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David Berglund, Global Head of Artificial Intelligence, FIS Global joins graduate student Patricia Whitley of Kennesaw State University to discuss artificial intelligence, the ethics of AI, and current plus future opportunities in financial services.
Welcome to the Georgia FinTech Academy podcast. The Georgia Vintech Academy is a collaboration between Georgia's FinTech industry and the university system of Georgia. This talent development initiative addresses a massive demand for FinTech professionals and give learners the specialized education experiences needed to enter the FinTech sector.Speaker 2:
This is Tommy Marshall executive director of the Georgia FinTech Academy. Welcome to season two episode three of the Georgia FinTech Academy podcast. Today I have David Berglund global head of artificial intelligence from FIS and Patricia Whitley. Uh, who's a in our graduate program related to informatics as well as a teacher and in Georgia or a professor in Georgia. Um, welcome to you both. It's great to have you.Speaker 3:
Thanks Tommy. Excited to be here. Thank you, TommySpeaker 2:
David. Uh, let me turn it to you first for introductions. Um, love to hear about your career journey, um, your engagement with FinTech with artificial intelligence. Um, tell us about that.Speaker 3:
Absolutely. So first thank you for having me excited, just to get a chance to talk to you both about FinTech and what's going on with AI. Uh, when I look back my background, I actually grew up and I'll go, I'll go way back. We'll start way back. I grew up in, in Minnesota and I'm reminded of that today. There's a polar vortex going on and it's a chilly 30 some degrees here, even in Florida, but I grew up in Minnesota and early on, I knew always that I want to do something that was creative, that had to do with technology. And I was always fascinated by people. So it had to be something in that space. Um, I actually ended up getting an Apple two E from my uncle when I was maybe like five or six and early on that still. I remember my fascination with technology and trying to code basic programs. And I think that also kind of set me on this interesting course for applying tech later on, that happened a while later. Um, I ended up going to school in Chicago at Loyola university focused on psychology again, that fascination of people, but that was the point where I started actually getting more into advanced research, really looking at psychometrics and testing and statistics. So doing a ton of work with data. And I would say that was the point in my career. Then it was just an academic one where I realized not only can you do really interesting things with data, but the problem is often in the data and it was just countless hours of ingesting data, normalizing cleaning that I spent. Again, you could talk AI data is key there, go down the line a little bit later. Um, I ended up kind of following that interest that I had early on with healthcare ended up going into a behavioral science again, doing a fair amount of work in terms of research there. Right. I was planning to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology, so it was doing some research at the university of Minnesota. Um, very interesting, fascinating work. Um, but on the other side, I realized that the clinical work just wasn't interesting to me, I'm fascinated by people, but that just, it wasn't quite what I expected it to be. So, uh, I was able to kind of morph my career luckily into being able to focus more on technology and transformation within the hospital system. And that then kind of paved the way to get into a at Optum, which is part of United health group focused on, uh, I was a business analyst. So again, very focused on data and analytics for the company. And there was many just amazing steps. If you ever looked at my resume and say, well, how does this make any sense if you look at all these dots, but it was one good step that led to another where I was able to kind of join in and eventually build this innovation group within United health group. It was really a round table and folks who knew that they wanted to do more, more creative, more impact, and we would brainstorm new ideas, actually pitch them to a venture group within the company. And it had just all sorts of fascinating opportunities to kind of pitch new transformative ideas that led into me getting an MBA at university of St. Thomas, uh, focused there on strategy and my background. Again, I didn't have enough experience at the time with business. I knew that, um, but I was able to fulfill that through that education and that along with some other opportunities, open doors as I'll call them, allowed me to then become one of the first entrepreneurs in residence at United health group, where we were able to build essentially startups with internal venture capital, uh, for the company, uh, go down a little bit later down the line. And, um, not only could I expand kind of, kind of leading a number of the different entrepreneurs, uh, but eventually we kind of morphed that slightly into the emerging technology space. So I was the owner of AI within that group for advanced technologies. And obviously that then became what allowed me to kind of transition to where I've been in that space for a while now in the world of AI. And at the time the focus was really, uh, natural language processing. There was some modeling that we were doing in terms of kind of different predictive models, but a big clear focus for us was the problem of the efficiency. And we'll talk about this later, but just trying to help people who have a question about their benefits and asking questions, how can we make that easier for our employees, for our clients make that easier overall, go down the line a little bit and, uh, another open door open and I got a chance to join another local company. It's Minnesota, a us bank, which is tremendous, uh, uh, job that I had there. So I was the head of artificial intelligence there working within the innovation team. And funny enough, I had actually been doing consulting, uh, for, uh, a number of firms and ended up beating Dominick Ventura,Speaker 2:
Dominic. I work on Dominique's team. Exactly. Yeah. I mean, everyone knows. Um, I used to interact with that team. I did a lot of consulting work for Martin Jordan falls, welfare organization. And, and then, um, there was a couple of different threads that we had that were intersecting with, uh, Dominique's team, um, which was, uh, their grad air. Just what a great team really. I have a huge amount of respect for them.Speaker 3:
Absolutely. So that was just a wonderful opportunity to connect to the dots. Just almost seamlessly from the work we were doing with startups and innovation and technology, it was the perfect fit. So truly just had a wonderful time. There did all sorts of really exciting things with Dominic and us bank. Um, and it was kind of around that time as I was again, moving from healthcare to financial services, big jump, obviously. Um, but also got a chance to, um, start presenting. Actually I was an adjunct professor, still am at Wharton where I focused on risk, uh, within, um, financial services and really a focus on AI there. So couple, you know, a while later I eventually got the great opportunity at another open door and here I am that FIS and I've been here for about a year and a half.Speaker 2:
Awesome, great. Thanks for all that background. And it's nice to, it's nice. It's cool to hear the career that our shared connection with dominate ventures group. That's neat. Um, Patricia, tell us, tell us about you.Speaker 4:
No. Okay. Well, it's interesting, Dave and I have similar, um, connection points in our backgrounds because I haven't heard care background. Um, and then I, um, I will just start mine after, when I went into graduate school for my first time. And that was at the university of Georgia. I have a son there now, so go dogs. Um, and I got a degree in organizational psychology and communication, but from there I started working for a company called digital equipment corporation. I don't know if anybody is still around, but recognize DEC. Yes, yes. And so I think the important point there that I would make and I, you can hear it in Dave's story is that I didn't have a technology background, but I went into a technology company, uh, ended up being a, um, manager of some of the best technologists I have ever worked with, stayed there for a decade and then joined various, um, as technologies changes changed, I left, uh, there and then ended up going with a client server consulting companies, et cetera, et cetera, ended up working for a venture capital company called technology ventures. And, Oh, you know, do you know technology ventures,Speaker 2:
Uh, it's the same, we're talking about, uh, Sean Banks and that crowd TTV or a different one. No, thisSpeaker 4:
Was, uh, this was a different one. And Joe McCall, does that ring a bell too? Joe McCall was the guy who was the principal there, but nonetheless experience was great. And, um, so I worked there for a couple of years and then, uh, joined another company guys might know about is the accounting firm that I was with, which was grant Thornton. I went to grant Thorton was their business development manager, um, and then joined medical device company. So in the medical device company, I was in marketing. So I think the thing that is really important is that you can, if you can learn and have a lot of interests, it really can just move into different spots and positions within companies. Does that make sense different? You don't have to actually get a dad as long as you,Speaker 3:
And I think that's how the best things happen. Both companies do it or get organically. They realize where the puck is going, how they need to transform and individuals do the same thing. At least the ones who, who spot the opportunity and are often willing to take the risk or at least learn. Um, I think that's a great path.Speaker 4:
I think the point that you just said is the most important, and that is if you can just learn and if you're ethical, you have the motivation. So I got into where I currently am because the medical device company that we, or, uh, that I was with was working with biophotonics and we were working with, um, tumors and pre if we could come up with a device that would indicate whether or not the tumor bed had been cleared of, um, cancer cells during its first incision. So you didn't have to go back if they found tumors during pathology. Um, so when they ran out of funding, I joined, uh, Gwinnett tech to teach there, uh, and started to company or started working in a program that combined my healthcare, my science, uh, teaching, and then my technology background. So that was a joint venture from Gwinnett tech and Georgia tech. And it was a healthcare technology certification. So I came into Kennesaw because Kennesaw had a masters of healthcare management and informatics. So I was getting a degree still am. And this is my last semester, so that I could know more about what I was, uh, the lead instructor for now, unfortunately, that program closed at Gwinnett tech, but I've stuck with the program, the master's program. And I think I'm just a student of everything that Dave is the master of when it comes to AI. So I'm kind of very interested to hear where he's going and how, what, I'm just now learning. He's got the expertise in. SoSpeaker 3:
The beauty of it is it's all changing so fast. I think we'd be fools. If we didn't admit we were all students. And I think that's the fun part is, is the things we don't know that is often what's going to be the most exciting part of our future. Right. And we can barely explain some of the most complex things today. So just start to imagine what we're going to start to do in a few years. And it's because I think it's that curiosity like you, what I heard from your career was this curiosity and willingness to take a step to do something different. And the same thing is with technology and, and Kevin Kelly, he's the author of wired or executive editor of wired, and we're working some really great books. He talks about this idea of the inevitability of technology. And I feel like in some ways that goes down to what you were just saying, Patricia, which is the technology is almost unfolding before us. We just happened to be the ones who get the chance to work with it and apply it to, to business.Speaker 4:
Hmm. Yeah, that's great. That's great. I think a lot of people have said to me and about mine and their own careers that sometimes like just having faith walk into the abyss or fall into it, and that you're going to be a, you're just going to fall on a ledge. You'll work with it and then move on. So yeah, that's a great, that's a great attitude to have,Speaker 2:
Uh, I love this topic as well. I was fortunate. Um, and my last role at Accenture, um, to be part of a, an artificial intelligence, um, initiative that we were working on Excenture wide and I was representing like the financial services industry track. And, um, it was, uh, you know, in Microsoft and Greg always kind of gravitated towards the emerging technology, um, opportunities. And I've always found and loved the fact that financial services is a frequently a leading industry and embracing, um, emerging technology. Um, and what I began to discover in that, in the role I was in at Accenture was, um, just how broad of a topic artificial intelligence is. Um, really, as we were looking at it, there, we were in compensating, everything from different aspects of automation all through what you'd mentioned, natural language processing earlier through that whole zone, all and done on into machine learning. Um, and these more kind of predictive aspects of the activity. But, but, um, David, can you kind of paint that picture for us of like how you view, um, artificial intelligence today? What, what, what is that as we define it, uh, today?Speaker 3:
Absolutely. And the beautiful and challenging thing about AI is we can all be talking about it and I'll be practically talking about something different and there is no, I don't think there's a singular term and I don't. And I think that that's okay. Um, when we talk about AI and I guess when I talk about it, I think of it as this kind of set of definitions, ultimately it's the ability to, to predict or, or create an action, um, using software technology that's based on data, not predefined rules like we would have done in the past. And the abstract view is it's basically being able to do the things that we only used to think a human could do with technology. I think that's a fair way of putting it and we happen to use a few different mechanisms to get there. Right? There's I would say three general technologies within AI that you would look at. One is the NLP natural language processing space that has to do with text. One has to do with computer vision, which is clearly blowing up these days. Um, both in terms of, you know, facial recognition and things of that store, as well as you look at what's happening with self-driving cars like Tesla. And so on, right. Third category is I just think generally predictive models, right? They can be identifying anomalies, it could be forecasting something that's going to happen in the future, but those are the three buckets that I think about.Speaker 2:
Yeah. Um, that, that makes sense to me. Um, and I like, I, and I, I like to think about AI in that way too. I guess what, what what's left out of that definition, I guess just in the experience I've had, maybe with us for five years is this area of robotics process automation, which I know when I first began to engage with kind of the umbrella artificial intelligence topic, RPA was included. And as I began understanding RPA more, I was like, why is this included talk about artificial intelligence? Because I was fighting with robotic process automation. It was very much okay, we've got a, uh, an application or that can just mimic what humans do on like basically keystrokes or clicking on screens. Um, and so I guess since I, so I guess I can understand, okay.Speaker 3:
I think that it's, it's a great point. And honestly, this is something that I've, I've looked at in various ways throughout my career, looking at kind of AI in that space. So right now the intelligent automation team is on my team too, as well as we've got a corporate data team. And we've got another kind of it automation ops team, and you could easily make a case, well, Oh, those are different categories. But the fact is strategically and foundationally, the goal is to drive business value using this suite of technologies. Right. And along the way, as we apply RPA, whether or not it's UI automation or we're hooking into API APIs, the goal should be to enable us to do more advanced work, to, to unlock the machine learning through improving the data connectivity of systems. Yeah,Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah. That makes total sense to me. Um, and that was how, I guess I was starting to think about it too. I was like, okay. So it kind of like the RPA ended up sort of being the training wheels place to get started. And, but then I could start to see how it was, is vital, particularly at accessing data, drawing data out of some really difficult places where it can be very difficult to get to in a, in a very efficient way to then be put somewhere so that the more addictive, uh, elements can beSpeaker 3:
It's the action piece too, right? When people think RPA it's all action oriented, you're trying to do something. And I think that's often the missing piece for me with AI, as many people just think of it as a model. Well, the model is great, but only until you apply it to a user experience or a business process, can you make something change? It's that action that creates value and improves an experience?Speaker 4:
Sorry, can I interject something real quickly? Well, you mentioned that I taught at another university. I just wanted to say that one of the papers my students write for me is will robots take my job and the, uh, I I'd love to hear, um, just, uh, Dave's comments, maybe yours too quickly on, um, what my students are thinking through. I'm asking them to think through, and that is, will robots take my job? That's the title, but how will their future careers interact with AI and robotics? And I often show them the Atlas videos from, um, Boston dynamics, et cetera. So any comments there about how do you think that's all going to work? You Tommy brought up robotics. So it took me right to my student assignment.Speaker 3:
Oh, it's a great question. And what a wonderful question to ask students. And I would say there's probably a few different answers to it. The shortest answer, the shortest paper you're going to write is yes. Right. That if that's all you got back, you could probably give themSpeaker 4:
That's an a, okay. That's a difference. I think it depends. Yeah.Speaker 3:
The timeline, right? So some jobs are inherently more challenging to replace and many, we don't want to replace them. It is the human connection that I think we need that we're not going to be able to replace anytime soon with AI and think of that as many jobs in the service industry where people appreciate that connection with people, or that require creativity, judgment. You know, some of the things that people would say are the best of humanity. If you also look at it in the near term, there's a lot of jobs that are dull, dangerous, dreary that you could replace with AI or automation. But that doesn't mean that that is the pure intent. I think we should then flip it and say, how can we help enable those people to do find the next job where they can add value? Because surely there are those opportunities. And this is something that I would say many companies struggle with is the change management to people. How do you get them on board to help them realize it's not to be afraid. You don't have to be concerned, but rather let's help them get enabled to make the change and figure out what they can do next with more impact.Speaker 2:
Yeah. And this might be just a moment for us to move into this broader topic around the ethics, um, around artificial intelligence. Uh, cause I think, I guess I agree with you, Dave, there's the answer to the question is yes. In certainly in my lifetime. And so, but, and I think then it's okay if we understand that if we believe collectively that that answer is yes, then there's an ethical responsibility that we have knowing this, or believing it as individuals and as companies and as governments and as schools to start figuring out that type of trend, that those sort of trends that transition that you were mentioning where, you know, what, what does that look like? Where is this appropriate and getting that, um, starting to investigate that and coming up with solutions, um, in really every different iteration we can begin to.Speaker 3:
Absolutely. And it's a tricky one, right? I mean, ethics is something that we all can recognize is important for organizations and people to just think a lot about. And we also can likely recognize that no two groups or no two organizations may completely agree, but that's where I think, especially with some of these technologies, whether you call them emerging advanced technologies, they can and have shown that they can play such an impactful role in people's lives in all of our lives that we have to at least think about it. We have to put together some basic principles just as we would as an organization or a government about, you know, what is proper. And what's not,Speaker 4:
I was curious about just, uh, a definition of ethics, um, at this point, could one of you, or, uh, could we add that definition in their ethics? I think sometimes it's too loosely defined. It'd be nice to have a working definition while we've talked through it. I would agree.Speaker 3:
Um, I'm definitely not, um, an ethicist myself. Um, so I probably can't give the most formal definition, but I, I think it, to me, it comes down to the morals and principles that we agree we ought to live by. Um, and, and, uh, maybe I'll keep it simple, you know, for FIS one, three, the three kind of key pillars that we look at is how can we make a positive difference for our colleagues, communities, and clients. Right. And we keep it that simple. Right. And then when we think about applying AI or any other technology, we can do it through that lens of what, who are those key stakeholders and how can we make sure we're making a positive difference for them in, in a meaningful way?Speaker 2:
Um, right. Exactly. I mean, I agree with that too. Um, and I'm, I'm neither am I an emphasis? However, I am married to an SSS and I'll get her on the phone if we could, uh, yeah. If we could get her right now, she could, uh, really give us an eloquent, uh, answer to that. Um, but I, I, I, so I think it's that, there's the, you know, how there's a responsibility to, um, us as you know, involved in the evolution of this technology to be making sure that it's serving the advancement of us as humans and not, um, and not creating, um, a, a kind of holding us back as humans and as our, in our human evolution, I guess, in a broad stance, a very consciousSpeaker 3:
Sizeable view, right? That's thinking the biggest picture from a humanity humanity standpoint, which I think is the right place to start. And I'll also say that if you approach it at that level from many organizations, they'll think that you're almost imagining a far off future of science fiction and that while I think we should, we also have to translate it into what's a real impact of today. And we're seeing them right with how, whether it's social media companies or advertising or pick, you know, a large organization that is able to use data in a way that influences people, people are starting to recognize that their data is being applied often for good and often for ways people are uncomfortable with. Right. And I think it's the, the times where you don't see, you don't expect what's going to come around the corner, the unexpected ways that the technology can unfold. Um, the dangerous ways that becomes to me, something that we should really think about is leads to have a checkpoint, you know, how could this go wrong in the future?Speaker 2:
Right. Well,Speaker 4:
Let me interject to that. I think from my standpoint, as both a student and as a professor that you have, my definition of ethics is are we appropriately training students to enter into the world of AI and to robotics back to the original point of my question. So, uh, or the paper that my students write ethics, meaning are we actually preparing people to enter into this world appropriately? And that goes back to what you were saying about when robotics, people are seeing their jobs, or maybe filling the threat, how do we teach them to either move into something where they can bring the value of social connectedness, which I think is important for human interactions. We don't want to lose that. Um, it's just, um, I think being conscious and that to me is, um, ethical about how we prepare people to work and with technology. And so that I think is something important just launching students into their careers from the beginning. Do you know what I mean?Speaker 3:
I, I completely agree. And this is where, um, there's the, you know, the Spiderman quote with great power comes great responsibility. I think that's what some of us should now recognize we have. Right. And, and you could also say just because we can do many things, it doesn't always mean we should, and then you can easily start to say, okay, well, there's a couple of factors there that we need to kind of unwrap. One is we need to be able to have some level of explainability in the things that we are creating and putting into the world. So people can ask proper questions because if you can't understand what's going in and how the model is making its decisions, you can easily start to contribute to the unfair or biased treatment of people. And obviously I would say, hopefully, obviously none of us want that. So that's just, you know, keep it simple so that someone can understand it and ask the appropriate and proper questions. Um, so we don't continue to foster biases that may have been in, in the world and in the past that we definitely want to avoid in the future.Speaker 2:
Yeah. I want to push on, that's a great point, explainability, and I want to then bring us back to financial services and specific use cases, um, that, that you think are really important in front of us here in the next, right now in the next couple years. And then to the extent you can share a bit about, um, you know, what your, what, what FIS is working on, that would be great. And so, so I'll start with the explainability point is one that kind of first I started paying attention to in the context of, um, credit underwriting in financial services. So I think many of us see a, a really incredible opportunity to expand, um, access to credit, to more and more humans, not just the wealthy, um, as a result of artificial intelligence. And so that the way that kind of generally works is if we can get more data on individuals than a credit underwriter can understand more about that individual. And then as a result of that, understanding is able to manage their risk, which they need to do appropriately if you're making loans, particularly on secured loans. Um, and so explainability of course becomes important because you need to be able, if you're an underwriter to show your board, to show your executives, to show your regulator, this is how precisely we've made a, um, decision related to lending this new person money. Um, and, um, there's still, I mean, I think there's been great progress in regards to explainability. There's still more to be done in the context of, uh, of credit underwriting, but, um, that's just a comment for me to kind of, you know, if you want to respond to that, but then talk a bit about other use cases you think are really important to be focused on here in the near term.Speaker 3:
Yeah, I would say you're spot on. And that's one of the ones that is hits people from both a what an amazing opportunity view as well as a well, but wait. Right. I think it's fair to ask both questions in there somewhere. I think most of us could agree that AI being applied and, you know, anti money laundering or fraud, like, of course let's get the bad guys, you know, find a way to get the bad actors out of the system. Many people would be comfortable with that. And even if we look at it from a kind of transactional standpoint, how do we enable a more efficient and improved experience with banking, right through chat chatbots, or virtual assistants and even personal financial management, all sorts of really interesting and positive things can be done there. But I would agree with you that that space of credit decisioning for all the right reasons, there's reasonable scrutiny, both because it's interesting because all of a sudden, now you can help the thin file. No file customers get access to credit, but often to do that, you have to think different, like the system has been built around the model that we've been using for a long time. So how can you incorporate a new type of data, a non-traditional piece of data and help someone understand how that contributes to your decision to give them credit. And, Oh, by the way, your point earlier about, you know, you've got all these groups that you need to be able to explain the credit model, too. Of course we do. And the person that we also need to be able to help inform is the person who is making the request, how do you help them understand why they were rejected? And now you can't just say our model said, so you have to be able to find it, I think potentially ethically help them understand how you can get them back on the right track so that they can be approved in the future.Speaker 2:
I love that. And then how about, um, you know, what's, what sort of David Wright kind of generally in front of you right now are the problems that are really exciting? You, um, yeah. You know, I think about FIS global, I mean, certainly one of the largest financial technology providers in the world, um, the, you know, as a result of that tremendous opportunities, tremendous access to data, tremendous resources to bring to bear. I mean, they'll, I mean, there's just no question, like you're in a position to be a real leader in industry-wide, um, on, in the, in the engagement of this technology into financial services.Speaker 3:
Absolutely. And I would agree, and FIS has done a tremendous job for a long time, as well as some of the organizations like Worldpay. You know, that's part of FIS now doing interesting things, not only because they had to, to stay competitive, but because they saw the opportunity. And a lot of the things that my group has focused on have been in that realm of how do we help FIS run more efficiently and how do we help our clients, the, the bank and banking institutions who we work with and help them understand how to get the most value possible out of our products to then service their customers as efficiently as they can. One project that we're working on that's public now, uh, to some extent is the opportunity to work with the FDA on improving the way that they can understand risk in the banking system. And like you said, we have a whole host of data within FIS. And the question is actually kind of comes back to before, what data are we allowed to use? And we're very thoughtful about that, but how can we do it in a meaningful way for the FDA so that they can spot systemic banking, risk, faster using more advanced models and more granular data. And it's something that they've been clear, you know, about publicly that does is what they're looking for. And we're well positioned to solve it both from a data perspective and analytics, and it's not just meaningful for the, see, the thing that I'm most excited about there is how do we help avoid the next black Swan event, the next, you know, potential significant downturn from a COVID like situation or another kind of housing crisis situation by giving those insights, not just to, you know, the, you know, our, our regulators, which is the right thing to do, but all the way down to the bank so that they can spot things faster, the things that they may not have had the tools, the technologies in place to do before, and with this holistic view, we can help make sure that they can find a way to fix that trajectory as fast as possible.Speaker 2:
Yeah, no, that's awesome. Well, Patricia, any ads from you or are kind of even beyond financial services kind of use cases that you know, are really, um, meaningful ones to focus on in the near term?Speaker 4:
Well, I think the thing that I done the most research on it has been dealing with heterogeneous data. Um, I don't know what day, but to think about this because he's a practitioner again, as we talked about where I'm a student, but pulling in information or trying to get information from, um, like EKG, um, and text, and you're dealing then with just, um, what I might call Excel, like data Excel, database data, but he just got, um, the common patient ID and things of that sort. So heterogeneous data would be one place where I can see AI trying to make quick, quick use of large data sets that come from so many various sources. Um, and then I think the other thing that is concerning, because we're always worried about this and healthcare and that, uh, privacy and, um, HIPAA violations or avoiding type of thing. And how, how do we pull information across large and various patient data sets without, um, well, I guess maybe with staying inside a de-identified data, does that do that? How does that register that ring true with anybody's U2 at all?Speaker 3:
Yeah, absolutely. And I would say I was going to touch on what you mentioned regarding the heterogeneous data. Something, when I think of there is how do you combine different data sets that people used to think they never belong together? And partly it was because we didn't have the place to put them right to the database structures. They weren't possible to put them together, but also we didn't have the systems, the compute, the power to actually find the insights, the correlations and the relationships. And if you look in there's, you can easily make many comparisons between healthcare and financial services, but on the healthcare side, how can you look at the unstructured text from a doctor's note, along with all of the biometrics, maybe within labs or the, you know, temperature, blood ox, and all those things along with an MRI. And it is across each of those completely disparate systems that you may then be able to help spot, um, potential cancer or some other looming condition that we never could connect the dots before. And I think that there's the same type of power that we can apply to loan applications, right? We've got the same similar unstructured documents and PDFs that, okay, you start extracting that with computer vision applied some interesting models, normalize the data and boom, you can help someone get on a better path to get credit and improve their finances.Speaker 2:
Yeah. Cool. I want to transition us to talking about recent news FinTech news. That's caught our attention, um, in the last week. Um, David, how about you? Anything caught your attention,Speaker 3:
The big one for me, and I've been trying to better understand it is the, the whole I'll call it the Robin hood side of things with GameStop and, and GameStop has been on a life of its own, just in terms of all of the, the press, the questions, the attention, and what's happening with wall street bets. And I just find it fascinating. It's not an, an AI play per se. I w I do think it will be interesting how different big hedge funds start to discover this a little faster, maybe with natural language processing. But what I found interesting was Robin hood in the attention there in terms of the, um, what the data that they have and that they're potentially giving to hedge funds and others for within the order flow and the questions they're being asked. I think that'll be interesting. What do you think about that?Speaker 2:
Yeah, for sure. Well, I guess I'd say this last couple of weeks with Robin hood, I think it's brought some much needed an important attention on Robin hood, which, you know, some would say has been kind of skating on thin ice for quite some time. Um, you know, they launched whatever three or four years ago, they've acquired a lot of customers may lead gen Z customers, uh, with their zero fee attention. And then the real kind of one problematic, I think, aspect of their business model is there's quite a bit of game of cation technique that they use to encourage trading. Um, and then then additional another problem that had them is what you're bringing up, which is their entire business is focused on what's called payment for order flow. And so, um, there is spread in every single trade and those individuals, any of us that create on Robin hood are two, are certainly being taken advantage of and not getting the most appropriate pricing versus those that trade on. Um, perhaps other other platforms, um, or, you know, I'm saying that as factual, but this is, um, you know, been, is often in discussion, um, in the marketplace when it comes to this payment for order flow business model circumstance. Um, so, and then certainly, um, the, just the game stop mean phenomenon, you know, largely got traded by the wall street bats crowd was largely using Robin hood, um, for their trading there's other platforms, of course, involved you trade and trial.Speaker 3:
And the power of the data, I think comes in here, both the power of the crowd to come together and kind of centralize on the, on the power and the questions that they were asking from the Reddit side. And then the power of the data that Robinhood I think was really probably in a really intelligent way, able to recognize they could create a whole new business model in some ways, using that data to unlock access for a different set of customers that maybe couldn't before with how the system works. So it's interesting, I'm glad people are at least understanding the dynamics of how it's, how it's working.Speaker 4:
Um,Speaker 2:
Patricia, how about you, any neat news caught your eye?Speaker 4:
What about that? Uh, JP Morgan chase launching the digital consumer banking in the UK. Why did you think of that?Speaker 2:
Right? Yeah, that was, um, I thought very interesting. Um, so this is, uh, just UK fo United Kingdom focused. And, uh, you know, if you look at that UK market from a consumer vein standpoint, there's been a real, uh, for years, this isn't a recent phenomenon, but for years, there's, they've really embraced these kind of either web first or digital first plays more recently it's companies like Revolute Monzo, um, in particular that have just been, you know, adding millions of millions of customers. And so I think chase is seeing they are an opportunity. Um, some of you may remember that they had launched a consumer digital play in the United States called Finn F I N N, that they shut down or didn't shut down. They folded it completely into the U S chase digital app. Um, so they kind of had tried a similar play U S focused that wasn't materializing as they did. So they folded into their, just the normal chase mobile app. Um, so I think it'll be neat to see how this, um, kind of chase going to head to head with the revolution Monza place in the UK,Speaker 3:
You have different advantages, right? What can they bring to bear that maybe the competition couldn't, and in the same way, they're going to have different struggles. Um, this is new for them in some ways. Sure. They've got some of the things that they've done with fin, but it's a different market, different expectations, and how can they adapt in that way will be really telling and in the same way, how do they pull back the insights that they pick up through this? We'll call it a test. I'm sure it's more than that, but what they learned from applying this in the UK, there's probably a lot that they can do with similar audiences here in the U SSpeaker 2:
Yeah. Um, and then the last news story, I guess I hit on is this ant financial, um, news that they're now going to be, they're essentially being forced to restructure as a holding company. Um, and that's by the Chinese government because the Chinese government really, I think, has concern. They want more, they want to have better insights, more direct access to, I think, data up. They're not saying that directly, but I think that is an intention. And, um, I think that's an important, um, development for us, I guess, as global citizens, but then certainly in the U S to continue to keep, uh, some focus on. And there was a really interesting 60 minutes, um, CBS, 60 minutes over the weekend where they were digging deep into China's kind of broad statements about, we want to be the global leaders when it comes to, um, data accumulation, consumer data cumulation, and, you know, leading with artificial intelligence. And that, that story was 60 minutes was very focused on bio bio. I don't know I'm using the right term, but it's like the biological bio-related data. Um, and how China is. There's a lot of different mechanisms they're taking to try to just obtain massive, massive, massive, massive data sets, um, related to, um, every individual on the planet. Um, hoping to then I guess, create products, data products, where they would approach any of us and be like, Hey, would you like, you know, pay for X and we can help predict better what your health outcomes are going to be in the next five years. I don't know, but it was really,Speaker 3:
That makes sense. Right. And you think about it from a national perspective for advancing AI, right? A key has to be how do you access as much data as possible? And if that is a move with ant that allows them to get that access that puts it, you know, put someone at an advantage and then you could easily ask for any company, organization, whatever you are, is that proper? Well, the question to me is how do they use it and think of the good that they could do to use. And you talked about how they could apply with health, same thing with COVID. How could they have some of those insights with purchasing behavior banking data as a way to help reduce the spread of COVID. That could be pretty powerful. And I think some groups have proven that there are trails, breadcrumbs, whatever you want to call them that could help us figure some of those things out.Speaker 2:
Well, it also takes us back to the slippery slope of ethics too. So, um, I'll, I'll just leave with that. Yeah, no, absolutely. Well, I'm going to wrap there, David Patricia cannot. Thank you enough for being part of this conversation today. Thank you to FIS global as a investor, a founding investor in the Georgia FinTech Academy, um, really deeply valued that relationship, that partnership, and greatly appreciate it. Uh, and you're, you're both welcome back any time. And, uh, thanks for your engagement with the Georgia FinTech.Speaker 1:
The Georgia FinTech Academy podcasts are available on iTunes and Spotify to obtain additional information about the Georgia FinTech Academy. Please visit our email@example.com.


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[Photos: McDonald's / Flickr]
· McDonald's London 2012 Olympic Summer Games [McDonald's / Flickr]
Here's a look at the World's Largest McDonald's, soon to open for the Olympics in London. Open for a mere six weeks, the restaurant will employ over 2,000 people who plan to serve over 50,000 Big Macs and 180,000 servings of french fries. The space seats 1,500 people at a time.
And don't you worry, soon-to-be-former World's Largest McDonald's in Orlando, Florida — you can have your title back when the London restaurant closes after the games are over. Above, architect's renderings of the gigantic space.
· McDonald's London 2012 Olympic Summer Games [McDonald's / Flickr]
· World's Biggest McDonald's With 1,500 Seats [Daily Mail via LimeLife]
· All McDonald's Coverage on Eater [-E-]

subset: commoncrawl


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Kellogg Community College Dental Hygiene student Brittney Barnett is spearheading an Operation Christmas Child donation drive on campus and is seeking donations and volunteers to help bring gift-filled shoeboxes to kids in need.
Items particularly sought for donation include hygiene items and toys. Click here for a list of acceptable donations.
Items can be dropped off in any of the red Operation Christmas Child donation boxes on KCC's North Avenue campus.
Barnett said her family has participated in Operation Christmas Child for five years; this year's goal is to fill and ship at least 100 shoeboxes.
"I wanted to take a project where I could get KCC and the community to come together and support people in need," Barnett said. "This project will not only impact our community, but over 100 countries as children receive these shoeboxes."
Barnett is also seeking volunteers to help pack the shoeboxes with donation for shipping during a Packing Party at any time between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, on campus. Barnett estimates up to 30 volunteers will be needed to pack boxes and to help set up and take down the event.
Lunch will be provided for volunteers.
For more information or to sign up to volunteer for the Oct. 27 Packing Party, contact Barnett at 269-245-9341 or email@example.com.
Photo by Bailey Scott.


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Hinkley Point C's Welsh connection
Hinkley Point C is a nuclear power station which is currently under construction in Somerset – around 14 miles from the coast of South Wales. Hinkley Point C's reliable nuclear power, alongside renewables such as wind and solar, will be key in helping Britain reach the target of net zero carbon emissions. It will provide 7% of the UK's electricity demand, or enough power for 6 million homes.
Welsh industry and people are playing a key role in building the new power station. More than 200 Welsh companies have won contracts on the project, including a £100 million contract with Express Reinforcements in Neath to supply 200,000 tonnes of Welsh steel. Major suppliers are also in Bridgend, Newport and Cardiff and 1,000 of our workers live in Wales.
Wales, its people and businesses are key partners in Hinkley Point C
Over the course of the construction phase we project that:
£700 million will be spent in the Welsh supply chain
3,500 jobs will be created across Wales
Kieron Salter
Kieron Salter is a 21-year-old nuclear engineering degree apprentice from Llangefni, Anglesey.
When Horizon suspended its Wylfa Newydd new nuclear project in 2019, EDF offered places to Kieron and 20 other Wylfa Newydd apprentices to continue their studies at Hinkley Point C.
Kieron is now gaining valuable industry experience on one of Europe's largest nuclear development projects, and he's playing a vital role in supporting the future skills needed to help Britain reach net zero.
William Hare
William Hare, based in Risca, South Wales, will be delivering the steel work for the main control room, the turbine halls and the secondary steel work - a contract value that is in excess of £100 million.
When it came to deciding where to develop its new factory, William Hare looked across Europe and the UK. As discussions with Hinkley Point C developed, the company decided that Wales would be the right location for such an investment, which currently stands at around £10 million into the area.
The company is looking to invest even further into the local community by employing more apprentices and full time staff at the Risca facility. With around 60 people already working on the shop floor, William Hare is hoping to almost double that figure.
Vessco Engineering
Based in Bridgend, South Wales, Vessco Engineering was founded to support local industry and specialises in the manufacture of pressure vessels and process equipment.
With contracts totalling approximately £15 million, Vessco will produce pressure vessels and other parts for Hinkley Point C at its factory in Bridgend. The components are the largest and most complex items produced in the area for many decades. In turn, Vessco is supporting other South Wales based businesses with orders to support its work on Hinkley Point C.
The company has employed additional apprentices to fulfil its Hinkley Point C contracts and additional training is helping the workforce gain new hi-tech industrial skills.
Contact us
The best way to contact us about Hinkley Point C is by completing our online enquiry form. You can also call us on 0333 009 7070 (24 hour free phone number).
For EDF's 24/7 media enquiry line call 01452 652233.


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Good Bubble Bubble Bath with Cloudberry Extract, 400ml
- Suitable for newborns and upwards
- Dermatologically and opthalmalogist tested
- Free from sulphates, parabens, silicone, PEG, phthalates and artificial colour
- Vegan friendly
- Tear-free
Super Bubbly Bubble Bath with Cloudberry Extract 400ml
Suitable for newborns and upwards, this award-winning, free-from formulation is made with real Cloudberry extract and at least 98% naturally derived ingredients to help maintain the skin's natural moisture.
Dermatologically and opthalmalogist tested for a kind-to-skin and tear-free bath time. No nasties. Completely and utterly free-from sulphates, parabens, silicone, PEG, phthalates and artificial colour. With an allergen-free fragrance.Vegan friendly and accredited by Cruelty Free International. Never ever tested on animals. Made in the UK.
Ingredients: Aqua, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Citric Acid, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Glycerin, Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Fruit Extract, Sorbitan Sesquicaprylate, Parfum, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate.
Directions: For a bubbly bath, add a dollop to warm running water and swish your hand around in the bath.


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Live the legend of one of the most emblematic luxury real estate projects in Mauritius
Legend Hill
Project extras
180° view of the Morne and lagoon | Gourmet restaurant | Pool club with a lounge | "Salin de Biosel" Spa | Concierge
All the properties of Legend Hill are sold.
52 outstanding properties – private villas, apartments and penthouses – are to open in the heart of an exceptional natural site on the slope of the mountain. Legend Hill will provide each of its future owners with infinitely beautiful views of the ocean and the Morne mountains. Legend Hill is first and foremost a unique, almost magical place. This exceptional real‑estate project entails equally exceptional services.
Range of restaurants: a gourmet restaurant, Le 1812,it is a starred French chef who personally crafted the menu, and The B-View, chill & food, a casual restaurant designed in the spirit of a beach club. A cocktail bar, The Santosha, completes the offer.
Health commodities: a "Salin de Biosel" spa, a fitness centre and a pilates/yoga room. Club house, kids' corner and concierge. PDS‑certified, full‑ownership investment.
Exceptional investment and taxation: single income tax bracket (15%), no real‑estate wealth tax, no social security contribution, no housing tax, rental income not taxable in France. Contact our rental management department for any requests.
I would like to download the project brochure.
Guide investisseur
I would like to download the free
Legend Hill
Investor Guide.
The advantages of the Mauritius range
Exceptional taxation | Rental management service | Mauritian residence permit | Concierge
Contact us
For information, simulations, advice or a customised appointment,
contact us at +33 5 59 03 13 00.


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Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year 2014
"Well written, funny and wistful" - Paul Linford; "He is indeed the Lib Dem blogfather" - Stephen Tall
"Jonathan Calder holds his end up well in the competitive world of the blogosphere" - New Statesman
"A prominent Liberal Democrat blogger" - BBC Radio 4 Today; "One of my favourite blogs" - Stumbling
and Mumbling; "Charming and younger than I expected" - Wartime Housewife
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Jeremy Thorpe's first wedding
Another newsreel from British Pathe, showing the Liberal Party leader's marriage to Caroline Allpass in May 1968.
Caroline Allpass was to die in a car crash two years later. Jeremy Thorpe later married Marion Stein, the former Countess of Harewood.
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text: Due to the very limited amount of seats in the restaurant, we kindly ask that you limit your time in the restaurant to 1:30 for party of 2 and 2 hours for party of 3-4 on our busy nights. thank you so much! Brunch! Cocktail List & Liquor Book Dinner Desserts Beer & Wine Happy Hour


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City of Bones; Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch Book 8)
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.
Condition: New
When the bones of a boy are found scattered in the Hollywood Hills, Harry Bosch is drawn into a case that brings up dark memories from his past.
Unearthing hidden stories, he finds the child's identity and reconstructs his fractured life, determined that he won't be forgotten. At the same time, a new love affair with a female cop begins to blossom - until a stunningly blown mission leaves him in more trouble than ever before. The investigation races to a shocking conclusion and leaves Bosch on the brink of an unimaginable decision...
We Also Recommend
A Brief Guide to Philosophical Classics, From Plato to Winnie the Pooh; James M. Russell
Regular price €5,00 €5,00


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SEGA: Nesoberi Lay-Down Plush: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Kanao Tsuyuri
Show off your love of Demon Slayer with this soft, cute Kanao Tsuyuri plush! The plush is measuring 12 inches long!
Product Features
- 11.8" x 7.8" x 6.7" (W30×D20×H17cm)
- Made of polyester plush
- Based on Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Box Contents
- Kanao Tsuyuri (Normal) or Kanao Tsuyuri (Smile) plush
Payment & Security
Your payment information is processed securely. We do not store credit card details nor have access to your credit card information.


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FA hints at U-turn over Capello as England prepare to discover Euro 2012 opponents
ENGLAND chiefs have paved the way for a spectacular U-turn over manager Fabio Capello after admitting he could stay on beyond next summer's European Championships.
The backtracking comes as England today prepare to discover who they will face at Euro 2012, when the draw is made in Kiev this afternoon.
Both the Football Association and Capello (inset) previously stated the tournament would bring down the curtain on the Italian's mixed spell in charge of the national team.
But uncertainty over the future of Harry Redknapp, the overwhelming favourite to succeed Capello, and a dearth of other suitable English candidates, which is the FA's preference, has caused a softening of their stance.
"Let's worry about that when it happens," said Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA's director of football development. "Fabio's contract ends in the summer and the mindset is for change, but you never say never."
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is the outstanding home-grown candidate but faces a January trial over accusations of tax avoidance. The outcome could determine whether he gets the England job. Aside from Redknapp, who steered Spurs into the Champions League for the first time, there is a chronic shortage of successful English bosses.
The FA will be wary of appointing an up-and-coming manager following the disastrous tenure of Capello's predecessor, Steve McClaren, who failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
"If we could get someone home-grown it would send out the right message," Brooking added.
"But we don't want to lock it in. How many candidates are there? I am sure Harry Redknapp would be high in the betting but we will look at it on merit at the time. When it comes to the end of the season it will be clearer."
Top seeds: Poland, Ukraine, Spain, Holland
Second seeds: Germany, Italy, ENGLAND, Russia
Third seeds: Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Sweden,
Fourth seeds: Denmark, France, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland
(One team will be drawn from each pot)


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San Diego State University Operations And Supply Chain Management Assignment Help - Series
Question - Hudson Marine has been an authorized dealer for C&D marine radios for the past seven years. The
number of radios sold each year is shown.
a. Graph this time series. Does a linear trend appear?
b. Develop the equation for the linear trend component for the time series.
c. Use the linear trend developed in part (b) to prepare a forecast for sales in year8.
Solution Preview - No Solution Preview Available


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
The Marshalltown Skatepark is located at 901 South 6th Street, between MEGA 10 Park and South 6th Street Softball Complex and is a very popular spot for skateboarders and bikers. The park covers a large area and has many different elements (half pipe, quarter pipe and grind rails) to challenge the most skilled. Park hours are 6 AM to 11 PM.
The most recent addition to this area have been memorial benches and a graffiti wall.
Users assume the risk and danger inherent in using this park. The City of Marshalltown is not responsible for accidents or payments of any claims. Small children are to be supervised by an adult.


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Chai Tea
Images taken in the City of Joy, Calcutta.
Chai lattes have recently gained prominence in every menu across your local cafes and is far from an unknown entity. I am sure you look forward to a pipping hot cup of chai every time you visit a cafe. However, a masala chai, (to sound more authentic) is a drink sold on every street corner that breaks all barriers of class. But for me, the word chai paints a different picture. One that of chaiwallahs methodologically pouring chai back and forth with precision between metal teapots. The scent of cardamom and saffron conjures images of aunties gathered around ready to spill the tea, uncles reading the newspaper twirling a cigarette in one hand and nursing a cup of tea with another. Debates, Poetry, discussions: a cup of chai has seen it all. It is these memories that string together the city's history of revolutionary ideas, the freedom of a conversation and the love for a simple cup of tea and samosa.
Oh and guess what? The other beloved drink – turmeric latte was something I grew up drinking when I was unwell. The cure for everything in Indian households is turmeric and there is nothing revolutionary about that.


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What about all in one SEO software?
Are you facing issues while doing search engine optimization to your website? Or are you getting paid SEO services to rank your site high on SERP? If your answer to both of these questions is yes then cheer up I have come up here with the best solution. SEMRush is an all in one SEO software that is a perfect solution to all your SEO issues.
What does SEMRush offer?
As I have mentioned earlier it is a complete package for your all SEO needs. It can help you to get a high search engine ranking right from the scratch with its amazing tools. SEMRush offers you the following services.
- Keyword research
- Writing Assistant
- Website SEO audit
- Marketing insights
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Apart from these services, it also helps you in many ways for content marketing as well as website keyword ranking.
Why SEMRush is the best SEO software?
Firstly, I would declare it the best all in one software because of my personal experiences. I have used SEMRush and have achieved what I was looking for. Moreover, there are also many satisfied giants and corporate users across the world who are enjoying the great benefits of it.
On the other hand, it also teaches you how to use it effectively. Once you sign up for it you will get an ebook guide. While you can also avail the opportunity to join the SEMRush Academy for video tutorials. The other reason I will mark SEMRush the best tool that you can use it to provide internet marketing services as well as local SEO solution. So, either you want to rank your own site, or want to provide SEO services to others, use this software with full confidence.
Is SEMRush free to use or I will have to buy?
Well, for the first 7 days after signing up, you can use this software for free as a trial. However, after that, you will have to go for its paid subscription. If you want to buy then click here.


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This feature aims to highlight and acknowledge outstanding individuals who never stop pushing in pursuing their fitness goals. It is a tribute to all weightlifters, athletes and fitness enthusiasts who share the same struggles and obstacles, conquering fears and most of all celebrating victories. We are all in this together.
Wanna Be the Lifter of the Week? - CLICK HERE
Q & A with ANTHONY
a. Where are you from?
New Jersey
b. Instagram name
c. What motivates you to train?
I strive to get 1% better every day.
d. What's your greatest success in bodybuilding?
Deadlifting over 500lbs after breaking my back playing college football.
e. What music do you listen to when training?
House, Rap, Metal
f. Who is your bodybuilding inspiration?
g. What are your dreams and or what excites you?
I hope to maximize my potential in everything I do.
h. Do you have any shout outs or people you'd like to thank?
Thanks to my boys for keeping me accountable and pushing me to do better. You know who you are


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ICRC Executive Management Team
Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission
ICRC Executive Management Team
J.A. Michael Ohiani is the current Director-General of the ICRC. Before then, he was the Acting Director General from November 2020 to July 2022. From June 2015 - July 2022, he was the Director of the PPP Resource Department where he was responsible for catalyzing Public and Private expertise and resources towards the structuring and development of Federal PPP Projects that are bankable and yield value-for-money for Nigerians. The P3RD has within it a Knowledge Centre and PPP Project Delivery Units.
He studied law as his first and second degrees from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Edo State University Ekpoma, respectively. From 2015 – 2016, he was the Director of the Contract Compliance Department. Between 2009 – 2015, he headed the Legal and Governance Unit of the Commission which provides informed legal advice and opinions on an on-going basis to various departments and units and also serves as the secretariat to the Governing Board.
Mr. Ohiani has over thirty years post-graduate experience. Until he joined ICRC, he was the Team Leader, Executive Unit at the Debt Management Office where he had various responsibilities including participation in bilateral negotiations and managing the projects for DFID support programmes.
Mal. Mohammed Aliyu Bamalli is currently the Director of Transportation Department, a position he was appointed to in February 2023 after serving as a Director in the DG's Office. As Director Transportation, he oversees projects in railway, aviation, roads and bridges sub-sectors. Before serving in the DG's Office, he was the Director, Contract Compliance Department from 2016 - 2019.
Between 2015 – June 2016, Bamalli served as Director, Support Services Department of the ICRC. Before then, he was a key pioneer staff who helped in setting up and building the Commission from scratch as the Head of Human Resources and Administration from 2009 – 2015.
Before joining ICRC, he worked with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission where he gained extensive experience in structural and organizational effectiveness first as Head of Human Resources and briefly as Head of External Cooperation Unit (donor relations). He started his public service career with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) in 2000 as an Enterprise Officer and later became the Team Leader of the Aviation Unit of the BPE and the Secretary of the Aviation Sector Reform Implementation Committee of the National Council of Privatization.
Mal. Bamalli obtained his first degree in International Studies from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria; a certificate in Investment Appraisal & Risk Analysis from Queens University Kingston Ontario, Canada. He is also an Accredited Counter Fraud and Counter Corruption Specialist (international) from the Counter Fraud Professional Accreditation Board & University of Portsmouth.
Mr. Dada Hammed Togunde is currently the Director of Internal Audit having joined the Commission in 2009 as the Head of Internal Audit. His responsibilities as a Director are to provide assurance and consulting services to the Commission in the areas of risk management, control and governance. Other responsibilities include drawing up annual internal audit plans, auditing the payroll, carrying out both pre and post-payment audits in line with approved financial regulations, among many others.
Dada Hammed was admitted member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) of United Kingdom in 2015; became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) in 2010 and has been an Associate member (ACTI) of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) since 2001.
Before joining the Commission, Mr. Togunde worked as an Audit consultant for the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), headed the Audit unit at the Nigerian Mobile Telecommunications Ltd and was an Operations Manager at Equitorial Trust Bank Limited.
He holds Higher National Diploma in Accountancy from the Polytechnic of Ibadan, and an MBA from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Dr. Emmanuel Oforkanji Onwodi is currently the Director of the Planning & Research Department (PRD), where his immediate responsibilities include administration and control of planning, research and evaluation performance reporting activities in the Commission. Prior to his appointed as Director of PRD in 2023, he was the Director of the Transportation Department where he oversaw projects in ports, railways, aviation, roads and bridges sub-sectors. Other sub-sectors include marine, defense, security, interior and the top ten priority PPP projects of the Commission.
Onwodi joined the ICRC in 2010 as Head of Finance and Accounts after which he headed the Special Projects Unit (SPU) where his responsibilities among others included planning and implementation of capacity building for staff of the ministries, department, and agencies (MDAs). This helped him build immense capacity as a trainer and an eloquent public speaker.
Cumulatively, Dr. Onwodi has both public and private sector working experience spanning over twenty years in the fields of accounting, auditing, financial modeling, forensics, credit analysis and management. Other major fields include Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), freight forwarding, mortgage banking, Islamic finance, shipping, logistics, and supply chain.
Onwodi bagged his B.A (Hons) in International Accounting from Northampton University – UK, a Post Graduate Professional Diploma in Accounting from the Institute of Accounting Technicians – Canada and M.Sc. in Risk Management from the Birmingham City University, UK.
He had his Doctorate degree in PPP Risk Management with emphasis on contingent liability risk for the public sector at the Selinus Business School Italy.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, a Chartered Forensic Accountant – Canada, a Chartered Management Consultant – Canada, a Chartered Financial Consultant – USA/Canada and Member, Chartered Management Institute (MCIM) – London.
Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh is currently the Director of Public Private Partnership Resource Department where he is responsible for catalyzing Public and Private expertise and resources towards the structuring and development of Federal PPP Projects that are bankable and yield value-for-money for Nigerians. The P3RD has within it a Knowledge Centre and PPP Project Delivery Units. Prior to this posting, he was the Director, Contract Compliance Department.
Ewalefoh joined ICRC in 2010 as the pioneer Head, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Unit. As the Head of ICT, he set up and deployed all the critical ICT infrastructure and services of the Commission.
Prior to joining the ICRC, he was a consultant with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under the European Union funded technical assistance project (NGAS08) for Anti-Corruption in Nigeria, that involved support for to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Judiciary on a Nationwide ICT Infrastructure Deployment to support the anti-corruption program using technology.
He started his working career at the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) the Federal Government agency responsible for reform of Public Enterprises and Privatization in Nigeria.
Dr. Ewalefoh has a PhD in Development Studies from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and multiple Master Degrees in Economics (MSc) from Enugu State University, Management Information Technology (MIT) from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Public Administration (MPA) from University of Abuja, Business Administration (MBA) from University of Abuja and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSc) from the University of Benin.
Dr. Evelyn Alaye-Ogan is currently the Director, Support Services Department where her immediate responsibilities include providing leadership and coordinating the activities of the various units in the directorate including Finance & Accounts; Human Resources and Administration; and Information & Communications Technology (ICT).
She joined the ICRC in 2011 where she headed the Project Finance Section of the World Bank-funded Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Project housed in the ICRC till the year 2014 when the project was moved to the Federal Ministry of Finance (FMF). She was seconded to the FMF where she continued to head the Project Finance Section of the Project until she returned to the Commission in 2019.
Before joining the ICRC, Dr. Alaye-Ogan had worked for about 15 years in national and international projects in the areas of community education, microfinance, agriculture, and HIV/AIDS. These various projects were funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United States Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the UK Department for International Development (DFID).
She holds two Ph.Ds: in Gender Development Studies from Universidad Empresarial De Costa Rica - Costa Rica and in Development Economics from St. Clements University in British West Indies; an M.Sc. in Procurement, Logistics, and Supply Chain Management from University of Salford, Manchester - UK; an MBA in Banking and Finance from Enugu State University of Technology, and a B.Sc. in Business Administration from the University of Benin - Nigeria.
Dr. Alaye-Ogan is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN).
Mr. Odili Onu, FNIQS is currently the Director, Revenue, Investment and Project Finance Department and responsible for adequate utilization of generated funds resulting from PPP contracts that will among other things be used as Project Development and Monitoring Fund, Viability Gap / Annuity Funds that will assist in the delivery of bankable and viable PPP projects.
Mr. Onu joined the ICRC in 2011. He was Head, Energy and Urban Infrastructure between 2012- 2015 and Head , Social Infrastructure between 2015 -2019. He has both private and public working experience of more than twenty-two years in Construction Cost /Project Management Consultancy and Banking.
Prior to joining the ICRC, he was the Group Head, Projects, FCMB Plc, Lagos and Head Projects, Fidelity Bank Plc, Lagos. He equally worked and qualified as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with a firm of Construction Cost and Project Management Consultants- Davis Langdon, London where he worked on various construction projects covering office developments, the British Library, Shopping Centres, Hospitals, etc.
He holds a B.Sc Degree in Quantity Surveying (Greenwich University, London), a Masters Degree in Finance and Investment (Southbank University, London), Fellow, Nigerian Institution of Quantity Surveyors (FNIQS) and Chartered Member (MRICS), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), London.
Dr. Felix Ogbera is currently the Director of Contract Compliance Department, having been appointed in February 2023. He oversees the Monitoring and Compliance of all Concessions Agreements in various sectors of the economy including Energy, Ports (wet and dry), Agriculture, Aviation, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Health, Financial Services, Telecommunications, Manufacturing and Railways. He also oversees the development of Policy and Regulations to guide the effective and efficient implementation of PPPs in Nigeria. Before this posting, he was directing affairs in the Planning & Research Department (PRD).
Dr. Ogbera joined the ICRC in 2012 as a Senior Project Manager in the PPP Resource Department and was later moved to Head the Policy and Regulation unit of the Contract Compliance Department, a position he occupied for several years before he was deployed to the Department of Revenue, Investment and Project Finance in 2020.
Prior to joining the ICRC, Dr. Ogbera was Special Assistant to the Honourable Minister of State for Finance from 2007 to 2010, Associate Director/Head of Research at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) from 2002 to 2007, Head of Strategic Research and Planning at Union Bank of Nigeria Plc. from 1992 – 2002 and lecturer at the Department of Sociology, University of Lagos from 1986 - 1992.
Ogbera obtained his first degree in Sociology from the University of Lagos in 1985, his M.Sc. (1987) and Ph.D. (2000) degrees from the same institution with specialization in development studies. He had extensive training on macroeconomic and trade policy at Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA in 2003 and has attended several PPP and Development courses/seminars/workshops locally and internationally including a professional Foundation Certification in PPP (CP3P). He has written many PPP and infrastructure related articles, some of which have been published in peer review journals.


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We dubbed this set Glacier as you can't help but be reminded of a frosty environment. Glacier starts with an opal tip and transitions to a deep arctic blue with hints of northern lights-like iridescent fills.
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Shape: Stiletto
Length: Medium
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The X-Change_mono collection is designed for the basic needs of a bathroom. The final result is a collection of taps for washbasins, bidet, shower and bath that combines practicality and elegance.
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Rhubarb Plum Crumble Pie
Do we have time for one more pie? Thanksgiving is early enough in Canada that I can often squeak by with the last of the stone fruits, and often plums, which make a mighty fine (yet mostly overlooked) pie. They get along well with apples and berries and of course rhubarb, and so when we had an impromptu pie party on a recent Sunday morning (I invited some pals over for coffee and pie), I rummaged through the fridge and came up with this combo. It was a winner. I am a huge fan of sweet-tart fruit pies, still warm enough that the ice cream or whipped cream creates rivulets of melted cream finding their way through the nooks and crannies of fruit, landing in pools on the plate. These two – they really get along. And if you have some plums in your fridge that are starting to go squidgy, you won't be able to tell at all once they're cooked. And if youContinue reading


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Pole, fastest race lap and well-deserved victory for Felipe Massa, but a messy overall performance by the Ferrari team. The Brazilian, now 6 points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton, was lucky to escape a post-race stewards' investigation with only a €10,000 fine, after his crew released him from a pitstop into the path of Adrian Sutil's Force India. The operation of the sister car, meanwhile, was a disaster; not only another weak showing by Kimi Raikkonen, but - after Massa's Budapest failure - another blown V8 engine. Before that, the reigning world champion dropped the clutch before his crew had finished refuelling and before he was shown a green light, and his rear wheel struck mechanic Pietro Timpini, who despite a trip to hospital only has a fractured foot.
Despite finishing second to Massa, Hamilton - revealing he has struggled with the 'flu, fever and severe neck spasms all weekend and nearly didn't race at all - actually extended his overall championship lead from 5 points (to Raikkonen before the race) to 6 points (to Massa after the race) at Valencia. "We opted fairly early on to take the championship-strategic option of settling for second place," team boss Ron Dennis said. Over 30 seconds behind the primary MP4-23, Heikki Kovalainen finished fourth, ensuring that - with Raikkonen's failure to finish - McLaren actually also clawed back 3 points to Ferrari's narrowing lead in the constructors' championship.
Half a minute behind Hamilton, Robert Kubica secured the final podium spot, his fifth this season, surviving a fright when a plastic bag got trapped under the car, robbing him of steering at one point. Nick Heidfeld started eighth but dropped back a position and didn't score points. "This was one of the worst races ever for me," said the German, who struggled for pace. "His pace was simply too slow," technical boss Willy Rampf said.
Along with Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel, Jarno Trulli was among the stars of the Valencia weekend, finishing fifth from seventh on the grid on Sunday. "This shows how good we are getting and how nice it is to race with a competitive car every weekend," he said. From 13th on the grid and with a heavy cold, Timo Glock climbed to P7 at the flag courtesy of an excellent start and a one-stop strategy. A further testimony to the reigning GP2 champion's input is the fact that, following his struggles on Friday, Trulli only began to resurrect his form after adopting the wholesale setup of Glock's car.
Toro Rosso-Ferrari
Vettel capped his excellent form throughout the Valencia weekend with a thoroughly-deserved three points for sixth place, although he was lucky to survive the first lap including a knock against Raikkonen's Ferrari. Albeit nearly 40 seconds further behind, Sebastien Bourdais - who for a long time carried front wing damage after a clash with Heidfeld - completed Toro Rosso's impressive weekend with P10.
More than a minute behind the winner, Nico Rosberg secured the final championship point on offer at Valencia -- the team's first since Silverstone. "It shows we are getting back on track," he said. Kazuki Nakajima was just 15th, however, after nearly stalling on the grid and then incurring the wrath of the local crowd by hitting the popular Spaniard Fernando Alonso. "There was a bit of a battle going on in front and I couldn't avoid him," said the Japanese, who had to pit for a new nose while Alonso retired with rear damage.
To the despair of his local supporters, crowd favourite Alonso retired from the second of his two home races this year after Williams' Nakajima crashed into the rear of his Renault. Nelson Piquet carried damage to the front of the sister R28 to 11th place. "It's a weekend to forget," said boss Flavio Briatore.
Red Bull-Renault
Beaten comprehensively by the 'junior' team Toro Rosso this weekend, boss Christian Horner admitted Valencia has been "disastrous" for Red Bull. "We've got a lot of analysis to do," said Mark Webber, who finished P12. David Coulthard, dead last at the chequer, was hit from behind at the start and later collided with a Force India as he tried to recover. "Sorry to them for that," he said after nursing his damaged RB4 home.
Amid perhaps the worst weekend performance of his long career, Honda opted to pull Rubens Barrichello's car out of parc ferme overnight - thus requiring him to start from pitlane - and change all his braking components. He finished 16th of the 17 runners at the chequer. Jenson Button has fared better all weekend but was nonetheless still lapped.
Force India-Ferrari
An eventful but fruitless race for Sutil, who as well as being involved in the Massa pitlane incident, then exited the race by crashing into the barriers. "Adrian was honest enough to admit he made a mistake," said technical boss Mike Gascoyne. Giancarlo Fisichella crossed the chequer 14th of the 17 finishers. "Our pace was good, it wasn't far off the others," he said.
Valencia Grand Prix qualifying
Felipe Massa followed up his strong-but-doomed performance at Hungary with three dominant qualifying runs Saturday, prompting McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton to say the Brazilian's first-sector times 'destroyed' the rest of the field. Finishing a full two-tenths ahead of the young Briton, Massa's 1:38.989 pole run also put him four tenths ahead of third-place Robert Kubica in the BMW Sauber. Massa's teammate and reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonnen continued his off-pace streak with a disappointing run to fourth in the final round of qualifying, about half a second behind the other Ferrari.
His Budapest engine glitch aside, Felipe Massa is riding the crest of form as he took pole at Valencia from championship leader Lewis Hamilton -- who admitted the Brazilian "destroyed" all comers in the first sector of the lap. Kimi Raikkonen's recent struggle continues in Spain, with poor practice and early qualifying pace, and an ultimate Q3 lap half a second off Massa's pole. "Fourth place is not what I was looking for," the Finn confirmed.
McLaren's has not looked the quickest car all weekend at Valencia so far, and Hamilton indeed failed to match Massa's pace throughout the three qualifying segments. A couple of tenths off the Briton's pace is the occupant of the sister MP4-23, Heikki Kovalainen, so his much slower run in Q3 suggests McLaren is covering the bases by filling the Finn's car with more fuel. "Our strategy should help us to gain positions during the race," said Kovalainen, fifth.
Following the Budapest slump, Robert Kubica resurrected BMW-Sauber's fortunes on Saturday by going quickest in morning practice and then qualifying a highly-competitive third. "There is still a small gap to Ferrari and McLaren," said the Pole, even though his qualifying was clearly and consistently ahead of one rival from each of the two top teams mentioned. Teammate Nick Heidfeld was quicker than Kubica in Q2, before slumping to just P8 in Q3, indicating a likely heavier fuel load. He was also scathing of Timo Glock and Toyota, but - despite a stewards investigation - his countryman escaped penalty for a blocking incident in Q1. "Our team informs us on the radio how many seconds behind us a fast car is, and when we have to let somebody overtake. Apparently this isn't the case in every team," said Heidfeld, who had displayed his middle-finger to Glock on track.
Toro Rosso-Ferrari
Without any doubt, Valencia is proving the highlight of Toro Rosso's F1 career so far, and Sebastian Vettel has been outstanding; P1 on Friday morning, the fastest man of all in the low-fuel initial qualifying phases, and ultimately an excellent P6 on the grid. "We didn't expect to do this well here," beamed the German, who finally beats his previous best qualifying effort of seventh, when he made his debut in Kubica's BMW-Sauber shoes at Indy last year. Teammate Sebastien Bourdais' P10, his first taste of Q3, completes STR's best qualifying achievement since the team's debut in 2006.
After a difficult Friday, Saturday was a fascinating day for Jarno Trulli, who sat out the entire morning with a problem. Qualifying, therefore, was his first chance to try an all-new car setup -- and it worked to perfection. Along with Vettel, the Italian was the star of qualifying, showing incredible pace in Q1 and Q2 and ultimately securing P7. Timo Glock, suffering with a cold this weekend, lines up P13.
The FW30s had a mighty morning with the second and fourth fastest times, but Kazuki Nakajima couldn't make the Q3 cut, even though P11 is a personal best for the Japanese. Nico Rosberg did get through Q2, however, and he lines up P9 on the grid. "It's been a few races since we managed to get into the top ten, so this is a good result for us," he said.
Disappointed home hero Fernando Alonso looked good on Friday but he didn't feature strongly on day two at Valencia, as both he and teammate Nelson Piquet failed to make the Q3 cut.
Red Bull-Renault
Behind both of the so-called 'junior' Toro Rosso cars, which are propelled by more powerful Ferrari engines, Mark Webber and David Coulthard are very much amid the bottom half of the grid. "We don't seem to have the pace we had a few races ago, which is quite frustrating," said Webber.
Rubens Barrichello is having a shocker; disastrously slow in every session, and only saved the ignominy of being dead last on the grid by Force India's Adrian Sutil. Jenson Button also dropped out with the Q1 stragglers, but he was at least a full second faster than his teammate. "We simply chose the wrong tyre for my final run," said the Briton, who had looked quick on Friday.
Force India-Ferrari
Giancarlo Fisichella easily outqualified the struggling Barrichello, but Sutil did not, and the German is last. Force India, however - running the new seamless shift gearbox at Valencia - celebrated the fact that the Fisichella's deficit to the fastest qualifying lap time was only 1.3sec.