Mindful CIO Podcast

In this episode of The Mindful CIO, Nathalie Heynderickx is joined by Paul Cooper, a consultant and researcher in digital health, to explore the practical realities of responsible AI adoption.

Drawing on a diverse career spanning science, technology, and organisational change, Paul reflects on how generative AI differs from earlier approaches and what this means for leaders today. The discussion moves beyond tools to focus on how organisations can build trust, culture, and capability in a rapidly evolving environment.

A central theme is the distinction between structured and unstructured problem domains. While AI can perform reliably in closed, testable contexts such as coding, its application in business decision-making remains less predictable. This creates both opportunity and risk for CIOs and senior technology leaders.

The conversation also examines the current state of AI adoption. Many organisations are still experimenting, often without clear use cases or governance models. Paul outlines the importance of developing critical thinking skills, selecting appropriate use cases, and avoiding over-reliance on AI as a source of truth.

Governance is addressed through a practical lens, including tiered risk frameworks, the limitations of existing standards, and the role of boards in overseeing AI-related decisions. The discussion highlights the need to balance innovation with accountability, without constraining progress.

The episode concludes with reflections on organisational culture and capability. Leaders are encouraged to foster informed experimentation, support communities of practice, and develop the judgement required to use AI effectively.

This episode offers a thoughtful perspective for leaders seeking to implement AI in a responsible and sustainable way.
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Note: Although this episode is published in April 2026, it was recorded in December 2025. Paul refers to ChatGPT 5.2, which at the time he didn't rate highly for coding. His perspective has since evolved, and he now uses Codex 5.4 daily, alongside Claude.

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🎙️LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE TO OUR AUDIO PODCAST
✦ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mindfulcio.community/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠/
✦ Apple: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/mindful-cio-podcast/id1765106205⁠⁠⁠⁠
✦ Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1gomcBWSDwdfoEZeZD7Usu

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🔗CONNECT WITH PAUL COOPER:
* Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/digitalfella/
*Longboardfella Consulting - https://longboardfella.com/
*Health Ability - http://www.healthability.org.au
* BioGrid Australia - https://www.biogrid.org.au/
* Australian Institute fo Digital Health - https://digitalhealth.org.au/

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📚 RESOURCES FROM PAUL COOPER
* A governance model for the application of AI in health care - https://academic.oup.com/jamia/article-abstract/27/3/491/5612169?login=false
* Reasoning Models don't always say what they think - https://www.anthropic.com/research/reasoning-models-dont-say-think
* Interpretability - Understanding how AI Models think - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGKNUvivvnc

Season 2 of The Mindful CIO Podcast begins with a conversation about the practical realities of responsible AI adoption.

Host Nathalie Heynderickx is joined by strategic foresight consultant Sami Makelainen, founder of Transition Level and former founder of Telstra’s Strategic Foresight practice. Sami works with boards and executive teams to help organisations understand the long term implications of emerging technologies and develop more thoughtful approaches to AI adoption.

As organisations move quickly to integrate generative AI into their operations, many leaders are still grappling with foundational questions. What does responsible AI adoption actually require? How do organisations build AI capability across their workforce? And how can leaders balance innovation with governance while maintaining trust?

In this episode, Nathalie and Sami explore the organisational dynamics shaping AI adoption today.

They discuss why many enterprises default to familiar technology platforms even when better tools may exist, and how this behaviour reflects deeper organisational factors including risk tolerance, governance structures and cultural norms.

The conversation also examines the role of leadership awareness. Despite the rapid pace of AI development, many organisations still have relatively low levels of AI literacy at senior leadership and board level. This gap can make it difficult for organisations to make confident decisions about AI investments and governance.

Nathalie and Sami also discuss the cultural dimension of responsible AI adoption. Organisations that encourage learning, experimentation and knowledge sharing often see stronger capability development, while more risk averse cultures may struggle to create safe environments for exploration.

Finally, the discussion explores the limits of AI maturity models and ethics frameworks. While these models can be useful reference points, responsible AI ultimately requires organisations to make explicit value judgements about how technologies are deployed and governed.

For CIOs, CTOs and senior technology leaders, this episode offers practical reflections on navigating AI adoption responsibly while building the organisational culture and capability required for long term success.

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🎙️LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE TO OUR AUDIO PODCAST
✦ Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://mindfulcio.community/podcast⁠⁠⁠/
✦ Apple: ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/mindful-cio-podcast/id1765106205⁠⁠⁠
✦ Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1gomcBWSDwdfoEZeZD7Usu⁠⁠

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🔗CONNECT WITH SAMI MAKELAINEN
* LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/smakelainen/
* Transition Level - https://transitionlevel.aero/wp/
* Children of Magenta - https://www.childrenofthemagenta.com/
* The Mindful Automation Manifesto - https://mindfulautomation.com.au/manifesto/

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📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED BY SAMI MAKELAINEN
* Ethan Molick's | One Useful Thing newsletter - https://www.oneusefulthing.org/
* Zvi Mossovici's | Don't worry about the Vaz substack - https://thezvi.substack.com/
* Book: Ethical Machines: Your Concise Guide to Totally Unbiased, Transparent, and Respectful AI by Reid Blackman
* Book: The Unaccountability Machine: Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions - and How The World Lost its Mind by Dan Davies

In this episode, Nathalie Heynderickx reflects on the journey of The Mindful CIO Podcast and introduces the direction for Season Two.
Season One focused on human-centred technology leadership, grounded in the Mindful CIO Manifesto. Through conversations with experienced CIOs and senior executives, we explored emotional intelligence, psychological safety, servant leadership and sustainable performance in complex environments.
As artificial intelligence becomes central to organisational strategy and operations, a new set of leadership questions is emerging.
Season Two shifts the focus toward responsible AI adoption. What does it take to build the trust, culture and capability required to implement AI responsibly? How do technology leaders balance speed and innovation with governance and accountability?
Throughout this season, Nathalie will speak with leaders across governance, risk, transformation and AI strategy to explore practical approaches to embedding AI within organisations in a way that protects customers, employees and brand reputation.
This episode sets the context for the season ahead and frames the core question: how can CIOs partner with the business to deliver competitive advantage through AI while ensuring it is adopted responsibly?
If you are navigating AI adoption within your organisation, this season is designed to support thoughtful, sustainable and accountable technology leadership.
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🎙️LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE TO OUR AUDIO PODCAST
✦ Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://mindfulcio.community/podcast⁠⁠⁠/
✦ Apple: ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/mindful-cio-podcast/id1765106205⁠⁠⁠
✦ Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1gomcBWSDwdfoEZeZD7Usu⁠

In this episode of The Mindful CIO Podcast, host Nathalie Heynderickx is joined by Simon Reiter, Chief Technology Officer at CareSuper, for a thoughtful and grounded conversation on what it truly means to lead technology teams in a human, sustainable way.

With more than 23 years of experience across superannuation, financial services, healthcare, education and government, Simon reflects on the realities of senior leadership — including the self-doubt and nerves that can arise even after years of experience. His openness sets the tone for a discussion that highlights vulnerability as a strength, not a weakness, in modern tech leadership.

A central theme of the episode is healthy culture, a core pillar of the Mindful CIO Manifesto. Simon explains why culture must come before strategy and transformation, and introduces his memorable “hamburger culture” metaphor — where leadership sets direction from the top, teams take ownership from the bottom, and sustainable culture is built together.

The conversation also explores diversity beyond gender, including diversity of thought, background and neurodiversity, and why inclusive teams are better equipped to solve complex problems. Simon shares how mentoring and sponsorship, particularly for women in STEM, are both deeply human and strategically vital.

Simon offers practical examples of how he fosters listening and psychological safety at scale — from skip-level meetings and “CTO Connect” sessions to an anonymous “Ask the CTO” channel and an internal technology podcast.

The episode also dives into AI leadership, addressing the pace of change, the risks of shiny-object syndrome, and the importance of clear use cases, strong data foundations and ethical governance. Simon reinforces a critical reminder: technology alone does not create value — people and process do.

He closes with reflections on self-care, energy management and why leaders must look after themselves first in order to lead others well.

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🎬 IN OUR EPISODE:
00:00 – Welcome to The Mindful CIO Podcast, Introduction and context for the conversation
02:10 – Beyond the CV: A Personal Leadership Insight
Simon shares a candid reflection from his leadership journey
03:00 – Leading at Scale: Staying Grounded on Big Stages
Public speaking, presence and composure in high-stakes environments
05:00 – Why Change Management Must Start on Day One
Early investment as a success multiplier
05:20 – The Mindful CIO Manifesto and the Power of “Less Is More”
06:00 – Culture Before Strategy
The foundation of sustainable performance
07:40 – The “Hamburger Culture” Metaphor
Shared ownership from leadership and teams
08:50 – Diversity as a Performance Advantage
Beyond gender to lived experience and thinking styles
11:00 – Neurodiversity and the Strength of Tech Teams
Why technology roles suit different cognitive strengths
12:30 – Making Change Human and Tangible
Driving adoption through communication and storytelling
16:50 – Sustaining Energy While Leading Complex Change
Travel, boundaries and personal rhythms
21:20 – Managing Energy, Not Just Time
Physical, mental and emotional energy buckets
24:20 – Leadership Role Models and Paying It Forward
Mentorship, influence and legacy
31:00 – Listening at Scale: Building Trust Across Teams
Skip-levels, CTO Connect and psychological safety
36:30 – Navigating the Pace of Change and Responsible AI
Strategy, governance and human-centred adoption
54:50 – Final Reflections on Sustainable High Performance
Leadership maturity and long-term impact

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🎙️LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE TO OUR AUDIO PODCAST
✦ Website: ⁠⁠https://mindfulcio.community/podcast⁠⁠/
✦ Apple: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/mindful-cio-podcast/id1765106205⁠⁠
✦ Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1gomcBWSDwdfoEZeZD7Usu⁠

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🔗CONNECT WITH SIMON REITER
*Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reitersimon/

In this episode of The Mindful CIO Podcast, host Nathalie Heynderickx is joined by Angela Anthony, Executive General Manager of IT & Digital at DuluxGroup. With over three decades of global tech and transformation experience, Angela offers an inspiring and practical view of what human-centred leadership looks like in the modern CIO role.

Angela reflects on her multicultural family, global career, and what it means to lead with presence, empathy, and humility. She discusses the core values of the Mindful CIO Manifesto — particularly diversity, sustainability and humanity — and how they guide her leadership every day.

She unpacks the true meaning of diversity — going beyond gender to embrace diversity of thought, background, and neurodiversity. Drawing from roles in aviation, health, and manufacturing, Angela shares how diverse teams outperform by covering blind spots and building richer solutions.

We also explore self-care as a leadership practice. Angela reveals her daily rituals — Pilates and regular dog walks — and the importance of reclaiming time for wellbeing in order to show up fully for her team and strategic challenges.

A passionate mentor and people developer, Angela shares stories about the leaders who saw her potential before she did — and how she now pays it forward. We discuss how mentoring and coaching aren’t just altruistic — they create stronger, more resilient organisations.

From navigating complex stakeholder relationships to driving global transformation, Angela speaks candidly about the non-technical side of tech leadership. She highlights the power of storytelling in building buy-in and bringing change to life across all levels of the organisation.

She also tackles the challenges of cybersecurity, data readiness, and the ethical adoption of AI — calling for shared accountability, clear role clarity, and keeping humans firmly in the loop.

Angela’s leadership mantra? Be humble, be present, and be a great storyteller.
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🎬 IN OUR EPISODE:
00:00 Welcome to The Mindful CIO Podcast
01:47 Meet Angela Anthony: Global Tech Leader at Dulux Group
03:15 Personal insights: A “United Nations” family story
04:47 Why diversity, humanity, and sustainability matter more than ever
05:46 Diversity beyond gender - culture, thought, and neurodiversity
06:26 Avoiding the “mini-me” trap in leadership
10:21 Self-care rituals: Pilates, dog walks, and walk-and-talks
14:00 Leadership role models from Barack Obama to workplace mentors
17:00 Mentoring future leaders and quieting the inner critic
24:18 Leading change with a human-centred lens
33:46 Current challenges in AI, data, and cybersecurity at Dulux Group
43:00 Responsible AI - ethics, bias, and keeping humans in the loop
50:50 Final reflections on humility, presence, and storytelling in leadership

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🎙️LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE TO OUR AUDIO PODCAST
✦ Website: ⁠https://mindfulcio.community/podcast⁠/
✦ Apple: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/mindful-cio-podcast/id1765106205⁠
✦ Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1gomcBWSDwdfoEZeZD7Usu

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🔗CONNECT WITH ANGELA ANTHONY
* LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelasanthony/