Insights: The Rise of the Commercial CTO Panel Discussion
Access key insights from our recent event, "The Rise of the Commercial CTO: Mastering Commercial Acumen in the Era of Private Capital and AI", co-hosted with our friends Allura Partners.
This article covers some of the key insights from our recent event, "The Rise of the Commercial CTO: Mastering Commercial Acumen in the Era of Private Capital and AI", co-hosted with our friends Allura Partners. The event brought together investors, directors, and technology leaders for an engaging and thought-provoking panel discussion not just on AI but the evolving expectations of executive tech leaders in high-growth environments.
The Panel included: Melinda Conrad (Non Executive Director), Tim Cooper (Investor & Managing Director Five V Capital), and Loucas Gatzoulis (CPTO E1 & former CTO), moderated by John McDuling (Editor in Chief Capital Brief).
Hosts for the night were Joshua Hinton of CTO Labs and Jake Rose of Allura Partners.
In Summary
The commercial CTO is now a lynchpin for business success, but the role is broader, more complex, and more strategically important than ever. Boards and investors must be clear about what they need from technology, define the CTO’s remit accordingly, and build the right support structures. For CTOs, pragmatic curiosity—staying curious, prioritising ruthlessly, and leading with commercial impact—will be the hallmark of success in this new era. And as one participant said, it’s a pleasure to see these conversations happening, with leaders sharing candidly about the realities and opportunities of technology leadership today. Success starts with alignment, and the ability to bring the organisation with you might be the most underrated skill of all.
We've put together a podcast style audio alongside a written summary.
Interested in a read and listen? Let us know below and we'll send on.
