#53 Paul Smith, CIO at Amnesty International

The Tech Leaders Podcast

Growing up on a council estate, Paul realised early on that he was fascinated by technology and dreamt of working for the RAF, however, following an early introduction to fatherhood Paul doubled down on a career in computing to provide for his new family.
In this episode, Paul talks candidly about being fast-tracked into a leadership role, handling top secret government information in the defence sector, right through to helping save lives and tackle humanitarian crises, worldwide.
Currently the Global CIO of Amnesty International, we unpack some of the amazing work Paul has been involved with and discuss why technology is such an essential component for non-profit organisations.
Council estates, cars and fatherhood 2’21
What inspired Paul to work in computing 3’23
Cutting his teeth in the defence industry 4’10
The beach day that inspired Paul to join the RNLI 7’40
How does technology help a charity like the RNLI 10’54
Technology on a charity budget 12’10
Key moments and regrets in Paul’s career 13’54
Landing the job at Amnesty International 16’55
How does the IT department help in a humanitarian crisis 18’00
How working at Amnesty International opened his eyes 21’08
Getting excited about future global technology 28’24
The digital divide 30’38
What advice would he would give to his 21-year-old self? 35’30