What’s the bigger risk in 2026: adopting A.I. … or waiting too long?
In this episode of the FTF Exchange Podcast, Maureen Lowe chats with Toby Glaysher, chairman of Finbourne Technology (and a 2025 FTF News Award winner for Best Data Management Solution), to flip the usual artificial intelligence conversation on its head. Instead of debating whether A.I. is “too risky,” Toby makes the case that the real risk is falling behind, operationally, financially, and competitively.
Drawing on decades of experience leading massive global operations teams (including overseeing thousands of staff at Northern Trust), Toby shares what firms often get wrong about A.I. adoption, why data preparedness is the true starting line, and how A.I. agents can actually reduce risk when implemented with the right guardrails.
They also get real about what happens when firms “try A.I.” and feel underwhelmed, what private markets are teaching the industry about automation gaps, and how jobs will change — not vanish — over time.
If your team is still stuck in “why we shouldn’t adopt A.I.,” this one is your push off the dock.
NOTES FROM THIS EPISODE:
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About the guest:
Toby Glaysher is chairman of Finbourne Technology and has led large-scale global operations organizations, with deep expertise in operational transformation, data strategy, and technology-driven efficiency in financial services.
About the host:
Maureen Lowe is founder and president of Financial Technologies Forum (FTF) and publisher of FTFNews.com, covering the pulse of middle- and back-office operations — technology, regulation, and the people moving the industry forward.
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