The Only Constant

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Mahmood Aziz, a seasoned technology and AI transformation leader with decades of international experience across consulting, software and enterprise IT. Mahmood brings a refreshingly grounded, human-centred view of what AI is really changing in the world of work - and what stubbornly stays the same. Main topics they discuss include: How AI is reshaping consultancy and why expertise, judgement and the human "spark" still matter The trap of "midterm sci-fi" thinking and projecting three-to-five-year futures we can't really see yet Why 70–85% of AI pilots never reach production, and the lessons we keep ignoring from ERP, cloud and RPA The missing operating model, and why governance, trust and accountability matter more than raw action Do you want to know more about Mahmood Aziz? Mahmood has over 30 years international experience at Board, Executive and Non-Executive positions in Consulting, NHS, Auditing, Software, Business & IT Services firms. These cover strategic & operational leadership, fund-raising, restructuring, M&A, auditing, consulting, program & project management, business process optimisation and redesign, robotic process automation, AI, data, analytics & ERP He has specific focus transforming organisations in Financial Services, Pharma & Life Sciences, Energy, Telco, Retail & Public Sector enterprises across EMEA, working with global, international brands, as well as startups and scaling companies. These are all in client facing, consulting and programme delivery roles, delivering multi-million £ benefits and growing business units consistently both in terms of revenue and people development. In these roles, he has been both leader and follower, consistently championing & delivering change, innovation & business transformation for customers, his business areas & himself. Currently Founder & Director of Mind Intelligence Limited, a boutique consulting firm focused on growing scaling organisations with services covering AI, Automation, business strategy, business model design, sales/finance/performance planning, digital transformation & operations optimisation as a Fractional CxO, Advisor, Mentor & Coach. Available for Non-executive, Board Advisory & Consulting engagements Recent notable experiences include, Non-executive Governing Board Member, Chair of Finance & Performance Committee, Advisory Board Member, CRO, COO, Board director, Strategic Global Alliances for Blue Prism (EMEA & Rest of World alliances growth), Facilitator, Keynote speaker & more. Mahmood has an MBA awarded from the University of Hull

In this episode, Lasse Rindom speaks with Laura Jeffords Greenberg, lawyer, legal tech leader and top voice, educator, and Head of the AI Legal Academy at Wordsmith. Born in Silicon Valley and now based in Europe, Laura brings a unique perspective on how legal work is adapting - and sometimes resisting - the AI wave. Their conversation dives into both the structural and cultural forces shaping the legal profession: How in-house lawyers are embracing AI to stop reviewing NDAs and start preventing risk What happens when you train a junior lawyer on AI - but they’ve never learned what “good” looks like Legal language vs. code: ambiguity, jurisdictional nuance, and why “best efforts” might not mean what you think Why Silicon Valley has always hated lawyers - and what it says about the future of regulation and power This is an episode that goes deep on AI, and on legal, to ask what governs both worlds and what will it mean when they collide. Do you want to know more about Laura Jeffords Greeberg?: Laura Jeffords Greenberg is the Head of Wordsmith Academy, where she teaches legal teams how to use AI with clarity, confidence, and curiosity. A former in-house lawyer turned legal-tech educator, she’s trained thousands of lawyers across Europe and North America on practical, safe, everyday AI use. She’s also recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice, keynote speaker, and thought leader on legal tech and GenAI. Laura focuses on bridging the gap between legal expertise and emerging technology, helping legal teams rethink workflows, develop AI literacy, and work with AI as a true colleague.

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Emilie Lundblad - triple Microsoft MVP in AI, Head of AI Center of Excellence at Ambu, and a true specialist with deep roots in econometrics, architecture, and data governance. Together, they explore what it actually takes to work meaningfully with AI in enterprise today. Key themes from the conversation: Why critical thinking and clarity of purpose is absolutely essential in AI today How misalignment in organizations is amplified - not solved - by faster AI tooling The disappearing middle: Why juniors risk being left behind, and how to accelerate their journey to seniority Why AI doesn’t reduce complexity - it accelerates it, and what that means for governance and strategy Why your lack of investment in digital maturity might just come back to haunt you in an AI transformation Do you want to know more about Emilie Lundblad? Emilie Lundblad is a three-time Microsoft MVP in AI, a two-time Microsoft Regional Director, and the head of the AI Center of Excellence at AMBU. With over 15 years of experience in data and artificial intelligence, she helps organizations implement AI safely and responsibly in production. Emilie is the vice-chair of the Danish Data Science Community, a national board member of the Pioneer Centre for AI, and a board member of Blue Logistics Group.

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom sits down with Serge Belongie, Director of the Pioneer Centre for AI and one of Europe’s leading AI thinkers, for a conversation that cuts through the noise of hype and panic to reach something far more enduring. Together, they explore: Why AI isn’t a revolution but a continuation of the march of automation How the “idiot wind” of hype always blows through history and major technological changes Why spreadsheets once terrified CEOs the same way large language models now do The problem of “data washing” and how a biased baby monitor reveals the limits of clean datasets Why AI should be treated as statistics and software - ordinary technology - until proven otherwise The dangers of anthropomorphizing chatbots and why friction can be a democratic safeguard Belongie’s blend of historical analogy, dry humor, and academic precision makes this conversation one of the most illuminating yet and a standout episode of The Only Constant. Do you want to know more about Serge Belongie? Serge Belongie is a professor of Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen, where he also serves as the head of the Pioneer Centre for Artificial Intelligence (P1). Previously, he was a professor of Computer Science at Cornell University, an Associate Dean at Cornell Tech, a member of the Visiting Faculty program at Google, and a professor of Computer Science & Engineering at UC San Diego. His research interests include Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Augmented Reality, and Human-in-the-Loop Computing. He is also a co-founder of several companies including Digital Persona and Anchovi Labs. He is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, the MIT Technology Review “Innovators Under 35” Award, the Stibitz-Wilson Award, the Helmholtz Prize, the Everingham Prize, and the Koenderink Prize for fundamental contributions to the Computer Vision community. He is a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters and serves on the board of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS).

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with Sue Turner, founder of AI Governance and Professor in Practice at the University of Bristol Business School. Their conversation spans both the pragmatic and philosophical dimensions of AI adoption, with key discussions points being: Why most organisations are stuck in their AI maturity – experimenting without moving to real transformation The tension between legacy data as both “gold dust” and “an anchor” holding companies back How humility and a beginner’s mindset are essential for leaders to make sense of AI’s possibilities The dangers of shadow AI in enterprise software and why transparency from vendors should be mandatory The risk of letting AI development be driven by a handful of tech giants, and Sue’s call for more democratic, purposeful leadership around AI It’s a wide-ranging discussion that touches on power, governance, and the sheer speed of technological change. Do you want to know more about Sue Turner? Sue Turner is dedicated to using her expertise in AI governance and ethics to inspire people and organisations to use AI with wisdom and integrity. With both a Law degree and an MSc in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, she established AI Governance Limited in 2020 to advise businesses and policy makers on pragmatic AI, data ethics and governance issues, and making a positive societal impact. Her Board development clients range from Fortune 100 and FTSE 350 businesses to small charities, and her reach is global through accredited training programmes and being a founder member of the United Nations AI Skills Coalition. She has been rated in the World's Top 100 Women in AI Ethics and was one of the first 14 people globally to be accredited in the Foundations of Independent Audit of AI systems. She is Professor in Practice for AI and Technologies at the University of Bristol Business School, Board Chair and Non-Executive Director for purpose-driven businesses in regulated industries and has been a Mentor on the Turing Institute’s Skills Policy Awards. Her career spans entrepreneurial private businesses and not-for-profit organisations where she has led significant organisational growth, raised £27 million for charity and collaborated to shift power to help people improve their prospects. She was awarded the OBE in 2021 for Services to Social Justice.

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom speaks with retired tech executive and deep thinker Michael Carroll about the coming shift from automation to true agency. They explore what it means when AI no longer just supports decisions, but begins to reason with us - and sometimes, for us. Highlights include: What agency really means - and why some AI projects miss the point The illusion of better decisions through more dashboards Why discomfort is essential for growth - and what’s lost when AI does the hard things for us How causal AI could change enterprise architecture from gatekeeping to guidance Whether AI isolates us from peer groups - or makes us more deeply understood It’s a conversation that asks more than it answers - which is exactly the point. Do you want to know more about Mike Carroll? Mike Carroll grew up on a farm in Ohio, where work began at breakfast and was measured in sunrises, where results were earned with sore muscles and finished with calloused hands. That foundation instilled the discipline of process, respect for time-tested practices, and the belief that lasting value is built, not borrowed. Those lessons carried him from the fields into engineering and later into leadership, shaping a career grounded in both tradition and innovation. From the mills of Mead’s pulp and paper operations to executive leadership at Georgia-Pacific, he drove transformation at scale by embedding innovation into the core of operations. As Deputy Chairman and CEO at Shepard LTD in the UK, he navigated global markets. At McTech Group, he forged growth with Walmart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Kroger. Today he serves as Chief Strategy and Operations Officer at Trek.AI, Research Fellow at LNS Research, and Board Advisor to the Industrial AI Nexus, working with the Chief Architects Network. Alongside these roles, he advises multiple AI startups, mentoring the next generation of leaders shaping the future of intelligence. Across this journey, Carroll has been recognized as Visionary of the Year by Smart Industry and Innovator of the Year by the Association of Suppliers to the Paper Industry. A sought-after keynote speaker and columnist, he weaves real-world case studies with lyrical storytelling that challenge leaders with a simple question: “What must be true in one year, three years, a decade?” Whether advising boards, guiding innovation councils, or speaking to global audiences, he holds to one conviction, the next industrial revolution will not be won by those who claim to have every answer, but by those willing to seek and bold enough to ask better questions.

In this episode of The Only Constant, Lasse Rindom is joined by Danilo McGarry, global AI leader, board advisor, and host of one of the fastest-growing AI podcasts. Together, they explore the real-world implications of AI transformation - far beyond the hype and fear-driven headlines. Key discussion points include: Common misconceptions that derail enterprise AI initiatives Why AI isn’t “plug and play” - and how purpose, process, and orchestration determine success Danilo’s three-phase outlook for the future of work, automation, and post-scarcity economics How generative AI and robotics will shift business models, employment, and even national economies What boards and executives must do to govern AI responsibly and drive long-term transformation From rethinking workforce structures to building workflow-driven organizations, this episode offers a grounded and forward-looking perspective on the next decade of AI in business and society. Do you want to know more about Danilo McGarry? Danilo McGarry is a leading AI & Digital Transformation expert, advisor, and keynote speaker. His work focuses on transforming organizations through practical AI applications and strategic digital initiatives. With a proven track record at Fortune 500 companies, Danilo has helped businesses increase valuations by up to 5x. He specializes in transforming companies with tech, especially through the use of Ai and Digital Transformation methodologies. Danilo has trained over 90,000 consultants, C-suite executives, and board members in the world's largest 10,000 companies across 90+ countries. His insights reach millions of professionals annually through his speaking engagements, socials and publications. His work is studied by over 100 universities around the world and is approved by the PMI institute. Today he runs his own Ai company & advises Fortune 500, FTSE 250 companies and governments around the world. What makes Danilo truly unique is his rare ability to excel at both the technical and business aspects of AI. While many experts specialize in either technology implementation or business strategy, Danilo bridges this gap. Danilo is one of the few leaders on earth to have successfully designed, built, and scaled AI & Digital Transformation programs for global organizations while simultaneously driving over $2 billion in tangible business value through new products, services, and operational efficiencies - a combination of skills rarely found in a single professional.