The Next Five

FT Partner Studio
  • 4.5 (4)
  • Technology

The Next Five is the FT’s partner-supported podcast, exploring the future of industries through expert insights and thought-provoking discussions with host Tom Parker. Each episode brings together leading voices to analyse the trends, innovations, challenges and opportunities shaping the next five years in business, technology, health and lifestyle This content is paid for by advertisers and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times’ Commercial Department Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Code and Conscience: The Logic of Trust

    1d ago

    Code and Conscience: The Logic of Trust

    It’s 2026. You’re the CEO of a global bank or the Head of Surgery at a major hospital. An AI system looks at a complex set of volatile market data, or a patient’s decade-long medical history, and gives you a directive. It doesn’t just give you a percentage of probability. It tells you exactly what to do. But here is the catch: If that decision fails, "the machine told me so" won’t hold up in court, in the boardroom, or at a patient’s bedside. For a few years now, we’ve played a game of ‘black box’ roulette, using AI that predicts the future based on the past. But in a world of sudden market shifts and unprecedented global change, the past is no longer a reliable map. We are entering the era of Automated Reasoning. This is the shift from AI that guesses to AI that proves. It’s a market for explainable systems that is set to hit nearly ten billion dollars this year, doubling by 2032. Because today, leaders don’t just need an answer; they need the logic behind it. They need a ‘glass box’ they can trust. Scott Wiltamuth, Director of Software Development for Agentic AI and Automated Reasoning at AWS, alongside Mary Martin, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG and Varun Chitkara, Senior Vice President of Global Product & Technology at ADP join host Tom Parker.  Sources: FT Resources This content is paid for by AWS and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times' Commercial Department. The views and claims expressed are those of the guests alone and have not been independently verified by The Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min
  2. The Trust Gap: Fraud vs Reality in the Age of AI

    Apr 9

    The Trust Gap: Fraud vs Reality in the Age of AI

    According to the World Economic Forum's Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 report, we've hit a historic tipping point. For the first time, CEOs now rank cyber-enabled fraud as their number one digital concern, officially overtaking ransomware. The threat is no longer about a hacker locking your files, it's about a machine mimicking your identity. But why does this matter? Well, because when trust collapses, the economy stops. If you can't verify who you're paying, you stop paying. If you can't verify who you're hiring, you stop growing. We are no longer just defending data. We are defending the very possibility of digital trust. Today we're discussing the rise of digital ghosts, the death of the voice call and the defensive technologies emerging to save our digital identities, economies and society itself. Joining Tom Parker to examine the future of fraud in our digital world are three experts, Hubert Behaghel, CPTO at Veriff, an identity verification software company, Gareth Murray, Financial Crime Senior Director at Monzo and Simon Miller, Director of Policy at CIFAS. Sources: FT Resources, WEF, KBV Research, Mordor Intelligence, Juniper Research. This content is paid for by Veriff and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times' Commercial Department. The views and claims expressed are those of the guests alone and have not been independently verified by The Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min
  3. Leading The Energy Transition: Where Are We Now?

    12/05/2025

    Leading The Energy Transition: Where Are We Now?

    As the UN’s Secretary-General António Guterres said in July this year, “Now, we are on the cusp of a new era. Fossil fuels are running out of road. The sun is rising on a clean energy age.” Renewables and nuclear did reach an historic 40% share of global electricity generation in 2024, with renewables alone supplying roughly 32% of global power for the first time. But the length of this road and the speed we are travelling down it, will determine the success of the world’s energy transition. In this episode we explore where we are in the energy transition, the challenges, technologies and the policies. Joining Tom as guests are Elisabeth Cremona, Senior Energy Analyst for Europe at Ember, Massimo Battaini, CEO of Prysmian and María Mendiluce, CEO of We Mean Business Coalition. Sources: FT Resources This content is paid for by Prysmian and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times' Commercial Department. The views and claims expressed are those of the guests alone and have not been independently verified by The Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min
  4. The Human Factor in Tech

    11/28/2025

    The Human Factor in Tech

    The fourth industrial revolution is upon us in every way. Technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, are growing up fast. So too must the humans that deploy and use it. Evolution is usually a slow process, yet businesses around the world must quickly reconfigure the way they work to gain the advantages that technology can afford. In this episode three experts join Tom to look at the human part of tech transformation, how we are adapting to work alongside tech such as AI, and how organisations are transforming their business operations to best adapt to the current and future needs of a tech savvy workforce. They are, Natalie Douglas, CFO at Liberty Blume, Professor Ashley Braganza, Chair in Business Transformation and Founder of Brunel University’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Kevin Frechette, Co-Founder and CEO of Fairmarkit. Sources: FT Resources This content is paid for by Liberty Blume and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times' Commercial Department. The views and claims expressed are those of the guests alone and have not been independently verified by The Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min
  5. The Next Generation of European Tech Funding: Scale-Ups

    11/21/2025

    The Next Generation of European Tech Funding: Scale-Ups

    Late-stage financing plays a critical role in the growth trajectory of technology scale-ups, particularly as they transition from early innovation phases to market dominance and potential exits via IPOs or acquisitions. Larger capital injections can be found from multiple avenues; VCs, private equity, corporate investors, family offices, sovereign wealth funds and growth-focused hedge funds. While the volume of capital to European growth stage companies since 2015 has tripled, there is still a funding gap and bottlenecks in Europe compared to the US. In this episode three experts discuss Europe's growth stage tech landscape, the funding available, challenges ahead and what is needed to build more billion dollar companies in Europe. They are Luca Ferrari, Co-Founder & CEO of Bending Spoons, Hilary Gosher, Managing Director at Insight Partners and Tommaso Fassati, Head of Wealth Management Italy at BNP Paribas. Sources: FT Resources, Atomico, Roland Berger, Anthropic, European Commission, Semiconductor Industry Association, Korn Ferry This content is paid for by BNP Paribas and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times' Commercial Department. The views and claims expressed are those of the guests alone and have not been independently verified by The Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    57 min
  6. Sustainable Skies: The Future of Private Aviation

    11/14/2025

    Sustainable Skies: The Future of Private Aviation

    Across October 2025, 315,000 private flights departed worldwide, a 5% increase on 2024. While this is less than 1% of monthly commercial flights globally, private jet travel is still on the rise. The Covid-19 pandemic saw an increase in private travel for health reasons and with hybrid working now popular, private business travel is gaining momentum. But there are many areas the industry needs to focus on over the next five years to maintain growth. In this episode we look at the future of private aviation, exploring the trends, sustainability challenges and the technologies that could power flight in the future. I speak with Adel Mardini, CEO of Jetex a private aviation company based in Dubai with fixed-base operators and ground handling stations in over 50 locations worldwide. Alongside Adel is JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, a global leader in electric powered flight. Sources: FT Resources, Forbes, FlyAPG, Lifestyledaily.com, Nature.com, US Environment Protection Agency, UK Government, privatejetcardcomparisons.com This content is paid for by Jetex and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times' Commercial Department. The views and claims expressed are those of the guests alone and have not been independently verified by The Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min
  7. Leading through M&A

    11/07/2025

    Leading through M&A

    At the start of 2025 there was optimism that the global M&A market would strengthen with the expectation that inflation and interest rates would fall and a more favourable regulatory environment would exist. Yet it was a slow start amid uncertainty. The unpredictability of US trade policy under the Trump administration saw the global Economic Policy Uncertainty Index rise to a 30 year record high in early 2025, decreasing the appetite for deals. But M&A still remains a critical part of a companies growth strategy. So where will the M&A market be at the end of this year and over the next five years? And how can business leaders manage a successful M&A in today's climate and tomorrow's world? Here to discuss this further are Brian Salsberg, Snr Managing Director & Global Head of M&A at FTI Consulting and Massimo Battaini, CEO of Prysmian. Sources: FT Resources, Morrison Foerster, St.Louis Fed, McKinsey, World Uncertainty Index, JP Morgan This content is paid for by Prysmian and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times' Commercial Department. The views and claims expressed are those of the guests alone and have not been independently verified by The Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min
  8. The Energy Transition: Where’s the Money?

    10/30/2025

    The Energy Transition: Where’s the Money?

    Capital flows to the entire energy sector are set to hit $3.3tn in 2025. $2.2tn of which will find its way to renewables, nuclear, grids, storage, low-emissions fuels, efficiency and electrification. That sum is nearly twice as much as the $1.1tn going to fossil fuels this year. The transition opens up new avenues for investment, innovation, and competitiveness. But given the recent geopolitical, economic and trade climate how much will this affect future investments and value creation across the whole energy sector? Joining us today are three experts ready to discuss value creation in the energy transition, where the money is going and where it’s to be made now and in the future. They are Lars Eirik Nicolaisen, Deputy CEO of Rystad Energy, Seb Henbest, Group Head of Climate Transition at HSBC and Christian Egenhofer, Associate Senior Research Fellow at the Energy, Resources and Climate Change Unit at CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies). Sources: FT Resources, IEA, beyondfossilfuels.org, ease-storage.eu  This content is paid for by Rystad Energy and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times' Commercial Department. The views and claims expressed are those of the guests alone and have not been independently verified by The Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min
See All (42)

Ratings & Reviews

4.5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

The Next Five is the FT’s partner-supported podcast, exploring the future of industries through expert insights and thought-provoking discussions with host Tom Parker. Each episode brings together leading voices to analyse the trends, innovations, challenges and opportunities shaping the next five years in business, technology, health and lifestyle This content is paid for by advertisers and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times’ Commercial Department Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    FT Partner Studio
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © FT Partner Studio
  • Show Website
    The Next Five

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