In this episode of The Airwallex Podcast, Barry McCardel sits down with Firdevs Abacioglu to unpack why businesses are finally ready for AI-powered analytics. They explore how AI is reshaping the analytics function, what it takes to build trust in AI-generated insights, and why accuracy, consistency, and control matter more as adoption scales. The conversation offers a practical lens on building the right teams, skills, and systems to turn faster insights into better decisions

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Barry McCardel is the CEO and co-founder of Hex, the world’s leading AI analytics platform. Prior to Hex, Barry led deployment and product teams at Palantir, working on solutions to data problems all over the world. He was then at TrialSpark/Formation Bio, where he helped stand up their clinical trial platform. He has a B.S. from Northwestern University, where he focused on network science.

Firdevs Abacioglu is the Head of Strategic Data Science and AI at Airwallex, where she leads the company's AI Analytics and Agentic GTM efforts. A former Meta executive, she spent nine years leading Revenue Strategy, Analytics, and Data Science organisations – helping scale the business from $25B to $200B. Her path began in investing, giving her a lens few operators share.

 
Episode Resources:

In this episode of The Airwallex Podcast, Shannon Scott sits down with Paul Bassat to unpack what actually sets AI winners apart. They talk about why it’s not about chasing new tools, but tackling problems that weren’t solvable before, how founders can move quickly without losing focus, and why having strong conviction, loosely held, matters more than ever. The conversation offers a practical lens on identifying real AI opportunities, navigating constant change, and building companies that last. 


What you will learn:

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Paul Bassat is the Co-Founder of Square Peg, an Australian venture capital firm, and a seasoned early-stage investor known for his expertise in identifying transformative technology trends. With a background spanning the internet era as the founder of SEEK (1997) and two decades of venture investing, Paul brings deep insights into how disruptive technologies reshape industries. 

Shannon Scott is the Chief Product Officer at Airwallex, bringing deep expertise in product strategy and the architectural design of complex financial platforms. With over six years at Airwallex, Shannon has been instrumental in expanding the platform from cross-border money movement into an AI-native finance platform for global businesses.

Jack Zhang is the Co-Founder and CEO of Airwallex, the global financial platform powering the banking and payment needs of more than 200,000 businesses worldwide. Jack co-founded Airwallex in 2015 after experiencing firsthand the inefficiencies of cross-border payments while running a small Melbourne coffee business. That insight led to building one of the world’s most comprehensive modern financial infrastructures – enabling businesses to move money globally, manage multi-currency finance, and scale without borders.

Shannon Scott is the Chief Product Officer at Airwallex, bringing deep expertise in product strategy and the architectural design of complex financial platforms. With over six years at Airwallex, Shannon has been instrumental in expanding the platform from cross-border money movement into an AI-native finance operating system for global businesses.

 

Each episode features candid conversations with founders, finance leaders, and industry experts who are building and scaling across borders while adapting to rapid change in technology and markets.

From navigating cross-border expansion to unlocking the power of AI, guests share real stories, lessons learned, and bold predictions shaping the next era of business.