Rephonic
Artwork for The CTO Lens
Leadership
CTO
CTO Role
Technology Leadership
Career Development
Agile Methodology
Product Management
Women In Technology
Digital Transformation
Technology Management
Startup Culture
Digital Sovereignty
Engineering Leadership
Incident Management
Work-Life Balance
Fintech
Technical Leadership
Technical Skills
Project Management
Neurodiversity

A fresh look at what it really means to lead technology in today’s fast‑changing world. Hosted by seasoned CTO and thinker David Crawford, and co‑host, experienced product leader Sophie Valentine, The CTO Lens blends candid conversations with industry leaders, covers the latest tech news, and includes a whole host of personal insights and practical leadership lessons for the modern technology exec... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes29Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Tech NewsNewsTechnology

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The CTO Lens

Latest Episodes

The CTO Lens Podcast wraps up Season 2 with Episode 20 - and David and Sophie are going out with a bang. Twenty episodes in, they reflect on what they've covered, what's coming in Season 3, and why the world of tech leadership has never been more int... more

The CTO Lens Podcast is back with Episode 19, and this week David and Sophie are firing on all cylinders with a packed news agenda and a guest who really knows his way around a data pipeline.

This episode covers Roblox's controversial facial analysi... more

The CTO Lens Podcast is back with Episode 18, and this one's got plenty to dig into. David and Sophie are back in their respective remote setups - but that doesn't mean things are any less lively.

This episode covers a cyberattack that forced Northe... more

The CTO Lens Podcast is back with Episode 17, and this week's edition is packed! Oh, and yes - this week's episode was filmed in person. David and Sophie are confirmed humans.

This episode features China's obsession with an open-source AI tool nick... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Jon Sheehan
Co-founder of Burns Sheehan, a technology recruitment consultancy
Burns Sheehan
Episode: Season 2: Episode 10 - How to Get a CTO Role in 2026
Lee Provoost
CTO of Flagstone
Flagstone
Episode: Season 2: Episode 9 - Falling Back in Love with My CTO Role
Hema Purohit
Founder of Lotus Advisory and Consulting, advisory board member of London Tech Leaders
Lotus Advisory
Episode: Season 2: Episode 6 - Women in Technology Leadership: Have We Seen Any Progress?
Ben Pearce
Professional communicator focusing on human skills in tech.
ElevateU
Episode: Season 2: Episode 5 - The Art of Communicating + AOREN Framework
Hywel Carver
CEO of Skillawail
Skillawail
Episode: Season 2: Episode 2 - Climbing the Tech Ladder
Sarah Greasley
Experienced technology leader, former CTO, and current Non-Executive Director
Episode: Episode 9 - Sarah Greasley: From CTO to NED
Matt Watson
Co-founder and former CTO of VinSolutions, CEO and co-founder of Fullscale.
Fullscale
Episode: Episode 8: Matt Watson - Bridging Product, People & Technology
Eleni Kelly
CIO of Pluxee UK with over 20 years of experience in digital transformation and enterprise technology.
Pluxee
Episode: Episode 6: Eleni Kelly - Inside the Modern CIO Role
Nick Drouet
CTO for Kindle in the UK and Ireland with over 30 years of experience in technology leadership.
CTO at Kindle
Episode: Episode 5: Nick Drouet - Preparing the Next Generation of CTO's

Hosts

David Crawford
Host of The CTO Lens; co‑host, technology leader with extensive industry experience.
Sophie Valentine
Co‑host and product leader; brings product management and leadership perspectives.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 7 ratings
  • Excellent

    Great listen & great memories

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SJDSimpson
    United Kingdom8 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Thoughtful, practical leadership takeaways for tech executives
Great blend of personal stories and actionable advice
High‑quality guests, with strong product and engineering focus

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#232
Ireland/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Season 2: Episode 10 - How to Get a CTO Role in 2026
Q: What is the market like out there? Is it turning the corner?
The market is still challenging; there are many applicants but the right fit is hard to find, and senior roles often aren't advertised.
Season 2: Episode 5 - The Art of Communicating + AOREN Framework
Q: How do you balance being a technical authority with being a leader for the team?
Recognize the shift in identity from individual contributor to leader, focusing on enabling the team's success rather than solely on technical problems.
Season 2: Episode 6 - Women in Technology Leadership: Have We Seen Any Progress?
Q: Can you tell us a little bit more about what you mean by visibility and by volume and how those two interplay in this context?
Visibility is about being recognized for your contributions while volume often leads to women taking on more of the same type of work instead of taking on riskier projects that promote visibility.
Episode 4: Meri Williams - From Satellites to CTO
Q: What would be your guidance in terms of how long they stay with the tech?
Meri advises future tech leaders not to move into management until they reach a senior engineer level.
Episode 4: Meri Williams - From Satellites to CTO
Q: How does one get started in satellites, particularly at a young age?
Meri shares her experience of being chosen from her physics class to contribute to a local university's satellite project.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The CTO Lens

What is The CTO Lens about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful show focused on technology leadership, product strategy, and the evolving CTO/CTO‑level landscape. Episodes frequently explore how AI, digital sovereignty, incident response, and organizational dynamics shape tech leadership, with guests ranging from CTOs and CIOs to recruiters and industry operators. Listeners are likely senior tech professionals seeking practical leadership lessons, talent insights, and strategies for navigating rapid change in technology, products, and governance. A notable strength is the blend of personal career stories with actionable frameworks and real‑world challenges, making it helpful for aspiring and current technology leaders alike.

Where can I find podcast stats for The CTO Lens?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The CTO Lens. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The CTO Lens and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The CTO Lens get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The CTO Lens, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The CTO Lens?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The CTO Lens, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The CTO Lens have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The CTO Lens has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The CTO Lens?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The CTO Lens:

1. The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis
2. Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
3. The Rest Is Politics: US
4. Hard Fork
5. Joe Marler Will See You Now

How many episodes of The CTO Lens are there?

The CTO Lens launched 5 years ago and published 29 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The CTO Lens?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The CTO Lens?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The CTO Lens from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The CTO Lens?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The CTO Lens. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The CTO Lens?

Recent guests on The CTO Lens include:

1. Jon Sheehan
2. Lee Provoost
3. Hema Purohit
4. Ben Pearce
5. Hywel Carver
6. Sarah Greasley
7. Matt Watson
8. Eleni Kelly

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days