific‑grade context requirements, and entrenched legacy processes are creating a level of operational complexity in pharma that makes even high‑value AI initiatives difficult to move from concept to production. In this episode, Art Shectman, CEO at Elephant Ventures, examines with host Marilie Fouché how leaders can cut through that complexity by isolating a single, clearly defined workflow slice and rebuilding it for near‑term, dependable deployment rather than long‑range architectural perfection. The discussion highlights how removing outdated process assumptions, selecting an atomic workflow with organizational alignment, and aiming for a contained operational win enable pharma teams to build momentum and scale AI responsibly in highly regulated environments.

How AI Is Reshaping the Way Enterprises Build Software - With Tim Sears of HTEC

5 jun 2026 · 21:20

Individual AI productivity gains are already here, but they are uneven, and they are not the main event. In this episode, Tim Sears, Chief AI Officer at HTEC, argues that the real transformation in software development will arrive when AI becomes a catalyst for teamwork rather than an enhancer of individual performance. The conversation examines why software development is the clearest available model for how AI will eventually reshape every business function, how the developer role is being elevated from syntax and grunt work toward architecture, security, and client judgment, why the traditional build-versus-buy decision is being replaced by a build-versus-build reality, and what it will mean when perfection in enterprise software becomes the expected standard rather than the exception.

How Industrial Service Leaders Are Closing the Knowledge Gap Before It's Too Late with Mike Hughes of Peak International Group

4 jun 2026 · 26:36

The skilled labor crisis in industrial equipment service is not a future problem; it is eroding operational performance now, as retiring engineers take decades of institutional knowledge with them and incoming technicians cannot fill the gap at speed. In this episode, Mike Hughes, Group Service Director at Peak International Group, outlines how service organizations can close the expertise gap through smarter knowledge capture, targeted AI deployment, and a frontline-first approach to modernization. The conversation covers remote diagnostics, first-time fix performance, the realities of working with imperfect data, and the two or three use cases leaders should prioritize before attempting a broader transformation. This episode is sponsored by Aquant. Learn how brands work with Emerj and ot

Human-Centered AI Development Strategies for CPG Leaders - with Shaje Ganny of Procter & Gamble

2 jun 2026 · 29:58

A widening gap has emerged between the speed of AI innovation and the ability of large enterprises to deploy it responsibly, leading many organizations to repeat avoidable mistakes in scaling. In this episode, Shaje Ganny, Author, Guest Lecturer, TEDx Speaker, and Digital Transformation Director at Procter & Gamble, joins Matthew DeMello to examine how leaders can ground AI adoption in clear business value and human-centered operational design. The discussion highlights practical considerations for evaluating AI through its impact on the company, the consumer, and the surrounding workforce community, and the executive education and policy foundations required to move from pilots to reliable enterprise deployment. Emerj works with a select group of AI vendors to reach Fortune 500 decision m

The Pricing Shift Reshaping Enterprise AI Spend - with Adam Mansfield of UpperEdge

1 jun 2026 · 37:50

The rapid shift from seat‑based licensing to hybrid and consumption‑based AI pricing has made technology spend significantly harder for enterprises to predict and control. In this episode, Adam Mansfield, Practice Leader at UpperEdge, examines how these new pricing models create financial exposure for buyers and why clear forecasting, transparency, and leverage are increasingly difficult to secure in negotiations with major vendors, in conversation with host Marilie Fouché. He highlights the practical steps leaders must take now — from auditing current usage and identifying under‑leveraged spend to engaging vendors early and using the broader. This episode is sponsored by UpperEdge. To go deeper into vendor negotiations and learn how to assess AI providers by leadership credibility and fun

Why the Way AI Feels Is as Important as How It Works - with Carsten Wierwille of HTEC

29 may 2026 · 25:16

Enterprise AI initiatives treat design as a finishing step. Carsten Wierwille, Chief Product & Design Officer at HTEC, argues that this is a strategic mistake, and one that explains why so many AI investments produce tools that work technically but fail to change how people actually work. In this episode, Wierwille examines why enterprises keep building AI because they can rather than because they understand the problem, how the shift to AI-assisted ideation has moved the bottleneck from creation to review, and why the answer is not faster shipping but sharper design clarity at the start. The conversation covers the financial advisor as a model for AI force-multiplication, why the MVP framework breaks down for genuinely novel AI experiences, how design now extends to defining the evaluatio

How Vision AI Scales Across a Manufacturing Network - with Jeff Witt

28 may 2026 · 23:39

Computer vision implementations in manufacturing never advance beyond the pilot phase — not because the technology fails, but because deployment is treated as a software problem rather than an operational one. In this episode, Jeff Witt, Digital Transformation Leader at a Fortune 500 global leader in building materials and fiberglass composites, examines the architectural, organizational, and change management decisions that determine whether a vision AI initiative reaches production and scales. The conversation covers how to build a reusable data architecture for vision data, why shifting ownership from IT to business units accelerates deployment, and what a platform mindset — versus a point solution approach — looks like in a multi-site manufacturing environment. This episode is sponsore

AI Improving Dose Decisions and Patient Outcomes in Oncology- with Shefali Kakar of Novartis

26 may 2026 · 18:13

The growing use of AI‑driven modeling in clinical development is exposing how limited traditional, single‑study dose selection and patient assessment methods have been for complex oncology programs. In this episode, Shefali Kakar, Global Head of PK Sciences and Oncology at Novartis, examines how deeper data integration across phases enables more precise dose decisions, clearer safety interpretation, and a more consistent understanding of patient variability alongside host Matthew DeMello. She outlines how longitudinal analysis, exposure–response modeling, and covariate evaluation are helping teams reduce unnecessary sub‑studies, tailor dosing for diverse patient groups, and strengthen cross‑functional decision‑making throughout development. According to Nielsen, 91% of podcast listening ha

Breaking Free from AI Overwhelm in Banking and Financial Services - with Art Shectman of Elephant Ventures

25 may 2026 · 33:23

The pressure on financial services AI leaders to show board-level results has intensified — yet the pace of vendor pitches, shifting tooling stacks, and stalled pilots has made action feel riskier than waiting. In this episode, Art Shectman, CEO and Founder at Elephant Ventures, breaks down why the instinct to evaluate everything before building anything is the primary obstacle to production, and what a realistic first step actually looks like inside a regulated enterprise. The conversation covers how to identify the right initial workflow, how to structure a time-boxed sprint toward a minimum viable production deployment, and how to present early AI wins to boards that have stopped trusting strategy decks. This episode is sponsored by Elephant Ventures. Learn how brands work with Emerj an

Fixing the Pilot‑to‑Production Gap in Enterprise AI - with Ronny Fehling of HTEC

22 may 2026 · 28:17

The reason enterprise AI programmes stall is not the technology — it is the sequence in which decisions are made before and after the pilot succeeds. In this episode, Ronny Fehling, Chief AI Transformation Officer at HTEC, examines why AI initiatives lose momentum at the production threshold and what organisational conditions determine whether they make it through. The discussion covers production slices, decision gates with kill-switch authority, use case discipline, and why top-down AI mandates tend to reproduce the same failure modes regardless of budget. This episode is sponsored by HTEC. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Why Deepfake Fraud Beats Your Workflows, Not Your Technology - with Jon-Rav Shende of Thales Group

21 may 2026 · 28:36

Deepfake voice fraud is not bypassing enterprise security technology, it is beating the workflows agents rely on to make trust decisions in real time. In this episode, Jon-Rav Shende, Global CTO for Data and AI at Thales Group, outlines where enterprise voice channels are most exposed, why identity, urgency, and business action converging in a single call represents the highest risk point, and what a practical four-step response framework looks like for regulated organisations. The discussion covers how to map risky voice journeys, define escalation decision points, build the evidence chains auditors and cyber insurers will require, and deploy AI as a risk signal layer without automating high-risk actions beyond appropriate controls. ​ This episode is sponsored by Modulate. Learn how brand

Scaling Scientific R&D with AI Supercomputing Infrastructure — with Thomas Fuchs of Eli Lilly

19 may 2026 · 25:16

A growing share of pharmaceutical innovation is now constrained not by scientific imagination, but by the infrastructure required to support AI at scale. In this episode of the AI in Business podcast, Thomas Fuchs, Chief AI Officer at Eli Lilly & Company, joins Matthew DeMello to explore how Lilly's new AI supercomputing platform is reshaping scientific discovery and enterprise operations. The conversation examines how large-scale computing enables more advanced models, secure and usable data environments, and faster scientific iteration across the organization. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

The Hidden Risk in Every Enterprise AI Vendor Contract - with John Belden of UpperEdge

18 may 2026 · 28:01

Boards are pushing CIOs to commit to AI strategies built on contracts written for an entirely different era of enterprise software. In this episode, John Belden, Chief of Research and Strategy at UpperEdge, breaks down the six dimensions of uncertainty CIOs now face when weighing major AI and ERP commitments, and explains why the next five years are about flexibility, not productivity. The conversation covers the case for tighter SI accountability around adaptability, the practical role of contractually-protected optionality, and the difference between performance theater and the kind of continuous learning that keeps a transformation honest. This episode is sponsored by UpperEdge. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

The Architecture Shift Behind Reliable Enterprise AI - with Ravi Marwaha of Arango

14 may 2026 · 37:39

Context defines accurate, reliable AI decision‑making, forcing enterprises to confront the fragmentation that prevents systems from accessing the information those decisions depend on. In this episode, Ravi Marwaha, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Technology Product Officer at Arango, examines how AI breaks down when it is asked to reason across disconnected architectures that cannot supply a unified, critical context. The discussion highlights how leaders can isolate the information that drives real decisions, structure access so AI can use it at the moment of action, and establish governance as agent‑generated outcomes move into production. This episode is sponsored by Arango. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Why Manufacturing's Most Valuable Data Isn't in Any System — with Anand Gnanamoorthy of Ingersoll Rand

13 may 2026 · 31:53

A significant share of manufacturing knowledge still lives in the heads of retiring workers, and the window to capture it is closing as operations push toward AI-enabled ways of working. In this episode, Anand Gnanamoorthy, Director of Corporate Strategy and AI at Ingersoll Rand, examines how manufacturers can digitize tribal knowledge, structured operational data, and decades of unstructured archives before that context disappears. The discussion covers separating data, insights, and decision-making across AI deployments; tapping messy, unstructured data without over-cleaning it; anchoring use cases to the frontline worker rather than the process; and treating every AI project as permanently in pilot mode. This episode is sponsored by Poka. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj

Why Predictive AI in Service Only Works on the Right Foundation - with Niken Patel of Neuron7.ai

13 may 2026 · 28:14

Enterprise service leaders are realizing that deploying AI for simple productivity gains fails to resolve the underlying issues that cause repeat truck rolls and high costs. In this episode, Niken Patel, CEO and Co-Founder at Neuron7.ai, unpacks why moving beyond basic automation requires a deterministic intelligence layer to make fragmented data ready for complex resolution decision-making. The discussion focuses on benchmarking industry performance, educating core teams on AI readiness, and establishing a data foundation that enables a transition from reactive repairs to predictive service models. This episode is sponsored by Neuron7.ai Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Building Predictive Safety Systems in Energy Operations - with Patricio Rivera of Oxy

12 may 2026 · 23:16

Energy organizations have made progress in safety, but most still rely on backward‑looking investigations rather than systems that anticipate when risk is rising. In this episode, Patricio Rivera, Former Vice President of HSE International at Oxy, joins host Matthew DeMello and examines how learning from good days and leveraging existing observation data can strengthen an organization's ability to predict and prevent safety‑critical events. He highlights the practical shifts required to extend periods of stable operations, reinforce the controls most likely to fail, and align safety practices with broader business performance expectations. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at http://go.emerj.com/partner

What Enterprise AI Looks Like When It's Real - with Lawrence Whittle of HTEC Group

11 may 2026 · 37:10

AI enthusiasm has outpaced enterprise readiness, leaving many organizations stuck with pilots that work in the lab but fail to deliver meaningful value in production. In this episode, Lawrence Whittle, Chief Strategy Officer at HTEC Group, joins Emerj's Marilie Fouché to examine how the gap between individual users, isolated use cases, and true end‑to‑end sequences prevents companies from moving beyond experimentation. He highlights the practical shifts required — smaller real deployments, tighter scopes, faster iteration cycles, and integrated expertise — to build momentum and translate AI concepts into tangible business results. This episode is sponsored by HTEC. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

From Experimentation to Clinical-grade AI in Healthcare - with Alex Tyrrell of Wolters Kluwer

5 may 2026 · 30:02

Agentic AI is running into a hard limit: most enterprise systems, security layers, and operational backends aren't yet built to support automated execution at scale. Alex Tyrrel, SVP and CTO of Health at Wolters Kluwer, joins Emerj's Matthe DeMello to unpack how agentic systems adapt models to domain‑specific tasks and act directly inside regulated environments. He outlines the practical requirements for higher‑velocity automation, including tighter APIs and entitlements, stronger observability and compliance, and backend capacity that can handle machine‑driven throughput. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at http://go.emerj.com/partner

Capturing Tribal Knowledge to Solve the Manufacturing Skills Gap - with Sebastian Dykas of Smith+Nephew

1 may 2026 · 34:11

A widening gap between retiring experts, manual craftsmanship, and limited process visibility is making it increasingly difficult for manufacturers to maintain consistency, prevent errors early, and onboard new operators effectively. In this episode, Sebastian Dykas, Director of Manufacturing, Engineering, and Maintenance at Smith+Nephew, joins Emerj's Marilie Fouche to examine how capturing best practices and connecting machines for real‑time data can tighten control and reduce variability across shifts. He highlights the practical moves leaders can make now — from standardizing training and strengthening process baselines to introducing data‑driven feedback loops that prevent scrap and stabilize production. This episode is sponsored by Poka. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Eme

Designing Supply Chains for Volatility - with Dr. Gopalendu Pal of Target

28 abr 2026 · 26:05

Volatility is exposing the limits of traditional scenario planning, where siloed KPIs and thin operational margins prevent enterprises from seeing how disruptions cascade across forecasting, procurement, and operations. In this episode, Dr. Gopalendu Pal, Director of Operations at Target, joins us to examine how running hundreds of interconnected simulations enables leaders to understand enterprise‑level tradeoffs and make decisions that hold up under shifting demand and supply constraints. He highlights the need to simplify and stabilize core processes so that automation and AI strengthen decision‑making rather than amplify existing operational weaknesses. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at http://go.emerj.com/partner

Operationalizing Real-Time Voice Intelligence for FinServ and CX - with Ken Morino of Modulate

24 abr 2026 · 37:29

Voice-based fraud has moved from a fringe security concern to a primary operational risk for financial institutions and enterprise contact centers, and the authentication methods most organizations rely on are no longer adequate. In this episode, Ken Morino, Director of Market and Behavioral Research at Modulate, examines how enterprise leaders can deploy real-time voice intelligence to detect fraud patterns, protect customer trust, and build clear accountability structures across fraud, CX, and compliance teams. The discussion covers where to prioritize investment first, how to integrate voice AI without disrupting existing infrastructure, and why smaller specialized models outperform large general-purpose systems in regulated environments. This episode is sponsored by Modulate. Learn how

Building Trustworthy AI for Enterprise Workflows - with Amar Akshat of PaySafe

21 abr 2026 · 20:40

The consistency gap in enterprise AI represents a critical failure point where unpredictable system behavior outside of controlled demos threatens to derail executive sponsorship and regulatory compliance. In this episode, Amar Akshat, SVP & Chief Architect at Paysafe, examines how leaders can move beyond experimental shadow AI by embedding determinism and high-threshold guardrails directly into the production pipeline. The discussion outlines a rigorous evaluation framework centered on treating prompts as versioned intellectual property, implementing Know Your Agent (KYA) policy envelopes, and ensuring every agentic decision remains holistically auditable. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at https://go.emerj.com/partner

Scaling Regulated Data Workflows Without Lock‑In - with Juan Orlandini of Insight

17 abr 2026 · 22:01

Legacy financial systems often trap organizations in "data swamps" where AI is mistakenly treated as a magic fix for fundamentally broken manual architectures. In this episode, Juan Orlandini, CTO of North America at Insight, outlines why senior executives must distinguish between statistical AI outputs and the mathematical precision required for financial compliance to avoid significant reporting risks. The conversation provides a roadmap for building a scalable operating layer by prioritizing data engineering and leveraging established vendor knowledge to protect long-term investment. This episode is sponsored by K1x. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at https://go.emerj.com/partner

Breaking Bottlenecks in Life Sciences R&D with AI Innovation - with Aziz Nazha of Incyte Pharmaceuticals

16 abr 2026 · 30:57

R&D teams are starting to advance AI capabilities faster than they can translate them into measurable business value, creating mounting friction between scientific progress and operational reality. In this episode, Aziz Nazha, Global Head of AI Innovations Institute at Incyte Pharmaceuticals, examines how culture, talent, infrastructure, and expectation‑setting determine whether AI meaningfully improves drug discovery and development. He highlights the practical shifts required — from redesigning workflows to disciplined upskilling and targeted validation cycles — to ensure AI adoption accelerates cycle times rather than getting stalled by organizational bottlenecks. This episode is sponsored by Deloitte. Learn how brands like Deloitte work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.em

Scaling Customer Experience with Operationalized Agentic AI - with Shezan Kazi of Dialpad

16 abr 2026 · 29:35

A recurring challenge for leaders is that the use cases they expect to automate rarely match what customers actually struggle with once large‑scale conversation data is analyzed. In this episode, Shezan Kazi, Head of AI Transformation and AI Products at Dialpad, examines how autonomous agents should take the first pass on high‑volume deterministic requests, when they must hand off to humans, and why confidence scoring and oversight models are essential for safe deployment. He highlights the practical steps leaders can take — from starting with low‑risk, high‑impact tasks to redesigning processes around real interaction data — to expand automation responsibly and improve customer outcomes over time. This episode is sponsored by Dialpad. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media

Turning Computer Vision Into Real‑World Value at Enterprise Scale – with Joseph Nelson of Roboflow

15 abr 2026 · 39:27

A major shift is underway as enterprises move from lab‑ready computer vision to the far more complex reality of deploying visual intelligence across messy, variable, high‑stakes physical environments. In this episode, Joseph Nelson, Co‑founder and CEO at Roboflow, examines how dependable visual data, models tuned to real operating conditions, and integration with existing production and safety systems determine whether visual AI delivers meaningful value. He highlights the practical moves that matter most: securing consistent visibility into key processes, choosing a first deployment that proves impact, and scaling only once the operational foundations are in place. This episode is sponsored by Roboflow. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Making Workforce Training Affordable with Tiered Storage - with Aaron Demory of Fearlus

14 abr 2026 · 21:05

Today's guest is Aaron Demory, Senior Partner at Fearlus and Chief of Information Technology and Security at the FDIC. Fearlus is a strategic governance and risk innovation firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., founded in 2024. They offer the Fearlus Risk Operating Model, a structured approach designed to help organizations align strategy, execution, and governance through cognitive infrastructure and decision clarity. Aaron joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello on today's show to share insight on how regulated institutions are approaching generative AI with caution and clarity, focusing on foundational governance, narrow pilot use cases, and maintaining public trust. The conversation highlights emerging best practices for evaluating large language models, implementing explainab

Connecting Forecasting and Warehouse Decisions at Scale - with Jerod Hamilton of Tyson Foods

8 abr 2026 · 24:26

Operational complexity in modern distribution centers is accelerating faster than most organizations can adapt, leaving leaders with fragmented data, static facility designs, and inefficiencies that compound across planning and fulfillment. In this episode, Jerod Hamilton, Director of 3PL Warehouse Strategy at Tyson Foods, joins Emerj's Marilie Fouche to examine how disconnected forecasting and warehousing systems limit real‑time decisioning and obscure the true sources of leakage inside large‑scale operations. He highlights the need for integrated planning signals and more adaptive warehouse systems that can adjust placement and movement decisions as demand shifts, rather than weeks after inefficiencies have already taken hold. This episode is sponsored by Easy Metrics. Learn how brands w

Decentralized Trials That Scale Globally Without Compliance Risks - with Emma Vitalini of Amgen

7 abr 2026 · 30:03

Today's guest is Emma Vitalini, Head of Global Digital Health Technology Innovation at Amgen. Amgen is a global biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing, and delivering medicines for serious illnesses. Emma joins Emerj Editorial Director Matthew DeMello to examine how data and AI are reshaping patient recruitment, decentralized clinical trials, and compliance workflows in highly regulated healthcare environments. Emma also discusses practical ways AI can surface unstructured genomic and clinical data to improve patient identification, how API-based access supports hypothesis testing without large-scale data movement, and how modular consent and explainable AI frameworks help sponsors scale trial operations while maintaining regulatory trust and patient transparency. Learn h

Solving the Expertise Gap with AI in Manufacturing - with Antoine Bisson of Poka

6 abr 2026 · 29:55

Aging expertise, paper‑based instructions, and inconsistent onboarding are creating a widening execution gap on the factory floor as experienced workers retire and new operators expect real‑time digital support. In this episode, Antoine Bisson, CEO and Co‑Founder at Poka, examines how manufacturers can capture institutional knowledge and convert it into structured digital guidance that accelerates training and stabilizes performance. Poka is a connected‑worker platform for manufacturers. It digitizes work instructions and training, uses AI to convert legacy knowledge into structured content, and delivers contextual guidance to frontline teams in real time. The discussion highlights how AI‑generated instructions, contextual support, and focused early use cases help leaders reduce variabilit

How Digital K‑1 Data Changes Tax Workflow Maturity - with Ken Powell and Neal Schneider

2 abr 2026 · 30:23

Tax processes remain constrained by document-based workflows that limit data accessibility, speed, and cross-system integration. In this episode, Neal Schneider, Co-Founder and CTO at K1x, and Ken Powell, Chief Revenue Officer at K1x, unpack how shifting to standardized, connected tax data enables more efficient processing, interoperability, and improved use of information across stakeholders. The discussion focuses on reducing manual data handling, progressing through stages of data maturity, and using centralized data to support faster processing and more informed client work. This episode is sponsored by K1x. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Closing the Customer Service Gap: How AI Is Redefining Scale, Speed, and Satisfaction - with Philipp Heltewig of NiCE

1 abr 2026 · 40:12

The gap between customer expectations and operational delivery is widening as traditional reactive service models struggle with volume volatility and workforce attrition. In this episode, Philipp Heltewig, Chief AI Officer at NiCE, unpacks how enterprises can transition to a proactive, AI-first customer experience by rethinking core service processes for the age of automation. The discussion outlines the shift from measuring simple deflection to prioritizing resolution quality, alongside the technical requirements for structuring APIs and knowledge bases to support high-performance AI agents. This episode is sponsored by NiCE. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/partner

Creating a Single Source of Truth for Enterprise Legal Work - with Christo Siebrits of AbbVie

31 mar 2026 · 21:04

Enterprise legal departments are currently navigating a breakdown in AI adoption caused by scattered data, inconsistent global regulations, and a lack of clear governance for grading automated workflows. In this episode, Christo Siebrits, Senior Associate and General Counsel at AbbVie, outlines how a validated internal large language model environment combined with a forced-ranking strategy for use cases can mitigate risk while focusing technical resources on high-value initiatives. The discussion focuses on practical frameworks for cross-functional training, aligning with the EU AI Act, and integrating legal oversight into early-stage technical development to ensure scalable and compliant innovation. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert.for

What Global Tariff Uncertainty Means for Supply Chain Leaders - with Edmund Zagorin of Arkestro and Michael Shin of Trinity Rail Industries

27 mar 2026 · 46:23

Supply chains are being pushed to move faster while geopolitical volatility makes traditional planning cycles increasingly fragile for global enterprises. In this episode, Edmund Zagorin, Founding Chief Strategy Officer at Arkestro, and Mike Shin, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Trinity Rail Industries, join Daniel Faggella, Emerj CEO and Head of Research, to examine how proactive, data‑driven procurement models help organizations balance cost, capacity, and continuity under these conditions. They highlight how offer‑driven sourcing, automated contract intelligence, and supplier‑alternative discovery shorten decision cycles, surface hidden risks, and strengthen collaboration across procurement and supply chain teams. This episode is sponsored by Arkestro. Learn how brands work with Emerj and

Managing Third-Party Risk at Scale Without Drowning in Surveys - with Carey Smith

26 mar 2026 · 14:16

The collapse of traditional, static survey models at scale creates a systemic visibility gap that transforms multi-tier supply chain dependencies into boardroom-level risks. In this Aravo-sponsored episode, Carey Smith, former CIO and Chief Technology Innovation Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and President and CIO of XcelerateHealth, outlines how enterprises must transition to continuous, AI-enabled monitoring to achieve deterministic explainability in risk scoring. The discussion focuses on shifting from simple risk detection to operational resilience by automating remediation playbooks and segmenting vendor scrutiny based on business materiality Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.

Why Enterprise AI Fails Without a Context Engine - with Eran Yahav of Tabnine

25 mar 2026 · 30:38

Enterprises are facing an 80% failure rate for AI agents in complex tasks because these systems lack the deep understanding required to navigate established legacy environments and existing internal systems. In this episode, Eran Yahav, CTO and co-founder at Tabnine, outlines how an enterprise context engine acts as a persistent memory and mapping layer that onboards AI systems into specific business logic, security perimeters, and organizational dependencies. The conversation highlights how this infrastructure can double agent success rates and reduce token costs by 80% while allowing technical leaders to establish swim lanes that ensure agents operate reliably within complex software architectures. This episode is sponsored by Tabnine. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Med

From AI Experiments to Enterprise Value Driving Real Business ROI - with Dan Diasio of EY

24 mar 2026 · 39:07

AI adoption is forcing a shift from automating yesterday's processes to redesigning the enterprise for differentiation and growth. In this episode, Dan Diasio, Global AI Consulting Leader and Americas Consulting CTO at EY, joins Emerj's Matthew DeMello to unpack why leading organizations are reallocating AI gains toward workforce reinvention, new operating models, and competitive advantage rather than headcount reduction. The conversation distills how executives are reframing investment strategy, avoiding the visibility trap, and aligning mindset, skill set, and tool set to unlock enterprise‑level value. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive peers? Click go.emerj.com/expert for more information and to be a potential future guest on the 'AI in Business' podcast! Learn how bran

Why Ensemble Architectures Win Against Real-Time Voice Risk - with Mike Pappas of Modulate

20 mar 2026 · 28:36

The contact center is shifting from a service channel to a primary point of fraud, where text‑based systems fail to catch the signals that surface only in live voice. In this episode, Mike Pappas, CEO & Co‑Founder at Modulate, joins Emerj's Nick Gertsch to examine how audio‑native, multi‑model analysis exposes social engineering and deepfake‑driven threats that traditional tools routinely miss. The discussion highlights how leaders can strengthen real‑time detection, limit downstream financial and regulatory impact, and evaluate voice‑AI systems based on accuracy, speed, and adaptability to evolving fraud tactics. This episode is sponsored by Modulate. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options atgo.emerj.com/partner. Want to share your AI adoption story with executive

From Multi Agent Systems to Institutional Learning in the Enterprise - with Papi Menon of Outshift by Cisco

19 mar 2026 · 31:25

A growing number of enterprises are discovering that early agent wins don't translate into scale because agents can connect but cannot yet share context or improve as a coordinated system. In this episode, Papi Menon, Vice President of Product Management and Chief Product Officer at Outshift by Cisco, joins Emerj's Matthew DeMello to unpack why the missing cognitive layer in multi‑agent environments limits progress and what it will take for agents to operate as a collective rather than isolated tools. He highlights how leaders can make meaningful headway by choosing low‑risk, high‑impact starting points and building on open, interoperable foundations that support future evolution. This episode is sponsored by Outshift by Cisco. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options