Starts at the Top Podcast

About Starts at the Top Podcast

Starts at the Top is about how leaders from all sectors are using digital to navigate uncertainty and forge a path to the future. It’s hosted by Zoe Amar and Paul Thomas.

Publisher

Starts at the Top

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

18 Jun 2020

Latest episode

29 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

101 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Oct 2026

   Episode 100 - Sarah O'Connor - Journalist at The Financial Times and author of We Are Not Machines

   We Are Not Machines: Sarah O’Connor on AI and the Future of Work We chat to author and Financial Times journalist Sarah O’Connor about her book We are Not Machines: The Fight For the Future of Work For our 100th episode, we’re marking the milestone with a Future of Work special. We chat to Sarah O’Connor, columnist, reporter and associate editor at the Financial Times, and author of We Are Not Machines: The Fight for the Future of Work. We also discuss current stories about AI at work, from Anthropic’s report on AI agents to professional services pricing and charity workforce planning. Our first ever guest, Simon Blake, now CEO of Stonewall, also joins us with a voice note about work, relationships and the future of the charity sector. What happens to the quality of work when AI and automation arrive? Sarah O’Connor has spent years reporting on the people experiencing these changes first-hand. In her book, she speaks to workers whose jobs are not simply disappearing, but are becoming more intense, more monotonous or less human. Sarah tells us why we need to look beyond predictions about how many jobs AI might replace and pay attention to what is already happening to the work itself. Warehouse workers now work alongside robots, while translators are asked to edit machine-generated subtitles at greater speed and for less pay. The technology can bring real benefits, but the way it is introduced shapes whether people gain more control or lose the parts of work they value. We discuss: Why the quality of work matters as much as the number of jobs How AI can affect the way we read, think, learn and relate to one another Why young people may be especially affected as entry-level work and recruitment change How leaders can involve workers in decisions about technology and protect the human parts of work Why the future of work is still open to influence, and what gives Sarah hope This is a thoughtful, grounded conversation about the choices leaders can make as work changes, and why technology’s impact on people is not inevitable. Show notes We Are Not Machines: The Fight for the Future of Work by Sarah O’Connor What does the future of the charity workforce look like in the age of AI?, a white paper from Zoe Amar Digital, Corndel and Microsoft How employment is changing at Anthropic, the report discussed by Zoe and Paul Episode 50: Toxic masculinity in the workplace, with Soma Sara About Sarah O’Connor Sarah O’Connor is a columnist, reporter and associate editor at the Financial Times. She writes a weekly column focused on the world of work, alongside longer features and investigations. Her journalism has received awards including the Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils and the Wincott Award for financial journalism. Please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear! Editing and production - Paul Thomas Music by Joseph McDade - https://josephmcdade.com/music Full transcript of this episode (srt file) Full transcript of this episode (.txt file) Transcripts are also available through your podcast app.

2. 

   24 Sept 2026

   Episode 99 - Andy Milligan and Louisa Clarke, authors of Future Shift

   Authors Andy Milligan and Louisa Clarke discuss how leaders build resilience and trust to navigate an unpredictable future, sharing insights from their book Futureshift.

3. 

   25 Jun 2026

   Episode 98 - Babith Bhoopalan - Future Proofing Careers in the Age of AI

   Host Zoe and Paul interview Babith Bhoopalan, Founder of Quantum Leap Insights, about future-proofing careers by identifying irreplaceable human skills in the age of AI.

Who has been a guest on Starts at the Top Podcast

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

• Andy Milligan
• Louisa Clarke
• Babith Bhoopalan
• Pip Wilson
• Eleanor Gibson

Reach and audience

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

YouTube views

463

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100

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

Quality

58

Social presence

0

YouTube

64

Engagement

32

Contact Starts at the Top Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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