The Influencers: Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is no longer a specialist issue. It is reshaping every business, including sectors that have traditionally moved more slowly. For legal teams, that shift brings a new set of expectations and a new level of scrutiny around risk, decisions, and execution.

In this episode, Hogan Lovells partners and co-leads of our Future of Digitalization initiative Louise Crawford and Vassi Iliadis discuss with host Leo von Gerlach how those expectations are playing out in practice. From fast-moving AI developments to evolving litigation risk, they explore how legal issues are emerging, overlapping, and being tested in real time.

The conversation focuses on what actually matters for decision-makers navigating digital change, including which choices need to be made now and where the real risks sit if you get it wrong. They also discuss how organizations can respond, building the confidence to engage with digital issues and connect expertise across the business. As every business becomes a technology business, getting those decisions right matters more than ever.

About Hogan Lovells: Our Digital Transformation offering helps clients navigate the full breadth and depth of the seismic forces impacting their organizations – and today’s society. Leveraging team members across our 2800 lawyers on six continents, we provide integrated advice on the multifaceted regulatory, governance and enforcement issues and risks that arise across the many technologies and trends that comprise the new digital future.

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love for you to rate and review us. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and continue bringing insightful conversations on digital transformation and law. Thank you for your support!

Law and legal services are among the toughest tests for artificial intelligence. In this episode of The Influencers, Alexander Kardos Nyheim joins Leo von Gerlach to discuss why legal work demands AI models that are pre-trained differently on top of their general‑purpose abilities.

 

Drawing on his experience founding Safe Sign Technologies and now leading machine learning research at Thomson Reuters, Alexander explains why general purpose AI’s emphasis on fluency is no proper match for the finesse of legal drafting. He explores the importance of domain‑specific training, authoritative legal data, and models grounded in legal reasoning rather than surface‑level coherence. From the role of foundational models to the future of legal‑specific AI, this conversation offers practical insight for anyone navigating the adoption of AI in legal practice.

 

About Thomson Reuters:  Thomson Reuters is an AI and technology company empowering professionals with trusted content and workflow automation to know now and navigate what’s next

 

About Hogan Lovells: Our Digital Transformation offering helps clients navigate the full breadth and depth of the seismic forces impacting their organizations – and today’s society. Leveraging team members across our 2,800 lawyers on six continents, we provide integrated advice on the multifaceted regulatory, governance, and enforcement issues and risks that arise across the many technologies and trends that comprise the new digital future.

 

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love for you to rate and review us. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and continue bringing insightful conversations on digital transformation and law. Thank you for your support!

Risk leaders are being asked to make bigger decisions, faster, with less certainty than ever before. Diane Maxwell, CEO of Airmic, joins Karishma Paroha and Tom Hughes in this episode of The Influencers to reflect on what that reality means for the future of risk management and insurance. From cyber threats and AI to quantum computing and systemic risk, Diane explores why technology is both a solution and a source of new uncertainty. She shares where risk tech is genuinely adding value today, why adoption often lags behind ambition, and why curiosity, humility and the confidence to say “I don’t know” are becoming essential leadership traits. A thoughtful conversation for anyone navigating risk, resilience and decision‑making in a rapidly changing world.

 

About Airmic: Airmic is the UK’s leading association for risk management professionals, supporting a broad membership across sectors including retail, energy, automotive, food and hospitality. The organisation works with insurers and industry partners to strengthen financial and business resilience, advance professional capability and help members navigate an increasingly complex risk landscape shaped by technology, data and systemic change.

 

About the International Underwriting Association of London: The International Underwriting Association of London (IUA) is the representative body for companies in London providing international and wholesale insurance and reinsurance coverage. Its mission statement is to secure an optimal trading environment for London insurance companies. 

 

About Hogan Lovells: Our Digital Transformation offering helps clients navigate the full breadth and depth of the seismic forces impacting their organizations – and today’s society. Leveraging team members across our 2800 lawyers on six continents, we provide integrated advice on the multifaceted regulatory, governance and enforcement issues and risks that arise across the many technologies and trends that comprise the new digital future.

 

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love for you to rate and review us. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and continue bringing insightful conversations on digital transformation and law. Thank you for your support!

The ocean sends signals long before a tsunami reaches land. In this episode of The Influencers, Dr Usama Kadri, reader in applied mathematics at Cardiff University, explains how scientists are finally learning how to listen. Drawing on his pioneering work with acoustic gravity waves and physics‑informed AI, Dr Kadri shares how real‑time sound data from the ocean could transform tsunami early warning systems. The discussion moves from the limits of seismic and buoy‑based forecasting to the practical benefits of faster detection, fewer false alarms and more targeted evacuations. With implications for governments, emergency responders and insurers alike, this conversation shows how advanced science, when paired with AI and collaboration, can move from theory to life‑saving impact.

 

About Dr Usama Kadri: Dr Usama Kadri is a reader in applied mathematics at Cardiff University and an engineer whose work sits at the intersection of mathematics, engineering and ocean science. His world‑leading research focuses on acoustic gravity waves and the use of physics‑informed AI to improve tsunami detection and early warning systems. By combining analytical models with real‑time ocean data, Dr Kadri’s work aims to deliver faster, more accurate forecasts, reduce false alarms and ultimately save lives through better disaster preparedness.

 

About the International Underwriting Association of London: The International Underwriting Association of London (IUA) is the representative body for companies in London providing international and wholesale insurance and reinsurance coverage. Its mission statement is to secure an optimal trading environment for London insurance companies. 

 

About Hogan Lovells: Our Digital Transformation offering helps clients navigate the full breadth and depth of the seismic forces impacting their organizations – and today’s society. Leveraging team members across our 2800 lawyers on six continents, we provide integrated advice on the multifaceted regulatory, governance and enforcement issues and risks that arise across the many technologies and trends that comprise the new digital future.

 

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love for you to rate and review us. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and continue bringing insightful conversations on digital transformation and law. Thank you for your support!

We’re kicking off a three-episode special miniseries of The Influencers focused on the intersection of insurance and digital with a spotlight on stablecoins and their growing role as financial infrastructure. Karishma Paroha of Hogan Lovells and Tom Hughes of the International Underwriting Association of London are joined by Luke Kovic of Applied Blockchain to unpack how stablecoins are moving from crypto markets into payments, treasury management, and institutional finance. The discussion explores where real value is emerging, what makes a stablecoin resilient, and why governance, regulation, and risk management will determine whether this technology can scale with confidence.

 

About Applied Blockchain: Applied Blockchain is a blockchain development studio specializing in building enterprise-grade blockchain and privacy solutions for real-world use. Founded in London in 2015, the company works with global organizations to move blockchain from experimentation into secure, scalable financial and operational infrastructure, with a particular focus on stablecoins, digital assets, and regulated environments. Applied Blockchain is known for its deep engineering expertise and its work at the intersection of technology, finance, and governance.

 

About the International Underwriting Association of London: The International Underwriting Association of London (IUA) is the representative body for companies in London providing international and wholesale insurance and reinsurance coverage. Its mission statement is to secure an optimal trading environment for London insurance companies. 

 

About Hogan Lovells: Our Digital Transformation offering helps clients navigate the full breadth and depth of the seismic forces impacting their organizations – and today’s society. Leveraging team members across our 2800 lawyers on six continents, we provide integrated advice on the multifaceted regulatory, governance and enforcement issues and risks that arise across the many technologies and trends that comprise the new digital future. For anyone who wants to explore the themes we’ve discussed today with Luke, from stablecoins and digital infrastructure to risk and insurance, the DAB Hub is a one stop resource. You can sign up there to receive ongoing insights and thought leadership.

 

If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love for you to rate and review us. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and continue bringing insightful conversations on digital transformation and law. Thank you for your support!