Humility, humanity, and the hard questions: AI pathfinder Susan Etlinger on making meaning from data
In the latest episode of Data Malarkey – the podcast about using data, smarter – Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, is joined by Susan Etlinger, one of the world’s most thoughtful voices on artificial intelligence, responsible technology, and data ethics. A veteran of Microsoft’s Azure AI division and former host of the Leading the Shift podcast, Susan’s […]
“It was only an admin error”: How the Information Commissioner’s Office is humanising data protection
This second episode of Season 9 of Data Malarkey – the podcast about using data, smarter – opens with a conversation that shows how empathy, data, and storytelling can power social change. Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, the podcast’s host, speaks with Angela Balakrishnan, Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). […]
Kelly Beaver, MBE, UK & Ireland CEO of Ipsos, on the Market Research Society’s “Campaign for Better Data”
In the opening episode of Season 9 of Data Malarkey – the podcast about using data, smarter –host and Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, speaks with Kelly Beaver, Chief Executive for the UK & Ireland at Ipsos, the global research and public opinion specialist. This wide-ranging and thoughtful discussion centres on the Market Research Society’s “Campaign for […]
Purpose, perception, and persuasion – the Greatest Hits of Season Eight of the Data Malarkey podcast
In the latest episode of Data Malarkey – the podcast about using data, smarter – Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, introduces the highlights from a cracking season of six, highly-diverse episodes that make up our eighth season so far. Each episode showcases how data – when paired with empathy and curiosity – can shed light on […]
Why PR really needs to embrace Hard Numbers – or risk being seen as irrelevant. With Darryl Sparey
In this latest of episode of the Data Malarkey podcast, Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, speaks with Darryl Sparey, co-founder and MD of Hard Numbers, a consultancy that takes a refreshing approach to marketing communications: putting robust measurement at the heart of everything it does. Darryl launched Hard Numbers during the early months of the pandemic, a […]
Reclaiming our humanity in a digital world: Christine Rosen on “The extinction of experience”
In the episode of the Data Malarkey podcast – live from 6 August 2025 – Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, speaks with Christine Rosen, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of the 2025 book The Extinction of Experience: Reclaiming Our Humanity in a Digital World. Christine’s work examines how technology is changing not only what […]
How AI thinks: exploring the parallels and differences between minds and machines with Chris Summerfield
In this thought‑provoking episode of the Data Malarkey podcast, Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, talks with Professor Chris Summerfield – cognitive neuroscientist at Oxford and author of These Strange New Minds – about how modern AI challenges our understanding of human intelligence. The conversation is grounded, intentional, and free from sensationalism – true to the ethos of the podcast. Blurring the […]
Rebuilding trust in science with scientist-turned-journalist, Caitlyn Looby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
In this plain-talking episode of Data Malarkey – the podcast about using data, smarter – host and Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, speaks with Caitlyn Looby, an expert in science communication about the pressing issue of public trust in science. Through their calm, thoughtful conversation, they explore what is fuelling scepticism and, more importantly, how we […]
Cambridge United’s Mark Bonner on football, data, and how to strike the beautiful balance
In this engaging episode of the Data Malarkey podcast, Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, is joined by Mark Bonner, Director of Football at Cambridge United FC. Together, they discuss the increasingly central role that data plays in football – a world where emotion, tradition, and tribal loyalties often dominate the narrative. From grassroots beginnings to […]
Turning data into desirability: automotive insights with Nick Ratcliffe, VW UK
Recorded live at the DataComms 2025 conference in London, the latest episode of the Data Malarkey podcast welcomes Nick Ratcliffe, Customer Experience Director at Volkswagen Group UK, to explore how data can be used not just for efficiency but to shape customer desirability. Hosted by Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, this opening episode of Season Eight interrogates […]