iO Associates

𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡! 👏 As always, it was brilliant to support the community alongside our Manchester Director, Michael Collins, Adam Robinson and the Practically AI team. Tibor Bicskei kicked things off with a talk on what it really takes to build agentic systems using the OpenAI Agents SDK. His walkthrough of Logfire, how it traces errors, highlights what works (and what doesn’t), and why a single-prompt approach collapses quickly was exactly the kind of practical insight this group was built for. A clear takeaway: use agents where they add value, not where simple automation will do the job. We then heard from Lewis Murphy, who delivered a standout look at how BNY is rolling out AI at a remarkable scale. 99% of the organisation trained, true democratisation of agentic capability, and non-technical teams empowered to build and deploy. It’s one of the most comprehensive adoption programmes we’ve seen, and it’ll be fascinating to watch where they take it next. Huge thanks to everyone who joined us on the night. We run these sessions monthly, with strong speakers and hands-on topics coming up, so keep an eye out and make sure you grab a spot for the next one by clicking on the link in the comments. 👇 Phil Whittaker Philip Simpson Michael Collins Adam Robinson #Manchester #AI #AgenticAI #SoftwareEngineering #OpenAI #AgentsSDK #TechCommunity

🌅 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 & 𝐀𝐈 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 Last week, Adam Robinson hosted our latest Data & AI Leaders Breakfast Roundtable at Dakota Hotels, with Jackson D (ICO) leading a brilliant discussion on Borderless AI and Zero-Platform Analytics. As an emerging concept, it sparked sharp debate and plenty of challenges. Jackson set the scene with the shift from Data Warehouses → Data Lakes → Lakehouse → MCP, before the group explored what this new model could mean. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬: 🔹 High data-movement costs 🔹 Governance needed from day one 🔹 Strong for experimentation, not yet production-ready 🔹 Data quality risks with LLMs analysing raw sources 🔹 Harder to manage bias 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 🔹 Greater data democratisation 🔹 Lower costs without centralisation 🔹 Faster access, a virtual analyst in every meeting Some leaders shared early Exec-driven use cases, but agreed wider adoption will take time. Thanks to everyone who joined and contributed; it was a fantastic session. To find out more about our iO Meetup events, click on the link below in the comments. 👇 #DataLeadership #AIInnovation #Analytics #TechCommunity #iOAssociates

💡 iO Associates at Tokenize: LDN — Day Two! The team had a brilliant day yesterday speaking with organisations shaping the future of digital assets, AI and Fintech. Today, Callum Winchcomb and Agrippa Methula are back at Tokenize London, continuing the conversations and finding out what’s next for the industry. If you’re attending, feel free to stop by for a chat or message Callum Winchcomb and Agrippa Methula while they are onsite at ExCeL. #TokenizeLondon #Fintech #AI #DigitalAssets #Blockchain #FinancialServices #Innovation #iOAssociates

💡 iO Associates at Tokenize: LDN - we’re here today! Ella R., Neil Willis-Stovold, Daniel N. and Fran Thompson are at Tokenize London today, speaking with organisations driving the future of digital assets, AI and Fintech. Our team is deep in conversations around: 🤖 Financial AI products transforming risk, payments and customer experience 🛡️ MoD and defence-aligned technology projects shaping secure, future-ready infrastructure 🧩 Niche and emerging innovations across data, blockchain, clearing, digital platforms and more Whether you’re exploring new AI capabilities, scaling a Fintech product, or tackling complex technical challenges, the team is here to connect, collaborate and share knowledge from across Financial Services and more. If you’re attending, come say hello or reach out to arrange a chat while we’re here at Excel, London. #TokenizeLondon #Fintech #AI #DigitalAssets #Blockchain #FinancialServices #DefenceTech #Innovation #iOAssociates

After the Hype: Creating Real Business Value from AI with Nick Darby 🌐 We’re excited to welcome Nick Darby, Head of Advisory and AI Inspiration at TrueBird.ai, as our next speaker at the 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 - 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩. With a career spanning Unilever, L’Oréal, Ahold Delhaize, global consultancies, governments, and his own successful ventures, Nick brings a rare mix of strategic insight and real-world experience in AI adoption and data-driven transformation. In his talk, "After the Hype and Disappointment of GenAI: How to Create Real Business Value from AI”, Nick will explore how organisations can move beyond experimentation to practical implementation, using AI to drive efficiency, innovation, and growth. Expect a pragmatic, no-nonsense session packed with lessons from years spent helping some of the world’s largest companies scale AI successfully, and insights every business can apply today. 📅𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 9𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 🕓 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 4𝐩𝐦 | 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 4:30𝐩𝐦 📍 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥 👉 If you are a Tech Leader in the South West, sign up today by clicking on the link in the comments. #TechLeadersCollective #AI #GenAI #Innovation #DigitalTransformation #Leadership #SouthWestTech #iOAssociates

𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐭: 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 We’ve pulled together the key insights from our latest Tech Leaders Collective meetup, featuring an honest and impactful conversation with Liz Cochlin (CTO at Sero, Women-in-Tech ambassador). Our new downloadable guide breaks down the real causes of burnout in tech and the practical steps leaders can take to build healthier, more resilient teams. You can access the full report via the link in the comments below! 👇 #TechLeaders #Burnout #TeamWellbeing #AI #Leadership

We love being part of the Bristol data community, and last week’s event was a brilliant reminder of why. 🌐 To wrap up the year, we proudly hosted one of the final Data Bristol talks of 2025, featuring Tamsin Huggins and Anna-Maria Wykes, who delivered Season of AI MCP: A Beginner's Guide. A joint event with Data Bristol and GirlGeekDinners (WIT) was an amazing way to bring communities together. 🍕 Venue, drinks & pizzas sponsored by iO 🍫 Sweet treats from Transatlantix (a crowd favourite!) Huge shout-out to John Kirby, Anna-Maria Wykes, James C Yarrow, and Malaika Harris for making it happen. We’re excited to keep supporting and growing this community in 2026. If you’re involved in the local data scene, make sure to keep an eye on the Meetup page by clicking on the link in the comments. 👇 #Data #Meetup #Support #Bristol #GirlGeekDinners #WIT

💡 Reminder: iO Associates will be at the Tokenize: LDN next week! Fran Thompson, Ella R., Daniel N., Callum Winchcomb, Malaika Harris and Agrippa Methula from our iO Associates team will be at Tokenize London on 2–3 December at Old Billingsgate, the UK’s premier event for digital assets, blockchain and fintech innovation. We work closely with organisations across the Financial Services ecosystem, supporting specialist talent needs in: 💳 Payments, digital assets & blockchain 📊 Financial data management & investment platforms 🏦 Pensions, broking, clearing & global credit 🧠 Fintech software development & digital transformation If you’re attending, make sure to connect with them to discuss how iO Associates can help you build and scale high-performing teams, whether you’re an early-stage start-up or a global financial institution. 👉 Find out more about our solutions by clicking on the link in the comments below. #TokenizeLondon #TokenizeLDN #Fintech #DigitalAssets #Blockchain #Payments #FinancialServices #Innovation #TalentSolutions #iOAssociates

We are now live on AWS Marketplace! PRG Consulting, the consultancy arm of iO Associates, is officially available through AWS. Clients can now access our specialist consultancy services with the security, flexibility, and global reach of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Discover how we can help you optimise operations, scale teams, and drive transformation. To find out more, click the link in the comments! #AWSMarketplace #Consulting #Services

🤖 𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐈 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩! We’re excited to be supporting the next Practically AI session hosted by Phil Whittaker, bringing Manchester’s AI engineering community together for another deep dive into real-world, production-ready AI. 📍 Thursday, 27th November 📌 Manchester – Piccadilly Gardens This month, Tibor Bicskei will be exploring how to build structured, reliable Agentic AI using the new OpenAI Agents SDK, moving beyond prototypes and into true, scalable automation. You’ll learn how to: 💡 Compose and orchestrate agents 💡 Use one agent as a tool for another 💡 Manage safe handovers and apply built-in guardrails 💡 Leverage Logfire for tracing and observability Expect a code-first walkthrough showing what it really takes to build maintainable, auditable agentic systems and how to combine LLM flexibility with disciplined engineering to create predictable, production-ready workflows. If you’re building AI applications or levelling up your technical practice, this is one not to miss. Sign up today by clicking on the link below in the comments. 👇 #PracticallyAI #ManchesterTech #AIEngineering #AgenticAI #OpenAI #iOAssociates #CommunityBuilding