In this episode of The Databricks Diaries: AI Readiness, Andy Davis sits down with Jessica Simons-Boswell, Enterprise Data Officer at Diligenta, to explore how financial services organisations can embrace AI while operating in a highly regulated, risk-averse environment.

Jessica shares candid insights on:

• Why financial services often lag in AI adoption — and why that’s not always a bad thing
• The cultural and governance challenges of introducing AI in regulated markets
• Practical, value-driven AI use cases like complaint handling and correspondence automation
• How to manage executive enthusiasm without becoming the “blocker” in the room
• Why clean data, strong guardrails, and transparency are essential for safe AI deployment

A thoughtful, pragmatic discussion on balancing innovation, compliance, and cultural change in the journey to AI readiness. Perfect for data leaders, CDOs, and anyone shaping AI strategy in financial services.

In this episode of The Databricks Diaries, Andy Davis speaks with Jack Levy, Head of Data Strategy at Allvue, about what it really takes to prepare for AI. Jack shares why strong data foundations are non-negotiable, how cross-functional teams accelerate adoption, and why governance and guardrails matter more than ever.

From hackathons and prototyping to practical use cases in data normalisation and product development, Jack offers candid insights on building an AI-ready organisation without losing sight of customer value.

Whether you’re a data leader, product strategist, or simply curious about the future of AI in financial services, this conversation is packed with practical advice and real-world lessons.

In this episode of The Databricks Diaries, Carole Roberts, Director of Technology and Data at Leeds Building Society, shares her journey to technology leader, and reflects on the pivotal role of data in organisational transformation.

Carole provides candid insights into the cultural aspects of change, the importance of executive buy-in, and the complexities of upskilling teams to match rapid technology advancement. The episode dives deep into Leeds Building Society’s prudent yet ambitious approach to AI adoption, emphasising responsible innovation, ethical considerations, and building a resilient, scalable foundation for future business needs.

AI's here – but are we actually ready? In this episode, I chat with Merve Alanyali, Head of Data Science at AXA UK, about what real AI readiness looks like.

We unpack why solid infrastructure matters (don’t build on a swamp), the myth of “quick wins”, and how to bring your people with you on the journey. We also dive into how AI will reshape the way we learn, work, and grow – and what that means for the next generation of data professionals.

Andy Davis speaks with McKinley Hayden, Director of Data Value & Strategy at the Financial Times, about making AI readiness real in a newsroom where trust matters; they unpack the FT’s AI policy and organisation-wide fluency programme, a cross-functional transformation model and impact framework, and practical wins such as AskFT (built with Anthropic) and smarter comment moderation—alongside clear-eyed advice on avoiding hype, measuring value beyond “time saved”, and why governance and ethics must be owned in-house.

Want to take part in our podcast series? Register your interest here - https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=vdocM8ZJ9EuonNXRdbLdTCzOze2Z6hdOoSA6HgNF3_lUMUQ3V0Q5Q1RER05LSVA0RllRSTlMNDQyVS4u&route=shorturl

In this episode, Andy Davis talks with Chris Bick, Head of Data Product at Equiniti, about what it really takes to get an organisation ready for AI. They discuss why AI success starts with trusted, well-structured data, the cultural shift from tech-led to demand-led adoption, and how to balance governance with enablement. Chris shares practical use cases, from automating admin tasks to real-time fraud detection, and explains why “fleshware” – people and mindset – is the biggest factor in AI transformation.

In this episode, Andy Davis is joined by Elettra Damaggio, Director of Internal Data Science at Visa, to discuss what AI readiness really looks like from the inside. Elettra shares sharp insights on the pressures data teams face, the operational realities of deploying LLMs, and why clean data is still the unsolved challenge behind the AI hype.

They explore how internal AI use cases—like querying and explaining data—can transform operations, but only when the foundational layers are mature. From MLOps to the myth of quick wins, this is a transparent look at where businesses really are on their AI journey.

If you're grappling with where to start or how to scale, Elettra's practical and grounded advice is essential listening.

In Episode 13 of our AI Readiness series, Andy Davis is joined by Alex Blyth, Head of Data at NEST (National Employment Savings Trust), for a candid conversation on what it really takes to prepare an organisation for AI.

They discuss why cultural readiness matters more than technical capability, how tools like CoPilot are helping drive practical adoption, and the risks of applying AI to the wrong problems. Alex shares his philosophy on removing unskilled tasks to unlock real value, the importance of strong data governance, and why transformation should always be approached step by step.

This episode offers a grounded, inside view of AI adoption in the public sector — full of lessons for any organisation thinking about how to turn hype into impact.