The Alldus Podcast - AI in Action

Today's guest is Lesley Whelan, Head of Risk and Compliance at HCS. Founded in 1994, HCS is one of Ireland’s leading managed IT services and cybersecurity providers, supporting organizations with digital transformation, cloud solutions, AI technologies and IT infrastructure. With offices across Ireland and a highly accredited team, HCS combines deep technical expertise with a customer-first approach, helping businesses strengthen security, improve operations and drive sustainable growth through innovative technology solutions.
Lesley specializes in operational resilience, information security, governance and regulatory compliance across shared services, IT, managed services and cyber environments. Lesley supports organizations in strengthening governance frameworks, improving operational processes, and implementing standards such as ISO 27001 and ISO 20000. Her approach focuses on practical, outcome-driven solutions that enhance compliance, reduce risk and improve service quality across day-to-day operations.

In the episode, Lesley talks about:0:00 Her career journey from IT engineering to cyber leadership3:02 Focus on cyber leadership, governance and management systems4:11 Emphasising leadership’s role in embedding culture and security5:01 How ISO 27001 provides governance, accountability and decision clarity6:06 The need for pragmatic governance, decision-making and balanced AI adoption7:36 HCS as a managed IT partner offering cyber and advisory services9:04 Why investment in cyber requires practical testing, not just documentation11:15 Using LinkedIn, peers, events and courses to manage constant industry change12:33 Advice to embrace opportunities, stay open and learn from experience
To find out more about all the great work happening at HCS, check out the website www.hcs.ie

Today's guest is Michael Sutherland, Manager of Applications for ServiceNow at Franciscan Health. Founded in 1875, Franciscan Health is a leading Catholic healthcare system dedicated to compassionate, patient-centred care. Serving communities across the Midwest through hospitals, clinics and specialist services, they combine clinical excellence with a commitment to dignity, stewardship and service. Guided by Franciscan values, they care for the whole person - mind, body and spirit - while supporting healthier communities.
Michael is a technology and transformation leader focused on driving growth through ServiceNow, intelligent automation and AI-enabled solutions. He has led global teams, managed multimillion-dollar platforms, and delivered enterprise automation strategies with measurable impact, including $4.5M+ annual ROI and 95% automation of regulatory processes. Michael partners with executives and operational leaders to align technology with business strategy, streamline operations and lead high-performing teams through complex change.
In the episode, Michael talks about:
0:00 His journey from finance to automation, ServiceNow, management, strategy and business value
3:14 An overview of his role managing extensive ServiceNow across departments
5:11 Overseeing ServiceNow architecture, governance and development
6:30 Replacing custom major incident processes with out-of-the-box ServiceNow functionality
8:29 His excitement about leveraging AI in ServiceNow for automated fulfilment
11:10 Planning AI-driven automation to auto-detect and repair medical devices
13:38 Drive measurable outcomes, link team work to value and celebrate success
16:17 Planning modest internal team growth, relying on expert partners for projects

Today's guest is Charlton Roberts, Chief Technology Officer at FLORA. Founded in 2024, FLORA is an applied AI company building a unified creative platform for professionals. It brings together over 50 leading text, image and video AI models into a single “infinite canvas,” allowing teams to ideate, iterate and produce creative work within one seamless workflow.
Designed for designers, agencies and content teams, FLORA combines generative AI with collaborative tools and scalable workflows, enabling users to rapidly explore ideas, maintain consistent output, and automate complex creative processes. At its core, FLORA aims to redefine how creative work is done - transforming fragmented AI tools into an integrated environment that enhances human creativity and accelerates production from concept to final output.

In the episode, Charlton talks about:
His journey from aspiring actor to building AI tools for creatives
FLORA as an AI creative canvas turning ideas into production-ready outputs
The need to differentiate beyond easily copied features in a crowded AI space
How FLORA stands out with intuitive canvas and AI-driven creative workflows
Adopting AI agents reshapes workflows, emphasizing structure and iteration
Hiring values AI use skills and fundamental understanding
Their fun, high-autonomy team focused on impactful AI creativity

To find out more about all the great work happening at FLORA, check out the website www.flora.ai

Today's guest is Stéphanie Paul, ServiceNow Consultant at Thales. Founded in 2000, Thales Group is a French multinational technology company that specializes in aerospace, defence, cybersecurity and digital identity solutions, serving governments, critical infrastructure operators and industrial clients worldwide. Thales designs and delivers advanced systems in areas such as avionics, radar, communications, space and secure information systems, with a strong focus on innovation and mission-critical technologies.
For over 10 years, Stéphanie has led IT Service Management (ITSM) transformations at scale within complex international organizations. Stéphanie helps enterprises evolve ServiceNow from a ticketing platform into a true governance and operating model enabler. Stéphanie operates at the intersection of strategy and delivery: designing target operating models, building robust ITSM governance frameworks, structuring CMDB/CSDM architecture and driving adoption across large, distributed environments.

In the episode, Stéphanie discusses:
0:00 Her journey to becoming a people-first ITSM leader driving standardised ServiceNow transformation
2:51 How excessive customization harms scalability, upgrades and long-term support
4:16 Overcoming change resistance, balancing priorities and avoiding over customization
6:52 Being people and culture-focused and building governance for lasting impact
10:08 Encouraging women in IT, including to learn, certify, build confidence and network
12:25 ITSM will evolve as foundational platform and strong data enables AI integration
15:35 Plans to strengthen ITSM foundation, deepen AI expertise and improve customer impact

To find out more about all the great work happening at Thales, check out the website www.thalesgroup.com

Today's guest is Karl Kilmurray, Chief Information Security Officer at Dublin Bus. Founded in 1987, Dublin Bus is Ireland’s largest public transport provider, delivering bus services across the Greater Dublin Area. Carrying over 140 million passengers annually, Dublin Bus' services include high-frequency city routes, commuter services and night services, supporting the social, economic and environmental needs of Dublin through safe, reliable and increasingly sustainable transport.
Karl leads the cyber security programme and team at Dublin Bus, overseeing governance, risk management and compliance across the enterprise security function, as well as the cyber security budget and key initiatives. Prior to Dublin Bus, Karl worked at IBM as a cyber security engineer and cyber compliance manager. He also worked with Ekco, where he delivered CISO-as-a-Service support to state and semi-state organisations, and conducted NIS-D assessments for essential services and critical infrastructure providers.In the episode, Karl talks about:
0:00 His journey from programming to cybersecurity, ethical hacking, compliance and consulting
4:03 Seeing that public sector has fewer resources vs private sector with more oversight
5:21 How NIS2 expands cybersecurity rules, enforcement and team growth
6:50 Dublin Bus’ advanced cybersecurity with a growing team facing new threats
8:25 An insight into his role from team building, operations, training and future threats
10:54 A look at Dublin Bus upgrading GPS, Wi-Fi, CCTV, electric and connected systems
14:19 How team building enables managing daily tasks and learning simultaneously
15:52 How AI introduces cybersecurity risks, requiring balance of innovation and security
18:11 Seeing the CISO role evolving, demanding, with team growth and specialisation

To find out more about all the great work happening at Dublin Bus, check out the website www.dublinbus.ie