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PODCAST

The CTO Lens

London Tech Leaders

A fresh look at what it really means to lead technology in today’s fast‑changing world. Hosted by seasoned CTO and thinker David Crawford, and co‑host, experienced product leader Sophie Valentine, The CTO Lens blends candid conversations with industry leaders, covers the latest tech news, and includes a whole host of personal insights and practical leadership lessons for the modern technology executive. From navigating roles, to understanding team culture, AI, tech strategy, and real‑world

technology tech news

All Episodes

01:23:12

Season 2: Episode 19 - Liz Kendall, Falling Robots...

The CTO Lens ·

2026/04/21

The CTO Lens Podcast is back with Episode 19, and this week David and Sophie are firing on all cylinders with a packed news agenda and a guest who really knows his way around a data pipeline.This episode covers Roblox's controversial facial analysis age checks - and whether that's really the best we can do for child safety online. The UK's AI minister Liz Kendall gets the David and Sophie treatment after it emerged she doesn't actually use AI in her job. Sweden's decision to ditch screens and go

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01:31:55

Season 2: Episode 18 - Claude Mythos, Molotov...

The CTO Lens ·

2026/04/14

The CTO Lens Podcast is back with Episode 18, and this one's got plenty to dig into. David and Sophie are back in their respective remote setups - but that doesn't mean things are any less lively.This episode covers a cyberattack that forced Northern Irish school kids back into classrooms during Easter - and raises a bigger question about the risk of centralising all your tech on a single supplier. OpenAI's four-day week proposal gets the David and Sophie treatment (spoiler: David is not convinced)

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01:08:49

Season 2: Episode 17 - "Nobody Told Us It Was Going...

The CTO Lens ·

2026/04/09

The CTO Lens Podcast is back with Episode 17, and this week's edition is packed! Oh, and yes - this week's episode was filmed in person. David and Sophie are confirmed humans. This episode features China's obsession with an open-source AI tool nicknamed "the Lobster" (aka Claude), Anthropic's token costs spiralling out of control - and an accidental leak of 500,000 lines of source code, plus a two-brother team on track for $1.8 billion in revenue with no big team, just AI. David and Sophie cut

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01:18:28

Season 2: Episode 15 - How Do Technology Leaders...

The CTO Lens ·

2026/03/24

In this week’ episode of the CTO Lens Podcast, David and Sophie begin by discussing the week's latest news, including budgets for AI and Quantum Computing, books being written using AI, Pokemon Go and Amazon’s new smart phone!Both then (as part of the leadership segment) discuss the future of the technology workforce, including the responsibilities that senior leaders have, how education may need to accommodate AI in a better way and what does the future workforce actually look like in 5-10 years

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01:16:14

Season 2: Episode 14 - How Is AI Reshaping The...

The CTO Lens ·

2026/03/17

In this week’ episode of the CTO Lens Podcast, David and Sophie begin by discussing the week's latest news, including delayed Royal Navy deployments, airport face scans, bank apps showing other users' transactions and much more!Both are then joined by Andrew Murphy (Head of Engineering and Product at Wickes) to discuss how AI is reshaping the software development lifecycle. Andrew offers some fantastic insights into the pros and cons of recent AI implementation, how leaders are engaging with AI, and

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01:14:10

Season 2: Episode 13 - Is The CTO Role Now More...

The CTO Lens ·

2026/03/10

In this week’ episode of the CTO Lens Podcast, David is back and joins Sophie to discuss the latest in tech innovations and news.Both share insights on leadership, strategy, and the evolving role of technology leaders in organisations. From understanding the importance of strategic thinking to the future skills needed for CTOs, this episode offers valuable guidance for tech leaders aiming to make a broader impact.The episode concludes with the mid-episode game (titled Buzzword or Baloney) and a

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01:12:05

Season 2: Episode 12 - Building The Fastest AI...

The CTO Lens ·

2026/03/03

In this week’s episode of the CTO Lens Podcast, Sophie Valentine is joined by guest host Samantha Burrows, in an International Women’ Day week special.They explore the significance of culture in leadership, especially for women+ in tech, and continue with news on the ethical implications of AI in defence, the future of AI and its potential economic consequences, innovative AI projects in the civil service, and some light-hearted tech updates.They are also joined by Jeremy Adcock and Josh Silverstone

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01:16:32

Season 2: Episode 11 - Practical Cases of AI Working

The CTO Lens ·

2026/02/24

In this week’ episode of the CTO Lens Podcast, David Crawford and Sophie Valentine discuss various topics including social media court cases, recent AI trials and tribulations, and the emergence of Seedance, an app that can be used to generate Hollywood style videos.They are also joined by Otto Hilska (CEO of Swarmia) who shares insights on engineering effectiveness and the integration of AI tools in organisations, highlighting the importance of teams and the role of AI in enhancing productivity.The

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01:13:44

Season 2: Episode 10 - How to Get a CTO Role in 2026

The CTO Lens ·

2026/02/17

In this week’ episode of the CTO Lens Podcast, David Crawford and Sophie Valentine discuss various topics including their Valentine's weekend experiences, the viral success of their podcast clip on digital sovereignty, updates on the UK Online Safety Bill and the implications of AI in online safety, and discuss recent AI advancements in large corporations.They are also joined by Jon Sheehan (Co-Founder of Burns Sheehan) to discuss recruitment in the tech industry. They speak about the evolving role

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01:06:30

Season 2: Episode 9 - Falling Back in Love with My...

The CTO Lens ·

2026/02/10

In this week's episode of the CTO Lens Podcast, Sophie and David discuss various topics including France getting rid of Zoom, AI robots and the recent AI Gold Rush. They also are joined by Lee Provoost (CTO of fintech company Flagstone) who discusses his journey of falling out of love and falling back in love with the CTO role.The episode concludes with the mid-episode game (titled ‘Touchdown Tech Leaders’) and a disaster diary entry which encompasses getting the board on side when it comes to

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01:03:58

Season 2: Episode 8 - Incident Response

The CTO Lens ·

2026/02/03

In this week's episode of the CTO Lens Podcast, Sophie and David discuss various topics including AI training initiatives, Apple's sales trends, digital sovereignty, and the future of driverless cars. They also delve into the importance of incident management and organisational culture with guests Joe and Hamid from Uptime Labs, also sharing personal experiences of IT outages. The conversation emphasises the need for resilience in tech organisations and covers the metrics that can help measure

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01:05:03

Season 2: Episode 7 - Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff vs...

The CTO Lens ·

2026/01/27

In this week’s episode of The CTO Lens Podcast, Sophie and David cover a wide range of topics. They dive into the challenges facing the gaming industry, youth social media regulations, and discuss the balance between big-picture thinking and attention to detail in leadership during our leadership focused segment.The episode concludes with the mid-episode game (titled ‘Tech to the Top’) and a disaster diary, where the hosts reflect on whether Agile is still working?Link for London Tech Leaders

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01:06:22

Season 2: Episode 6 - Women in Technology Leadership:...

The CTO Lens ·

2026/01/21

In this week’s episode of the CTO Lens podcast, hosts Sophie Valentine and David Crawford delve into various topics, starting with the internet outage in Iran, AI generated singers and a discussion about Elon Musk's relationships and the implications of AI in our daily lives.Sophie and David then welcome guest Hema Purohit, who brings her extensive experience in technology and leadership development to the conversation. Hema discusses her Leadership Essentials masterclass, emphasising the importance

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01:26:10

Season 2: Episode 5 - The Art of Communicating +...

The CTO Lens ·

2026/01/13

In this episode, Sophie and David discuss the latest developments in technology, including Nvidia's new AI platform for self-driving cars, the implications of ChatGPT in healthcare, and Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI.Furthermore, the hosts discuss essential communication skills for modern leaders, emphasising the importance of active listening, empathy, and understanding different communication styles. They explore the challenges of communicating in a tech-driven environment, particularly with

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00:59:22

Season 2: Episode 4 - Project Tech Rescue

The CTO Lens ·

2026/01/06

In this engaging conversation, Sophie Valentine and David Crawford reflect on their Christmas and New Year experiences, discussing the transition back to work and the challenges of disconnecting during the holidays. They delve into tech trends from 2025 and predictions for 2026, particularly focusing on the evolving landscape of AI and consumer technology. David and Sophie also discuss the evolution of IoT and health technology, emphasising the potential for innovative applications in health and

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00:54:38

Season 2: Episode 3 - Sitting Down with Your Younger...

The CTO Lens ·

2025/12/17

In this episode, David and Sophie discuss their Christmas preparations, share technology news highlights, and delve into the importance of giving advice to one's younger self. They also take part in the weekly 'Mid Episode Game' titled 'Guess The Year' and conclude with the 'Disaster Diaries' segment, which sparks conversation on the significance of team culture and the common struggles faced by new leaders in tech.

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00:57:41

Season 2: Episode 2 - Climbing the Tech Ladder

The CTO Lens ·

2025/12/11

In this episode of CTO Lens, hosts David Crawford and Sophie Valentine discuss personal updates, technology news, and the transition from CTO to CEO with guest Hywel Carver. They explore the challenges of maintaining a strong security culture during rapid growth, the importance of empathy in leadership, and the balance between innovation and security. The episode also features insights from a listener's disaster diary about security breaches and the need for organisational accountability.

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00:59:10

Season 2: Episode 1 - 'Before You Say Yes'

The CTO Lens ·

2025/12/03

In this episode of CTO Lens, David Crawford and new co-host Sophie Valentine discuss the evolution of the podcast, play a fun game of 'Two Truths and a Lie', and dive into the recent tech budget and its implications for startups. They also explore key questions to ask CEOs during interviews for CTO roles, emphasizing the importance of understanding company challenges, team dynamics, and the role of technology in business. In this episode, the hosts engage in light-hearted discussions about Christmas

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49:20

Episode 9 - Sarah Greasley: From CTO to NED

The CTO Lens ·

2025/10/28

The CTO Lens with David Crawford is a podcast from London Tech Leaders that offers an inside look at the realities of modern technology leadership. Hosted by David Crawford — an experienced CTO and NED for some of the world’s leading enterprise organisations, the show explores the realities of driving transformation, building high-performing teams, and delivering real business impact through technology. This podcast gives you a front-row seat to the conversations shaping modern technology lea...

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47:02

Episode 8: Matt Watson - Bridging Product, People &...

The CTO Lens ·

2025/10/28

The CTO Lens with David Crawford is a podcast from London Tech Leaders that offers an inside look at the realities of modern technology leadership. Hosted by David Crawford — an experienced CTO and NED for some of the world’s leading enterprise organisations, the show explores the realities of driving transformation, building high-performing teams, and delivering real business impact through technology. This podcast gives you a front-row seat to the conversations shaping modern technology lea...

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32 results

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