Softwire TechTalks

About Softwire TechTalks

The Digital Lighthouse is a podcast for CTOs and other tech leaders looking to navigate their organization through endless disruption and turbulence. Packed full of real life stories and insights, this podcast serves as your guiding light - wherever you are in your journey and whatever challenges you face.

Publisher

Softwire

Category

technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Mar 2019

Latest episode

8 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

23 of 92 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   8 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   How to build a winning tech strategy when nobody's building for you

   Zoe Cunningham interviews Austen Robilliard about building a winning tech strategy in an underserved market, revealing how to navigate legacy systems and prove ESG commitments.

2. 

   4 Aug 2026

   Why AI doesn’t need to be perfect to be trusted

   Zoe Cunningham interviews Alex Wolff, Public Sector Director at Softwire, discussing why AI doesn't need perfection to be trusted in public services.

3. 

   2 Jul 2026

   What happens when water companies stop competing on data

   The water sector faces some of the UK’s biggest environmental and infrastructure challenges. But solving them requires more than better technology. It requires better collaboration. In this episode of The Digital Lighthouse, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Melissa Tallack, co-lead of the Stream initiative and former Head of Data and Digital at Anglian Water. Together they explore how water companies are working together to share data, learn from other industries and create more value for customers, society and the environment. Melissa explains why breaking down data silos within organisations is only the first step. The real opportunity comes from sharing knowledge across an industry, and ultimately across sectors. From rail and energy to health and citizen science, she shares why the best ideas rarely stay in one place. Whether you’re leading digital transformation in utilities, government or another regulated industry, this conversation offers practical lessons on open data, collaboration and creating lasting value. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why water companies are collaborating on open data rather than competing. How Stream is creating shared data infrastructure for the sector. Why borrowing ideas from rail, energy and other industries accelerates innovation. How to break down organisational and industry data silos. Why publishing data only matters if it creates measurable value. What other sectors can learn from the water industry’s collaborative approach.

Inside a recent episode

How to build a winning tech strategy when nobody's building for you

Published 8 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Completely. Technology is a tool. So it shouldn't be the be all and end all of what you're trying to do fundamentally. Fundamentals haven't changed, but how you use tools in order to be better at delivering the outcomes absolutely has. And say every year there's something new that's available potentially that is worth looking at. And it might be able to allow you to do things that you've always wanted to or dreamt of doing, but didn't know how to actually approach it. Yeah. OK. All right. So tell me a bit about I mean, first, I guess, like, what are the options you kind of have for if you're setting out your tech strategy? […]

Who has been a guest on Softwire TechTalks

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Austen Robilliard
• Alex Wolff
• Macs Dickinson
• Simon Wardley

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

50

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

95

Questions about Softwire TechTalks