A Class Act - Navigating the AI Landscape in 2026

Nina Habicht has been building AI since 2011 and is one of Switzerland's Top 100 Women in Data and AI.
In this conversation with Michael of MBN Solutions, she's direct about what she actually thinks about why so much AI being built right now feels disposable, why the funding bubble is coming even if the technology bubble isn't and why generalist AI startups don't have an easy road ahead.
In this episode, Nina shares:
Why so much AI being built right now feels easy to copy and hard to defend
Why she believes the funding bubble may come before any technology bubble
What she would avoid building today, even if it looks popular or fundable
Why domain depth matters more than generic AI capability
What founders should stop doing if they feel overwhelmed by the speed of AI change
Why under-digitised, less fashionable sectors may hold the biggest opportunity
The new AI roles she believes are coming next from agent controllers to ethical AI leadership
Guest information
Nina Habicht is the Founder and CEO of dreamleap, an Agentic AI tech company with AI consultancy and an own training academy based in Zurich, and one of Switzerland’s Top 100 Women in Data and AI.
Across her career, she has built AI systems into production in multiple industries, including one of the first voice assistants for the Swiss federal train system and Swisscom.
Dreamleap is her third venture, starting as a training business and evolving into both a training and technology company. Today, the company trains around four companies a week, employs 12 people, and is based in Zurich.
Connect with Nina Habicht on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-habicht-%F0%9F%AA%84%F0%9F%91%80-b840a553/
Connect with dreamleap: (1) dreamleap: Übersicht | LinkedIn
Visit dreamleap Agentic Factory: www.dreamleap.com
Visit dreamleap’s Applied Academy: www.voicetechhub.com (powered by dreamleap)
About Your Host
Michael Young is the Managing Director of MBN Solutions and host of A Class Act: Conversations in Data & Leadership. With nearly two decades of experience helping organisations build high-performing data, analytics, and AI teams, he brings frontline insight into what makes exceptional talent and leadership.
Please note: The views expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not reflect those of their current or former employers.
Subscribe & Follow: Enjoying the series? Don’t miss an episode. Follow A Class Act wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review to help more listeners discover these conversations in data and leadership.
Connect with MBN Solutions:
If you’re hiring for data or AI leadership roles, scaling AI capability, or rethinking how talent supports your AI strategy, the team at NBN partners with organisations to build data and AI teams that actually deliver.
MBN Solutions on LinkedIn: Explore industry updates, groundbreaking projects, and the latest in data and analytics talent. Join the conversation and discover how MBN Solutions is shaping the future of data leadership. Visit the company page here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbn-recruitment-solutions
For questions, guest recommendations, or to connect:
Email: [email protected]
Visit MBN Solutions website at www.mbnsolutions.com

AI is moving fast. Most organisations are trying to keep up.
But the real question isn’t “should we use it?” anymore, it’s whether you can deploy it without creating risks you can’t explain later.
In this episode, Michael Young is joined by Jeff Watkins (former CTO, fractional Chief AI Officer / advisor) to get specific about what “responsible AI” looks like in practice.
Michael asks Jeff:
What does responsible AI look like day-to-day as a way teams make decisions, not a set of statements?
Where do you draw red lines (what you won’t do with AI) and who has the authority to stop a deployment?
How do you triage Gen AI use cases using a simple risk-tier approach (green/amber/red) so governance supports delivery?
What does evidence actually look like and how do you prove controls are working in real operations?
When AI causes harm, who owns the decision and what does accountability mean in practice?

Guest information
Jeff Watkins is a CTO and AI strategist with 25+ years of experience leading digital and AI transformation. Former CTO at CreateFuture, he led AI Enablement and now advises boards and delivery teams on secure, responsible GenAI, where AI, security, governance, and culture collide.
Connect with Jeff Watkins on LinkedIn: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-watkins-cto/
About Your Host: 
Michael Young is the Managing Director of MBN Solutions and host of A Class Act: Conversations in Data & Leadership. With nearly two decades of experience helping organisations build high-performing data, analytics, and AI teams, he brings frontline insight into what makes exceptional talent and leadership.
Please note: The views expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not reflect those of their current or former employers.
Subscribe & Follow: Enjoying the series? Don’t miss an episode. Follow A Class Act wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review to help more listeners discover these conversations in data and leadership.
Connect with MBN Solutions:
If you’re hiring for data or AI leadership roles, scaling AI capability, or rethinking how talent supports your AI strategy, the team at NBN partners with organisations to build data and AI teams that actually deliver.
MBN Solutions on LinkedIn – Explore industry updates, groundbreaking projects, and the latest in data and analytics talent. Join the conversation and discover how MBN Solutions is shaping the future of data leadership. Visit the company page here.
Visit MBN Solutions website at www.mbnsolutions.com

What’s actually happening with LLMs in 2026 and what does it mean for business leaders?
In this episode of A Class Act, Michael is joined by Richard Bownes, Head of AI Solutions at Vector8, for a discussion on how large language models are evolving and why the biggest shift isn’t capability, but consistency, reliability, and system design.
Rather than chasing the next capability jump, Richard explains why we’re seeing a slowdown in headline performance gains alongside an improvement in consistency and reliability.
In this conversation, Richard shares:
What's really happening with LLM development right now in 2026
Why the enterprise production lens matters: the trade-off between brilliant but unstable outputs and reliable, predictable systems.
Richard’s practical map of the stack: naked LLM calls → workflows → tool calling → MCP servers → agent skills (and what each step is designed to solve)
“Stateful” AI explained clearly
The organisational gap Richard flags as adoption scales that leaders must be aware of right now

Guest information
Richard Bownes is Head of AI Solutions at Vector8, where he helps organisations design and deploy practical AI systems that move beyond experimentation into real-world business impact. He’s worked across public and private sector environments, bridging strategy, delivery, and real-world implementation. His experience spans Voice AI systems, applied NLP, and the ethical considerations that come with deploying machine learning at scale.
Connect with Richard Bownes on LinkedIn: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjbownes/
About Your Host:  Michael Young is the Managing Director of MBN Solutions and host of A Class Act: Conversations in Data & Leadership. With nearly two decades of experience helping organisations build high-performing data, analytics, and AI teams, he brings frontline insight into what makes exceptional talent and leadership.
Please note: The views expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not reflect those of their current or former employers.
Subscribe & Follow: Enjoying the series? Don’t miss an episode. Follow A Class Act wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review to help more listeners discover these conversations in data and leadership.
Connect with MBN Solutions:
If you’re hiring for data or AI leadership roles, scaling AI capability, or rethinking how talent supports your AI strategy, the team at NBN partners with organisations to build data and AI teams that actually deliver.
MBN Solutions on LinkedIn – Explore industry updates, groundbreaking projects, and the latest in data and analytics talent. Join the conversation and discover how MBN Solutions is shaping the future of data leadership. Visit the company page here : https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbn-recruitment-solutions
For questions, guest recommendations, or to connect:
Email: [email protected]
Visit MBN Solutions website at www.mbnsolutions.com

What if you could sit down with the Head of AI inside one of the UK’s most regulated digital banks and hear the truth about what actually works and what leaders need to get right?
That’s exactly what we explore in this episode of A Class Act.
Shannon is joined by Dr. Russell Collingham, Head of AI & Data Science at Atom Bank, and one of the most experienced AI leaders in UK financial services.
Russell has worked in AI since the 1990s. 
He began his career as a lecturer and researcher in AI at Durham University, before moving into industry where he led engineering teams, served as AI Practice Lead at Hedgehog Lab, and now guides AI strategy inside a live, highly regulated banking environment.
In this conversation, Russell shares:
How Atom Bank is using AI to automate back-office processes and remove manual, repetitive work
Why AI adoption must start in “safe spaces” before becoming customer-facing
The real risks of generative AI in regulated environments
Why enterprise AI success depends more on operating models, governance, and people than on tools
How the role of an “AI Champion” accelerated adoption across the organisation
What the future of AI in banking could look like from embedded systems to personalised financial education
If you’re a CEO or responsible for shaping AI strategy where reputation, risk, and trust matter, this episode offers practical insight into what enterprise AI really looks like in practice.
Guest information
Dr. Russell Collingham is Head of AI & Data Science at Atom Bank and one of the most experienced AI leaders in UK financial services. He has worked in artificial intelligence since the 1990s, spanning academia and industry, and now leads AI strategy inside a highly regulated digital banking environment.
Connect with Russell Collingham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellcollingham/
About Your Host
Shannon McKechnie is the Managing Director at MBN Solutions - the Data and AI talent experts, and a passionate advocate for building exceptional teams and authentic leadership. As co-host of A Class Act: Conversations in Data & Leadership, Shannon brings a grounded, people-first perspective to leadership ,exploring how trust, alignment, and shared success drive high-performing teams in today’s complex landscape.
Please note: The views expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not reflect those of their current or former employers.
Subscribe & Follow: Enjoying the series? Don’t miss an episode. Follow A Class Act wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review to help more listeners discover these conversations in data and leadership.
Connect with MBN Solutions:
If you’re hiring for data or AI leadership roles, scaling AI capability, or rethinking how talent supports your AI strategy, the team at NBN partners with organisations to build data and AI teams that actually deliver.
MBN Solutions on LinkedIn – Explore industry updates, groundbreaking projects, and the latest in data and analytics talent. Join the conversation and discover how MBN Solutions is shaping the future of data leadership. Visit the company page here.
For questions, guest recommendations, or to connect:
Email: [email protected]
Visit MBN Solutions website at www.mbnsolutions.com

In this episode of A Class Act, Michael Young, CEO of MBN Solutions speaks with Andre Balleyguier, AI Solutions Leader at Snorkel AI, formerly at DataRobot, and recognised by DataIQ as one of the UK’s most influential figures in data and AI.
Andre has spent around fifteen years working with data and more than a decade in applied  AI.  Today, he leads global AI solutions engineering at Snorkel AI, helping major organisations deliver end-to-end applied AI systems using technologies such as agents and retrieval-augmented generation. 
Across the episode, Michael and Andre explore what it really takes to hire and build AI teams that work in practice and what leaders should pay attention to if they want AI systems that are trusted, adopted and production-grade.
You’ll hear:
How Andre moved from engineering, maths and finance into early applied AI and machine learning.
What it was like joining DataRobot at Series A, becoming the first technical hire in EMEA and then growing the technical organisation
The biggest lesson he learned the hard way about building applied AI teams
How the AI landscape has shifted from classic machine learning and “big data” to today’s GenAI and agent-based systems
Why Andre is cautious about generic AI agents and what to focus on instead
How a telco’s GenAI billing assistant went from roughly 54% to about 95% correct 
The ICCE hiring framework he uses and why he now refuses to compromise on coachability and character, even for very strong technical candidates.
Practical guidance for data, digital and AI leaders on where to focus over the next few years
Guest information
Connect with Andre Balleyguier on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aballeyguier/?locale=en_US
Learn more about Snorkel AI: snorkel.ai
About Your Host:  Michael Young is the Managing Director of MBN Solutions and host of A Class Act: Conversations in Data & Leadership. With nearly two decades of experience helping organisations build high-performing data, analytics, and AI teams, he brings frontline insight into what makes exceptional talent and leadership.
Please note: The views expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not reflect those of their current or former employers.
Subscribe & Follow: Enjoying the series? Don’t miss an episode. Follow A Class Act wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review to help more listeners discover these conversations in data and leadership.
Connect with MBN Solutions:
MBN Solutions on LinkedIn – Explore industry updates, groundbreaking projects, and the latest in data and analytics talent. Join the conversation and discover how MBN Solutions is shaping the future of data leadership. Visit the company page here.
For questions, guest recommendations, or to connect:
Email: [email protected]
Visit MBN Solutions website at www.mbnsolutions.com