Let's talk about Leadership and Value Creation When Certainty Is Gone, and explore AI, Governance, and Systemic Risk together with my amazing guest Michael Herkommer from Zurich, Switzerland.

Michael is a a co-founder, CIO and CAIO at Riskovate, strategist, executive advisor, and systems thinker with decades of experience operating at the intersection of technology, leadership, and institutional complexity.

Michael has worked across strategy, digital transformation, and innovation, including working with and advising global organizations such as IBM, SAP, Accenture, and public sector institutions at European level. He has operated both as a builder and a critical advisor, supporting organizations through large-scale transformation, governance challenges, and moments of structural pressure.

What distinguishes Michael’s work is his systems-level perspective. He doesn’t look at AI, automation, or digital transformation in isolation, but through the lens of decision-making, accountability, governance, and long-term value creation.

This conversation is not about tools or hype. It’s a boardroom-level dialogue about leadership, risk, and responsibility in the age of AI.

Michael is a part of the Diamond Executive Circle of the AI Game Changers Club - an elite tribe of visionary leaders redefining the rules and shaping the future of human-AI synergy, and the Chapter Chair in Zurich, Switzerland.

🔑 Key topics discussed:

• Systemic risk in the AI era - where uncertainty compounds across technology, regulation, and geopolitics
• AI agents and autonomy - how risk shifts when systems move from tools to decision-makers
• Governance beyond compliance
• Regulatory fragmentation
• Value creation vs legitimacy erosion - building AI-driven growth without losing trust
• Innovation failure modes - when acceleration quietly increases systemic risk
• The human layer - leadership judgment, culture, and ethics as the true leverage point
• Unlearning outdated beliefs - what leaders must let go of to navigate permanent uncertainty

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/herkommer/

🔗 https://riskovate.se/

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About the host, Emi Olausson Fourounjieva
With over 20 years in IT, digital transformation, business growth & leadership, Emi specializes in turning challenges into opportunities for business expansion and personal well-being.
Her contributions have shaped success stories across the corporations and individuals, from driving digital growth, managing resources and leading teams in big companies to empowering leaders to unlock their inner power and succeed in this era of transformation.

AI GAME CHANGERS CLUB: http://aigamechangers.io/
Apply to become a member: http://aigamechangers.club/
Podcast: https://dt4h.io/podcast

📚 AI Leadership Compass: Unlocking Business Growth & Innovation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNBJ92RP

📆 Book a free Strategy Call with Emi

🔗 Connect with Emi on LinkedIn
🌏 https://digitaltransformation4humans.com/

📧 Transformation for Leaders

My amazing guest today is Jeffrey Fidelman from New York, United States. Jeffrey brings deep expertise in investment banking and startup growth, and we’re diving into The Hidden Venture Capital Trends: Redefining Fundraising & Investment Strategies in the AI Era.

Recently Jeffrey was elected to the Board of Directors of Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HAE), a global community of alumni founders, investors, and executives.

Jeffrey is also a part of the Diamond Executive Group of the AI Game Changers Club - an elite tribe of visionary leaders redefining the rules and shaping the future of human–AI synergy.

Jeffrey is the Founder and Managing Partner of Fidelman & Company, a leading advisory firm launched in 2015 to address the critical fundraising and growth strategy needs of early- to mid-stage companies.

Jeffrey’s career began in residential real estate, which led him to the Portfolio Manager role at Morgan Stanley, followed up by the role of Vice President at HSBC, driving revenue strategy for Manhattan.

As a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and advisor with deep expertise in finance and fundraising strategy, Jeffrey has built and supported ventures across multiple industries, globally.

🔑 Key topics discussed:

• Hidden venture capital trends and emerging blind spots founders and investors overlook
• How AI-driven data, platforms, and automation are transforming capital allocation
• Disruption ahead: which parts of the venture ecosystem will be reshaped first by AI
• Why traditional investor evaluation methods become liabilities in an AI-powered landscape
• Strategic advantages for founders and investors who adopt AI early
• The new economics of AI efficiency and its impact on valuations, capital needs, and startup strategy
• Global competition: how AI might rebalance or reinforce power in major venture hubs
• What investors and business owners must unlearn to thrive in AI-powered fundraising
• Essential leadership guidance for navigating the next wave of AI transformation

🔗 Connect with Jeffrey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyfidelman/
🌏 https://fidelmanco.com/

Support the show

About the host, Emi Olausson Fourounjieva
With over 20 years in IT, digital transformation, business growth & leadership, Emi specializes in turning challenges into opportunities for business expansion and personal well-being.
Her contributions have shaped success stories across the corporations and individuals, from driving digital growth, managing resources and leading teams in big companies to empowering leaders to unlock their inner power and succeed in this era of transformation.

AI GAME CHANGERS CLUB: http://aigamechangers.io/
Apply to become a member: http://aigamechangers.club/
Podcast: https://dt4h.io/podcast

📚 AI Leadership Compass: Unlocking Business Growth & Innovation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNBJ92RP

📆 Book a free Strategy Call with Emi

🔗 Connect with Emi on LinkedIn
🌏 https://digitaltransformation4humans.com/

📧 Transformation for Leaders

Hollywood creates leaders under extreme pressure. In the AI era, executives face similar stakes.
My amazing guest Steven Puri from Austin, Texas shares Hollywood’s playbook for leadership, storytelling, and impact in AI-driven business. See also S1:Ep80.

Steven has an extraordinary background in Hollywood, having worked as an executive and producer on some of the biggest blockbusters of our time – including Die Hard 5, The Wolverine, Transformers, and Star Trek.

Steven has collaborated with major studios such as DreamWorks, 20th Century Fox, and Sony, and raised more than $21M in venture funding across three tech start-ups. After decades of turning big visions into reality on screen and in business, Steven shifted his focus to solving one of today’s most pressing challenges: how we work.

As the Founder & CEO of The Sukha Company, he now helps remote workers overcome procrastination and distraction, bringing more focus, energy, and well-being into the flow of daily work. From Hollywood blockbusters to the future of remote productivity, Steven’s journey blends storytelling, leadership, and innovation in a truly unique way.

Steven is a Diamond Executive Member of the AI Game Changers Club - an elite tribe of visionary leaders redefining the rules and shaping the future of Human–AI synergy.

🔑 We discuss how executives can:

• Lead when stakes are high and variables are unknown
• Use storytelling to align teams, reduce silos, and build trust
• Balance bold action with long-term strategy in AI-driven environments
• Adapt fast when the “script changes” due to AI disruption
• Cultivate imagination and creative vision as a leadership advantage
• Unlearn outdated leadership patterns to thrive in the AI era

This conversation bridges Hollywood, leadership, and AI-driven transformation, offering practical insights for executives, founders, innovators, investors and decision-makers shaping the future of business.

🔗 Connect with Steven Puri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-puri/

🌏 The Sukha Company: https://www.thesukha.co/

Support the show

About the host, Emi Olausson Fourounjieva
With over 20 years in IT, digital transformation, business growth & leadership, Emi specializes in turning challenges into opportunities for business expansion and personal well-being.
Her contributions have shaped success stories across the corporations and individuals, from driving digital growth, managing resources and leading teams in big companies to empowering leaders to unlock their inner power and succeed in this era of transformation.

AI GAME CHANGERS CLUB: http://aigamechangers.io/
Apply to become a member: http://aigamechangers.club/
Podcast: https://dt4h.io/podcast

📚 AI Leadership Compass: Unlocking Business Growth & Innovation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNBJ92RP

📆 Book a free Strategy Call with Emi

🔗 Connect with Emi on LinkedIn
🌏 https://digitaltransformation4humans.com/

📧 Transformation for Leaders

Today, we are exploring how to design Agentic AI to rehumanize customer experience and sales - moving beyond automation toward meaningful transformation.

Meet Dikshant Dave from San Francisco, California - a brilliant tech visionary and accomplished serial entrepreneur whose journey redefines what it means to build platforms with purpose.

Dikshant is the Founder and CEO of Zigment, the Agentic-AI Marketing Transformation Platform empowering marketing teams worldwide to scale tenfold through intelligent automation and genuine human–AI collaboration.

His innovation extends far beyond marketing. He has also founded and led groundbreaking platforms in natural medicine and home and interior design, bridging technology with wellbeing, creativity, and sustainable living.

This rare fusion of business, soul, and systems makes Dikshant not just a tech founder - but a multi-dimensional creator shaping the future of conscious innovation.

🔑 Key Topics Discussed

• What agentic AI really means, and how it differs from traditional automation
• The shift from efficiency-driven design to meaning-driven AI architectures
• Why most customer experience systems reduce friction but fail to deepen human connection
• Reimagining the customer journey with AI that amplifies empathy, trust, and presence
• How automation unintentionally stripped authenticity from sales, and how agentic AI can restore it
• Designing AI agents that support human-centric communication and relationship-based selling
• Encoding human values into AI systems
• Moving beyond data points toward true personalization through contextual understanding
• The evolution of AI from recommendation engines to proactive relationship builders
• Ethical integrity, alignment, and governance as AI systems begin to act and decide autonomously
• The future of work in rehumanized CX and sales
• The uncomfortable truth about job displacement and the urgency to redefine human contribution
• One core belief leaders must unlearn to move from automation to meaningful transformation
• Practical advice for leaders

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dikshantdave/

Support the show

About the host, Emi Olausson Fourounjieva
With over 20 years in IT, digital transformation, business growth & leadership, Emi specializes in turning challenges into opportunities for business expansion and personal well-being.
Her contributions have shaped success stories across the corporations and individuals, from driving digital growth, managing resources and leading teams in big companies to empowering leaders to unlock their inner power and succeed in this era of transformation.

AI GAME CHANGERS CLUB: http://aigamechangers.io/
Apply to become a member: http://aigamechangers.club/
Podcast: https://dt4h.io/podcast

📚 AI Leadership Compass: Unlocking Business Growth & Innovation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNBJ92RP

📆 Book a free Strategy Call with Emi

🔗 Connect with Emi on LinkedIn
🌏 https://digitaltransformation4humans.com/

📧 Transformation for Leaders

Let’s take a closer look at how we are shaping the future of human civilization together with my amazing guest from Philadelphia, the United States – Geoffrey Klein, a TED Talk speaker, best-selling author, professor, and expert in AI, visual communication, and storytelling.

Geoffrey holds an executive certification from MIT in AI and its Implications for Business Strategy and teaches at Temple University, and the Wharton School, continuously exploring the intersection of communication, creativity, and technology.

As the President & CEO of Nine Dots Media, Geoffrey helps brands and leaders communicate more effectively through the power of story and design – transforming complexity into clarity.

Geoffrey is a part of the Diamond Executive Council of the AI Game Changers Club - an elite tribe of visionary leaders redefining the rules and shaping the future of human–AI synergy.

Geoffrey's mission is simple yet profound: to make communication better and connections deeper.

Key topics discussed:

• AI Doomers vs AI Optimists
• Human–AI coexistence
• AI ethics and responsibility
• Leadership in the AI era
• Storytelling and technology narratives
• Emotional intelligence and AI
• Human-centric AI design
• Media influence on AI perception
• Future of work and civilization
• Conscious AI adoption

🔗 Connect with Geoffrey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ggklein/

🔗 Check out Geoffrey's TEDx: https://geoffreyspeaks.com/

🔗 Learn more: https://ninedotsmedia.com/

Support the show

About the host, Emi Olausson Fourounjieva
With over 20 years in IT, digital transformation, business growth & leadership, Emi specializes in turning challenges into opportunities for business expansion and personal well-being.
Her contributions have shaped success stories across the corporations and individuals, from driving digital growth, managing resources and leading teams in big companies to empowering leaders to unlock their inner power and succeed in this era of transformation.

AI GAME CHANGERS CLUB: http://aigamechangers.io/
Apply to become a member: http://aigamechangers.club/
Podcast: https://dt4h.io/podcast

📚 AI Leadership Compass: Unlocking Business Growth & Innovation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNBJ92RP

📆 Book a free Strategy Call with Emi

🔗 Connect with Emi on LinkedIn
🌏 https://digitaltransformation4humans.com/

📧 Transformation for Leaders

Today’s guest is the brilliant Erica Shoemate from Washington, United States, a bold disruptor, dynamic storyteller, speaker and global thought leader whose career spans nearly two decades across national security - as a former Acting Chief /Senior Intelligence Manager for the US Department of Justice, Big Tech, and policy innovation. Erica is also an AI Public Policy Global Fellow.

From her years of leadership safeguarding national interests with the FBI and the U.S. Intelligence Community to shaping ethical AI and trust frameworks at leading technology giants like Twitter, Meta and Amazon, Erica has consistently stood at the front lines of transformation - where technology, leadership, and humanity converge.

As Founder and Principal Strategist of The EN Strategy Group, she helps organizations design human-focused strategies that align innovation with accountability through her signature LEAD framework.

Join us as we go beyond checklists and compliance to explore what it truly means to practice human-centric, conscious AI leadership - and how the next decade of governance will be defined not by control, but by courage, compassion, and collective responsibility.

Erica is a part of the Diamond Executive Council of the AI Game Changers Club - an elite tribe of visionary leaders redefining the rules and shaping the future of human–AI synergy.

🔑 Key topics

• Why AI governance must evolve beyond checklists and move toward human-centered, conscious leadership
• What AI governance will look like as intelligent systems become active participants in decision-making
• The inner qualities needed for the next generation of leaders navigating accelerated intelligence
• How to scale ethics without losing humanity
• Where policy and reality diverge – and how to close the gaps fast
• The moral courage required to lead responsibly in a high-speed, high-stakes environment
• How to build governance systems that protect dignity, freedom, and societal well-being
• How leaders can embody clarity, purpose, and wisdom as AI reshapes power dynamics

🔗 Connect with Erica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericals/

🔗 Learn more: https://www.leadwithenstrategy.a

Support the show

About the host, Emi Olausson Fourounjieva
With over 20 years in IT, digital transformation, business growth & leadership, Emi specializes in turning challenges into opportunities for business expansion and personal well-being.
Her contributions have shaped success stories across the corporations and individuals, from driving digital growth, managing resources and leading teams in big companies to empowering leaders to unlock their inner power and succeed in this era of transformation.

AI GAME CHANGERS CLUB: http://aigamechangers.io/
Apply to become a member: http://aigamechangers.club/
Podcast: https://dt4h.io/podcast

📚 AI Leadership Compass: Unlocking Business Growth & Innovation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNBJ92RP

📆 Book a free Strategy Call with Emi

🔗 Connect with Emi on LinkedIn
🌏 https://digitaltransformation4humans.com/

📧 Transformation for Leaders

My Ready Already guest today is Allister Frost from the United Kingdom. Together, we’ll explore The Future-Ready Mindset for Success and take a deeper look at The Antidote to Change Fatigue in the Age of AI.

Allister Frost is a world-leading business transformation and growth thought leader and speaker. He has given impactful motivational talks in over 30 countries to teams from Bosch, Hyundai, BBC, Bloomberg, Vodafone, and more. His revolutionary ReadyAlready® Growth Cycle inspires busy professionals to embrace a Future-Ready Mindset for a lifetime of success.

Allister was Microsoft’s first ever Head of Digital Marketing Strategy, helping steer the software giant towards new ways to connect with customers and generate new business.

In this powerful conversation, we dive into what leaders must do to stay grounded, human, and future-ready while AI accelerates transformation and compresses decades of change into months. You will learn how to navigate uncertainty with clarity, overcome change fatigue, and build a mindset that sustains performance, impact, and growth in the AI-driven era.

This episode is essential listening for leaders, executives, and business owners who want to stay relevant, resilient, and ahead of the curve.

Key Topics Discussed

• The real cost of change fatigue for organizations and individuals in the AI era
• Why leaders still cling to the illusion of stability and what blind spot they miss
• How the ReadyAlready® Growth Cycle moves leaders out of survival mode and into forward momentum
• The hardest leadership lesson from Allister’s time at Microsoft during digital disruption
• Where leaders are failing most in the AI acceleration and the hidden risks no one talks about
• The most powerful immediate move to regain balance and impact
• How leaders can protect the human essence while meeting the technical demands of AI
• The belief about success leaders must unlearn to stay relevant
• A clear, actionable piece of advice to cultivate a truly future-ready mindset
  
  

🔗 Connect with Allister Frost on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisterspeaks/

🔗 Allister's links: https://bit.ly/m/allisterfrost

Support the show

About the host, Emi Olausson Fourounjieva
With over 20 years in IT, digital transformation, business growth & leadership, Emi specializes in turning challenges into opportunities for business expansion and personal well-being.
Her contributions have shaped success stories across the corporations and individuals, from driving digital growth, managing resources and leading teams in big companies to empowering leaders to unlock their inner power and succeed in this era of transformation.

AI GAME CHANGERS CLUB: http://aigamechangers.io/
Apply to become a member: http://aigamechangers.club/
Podcast: https://dt4h.io/podcast

📚 AI Leadership Compass: Unlocking Business Growth & Innovation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNBJ92RP

📆 Book a free Strategy Call with Emi

🔗 Connect with Emi on LinkedIn
🌏 https://digitaltransformation4humans.com/

📧 Transformation for Leaders

My amazing guest today is Alejandro Canonero from Dubai, UAE. Today we are diving into the War of the Ecosystems to Redefine Power, Partnership, and Purpose in the AI Era.

Alejandro is a Go-To-Market Architect & Executive, Ex-Google, Amazon AWS, Hewlett Packard, Criteo, Teradata, DELL-EMC. Researcher & Reporter about Technology. - Best-Selling Author. - Consulting Advisor to Founders & Boards.

Alejandro holds a Doctorate in Business Administration with a research thesis on Artificial Intelligence, SaaS, and Cloud Ecosystems, an MBA from London, and a postgraduate certificate in Platform Technology Leadership led by MIT.

Beyond his executive and academic career, Alejandro is a five-time full Ironman triathlon finisher, a dedicated shark diver who has completed dives across the seven oceans, and a Scout leader with over 20 years of experience serving in several countries, a commitment that continues today in Dubai. Through Scouting and community initiatives, he dedicates time to helping the next generations prepare for life, fostering leadership, teamwork, and resilience in young people.

Alejandro have also served as a Civil Defense volunteer in Spain.

I’m honored to have Alejandro as a part of the Diamond Executive Group of the AI Game Changers Club - an elite tribe of visionary leaders redefining the rules and shaping the future of human–AI synergy.

Key topics discussed:

• From markets to ecosystem warfare
• Power shifting to intelligent, fluid ecosystems
• Today’s real battlefields: data, algorithms, innovation, narrative
• Leadership when intelligence becomes distributed
• Ethical scaling and trust as competitive advantage
• Human–AI co-creation beyond automation
• Ecosystem Command Framework and Intelligence Warfare Map
• Ecosystem leadership in Dubai, UAE, and Saudi Arabia
• How AI agents and quantum systems reshape competition
• Why some ecosystems collapse and others regenerate
• Alejandro Canonero’s mission to shape future Ecosystem Commanders

🔗 Connect with Alejandro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/canonero/

🌏 https://www.waroftheecosystems.com/

Support the show

About the host, Emi Olausson Fourounjieva
With over 20 years in IT, digital transformation, business growth & leadership, Emi specializes in turning challenges into opportunities for business expansion and personal well-being.
Her contributions have shaped success stories across the corporations and individuals, from driving digital growth, managing resources and leading teams in big companies to empowering leaders to unlock their inner power and succeed in this era of transformation.

AI GAME CHANGERS CLUB: http://aigamechangers.io/
Apply to become a member: http://aigamechangers.club/
Podcast: https://dt4h.io/podcast

📚 AI Leadership Compass: Unlocking Business Growth & Innovation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNBJ92RP

📆 Book a free Strategy Call with Emi

🔗 Connect with Emi on LinkedIn
🌏 https://digitaltransformation4humans.com/

📧 Transformation for Leaders