In this episode of Born to Disrupt, hosts Mark Walker and Simon Hardie engage in a thought-provoking discussion on the evolution of banking, the rise of fintech, and the future of financial services. They explore how the banking sector has transformed over the past decade, the role of neobanks and fintech disruptors, and what lies ahead for both traditional banks and new entrants in the industry.

In this episode of Born to Disrupt, co-hosts Grant Niven, Simon Hardie and Mark Walker welcome Bill Ashlock, a seasoned financial services leader, tech. innovator, and mentor. The discussion centres on innovation, disruption, and the crucial role of people and culture in shaping these processes. Bill shares insights from a diverse career, highlighting the challenges of Innovation in both corporate and start up environments. Boiling it all down, the discussion reinforces (yet again!) - getting the right culture in an organisation is one of THE most important enablers to driving innovation. "Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast" the mantra of business leader Mike Cunningham (former C-suite at BSF, ADCB and Barclays) and Grant echo's how spot on this is with Bill and his co-hosts.

In this episode of Born to Disrupt, host Grant Niven, co-host Simon Hardie, and guest Michael Clark discuss the evolving role of data, artificial intelligence (AI), and their implications for innovation, regulation, and society. Michael, an expert in the field, shares insights from his extensive experience and current work on rethinking the value and use of data in a world increasingly shaped by AI.

The inaugural episode of the Born to Disrupt podcast, hosted by Mark Walker, Grant Niven, and Simon Hardie, provides an engaging introduction to the series’ objectives, themes, and target audience. Presented by Disrupts and Mingzulu, the podcast aims to explore the forces reshaping industries, with a particular emphasis on innovation, technology, investment, and the unique opportunities emerging from the Middle East and beyond. Every 2 weeks during H1'25 a new episode will be available via Mingzulu, Disrupts and Findexable social channels and all your regular podcast platforms. Our founder, Grant of Mingzulu, outlines our focus on strategic advisory services and funding solutions for growth-stage businesses and large enterprises. His deep knowledge of the Middle East, drawn from over a decade of experience in the region, positions him as a key voice in discussions about its rapid transformation and strategic importance. Meanwhile, Simon, founder and CEO of Findexable, contributes insights from his work ranking and analysing digital financial ecosystems globally. With a background in media and emerging markets, Simon highlights the interplay between innovation, investment, and the regulatory environments that shape success.

As a new year kicks off, we've been busy building out our Pioneer group to continue supporting our community of growth stage founders and enterprise businesses here in the Middle East and further afield internationally. We're delighted Michael Clark after collaborating together on several fronts since 2022 is now formally now part of our tribe - welcome to the #mingzulu family Michael!!!