Welcome back. In this festive episode, we look back over some of the highlights of this first season of the Connected Thinking podcast. From the battle for talent, to SMB focus areas, ESG, innovation and finding ways to drive efficiencies, we're highlighting many of the topics that are key to developing strategies for 2023.

Timecodes for each section are outlined below:

• 01:40 Innovation with Ant Morse - EP2&3
• 10:09 Opportunity with Sandeep Raithatha - EP2&3
• 19:22 The battle for talent with Capita Consulting (Iain Kirkwood) - EP4
• 29:54 Spotlight on SMB with Dav Sandher - EP5
• 36:50 ESG with Digital Unite (Emma Weston, OBE) - EP6
• 50:30 The RSPB and managing talent with Melissa Werry and Alan Murray - EP7
• 59:25 The future of Technology with Ant Morse, Jez Sherwin and Andrew Halliwell - EP8

Catchup on some of our forward looking reports:

Medium businesses: Fuelling the UK’s economic engine
https://www.virginmediao2business.co.uk/insights/digital-transformation-medium-business/

Tech and the battle for talent
https://www.virginmediao2business.co.uk/insights/tech-and-battle-for-talent/

Creating a dynamic workforce: Empowering employees for productivity and growth
https://www.virginmediao2business.co.uk/insights/reports/creating-dynamic-workforces/

Welcome back. This episode we take three senior leaders from across Virgin Media O2 Business' products, innovation and Lab teams on a journey back to their childhood in the 1980s and what they thought the 2020s would look like. All before accelerating at 88mph to get us back to today and what they're most excited to see from tech in 2023 and beyond.

Our guests this week from Virgin Media O2 Business include:

Ant Morse – Head of Innovation
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antmorse/

Andrew Halliwell – Director of Product & Partners
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-halliwell-9a54a0/

Jez Sherwin – Design Lead / Innovation Design Strategist to The Lab
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jezsherwin

Catchup on some of our forward looking reports:

Medium businesses: Fuelling the UK’s economic engine
https://www.virginmediao2business.co.uk/insights/digital-transformation-medium-business/

Tech and the battle for talent
https://www.virginmediao2business.co.uk/insights/tech-and-battle-for-talent/

Creating a dynamic workforce: Empowering employees for productivity and growth
https://www.virginmediao2business.co.uk/insights/reports/creating-dynamic-workforces/

Freedom, flexibility and fulfilment: Re-imagining work in the age of the dynamic workforce
https://www.virginmediao2business.co.uk/insights/reports/reimagining-work-for-dynamic-workforces/

Talent, tools and space: New workplace strategies for a dynamic working world
https://www.virginmediao2business.co.uk/insights/reports/workplace-strategies-dynamic-working/

AI, automation and collaboration: Why tomorrow’s talent is human + digital
https://www.virginmediao2business.co.uk/insights/reports/ai-automation-collaboration/

Find our other insights and reports here: https://www.virginmediao2business.co.uk/insights/

In this episode, we're joined by Melissa Werry, Head of Technology Services at RSPB, and Alan Murray, Head of Volunteering and Employee Engagement at RSPB.

With a 130-year-old heritage, almost 2,000 employees, over 11,500 volunteers and 1.1 million members (which includes 195,000 youth members), RSPB is the one of the world's largest wildlife conservation organisations.

We take this opportunity to discuss third sector organisations through several different lenses. From the complexities of coordinating 1,000s of volunteers with different skills and knowledge, through to what being a part of an organisation like this delivers for individuals and communities alike.

Guests this week:

• Melissa Werry, Head of Technology Services at RSPB - LinkedIn
• Alan Murray, Head of Volunteering and Employee Engagement at RSPB - LinkedIn
• RSPB website: https://www.rspb.org.uk

Learn more about the Virgin Media O2 Business Connect More Programme

• Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn

Subscribe today for fortnightly episodes

In this episode, we're joined by Emma Weston OBE, Founder and CEO of Digital Unite.

Emma shares her inspiration for creating one of the most innovative digital inclusion programmes in the UK. Designed to provide the training and support framework to staff in public and private sector organisations to then help deliver those skills to the millions of people across the UK without digital skills, it's a great insight as to how upgrading the UK isn't just about technology, but also the people and communities when we're able to connect more.

Guest this week:

• Emma Weston OBE - Founder and CEO at Digital Unite - LinkedIn 
• Digital Unite website: https://www.digitalunite.com

Learn more about the Virgin Media O2 Business Connect More programme - Connect More Programme | Virgin Media O2 Business

• Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn 

Subscribe today for fortnightly episodes

In this episode, we're joined by Dav Sandher, Head of SMB Products at Virgin Media O2 Business.

Dav shares his insights on how Virgin Media O2 Business, and our strategic partners, consider what the future might be for SMB organisations - a market segment that makes up about 250,000 of the registered businesses across the UK, employs almost 7.6 million people and generates over £1.37 trillion in revenues for the UK economy.

Guest this week: 

• Dav Sandher, Head of SMB Product & Propositions at Virgin Media O2 Business
• • LinkedIn 

Subscribe today for fortnightly episodes. 

• Download our latest report - Tech and the battle for talent  
• Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn 

In this episode, we're joined by Ian Kirkwood, Head of Transformation, People, Culture and Organisation at Capita Consulting. We'll be talking about our new Connected Thinking report, 'Tech and the Battle for Talent'.

Covering everything from what's needed to avoid "quiet quitters" within your existing ranks, through to positioning how human focussed your tech needs to be to recruit the right talent for tomorrow, this is more than just about hybrid working, but everything that goes into creating a happy and engaged workforce.

Guest this week: 

• Ian Kirkwood, Head of Transformation, People, Culture and Organisation at Capita Consulting.
  
  • LinkedIn 

Subscribe today for fortnightly episodes. 

• Download our latest report - Tech and the battle for talent  
• Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn 

Welcome back.

We're joining both our guest speakers where we left off last episode. From thoughts on 6G and edge computing, through to how social acceptance drives real step change, we look at ways innovation can create tangible opportunities aligned to your most important resource: people. 

 We are joined by: 

• Sandeep Raithatha, Head of Strategy, Innovation and 5G IOT Market Development at Virgin Media O2 Business 
  • LinkedIn 

• Ant Morse, Head of Innovation at Virgin Media O2 Business 
  • LinkedIn 

Subscribe today for fortnightly episodes. 

• Download our latest report - Tech and the battle for talent  
• Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn 

What happens when we challenge more?

From inspiring innovation to driving opportunity, this episode covers what can we achieve when we're open to unlocking the full potential of today's and tomorrow's technology. 

 We are joined by:

• Ant Morse, Head of Innovation at Virgin Media O2 Business 
  • LinkedIn 

• Sandeep Raithatha, Head of Strategy, Innovation and 5G IOT Market Development at Virgin Media O2 Business 
  • LinkedIn 

Subscribe today for fortnightly episodes.

• Download our latest report - Tech and the battle for talent  
• Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn