Simon Scott-Priestley

Important messages here about getting data right when building #AI models

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The new UK government must prioritise AI and integration of the advertising industry with the tech sector to maintain the country's position as a global leader in advertising. Embracing technological transformation and empowering pioneering companies will be crucial for driving growth and innovation in the advertising landscape. Partnering with industry leaders and understanding how AI can enhance creativity and efficiency will position the UK's ad land for continued success in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. Hypothesis: if the new UK government prioritises investment in AI and fosters deeper integration between the advertising and technology sectors, then the UK's advertising industry will be able to maintain its status as a world leader by leveraging technological advancements to enhance creativity, productivity and growth. Agree or disagree? Explain why. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/enq8T4f9 #TheDrum #AI #WorldLeader #MarketingInvestments

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🧠 “PRIORITISING THE CUSTOMER PROBLEMS FIRST”, so true, so effective, we’re really reeping the benefits from this mantra. Real solutions for real problems lead to real improvements (CX) and real results (performance)! And often just the simplest of solutions🚀

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📢 CALLING ALL UK INDEPENDENT AGENCY FOUNDERS & OWNERS 📢 It's now less than two weeks until our exclusive Actus Consulting London breakfast event "Thrive in 2025." Our panel of experts will delve into the key questions agency leaders are asking themselves right now - what’s the biggest challenge agencies are facing and how can they solve it to thrive in 2025? During our panel session, you'll gain expert insights from industry leaders who’ve helped over 100 agencies grow and succeed. And you'll receive straightforward, practical advice you can implement right away. Our panel features: 💡 Head of People Alison Austen Chartered MCIPD; Ali’s 28 years of HR experience have helped agencies build exceptional teams. Learn how to elevate your recruitment, engagement and development practices. 💡 Head of Sustainability Genevieve Lawrence; a leader in purpose-driven business, Gen will explain how to integrate sustainability into your strategy to boost impact and profitability. 💡 Head of Performance Sarah Greenwood; Sarah excels in streamlining finance operations for clarity and efficiency. She’ll show you how to sharpen decision-making and enhance agency performance. 💡 Partner Treena Hales; With over 35 years of experience, Treena specialises in driving transformational change. Discover innovative solutions to complex business challenges. 💡 Partner Adrian Tripp; A successful entrepreneur with three business exits, Adrian will share his expertise on developing market-fit propositions and building scalable sales operations. 💡 And myself, as Managing Partner; I'll share insights from my experience of advising over 100 companies and provide strategies to remove barriers to growth and profitability, focusing on building long-term value. Event Details: 🗓️ Wednesday 13 November - 8.30am to 10.45am 📍  Soho, London Actus Consulting proudly supports Magic Breakfast, a charity ensuring no child starts their day too hungry to learn. For every attendee, we’ll donate £50 to provide nutritious breakfasts to children across England and Scotland, so we can extend our breakfast to those who need it most. I’m super excited to bring this event together on behalf of the Actus team; we’re looking forward to sharing our knowledge and engaging in all the conversation during and post this event. To secure your place, please send me a direct message here or via email [email protected] (we have limited places available for UK independent agency owners and founders).

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Insightful article, highlights some useful points to consider for employees and when employing staff.

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🚀 Another Takeaway from Originals: "Determined Pessimist" 🚀 I was on a call this morning with Christina Evans from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and we were discussing a crucial concern: the fear of technology going wrong. This fear often prevents people from appreciating the incredible benefits technology can offer. Thank you, Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg, for introducing me to the term "determined pessimist." Those of you who know me well are familiar with my favorite phrase: "There are no surprises in life, only poor planning." I didn't realize at the time that I was simply adopting the determined pessimist point of view. By considering all the possible ways things could go wrong, we can better prepare for potential technology breaks and address these concerns with a change management approach. This proactive mindset allows us to mitigate risks and ensure smoother transitions when integrating new technologies. Embracing this mindset has allowed me to navigate challenges more effectively and stay ahead of potential pitfalls. It’s about being proactive, anticipating issues, and mitigating risks before they become problems. What about you? How do you approach planning and risk management in your life or work? #Originals #DeterminedPessimist #ProactivePlanning #RiskManagement #AdamGrant #LifeLessons #PersonalGrowth #BusinessStrategy #Leadership #Technology #Innovation #ChangeManagement

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Last week I had the pleasure of joining likeminded technology leaders on a Executive Leaders Network (ELN) hosted panel to discuss the critical role of the CIO and CISO in aligning technology roadmaps to business objectives. Insightful topics covering GenAi compliance, remote & hybrid working threats, educational partnerships and budget scrutiny. Thanks to Tanya and the team over at ELN! #CIO #CISO #GenAi #ai #Technology #ELN

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I’ve written quite a lot of articles regarding my 18 years of experience in Agile the below maps out all the critical things often missed in an adoption of agile ways of working, that essentially makes it work. If your adoption of agile is a bit wonky and not performing as expected it’s for you. No Business Agility programme was delivered by Agile Fanatics (Evangelists) and Framework users Extrapolating frameworks into reality is rather difficult, but it supremely better than attempting to cookie cutter businesses or organisations into frameworks. A transformation is symbiotic not a replacement of one incomplete and unresponsive working practice with another one. Transformation by its very nature adopts and adds to the existing, getting that balance is essential, least the essence of a business or organisation become lost. “Businesses and Organisations need some bad guys, that’s the role of external Business Agility consultants” #agile #waysofworking #optomisingagile #holistictransformation

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Is this the beginning of the end for web search? Answering questions by sourcing information from quality publishers, who are then cited and given a share of advert $....really hope it can become a sustainable model for good journalism and research. Will keep following...

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Real value comes from radical change. Now is a great time to stop tinkering with the tech in our businesses and get on with using it to radically transform how our businesses operate.

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LinkedIn replaced the excessive and transactional nature of printed media which dominated the jobs market in the 80s, 90s and early 00s. All of which made accessing new markets harder, most of it was enormously transactional and also an immediate disconnect for certain parts of the market. Now so many people have infinite access to every market which is an exciting place to be especially for the candidate who can often be met with a daunting jobs market! Every customer I speak to wants to run a process which yields ‘the best of what the market has to offer’ as opposed to what used to be on offer which was ‘the best a recruiters database has to offer’… #linkedin #digitalrevolution #cognitivediversity #openmarket #balancedlandscape #challenger #recruitmentmarket #regions #growth

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Are you a #PSP looking for a robust solution for your #cesop reporting? The search is over: ARKK and Alvarez & Marsal have all you need to ensure your compliance with the upcoming mandate. Watch the full interview with The Fintech Times through the post below and get in touch to learn more about how we can support you with the filing.

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We are so excited to launch purpose built board evaluation software that addresses the challenges inherent in conducting board reviews for multi board entities. Clients at large, complex organisations have told us these challenges include: - Time constraints - Inconsistent methodologies - Unreliable comparisons - Lack of benchmarking - Privacy concerns Multi-board entities can now leverage purpose built software to truly understand what is driving performance across the organisation. With key areas highlighted for optimisation, consideration and deeper discussion. We are delighted to be working across private equity, sovereign wealth and parent/subsidiary board entities. If you would like to explore this new functionality in more detail, please don't hesitate to reach out. #governance #boardperformance #drivingchange

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Pleased to share that I have been invited to speak and be a moderator at The MarTech Summit next week to discuss “strategising across channels, products and services for E-Commerce success”. Look forward to seeing you all there ! #themartechsummit #martechlondon #marketingtechnology #ecommerce #retail #livecommerce #liveshopping #socialcommerce #customerengagement #customerconversion #retailevolution Sprii

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🌟 The IT Director’s Cut: Communication Done Right 🌟 I’ve been tuning into the High Performance Podcast hosted by  Damian Hughes and Jake Humphrey, and there’s one episode that keeps drawing me back. They had a fascinating conversation with Charles Duhigg, where they explored the concept of "supercommunicators." So, what’s a supercommunicator? It’s not just someone who speaks well—it’s someone who truly connects. They go beyond just relaying information. Their message is clear, absorbed, and more importantly, it drives action. Here’s what makes a supercommunicator stand out: ✳ Clarity – Breaking down complex ideas into digestible nuggets without watering them down. ✳ Empathy – Understanding the emotions and needs of their audience and adjusting their message to resonate. ✳ Active Listening – Being fully engaged in conversations and responding thoughtfully. ✳ Adaptability – Adjusting communication style to fit the audience, whether it’s the boardroom or the team stand-up. ✳ Persuasiveness – Inspiring action and buy-in through the power of their message. ✳ Conciseness – Getting to the point without losing any impact. Why does this hit home for me? Well, it’s simple: communication is at the heart of everything we do in IT, leadership, and life. Fostering understanding, driving results, and most importantly—making people feel valued. That’s something I care deeply about. For me, it aligns with my core values: balance, empathy, and integrity. If we get communication right, everything else falls into place. So, how are you leveraging communication to drive results in your teams? Let’s chat—drop your thoughts in the comments! #Communication #Leadership #HighPerformance #ITDirector #Empathy #Clarity #CoreValues

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We're always on the lookout for new and innovative solutions to tackle the challenges we face. Yet, we often find that procurement can feel like a barrier to this innovation. Over the years, we've worked closely with our procurement colleagues to develop routes that support and foster innovation. The article below highlights some of these examples. However, our journey doesn't stop here. We're committed to continuous learning and collaboration with other public sector bodies to enhance our procurement processes. Currently, we're delving into the implications of the new Procurement Act 2024. We look forward to working with partners like Connected Places Catapult to explore how this new act can facilitate the procurement of innovation. Read more about our efforts and join the conversation! 💡🤝 #Innovation #Procurement #PublicSector #Collaboration #ProcurementAct2024 #ConnectedPlacesCatapult Greater Cambridge Partnership

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🚀 The Times Tech Summit 2024: What You Need to Know 🚀 The Times Tech Summit 2024, held this week in Canary Wharf, brought together over 150 tech leaders to discuss how AI is transforming businesses, society, and the future. Some key takeouts: 1️⃣ Feryal Clark: The UK Government’s AI Gamble Clark, the Minister for AI and Digital Government, is treating AI like the next electricity, but there’s a catch—they see AI as a panacea, while the reality is way more nuanced. Yes, there’s a 10-year AI strategy which will be led by Baroness Martha Lane Fox, but the deeper, structural shifts needed to harness AI's potential? Still very much a work in progress. Regulations are coming, but they feel more reactive than forward-thinking. The government’s optimism is admirable, but the path ahead is messier than they think. 2️⃣ AGI: Reality Check. The idea that AGI will replace human intelligence? Absurd. Experts like Naila Murray (Meta) and Prof. Neil Lawrence (Cambridge) broke it down: human intelligence is layered, cultural, and complicated. AGI might sound sexy, but the real action is in AI that works with us—for things like drug discovery and sustainability, where AI’s strengths boost human creativity, not mimic it. 3️⃣ Regulation: The New Battlefield. AI’s future isn’t just about innovation—it’s about regulation. Melanie Dawes (Ofcom) and Sarah Cardell (CMA) made it clear: Big Tech can’t run wild anymore. The Online Safety Act is enforcing standards, targeting platforms to protect against illegal content and ensuring competition stays open. By 2024, regulators will shift from talk to action. The stakes? Play by the rules or get sidelined. 4️⃣ Cybersecurity: The Real AI Arms Race. @Mark Hughes (BT Security) gave us a reality check: we’re under siege, facing 2 million cyberattacks a day. The conversation made one thing clear—AI is reshaping both sides of the battlefield. It’s a double-edged sword: AI can enhance cybersecurity defenses, but it’s also empowering hackers with smarter, faster, and more scalable attacks. The pressure to stay ahead is relentless. 5️⃣ Scaling in the UK? Better Bring Cash. Sachin Dev Duggal (Builder.ai) and Victor Riparbelli (Synthesia) exposed a gaping hole in the UK tech ecosystem: late-stage funding. The UK is great for early-stage capital, but when it’s time to scale, founders are forced to hop on a plane to the US. The good news? UK talent is half the price of US talent, so if you can bridge the funding gap, you’ve got a serious advantage. 6️⃣ Demis Hassabis: AGI in 10 Years? Maybe. Demis Hassabis (DeepMind) threw down a challenge: AGI is very likely going to be here in a decade are we ready? He's optimistic about its promise and potential talking about curing all diseases, solving our climate challenges, and building valuable AI assistants for all. But it’s a cautious bet—Hassabis knows we need guardrails before AGI runs loose. #AI #TechSummit #Innovation #Cybersecurity #AGI #FutureOfWork #Leadership #UKTech

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