Tech Pulse

Cybersecurity – better resilience, better skills

How do businesses better prepare their defences?
As more incidents are reported and bigger brands see their data stores being breached, cybersecurity has gone from the problem that won’t go away to become a discussion of brand confidence and cyber skills shortage.
So how do businesses better prepare their defences – for what to do on that day when the worst occurs? How do you find the right tech talent when many skills are seeing 0% unemployment rates? We’re talking to two leaders in the areas of cybersecurity and tech skills to give us their insights on the best path forward.
Guests:
Scarlett McDermott – Chief Technology Officer, With You With Me
Kris Lovejoy – Global Security and Resilience Leader, Kyndryl
Show notes:
Recent months (September-October 2022) in Australia saw some of the highest profile security breaches against companies that hold deeply personal information about their customers. In this podcast we explore questions of what is at stake for companies when it comes to managing their security in order to protect customer data – and to respond effectively should the worst occur.
What does it mean to place security and resilience within the same category for business? Risks are more than just a question of what is stolen. With new government penalties and significant brand reputation damage at stake, we look at why security must become fully integrated into the core business continuity system.
We also explore questions of building the right levels of skills within the workplace and why we need to look beyond IT degrees if we are to meet the skills shortage head on. With many different kinds of jobs in cybersecurity, how do we build the right skill response and cultural response to ensure we have the right security mindset across an organisation.
By searching for the right IT skills through new avenues of recruitment, we also create opportunities for more diverse and effective teams as new ways of thinking enter our corporate technology teams.
Read more:
‘A perfect storm’: why solving the cybersecurity crisis is critical to the future of business
Cybercrime in Australia has been on the rise for years
Cyber Skills shortage to hit 30,000 in four years
Links:
WithYouWithMe
Credits:
The Tech Pulse Podcast is produced by Guardian Labs Australia
Host: Seamus Byrne
Guardian Labs producers: Alison Tanudisastro and Joady Weatherup
Executive producer and Guardian Labs head of content: Justine O’Donnell
Sound editor: Mellany Chun

Sustainable business transformation

Transformation is a constant for modern business.
But today, it can no longer be discussed in the absence of climate action. If you want to reshape your business for the future, you need to be preparing for a business landscape that will be aggressively dealing with climate change and its impacts. From brand impacts and customer preferences to managing sustainability targets throughout business supply chains, sustainability will become essential to long-term success for every enterprise.
Guests:
Professor Martina Linnenluecke – Director of the Centre for Corporate Sustainability and Environmental Finance, Macquarie University
Faith Taylor – Vice President and Global Sustainability Officer, Kyndryl
Show notes:
Targets are only getting stronger as the need to achieve a carbon zero future as soon as possible grows critical. So how are leading businesses balancing sustainability and growth? What are the biggest questions business leaders should explore to meet this challenge? And what lessons can we take from businesses who have taken real leadership in the fight to save our planet? From first steps to a full integration of zero emissions objectives, we’re speaking to two sustainability leaders to understand how to meet this crisis head on.
We explore the importance of setting ambitious targets that match your corporate strategy, and ensuring they are given the resources needed to reach them. Avoiding poor assumptions while grasping the appropriate boundaries and scope to underpin your baselines will ensure a business can set goals with confidence.
Our guests also explore the importance of working in partnership with others – from other businesses to NGOs – as the challenges we face need collective efforts to succeed. Sustainability is not just a question of environmental management but the ability to build resilient businesses that deliver sustainable financial results over the long term future.
Above all, we learn the importance of a clear vision that is led from the top. All action is meaningful, but the greatest successes are found when action is driven by senior leadership and a clear alignment with business objectives.
Read more:
Lead with intent: putting sustainable goals at the heart of your business plan
Links:
Centre for Corporate Sustainability and Environmental Finance
McKinsey “net-zero transition” study
Greenhouse Gas Protocol
Global Reporting Initiative
Credits:
The Tech Pulse Podcast is produced by Guardian Labs Australia
Host: Seamus Byrne
Guardian Labs producers: Alison Tanudisastro and Joady Weatherup
Executive producer and Guardian Labs head of content: Justine O’Donnell
Sound editor: Mellany Chun
Sound recordist: Dan McHugh

The future for Australian fintech

From open banking and NPP to blockchain and NFTs, the financial sector is in the midst of the greatest change in its history.
With everything up for grabs, can new entrants succeed in building new models and markets? Or can traditional banking incumbents add features and services to maintain their hold on customers? We explore the challenges and opportunities in the future of financial services, their importance to the wider economic recovery, and how issues of data, privacy, security, automation and more will play a role in building a new Fintech future. We are joined by two of Australia’s fintech industry leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities for the local sector.
Guests:
May Lam – Oceania Fintech Leader and Asia-Pacific Payments Leader, EY
Michael Bromley – Group CEO, Stone & Chalk
Anandh Maistry – Managing Partner, Banking and Insurance AU/NZ, Kyndryl
Show notes:
The financial sector is in the midst of one of the greatest transformations since ATMs emerged 50 years ago. Money now flows most freely as numbers swapped seamlessly between digital ledgers, cash fading fast during a pandemic where physicality was to be avoided as often as possible.
New standards for the finance industry have been slowly emerging at the same time. From open banking and NPP to blockchain and NFT, the conditions are ripe for new FinTech challengers to rise up to take on the traditional institutions. EY’s Fintech Australia Census in 2021 found 82% of Australian fintechs met or exceeded their capital raising goals last year.
We explore the ups and downs of the past few years, how fintech startups can find their path to success, and why these challengers can be at an advantage over the incumbent financial institutions. Plus, with many startups on a path to being bought out by the bigger players, how do we ensure innovation leads to real change for better consumer experiences? And what is the right way for fintech startups and big institutions to cooperate?
Links:
EY Fintech Australia census
Does Australian Fintech punch above its weight?
Credits:
The Tech Pulse Podcast is produced by Guardian Labs Australia
Host: Seamus Byrne
Guardian Labs producers: Alison Tanudisastro and Joady Weatherup
Executive producer and Guardian Labs head of content: Justine O’Donnell
Sound editor: Mellany Chun 

Innovation and the future of work

Is Australia innovating for our real future? Are we on the right path for the future we now face?
Innovation opportunities are ready and waiting for businesses eager to push onward, but how do we prepare our teams to excel in a post-pandemic work environment? And as an economy, how does Australia ensure it is embracing a diverse array of businesses and opportunities to be ready for the many possibilities and challenges that lie ahead?
The right ideas and the right skills hold the keys to Australia’s future – our experts share their thoughts on how we can set the conditions for business staff and business leaders to take us where we need to go.
Guests:
Matt Boon – Director, Strategic Research, ADAPT
Murray Hurps – Director of Entrepreneurship, UTS
Maria MacNamara – Director of Government Relations and Innovation Strategy, Kyndryl
Show notes:
Turbulence is at the heart of economic forecasts today. Geopolitics, climate and ongoing COVID-19 impacts paint an uncertain future that requires fast-thinking leadership to navigate the challenges and opportunities within and around our businesses.
For all the talk of transformation in recent years, the Australian economy is a long way behind the world when it comes to embracing new ideas and opportunities. From hybrid working environments to skills challenges and enabling new opportunities in innovation, how do we create the conditions for staff, for businesses and for innovators to create a more robust Australian economy?
We explore the need for real transformation in Australian business, from the fundamentals of hybrid work to the need for greater on-shore capabilities given the combined geopolitical, environmental and health crises of recent times. And are we giving the next generation of entrepreneurs the right tools to succeed in a changing global market?
Plus additional thoughts on how industry and government can work together to encourage greater skill development and job creation across the next wave of key innovation sectors.
Read more:
FTX collapse sends shockwaves through other Australian businesses
Extreme stress: Australian businesses risk going under due to impact of Omicron
Links:
Continuity, Resilience and Beyond – Shaping the Path Ahead
Celebrating the first 1,000 UTS startups
Credits:
The Tech Pulse Podcast is produced by Guardian Labs Australia
Host: Seamus Byrne
Guardian Labs producers: Alison Tanudisastro and Joady Weatherup
Executive producer and Guardian Labs head of content: Justine O’Donnell
Sound editor: Mellany Chun

Uncertainty and global forces

Pandemic, extreme climate impacts, and war in Ukraine are creating a difficult outlook for businesses across the globe.
The state of global forces are as complicated as they have been this century. The world needs new solutions to big problems, so where are the opportunities for Australian businesses to transform and evolve for the new now and thrive in the uncertainty of the coming decade? We’re speaking to some of Australia’s leading business thinkers to explore how Australian leaders can use this moment to prepare for and thrive in a time of change.
Guests:
Tim Harcourt – Industry Professor and Chief Economist, University of Technology Sydney
Maria Loyez – Chief Customer Officer, Australian Ethical Super
Sally-Ann Williams – Chief Executive Officer, Cicada Innovations
Warrick Cramer – Global Director Innovation Strategy, Kyndryl
Show notes:
It’s already clear that the 2020s is a decade that will be defined by change and uncertainty. A changing climate, a global pandemic, and geopolitical instability are all contributing to an era where nations, businesses and the ideas that drive them must become more adaptable than ever before if they are to succeed.
But, as the saying goes, in every crisis lies opportunity. Locally, Australia is set to become the 12th largest economy in 2023 with a predicted GDP of $2.5 trillion. Predictions don’t come true by themselves, so today we’ve brought together a group of leading thinkers on the economy and innovation to discuss how Australian businesses can use this moment to explore new solutions to big problems to thrive in a time of change.
We explore the need to balance caution with the hunt for new opportunities, the role of building great customer experience to stand out from competition, and why Australia needs to pursue new avenues of innovation to be ready for a future where sovereign capabilities seem more important than ever.
Plus, how to encourage an optimistic mindset amongst startups when times are looking difficult over the short term, and how technology can be an enabler for many exciting new ideas across the Australian economy.
Read more:
Industry and science minister, Ed Husic, on how to encourage more innovation in Australia
Research in Australian universities should be driven by curiosity not commerce
Global forces shaping our regional economies
Links:
Harvard Atlas of Economic Complexity
Credits:
The Tech Pulse podcast is produced by Guardian Labs Australia.
Host: Seamus Byrne
Guardian Labs producers: Alison Tanudisastro and Joady Weatherup
Executive producer and Guardian Labs head of content: Justine O’Donnell
Sound editor: Mellany Chun