What Leaders Want

After 18 years at SBS, Julia Paganelli has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer, marking a new chapter in a career shaped by international experience, customer proximity, and deep expertise in banking technology. In this episode of What Leaders Want, Julia shares the key moments that shaped her leadership journey. From helping create the Sopra Banking Software brand in 2012 (now SBS) to navigating the shift to digital engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic, she reflects on how transformation has influenced both her career and the evolution of the banking software industry.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In the third and final episode of our conversation with Eric Bierry, CEO of SBS and Deputy CEO of 74 Software, breaks down what banks really risk when it comes to cloud sovereignty, data control, and AI, and why full independence from US and Chinese tech is impossible. The discussion moves from AI opportunity to a harder question: what happens when banks try to go fully sovereign?Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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SBS CEO Eric Bierry explains how AI is taking over banking, from fraud detection to client relationships, and why "human in the loop" still matters.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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Part 2 with Eric Bierry goes deeper into the human side of leadership and the future of banking. From an open reflection on his conversations with a building society at an SBS Connect event, to sharing an old personal dream, Eric reveals more of the person behind the CEO. He also opens up about the US market opportunity with Axway, looks back on the history of the SBS Summit, and even drops a teaser about its upcoming 5th edition this autumn. Don’t miss Part 2 of this special two-part conversation.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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"A good leader, I found really quickly, was somebody that was willing to take on the accountability of the decision made, right or wrong, but to allow their team to make the decision. So to push the power down, to say, empower people at the lowest level that you can possibly empower them and push as much decision making as you possibly can to the front line of your organization."Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

"You can’t create a product that truly resonates with the market by sitting in a room and simply dreaming it up. If you look at history, many successful startups began because the founder faced a real problem, realized others faced the same challenge, and set out to solve it—that’s how great companies are born. But often, their second product fails because they assume they can innovate in isolation, without engaging with the market or understanding real-world pain points. For a company like ours, it’s critical to deeply understand these challenges—what keeps the CTO awake at night. Only then can we create meaningful solutions. But we can’t do that in a vacuum."Andrew Steadman, Chief Product Officer at SBSHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

"One piece of financial advice I wish more people followed is never pay cash for a new car. They're fantastic financial products, leasing and in the UK PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) where you can get a new car with a much lower payment and you don't have to pay for the depreciation of the asset. I would never advise anyone to buy a new car with cash."What do leaders truly want? In this episode of What Leaders Want, we’re sitting down with James Powell, Chief SaaS Transformation Officer and Head of Specialized Finance Strategy at SBS, to get a glimpse beyond the job title.We’ll dive into the key moments of his career, debunk the biggest myths about specialized finance, and explore whether SaaS is truly the game-changer it claims to be. James also took on real-world challenges and rapid-fire questions, answering on the spot.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.