Welcome to the series finale of The Interim. We find ourselves in a unique moment in history—suspended between the traditional workflows of the past and a sci-fi future driven by Artificial Intelligence. To help us navigate this transition, Duncan Stott sits down with futurist and strategic advisor Alfred Bieler.

With a pedigree that includes leading innovation at Google and Microsoft, Alfred argues that the biggest mistakes leaders make during this ‘interim’ period have nothing to do with software, and everything to do with soul. From the dangers of 'fake success' to the reason every high-performing team needs a resident 'alien,' this episode is a masterclass in why a healthy culture is the only way to truly unlock the power of AI. If you’ve ever wondered if your organization is actually ready for the future, or just playing with expensive toys, this conversation is for you.

The "Purpose" Trap

Alfred emphasizes that technology without clarity is dangerous. He shares an anecdote about a Google engineer who trained a model to optimize energy efficiency; the model suggested turning the servers off entirely. Technically, it was 100% efficient, but it defeated the purpose. Leaders must define the why before the how, or they risk teams exploring in random, competing directions.

Culture Over Toolsets

The phrase "culture eats technology for breakfast" is a central theme. Alfred notes that two companies can use the exact same AI tool, yet one will thrive while the other fails. The difference lies in:

• Radical Honesty: Moving away from "fake success" (celebrating vanity metrics like clicks) toward admitting when a project isn’t working.
• Psychological Safety: Creating an environment where people can challenge the AI's output rather than accepting "vanilla" or "hallucinated" results.

The Power of the "Alien"

Alfred cites research on "critical friends." He explains that teams composed only of friends often reach consensus too quickly and perform worse. By introducing an "alien"—someone with a different perspective who asks "Why are we doing this?"—friction is created. While this makes the work feel "harder" and more exhausting, it leads to significantly higher-quality outcomes.

From Artificial to "Augmented" Intelligence

The guest reframes the job-loss debate. He views AI as Augmented Intelligence—a tool to provide information for better human decision-making.

• The Productivity Paradox: Rather than using AI to simply "run faster" and burn out, Alfred hopes humanity uses the saved time to "slow down" and think more deeply.
• Bespoke over Generic: While Large Language Models (like ChatGPT) are "table stakes," the real business advantage lies in bespoke Machine Learning trained on a company’s unique, proprietary data.

The CEO’s First Step

For leaders feeling overwhelmed by AI strategy, Alfred’s advice is counter-intuitive: Don’t start with the easy stuff. He suggests finding a critical friend and asking, "What is the biggest threat that is going to eat us alive?" Solving the scariest problem is a better use of AI than automating minor tasks in an irrelevant business model.

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What does the AI revolution mean for Interims? In this episode, we sit down with Mandie Beitner, an experienced AI and transformation leader sharing the fascinating details of defining an AI strategy and implementing AI at scale—a challenge few have tackled. If you're an interim, a transformation leader, or just trying to navigate the rapid evolution of AI in business, this conversation is packed with actionable insights that will really help..

Mandie Beitner is an AI & Transformation leader, she has held senior permanent positions in finance, legal, tech and energy including at HSBC and Belron where she led major transformations. And latterly she has been an Interim doing similar transformation work including being the Interim AI Director at ARM, leading ARM’s AI transformation, defining AI strategy and how to embed AI at scale. So this is going to be fascinating….

These are my take-homes from that discussion with Mandie Beitner. She explained the unique challenges and immense opportunities of leading large-scale organizational change, particularly in the context Artificial Intelligence.

• AI Transformation at Scale: Mandie recounts her time as an interim AI Director at ARM, emphasizing that even a trailblazing organization faces common challenges: managing the speed of AI development, addressing employee fears about job impact, and overcoming general resistance to change. She highlights that AI adoption is fundamentally a comprehensive organizational transformation requiring the reimagining of people, processes, and technology. Her initial mandate was to bring structure, visibility, and a decision-making framework to the existing AI journey.
• The "Sortted" Framework: Mandie introduces her proprietary, data-driven framework, 'Sortted' (Strategy, Operational Redesign, Reporting, Team, Technology, Data), which she uses to quickly diagnose organizational health and align execution with strategic goals. This framework ensures that people, data, and delivery all pull in the same direction to meet strategic goals, and is specifically designed to help interims land fast and assemble order.
• The Future of Interim Leadership in the AI era: Mandie asserts that the success of future interim leaders will be measured by their fluency in AI and their ability to use AI tools as a multiplier to amplify delivery and personal productivity. Interims must be comfortable with the ambiguity and speed of new technology, acting as a chameleon to adapt to different organizational paces.
• The Power of Interim objectivity: The discussion explores the core value an interim brings: the ability to see the "whole pie" and provide a fresh, objective pair of eyes to complex organizational structures. This objectivity, coupled with their independence, grants them the intellectual authority to state their observations and recommendations without fear or favor, helping the business move in the right direction.
• Emotional resilience and the Interim life: Mandie shares the emotional highs and lows of being an interim. While she loves the constant change, learning, and the "light bulb moment" of seeing positive results, the most difficult challenge is the required emotional resilience to frequently walk away from projects and teams when the contract ends.

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What do you do when a successful, long-term career comes to an unexpected end? For Malcolm Lambeau, a former CIO and Managing Director at major British banks, it was an opportunity to hit the reset button. Fifteen years ago, a redundancy became the catalyst for a radical career change—one that led him from the corporate ladder to the dynamic world of interim and portfolio work. In this candid conversation, Malcolm shares the surprising joys, challenges, and rewards of becoming your own boss, and reveals the crucial mindset shift required to thrive as a professional interim.

Malcolm is a friend of the podcast through his advice and being the very first guest - 32 episodes ago.

· The Transition to Interim Work: Malcolm shares that his shift was triggered by a redundancy from his role at the Royal Bank of Scotland. Instead of seeking another permanent position, he felt a strong desire to do something different and entrepreneurial. He was encouraged by a headhunter to explore the interim route, and he quickly realized it was the right path for him.

· The Surprises and Realities of Interim Life: Malcolm was surprised by how much he enjoyed the work, how quickly he could make an impact in new organizations, and how welcoming he was made to feel. He particularly valued being "immune to politics" and being able to focus on specific, clear objectives. Contrary to his initial expectations of long gaps between contracts, he found himself almost continuously employed for seven years.

· The Mindset of an Interim Professional: The conversation highlights that becoming an interim isn't just a job change—it's a fundamental cultural and personal transformation. Malcolm emphasizes that you must see yourself as a business. This includes doing your own risk assessment, managing your finances and accepting that you'll have to operate without the typical support staff and authority of a permanent executive. Your only power is your expertise and ability to influence others.

· Common Mistakes and Key Advice: Malcolm identifies several pitfalls for those new to interim work. A key mistake is not having a clear plan and treating it as "a bit of interim" work, which can hurt your reputation with recruitment agents who prefer commitment. He stresses the importance of building a strong network of agents and practicing your interview skills, noting that many senior professionals rely too heavily on their polish rather than preparing a well-rehearsed narrative.

· The Rewards of Coaching and Mentoring: Malcolm finds immense satisfaction in his coaching and mentoring work. He gets a buzz from helping people find jobs and achieve success. He highlights that despite the lack of a permanent team or the daily grind of corporate life, the personal reward of seeing others benefit from his experience is what makes his current work so meaningful.

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