
Hosted by Petra Soderling · EN
Petra Söderling, the author of 'Governments and Innovation - the Economic Developer's Guide to Our Future', discusses the role governments play in creating new innovations, and innovation based industries. Intended audience: Economic Development and Foreign Direct Investment Professionals, Policy Makers, Civil Servants, CEOs, CFOs, R&D folks and tech enthusiasts. To subscribe to more free content go to https://petrasoderling.com/ Nothing in the show should be taken as investment advise.

Financial systems today face a new reality: security is no longer just a technical issue, but a strategic, regulatory, and economic mandate. In this episode of Deep Pockets, Petra Soderling speaks with Joe Ghalbouni about how financial institutions are responding to rising digital risk, increasing regulatory pressure, and the growing complexity of modern technology stacks. Together, they explore what resilience really means for global finance, and why translating between regulation, technology, and business has become mission‑critical.Resources:EU's Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) https://www.eiopa.europa.eu/digital-operational-resilience-act-dora_enJoe Ghalbouni LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeghalbouni/Ghalbouni consulting https://ghalbouniconsulting.com/Support the show

Petra is joined by Camille Georges, Quantum Technology Specialist at the World Economic Forum, to discuss why the emerging quantum industry risks leaving women behind and how we can fix it now. They explore the gender pipeline in physics and computer science, the importance of diversity in frontier tech, and what it will take to build a more inclusive quantum future.Resources:Camille Georges, LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillemjgeorges/WEF article 'Why the quantum revolution risks leaving women behind – and what to do about it' https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/03/quantum-revolution-gender-divide/Petra's Deep Policy article 'How to talk about Women and Technology'https://petrasoderling.substack.com/p/how-to-talk-about-women-and-technologySupport the show

The United Nations International Year of Quantum 2025 was never just about celebrating science. It was about deciding how a powerful new technological era should be built, governed, and shared. Claudia Fracchiolla, the Secretariat Coordinator for the IYQ joins us to debrief what was achieved and what happens next. Join the IYQ Closing Ceremony here https://quantum2025.org/iyq-closing-ceremony-information-2/Previous recording with Claudia https://petrasoderling.com/s4e2Substack from UNESCO opening https://petrasoderling.substack.com/p/unesco-paris-quantum?r=1rijxnRecording with Jesús Sánchez Herrero https://petrasoderling.com/s5e5Support the show

The European Quantum Technologies Conference - EQTC - 2025 was buzzing! From policy and industry to startups and unicorns, Europe’s quantum ecosystem faces a high-stakes moment. Listen in for interviews, insights, and why this is the moment to hop into quantum. Joining me on this episode are guests from across the quantum ecosystem, sharing their insights on Europe’s high-stakes moment:Oscar Diez, Head of Sector for Quantum Computing at European CommissionCecile M. Perrault, Vice President at the European Quantum Industry Consortium QuICYasser Omar, President of PQI – Portuguese Quantum InstituteSalil Gunashekar, Deputy Director and Senior Research Leader, Science and Emerging Technology, RAND EuropeRoman Pašek, R&D Project Conception & Management, Quantum Technology, AmiresSamira Nik, Programme Manager for Quantum Tech and Electronics, EICJan Goetz, CEO & Co-Founder, IQM Quantum ComputersMichael Baczyk, VC at HeartcoreTommi Hakulinen, Product Manager, VexlumCorban Tillemann-Dick, Founder & CEO of Maybell Quantum IndustriesSupport the show

"Complexity is the biggest enemy of security."Janne Uusilehto, a veteran who has led security and privacy engineering at Nokia, Microsoft, and Google, joins the podcast to peel back the curtain on the hidden world of cybersecurity standards.He reveals why industry rivals, like the original mobile phone giants, agreed to rules that ultimately generated massive passive income to intellectual property owners, and how this collaboration actually accelerates innovation.We discuss the emerging threats that keep security leaders up at night, including AI-driven polymorphic attacks and the risks hidden in the code supply chain. Finally, Uusilehto offers his candid take on geopolitics and tech policy, arguing that over-regulation in places like the EU risks stifling necessary innovation.Tune in to understand why investing in people is more critical than investing in tools, and how the rules you never see are securing the digital world you live in.Support the show

In this episode of Deep Pockets, Petra sits down with Chris McClean, Global Lead for Digital Ethics at Avanade, to explore the delicate balance between trust, power, and technology. Chris unpacks his research on the risks and benefits of trusting relationships, and the moral obligations that come with endorsing others. The conversation ranges from the global “grievance” mood captured by the Edelman Trust Barometer to the complexities of AI governance and responsible tech. Chris shares why organizational culture is key to ethical AI, how incentives shape behavior, and why trust isn’t always the goal; sometimes warranted distrust is healthier. It’s a thoughtful deep dive into ethics, responsibility, and hope for a more accountable digital future.Find Chris on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-mcclean/Find the Edelman Trust barometer 2025 https://www.edelman.com/trust/2025/trust-barometerPodcast homepage https://petrasoderling.com/podcastSupport the show

What does it mean to be truly creative in an age of AI? Inspired by the Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein's book 'Sparks of Genius - the 13 thinking tools of the world's most creative people', this episode explores the artistry of interdisciplinary thinking with Jesús Sánchez Herrero. From abstraction and modeling to analogizing and empathizing, we delve into the 13 tools that polymaths use to blend science and art—and ask what makes human imagination so uniquely powerful.Support the show

What does it mean to belong in complex and cutting-edge tech fields? In this episode, we sit down with Juliette De La Rie, CEO of Colorful Matter, to explore how identity, intuition, and inclusion shape the future of deep tech. Juliette shares her personal journey from feeling like an outsider in tech to becoming a powerful advocate for culture-driven innovation. We talk about bridging the gap between hard science and human needs, building community in emerging industries, and why belonging is more than a buzzword—it’s a blueprint for better technology.Also ... hear what happened when I took the unconscious bias test. Juliette de la Rie https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliettedelarie/Colorful Matter https://www.colorfulmatter.eu/Support the show

We’ve spoken about the energy industry a few times in this podcast, most recently about innovation in our current nuclear energy power plants. These are the fission based plants. Today, we’re going to learn about the future of nuclear, that is the fusion based nuclear power plants. My guest is Laura Thomas, Chief Strategy Officer at Fuse, a fusion energy company building toward a clean and near-limitless energy source. About Fuse https://www.f.energy/Laura Thomas https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-thomas123/Deep Pocket podcast https://petrasoderling.com/podcastNewsletter https://petrasoderling.substack.com/aboutSupport the show

In his book The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida argues that creativity is the nourishment of new economic growth, and introduces the three T's; Technology as a platform, talent to do the creative process, and tolerance from the surrounding society to allow this talent to shine. My guest Ceridwen 'Ceri' Koski, Partner at Denver, CO based law firm WR Immigration lays out the strategies and practical steps for U.S. companies to make the most of creative international talent. Resources:Ceri Koski LinkedIn posts https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceridwenkoski/WR Immigration https://wolfsdorf.com/Richard Florida https://creativeclass.com/richard_florida/Support the show