Artur Guja and Dr. Marian Siwiak explore the world of business operations, through the lens of data, risk and processes, to try to answer the question “What works, and what doesn’t?”. On the way, they interview people from across the business landscape, who share their valuable insights, experiences, and, above all, practical advice on how to achieve excellence in business.
Watch a short introduction to the podcast [7min]
Latest episodes:
June 30, 2023 • Artur and Marian
E046: Cybersecurity & cyber resilience – with Amit Basu
In this installment of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss cybersecurity and cyber resilience. Their guest is Amit Basu, VP, CIO and CISO for International Seaways, Inc.
June 23, 2023 • Artur and Marian
E045: Data in finance: your data, your profit? with Andrew Badstubner
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss the intricacies of using data in the financial industry context. Their guest is Andrew Badstubner, CIO for First Community Mortgage.
June 16, 2023 • Artur and Marian
E044: Safe and ethical data use in healthcare, with J.D. Whitlock
In this installment of “Between Data and Risk”, our hosts Artur and Marian discuss pragmatic and ethical concerns of working with sensitive data with J.D. Whitlock, CIO of Dayton Children’s Hospital.
June 2, 2023 • Artur and Marian
E042: Supply chain: between data and people? with Benjamin Abitbol
In the latest installment of “Between Data and Risk”, our hosts Artur and Marian delve into the world of global logistics with their special guest, Benjamin Abitbol, a seasoned global supply chain executive.
May 30, 2023 • Artur and Marian
E041: More than just a data gatekeeper? – with Ken Ponder, Viskase CIO
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, our hosts Artur Guja and Marian Siwiak welcome a distinguished guest, Ken Ponder, CIO of Viskase Companies Inc. A seasoned IT executive with over 38 years of experience, Ken brings invaluable insight into the often misunderstood world of data utilization in business.
May 19, 2023 • Artur and Marian
E040: Purdue DIAL Ventures – startup venture done right, with Allan Gray
In the latest episode of “Between Data and Risk”, hosts Artur and Marian sit down with Allan Gray, Executive Director of Purdue DIAL Ventures. With a primary focus on enhancing digital innovation in the food and agriculture industries, Allan brings a wealth of knowledge and insights on how to create startups from scratch.
May 12, 2023 • Artur and Marian
E039: The food industry, and the food-related chemical manufacturing, with Keith Wolf
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss the processes, innovation, and risk related to the food industry and food-related chemical manufacturing, with their guest, Keith Wolf, Executive Director at one of the global chemical producers.
May 5, 2023 • Artur and Marian
E038: Continuous education and improvement, with Paula De Santiago
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss continuous improvement and learning, with their guest, Paula De Santiago, President and CEO of Borderland Partners, and former educator.
April 28, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E037: Logistics management and automation, with Joseph Sherry
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian are talking about logistics management and innovative ways to automate a lot of the mechanical processes, with their guest, Joseph Sherry, Director of Operations at Caljan, a global force in developing highly engineered logistics automation solutions.
April 21, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E036: Photovoltaics, with Jeff Ellis
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian are talking about energy from photovoltaics, with their guest, Jeff Ellis, Director of Operations at Sunnova New Homes, who will describe the technology, the operations behind installing it, the economics of it, and the current and future trends.
April 14, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E035: Telecommunications infrastructure for business, with Mike Gavin
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian talk about telecommunication infrastructure, which all modern businesses rely on, but most people rarely think about. To demystify this ubiquitous yet so important resource, they’ve invited Mike Gavin, former Senior Director, who worked for such companies as Samsung and Verizon.
April 6, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E034: Continuous Improvement in Sales Processes, with Craig J. Garner
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian talk about achieving a sustained Continuous Improvement Culture, looking specifically at Sales. Their guest is Craig J. Garner, Director of Operational Excellence at Ivoclar.
March 30, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E033: Employee onboarding, with Robert Raine
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian talk about processes related to employee onboarding. To take a concrete example, they discuss this in the context of the hospitality sector with their guest, Robert Raine, Human Resources Executive, Director of Ohana at Ono Hawaiian BBQ.
March 24, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E032: Building a business vision, with James E. Miller, II
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss a business vision and how to build, communicate and implement it. Their guest is James E. Miller, II, founder and CEO of Vision Investment Group.
March 17, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E031: Private Equity investments in the lower-middle and middle market, with Joe MacIsaac
This is a short excerpt from “Between Data and Risk” episode, in which Artur and Marian discuss the specifics of how Private Equity firms see and operate in the middle and lower-middle market, and what differentiates companies in this segment from larger corporations. Their guest is Joe MacIsaac, Operating Partner at WoodLake Group, a private investment firm focusing on this sector.
March 10, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E030: Change management, with Stephen Burrows, CBE
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss the importance of change management, how to introduce changes to business with maximum effectiveness and minimum disruption, and how to make them stick. Their guest is Stephen Burrows, CBE, CEO of B2Burrows.
March 3, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E029: How to become data-driven, with Liz Henderson
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian talk about how organizations and teams can become data-driven and what various data strategies mean in practice vs. the theory marketed to businesses. Their guest is Liz Henderson, the Data Queen, an accomplished senior data leader with over 20 years of experience in the industry.
February 24, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E028: Deriving business insights and value from your data, with Thom Ives, PhD
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian talk about how data available to a business organization needs to be turned into an actionable insight before it can be used to drive value. Their guest is Dr. Thom Ives, Sr. Data Scientist at Echo Global Logistics.
February 17, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E027: Combining executive and consultancy experiences
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian interview their guest, Marcelino De Santiago, COO and President of Hope Global, and co-founder of Borderland Partners LLC. By combining his experience as a senior manager and consultant, Marcelino presents an interesting perspective on both the manufacturing business and the reality of consulting for other firms.
February 10, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E026: The practicalities of the franchise business model, with Bob Volpe
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss how franchise businesses operate. Their guest is Bob Volpe, Managing Partner at Volpe Consulting & Accounting Services.
February 3, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E025: End-to-end startup support in the integrated incubator, with Mandar Joshi
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss the concept of integrated business incubators and how they support startup development. Their guest is Mandar Joshi, angel investor, media producer, executive chairman of M Strategy Global, and partner in VentureCatalysts, Asia’s largest integrated incubator.
January 27, 2023 • Interview
E024: Effective journey to Data Strategy, with Samir Sharma
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss how a business should approach data transformation. Their guest is Samir Sharma, CEO of Datazuum.
January 20, 2023 • Artur and Marian • Interview
E023: Digital Strategy for an analogue business, with Marcus Koehnlein
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss how a digital strategy can and should be applied to a traditional (non-Internet bases) business. Their guest is Marcus Koehnlein, Head of Digital Business at United Grinding Group.
January 13, 2023 • Interview
E022: Building business value in metaverse, with Nicolas Babin
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss how value is created in metaverse and how businesses can benefit from building a metaverse strategy. Their guest is Nicolas Babin, business strategist, serial entrepreneur & executive with global experience.
January 6, 2023 • Interview
E021: Explainable and interpretable AI, with Serg Masis
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk” Artur and Marian discuss explainable and interpretable AI, and how to make AI and Machine Learning more applicable and approachable for businesses, especially in regulated environments, where a black-box approach just won’t cut it. Their guest is Serg Masis, Data Scientist in agriculture with a background in entrepreneurship and web/app development, and the author of the book “𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑀𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑃𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑛”.
December 16, 2022 • Interview
E020: Developing data communities, with Ravit Jain
In this “Between Data and Risk” episode, Artur and Marian discuss Data Communities, their function, how they are built, and how they can benefit organizations in extracting value from their data. Their guest is Ravit Jain, Head Data Community Evangelist at AtScale, Founder & Host of “The Ravit Show”.
December 9, 2022 • Interview
E019: Building data strategies, with Harish Kumar
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss Data Strategies, their elements, and how they should be constructed and executed. Their guest is Harish Kumar, Data and IT Strategist, Chief Information Officer at Advanced Inhalation Rituals, and former Global Data Science Director at Reckitt.
December 2, 2022 • Interview
E018: Innovation Labs, with Richard Turrin
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk” episode, Artur and Marian discuss Innovation Labs with Richard Turrin, author of international bestsellers “Cashless: China’s Digital Currency Revolution.” and “Innovation Lab Excellence”.
November 25, 2022 • Interview
E017: Managing remote teams with Aldi Agaj
In this episode of “Between Data and Risk”, Artur and Marian discuss how remote teams are brought together and how to lead them toward a common goal despite geographical dispersion, and cultural and psychological differences. Aldi Agaj, CEO and founder of AAK Telescience describes how he has built and effectively managed a company hiring over 600 people from 18 countries.
November 18, 2022 • Interview
E016: Scaling and breakthrough with Ross Youngs
In this episode, Artur and Marian discuss what is required for scaling technologies and how to achieve breakthroughs. To give a practical example, they interview Ross Youngs, CEO and founder of Biosortia, who describes his company’s scaling and breakthrough in the field of microbiome harvesting.
November 10, 2022 • Artur and Marian
E015: About “Data Mesh in Action” with Dr. Marian Siwiak
In this episode, we talk about “Data Mesh in Action”, the first practical handbook for implementation of this socio-technological paradigm. The book, published by Manning, was co-authored by your friendly neighborhood data guy, Dr. Marian Siwiak.
November 7, 2022 • Interview
E014: Role of structured processes in business, with Jaime Jay
Featuring, as a guest, Jaime Jay, CEO of Bottleneck Distant Assistants, author of “Quit Repeating Yourself: How Today’s Leaders Are Using Systems and Processes to Grow Their Business the Right Way'”, with whom we discuss systems, processes, and workflows with the passion of people who sincerely believe that these are the core components of success in business.
October 27, 2022 • Interview
E013: Applications and limitations of AI and ML with Dr. Sue Tripathi
Featuring, as a guest, Dr. Sue Tripathi, Managing Director, Global GTM Lead, Data, AI, Cloud Technology at Accenture. Together, we discuss the applications and limitations of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, starting with the question “What do we actually mean by AI?”
October 23, 2022 • Artur and Marian
E012: Universality and limitations of agile methods and mindset
Artur and Marian take apart the Agile Manifesto, discussing how the principles can be applied to business processes, not just software development.
October 21, 2022 • Interview
E011: Difference between education and knowledge transfer with Dr. Susan Taffer
Featuring, as a guest, Dr. Susan Taffer, University Professor with Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona, business and social entrepreneur, president of the innovative EdTech College for World Connection, and the principal founder of World Connections Foundation.
Together, we discuss the difference between education in academic and business settings, as well as between giving someone access to data and educating them.
October 21, 2022 • Artur and Marian
E010: Disagreement about Design Thinking
Artur and Marian discuss the principles of Design Thinking, and disagree, almost constructively, about the formulation of the methodology, its usefulness, and its applications.
October 19, 2022 • Interview
E009: Consulting CEOs on enterprise architecture – lessons learned with Dr. Tushar Hazra
Featuring, as a guest, Dr. Tushar Hazra, former NASA researcher, entrepreneur, serial CTO, consultant, with whom we discuss building enterprise architectures, listening to clients, and the responsibilities of a consultant.
October 17, 2022 • Artur and Marian
E008: Federated business governance
Business governance federation provides an effective framework for delivering a balanced implementation of resilience programs. The provided guidelines form a starting point for transforming traditional governance paradigms into a more adaptable model capable of delivering superior resilience outcomes.
October 14, 2022 • Interview
E007: Data and Risk in Higher Education with Dr. Nick Swane
Featuring, as a guest, Dr. Nick Swane, President of the North Idaho College. We discuss what data and risk-related challenges are present in the context of running a higher education institution and motivating students.
October 12, 2022 • Artur and Marian
E006: Transverse risk management (with perspective on ESG)
Artur and Marian discuss the concepts behind transverse risks including ESG, reputational risk, and others.
October 12, 2022 • Interview
E005: Story of a well-backed startup, with Ambrose Wong
Featuring, as a guest, Ambrose Wong, COO of Serai, an innovative startup created in Hong Kong under the auspices of HSBC.
October 6, 2022 • Artur and Marian
E004: Ego
Artur and Marian constructively disagree on the role of the ego in business processes, and discuss the fundamental problem of whether the ego can be made into a constructive force in a company.
September 30, 2022 • Interview
E003: Investing in startups and nurturing them, with Yuchen Chan
Featuring, as a guest, Yuchen Chan, investor and entrepreneur, founder of Redpoint Holdings LLC.
Artur and Marian find out what investors look for in the ideas pitched to them and in the teams that do the pitching, and how investors can help their investments grow by advising the founders (and if it works in practice).
September 30, 2022 • Artur and Marian
E002: Surviving paradigm shifts
Artur and Marian discuss what mindset is required to survive paradigm shifts in the market and in businesses, and how to think broadly about resilience, based on personal lessons learned from the 2008 financial crisis and the 2010 Flash Crash.
September 30, 2022 • Artur and Marian
E001: Listen to your data, even if you don’t like what it’s telling you
Artur and Marian discuss how listening to what your data is trying to tell you can bring you closer to reality.
September 27, 2022 • Artur and Marian
E000: Between Data and Risk – Introduction
Introduction to the Podcast, hosted by Artur Guja, Chief Risk and Strategy Officer of Cognition Shared Solutions, and your friendly neighborhood data guy, Dr. Marian Siwiak.
Between Data and Risk
Real-life examples of what works, and what doesn’t in the world of business operations.