The Shift Code

In this episode of The Shift Code Podcast, host Pierre Le Manh is joined by Pearson’s CEO, Omar Abbosh, to explore what happens when AI changes how people learn, work, and lead faster than institutions can adapt. Omar explains why traditional education must evolve toward lifelong learning, why assessment becomes more important when answers are instantly available, and how Pearson is building its strategy around assessment, next-generation education powered by AI, early careers, and enterprise skilling. He also shares why companies need to rethink skills as roles change and what leaders must get right when driving transformation. At the center of it all is a distinctly human challenge: AI can improve analysis, productivity, and decision support, but motivating people, exercising judgment, and building trust remain critical leadership responsibilities. 
What You’ll Learn:
Why traditional education must evolve toward lifelong learning and alternative skills pathways
How AI can support teachers and learners without removing the effort required for real learning
Why assessment becomes even more important when learners can access AI-generated answers instantly
How Pearson’s “one plus three” strategy builds growth around existing competitive strengths
Why CEOs should use AI as a thought partner while keeping people-related decisions firmly human
How enterprises can manage AI costs through multiple providers and fit-for-purpose models
Omar Abbosh is the Chief Executive Officer of Pearson, the global lifelong learning company, where he leads the organization’s strategy around assessment, next-generation education powered by AI, early careers, and enterprise skilling.
Before joining Pearson in January 2024, Omar served as President of Industry Solutions at Microsoft, helping customers create value through digital transformation. Prior to Microsoft, he spent more than three decades at Accenture, holding senior leadership roles including Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Executive of the company’s Communications, Media & Technology business, where he led a team of 100,000 people and a $9 billion business unit.
Episode Resources:
Omar Abbosh on LinkedIn
Pearson Website
Pierre Le Manh on LinkedIn
Project Management Institute Website
Project Management Institute LinkedIn

In this episode of The Shift Code Podcast, host Pierre Le Manh is joined by Chad Latz, Chief Innovation Officer at Burson, to analyze the shifting mechanics of strategic communications. As generative search engines replace traditional lookup tools, brands face a zero-click reality where algorithms mediate public perception. Chad shares how Burson uses advanced cognitive models to calculate unexpected shareholder returns and predict public reactions in seconds, giving leaders an objective framework to protect their license to operate.
What You’ll Learn:
How to measure reputation as a tangible financial asset using Reputation Capital
Why Generative Engine Optimization is the new battlefield for brand visibility
How Decipher uses cognitive AI to forecast audience reactions in real time
The operational realities and hidden compute costs of scaling enterprise AI adoption
How to build organizational trust by letting team members build customized agents
Chad Latz is Burson's Chief Innovation Officer, leading a team of AI-focused practitioners and partners across data, technology, and academia. In 2017, he articulated the agency's first AI strategy, and in 2023 he led the development and launch of Decipher, a cognitive AI platform that forecasts audience belief and engagement across reputation management, consumer marketing, and healthcare. He's been recognized on PRWeek's Power Book 50 and its "Dashboard 25: AI Edition," and PRovoke Media's 25 Most Innovative Professionals. A frequent industry speaker and commentator, Latz has presented at the Oxford University Generative AI Summit and been featured in PRWeek and Axios Communicators on AI and misinformation.
Episode Resources:
Chad Latz on LinkedIn
Burson Website
The Reputation Economy Report
The Credibility Paradox Report
Pierre Le Manh on LinkedIn
Project Management Institute Website
Project Management Institute LinkedIn

In this episode of The Shift Code Podcast, host Pierre Le Manh is joined by Paul Coxhill, Chief Operating Officer and President of LIONS Intelligence, to dive into the operational and strategic realities behind the world’s largest marketing and advertising festival.
What You’ll Learn:
How to structure portfolio governance across 20,000+ attendees and multiple global stakeholders
Why brand marketing is gaining renewed importance in the context of AI-driven discovery
How AB InBev built internal systems to deliver creative outcomes consistently
Where the boundary currently sits between AI capability and human creative judgment
How to measure creative ROI at the enterprise level
Paul is Chief Operating Officer of LIONS – the group of businesses including WARC, Effie, Contagious and Acuity Pricing and the home of Cannes Lions – and President of the LIONS Intelligence digital and learning businesses. As an ex-CMO and leading industry voice, Paul is a passionate advocate for the role of marketing as a driver of business growth and the power of creativity to accelerate marketing impact. He is an IAA Board Member and Fellow of the Marketing Society.
Episode Resources:
Paul Coxhill on LinkedIn
LIONS Intelligence Website
Cannes Lions Website
Pierre Le Manh on LinkedIn
Project Management Institute Website
Project Management Institute LinkedIn

In this episode of The Shift Code Podcast, host Pierre Le Manh is joined by Azran Osman-Rani, Group CEO and Co-founder of Naluri, to discuss how visionary leaders systematically challenge industry conventions, scale agility across global teams, and build sustainable businesses that outmaneuver incumbents.
What You’ll Learn:
How to identify genuine disruption opportunities by questioning one fundamental assumption
What it really takes to move faster than your competitors
Why killing projects matters more than starting them
How to implement enterprise agility at scale without losing strategic coherence
Why the leaders of tomorrow need the flexibility of rubber and the fortitude of steel
Azran Osman-Rani is CEO and Co-Founder of Naluri, a digital health company focused on behavior change and chronic disease management. With a background spanning aviation, media, and consulting, he brings a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare innovation. A Stanford graduate in Management Science & Engineering and Electrical Engineering, Azran previously led AirAsia X as CEO, scaling it from startup to IPO in six years and pioneering low-cost long-haul travel. He later helped shape the streaming platform iflix, where he was known as the “Dragon Keeper of the Tao,” championing its unique culture. Earlier in his career, he worked at McKinsey & Company and Booz Allen Hamilton. He’s also the author of 30 Days and 30 Years: The Sprint and Marathon of Breakthrough Performance. Today, Azran focuses on advancing digital therapeutics and is a leading voice at the intersection of health, technology, and business.
Episode Resources:
Azran Osman-Rani on LinkedIn
Naluri Website
Pierre Le Manh on LinkedIn
Project Management Institute Website
Project Management Institute LinkedIn

In this episode of The Shift Code Podcast, host Pierre Le Manh is joined by Alexander Budzier, Fellow in Management Practice at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School, to share insights on what project success actually means and why traditional metrics fail to capture it.
What You’ll Learn:
What truly separates successful projects from slow-motion failures
Why the best leaders focus on building systems rather than giving firebrand speeches
How projects can succeed spectacularly on one dimension while failing on another
The “uniqueness trap” as the single biggest red flag for cost blowouts
Why investing 20–30% of the total cost in planning dramatically improves outcomes
How AI is already boosting individual productivity by 40%, but only 5% at the corporate level
Alexander Budzier is a Fellow in Management Practice at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School, where he researches and teaches how to set major projects up for success. His dataset of more than 22,000 capital investment projects across 126 countries is the empirical foundation for two books published by Wiley in 2025: How to Measure Anything in Project Management, co-authored with Douglas Hubbard and Andreas Leed, an Amazon number-one bestseller in software and IT project management; and Intelligent Change: The Science Behind Digital Transformations, which draws on Oxford research to establish what actually drives success in digital programs.
His research has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, where his article on uniqueness bias, co-authored with Bent Flyvbjerg, was selected for HBR's 10 Must Reads 2026, and in leading journals across management, energy, and transport. He is CEO of Oxford Global Projects, a specialist advisory firm, advising governments and major program teams across transport, infrastructure, IT, and energy. He completed his doctorate at Oxford in 2015, having previously worked at McKinsey's Business Technology Office in Düsseldorf and Chicago.
Episode Resources:
Alexander Budzier on LinkedIn
Oxford Global Projects  Website
Pierre Le Manh on LinkedIn
Project Management Institute Website
Project Management Institute LinkedIn