In this episode, Dave and Dharm are joined by Alice Violet, founder of Alice Violet Creative and host of the Cyber Made Human podcast, for a wide-ranging and refreshingly human conversation about the current state of cybersecurity.
Based in the heart of the UK’s cybersecurity ecosystem in Cheltenham, Alice brings a unique perspective shaped by her journey from luxury travel marketing to senior roles at Sophos and, ultimately, to building a specialist agency focused on cyber and complex technology. Her core belief is simple but powerful: cybersecurity is no longer a niche technical concern. It is a leadership issue, a commercial issue, and fundamentally a human one.
The discussion explores why cybersecurity has remained opaque for so long, and how fear-based messaging and jargon have actively held the industry back. Alice argues that recent high-profile outages and breaches have forced cybersecurity into the mainstream, making it unacceptable for senior leaders to plead ignorance. Yet she is equally critical of scaremongering, advocating instead for education, clarity, and a reframing of cyber as both protection and opportunity.
Dave and Dharm probe how CEOs should think about cybersecurity without becoming technologists themselves, why CISOs must learn to communicate in business language, and why even the most sophisticated technical defences can be undone by human behaviour. From ransomware-as-a-service to AI-powered impersonation scams, the conversation makes clear that many of today’s biggest risks sit outside the data centre.
The episode also tackles quantum computing, Q-Day, and the growing anxiety around encryption, separating genuine long-term risk from headline-driven panic. Alice offers a pragmatic, optimistic view: technology will evolve, but so will the countermeasures, provided organisations stay informed rather than paralysed.
AI features prominently, both as an accelerator for attackers and as a productivity tool for defenders, marketers, and content creators. Across marketing, cybersecurity, and leadership, the group converge on a shared view: AI works best as a co-pilot, not a replacement for experience, judgement, or human connection.
Throughout the episode, one theme consistently surfaces. Cybersecurity only becomes effective when it is made understandable, relatable, and embedded into culture. Or, as Alice puts it, humans may be the weakest link in cyber, but they are also the strongest defence.
This is an essential listen for fintech leaders, CEOs, CISOs, marketers, and anyone navigating a world where digital trust is central to business survival.
All content for Dave and Dharm DeMystify is the property of Dave and Dharm DeMystify Fintech and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
In this episode, Dave and Dharm are joined by Alice Violet, founder of Alice Violet Creative and host of the Cyber Made Human podcast, for a wide-ranging and refreshingly human conversation about the current state of cybersecurity.
Based in the heart of the UK’s cybersecurity ecosystem in Cheltenham, Alice brings a unique perspective shaped by her journey from luxury travel marketing to senior roles at Sophos and, ultimately, to building a specialist agency focused on cyber and complex technology. Her core belief is simple but powerful: cybersecurity is no longer a niche technical concern. It is a leadership issue, a commercial issue, and fundamentally a human one.
The discussion explores why cybersecurity has remained opaque for so long, and how fear-based messaging and jargon have actively held the industry back. Alice argues that recent high-profile outages and breaches have forced cybersecurity into the mainstream, making it unacceptable for senior leaders to plead ignorance. Yet she is equally critical of scaremongering, advocating instead for education, clarity, and a reframing of cyber as both protection and opportunity.
Dave and Dharm probe how CEOs should think about cybersecurity without becoming technologists themselves, why CISOs must learn to communicate in business language, and why even the most sophisticated technical defences can be undone by human behaviour. From ransomware-as-a-service to AI-powered impersonation scams, the conversation makes clear that many of today’s biggest risks sit outside the data centre.
The episode also tackles quantum computing, Q-Day, and the growing anxiety around encryption, separating genuine long-term risk from headline-driven panic. Alice offers a pragmatic, optimistic view: technology will evolve, but so will the countermeasures, provided organisations stay informed rather than paralysed.
AI features prominently, both as an accelerator for attackers and as a productivity tool for defenders, marketers, and content creators. Across marketing, cybersecurity, and leadership, the group converge on a shared view: AI works best as a co-pilot, not a replacement for experience, judgement, or human connection.
Throughout the episode, one theme consistently surfaces. Cybersecurity only becomes effective when it is made understandable, relatable, and embedded into culture. Or, as Alice puts it, humans may be the weakest link in cyber, but they are also the strongest defence.
This is an essential listen for fintech leaders, CEOs, CISOs, marketers, and anyone navigating a world where digital trust is central to business survival.
EP 141: DEMYSTIFYING THE STATE OF CRYPTO WITH STEPHANIE EMILE OF BINANCE
Dave and Dharm DeMystify
33 minutes 58 seconds
4 months ago
EP 141: DEMYSTIFYING THE STATE OF CRYPTO WITH STEPHANIE EMILE OF BINANCE
Dave and Dharmesh are joined by Stephanie Emile, General Manager of Binance FZE based out of the UAE, to demystify the evolving world of crypto, regulation, and adoption. Stephanie shares her journey of building Binance’s regulated home in Dubai, where the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has emerged as a pioneering, crypto-native regulator.
The conversation explores how the UAE’s forward-thinking stance positioned it ahead of global peers, taking bold steps even in the aftermath of events like the FTX collapse. Stephanie highlights the UAE’s pragmatic “try, learn, adapt” culture, contrasting it with slower traditional regulators such as the FCA.
Key themes include:
Regulation as an enabler: Why licensing and collaboration with regulators matter for building trust with users, banks, and institutions.
User experience and adoption: The crypto space must become simpler, safer, and more intuitive for mass adoption – from wallets to payments to everyday transactions.
The role of advisors: Just as financial advisors guide traditional investments, Stephanie argues that they will need to integrate digital assets into portfolios, supported by education initiatives like Binance Academy.
Global outlook: From the UAE’s stablecoin projects to Trump’s stance against CBDCs, the discussion touches on how regulation in the US and elsewhere may shape the future of digital assets.
Africa’s potential: With high adoption and demand for financial freedom, Africa emerges as a vital region for Binance’s long-term vision.
Stephanie leaves listeners with a view of crypto not as a speculative playground, but as a tool for financial freedom, lower-cost remittances, and real-world use cases. Regulation, education, and innovation, she argues, will bring digital assets into the mainstream — not kill them.
Dave and Dharm DeMystify
In this episode, Dave and Dharm are joined by Alice Violet, founder of Alice Violet Creative and host of the Cyber Made Human podcast, for a wide-ranging and refreshingly human conversation about the current state of cybersecurity.
Based in the heart of the UK’s cybersecurity ecosystem in Cheltenham, Alice brings a unique perspective shaped by her journey from luxury travel marketing to senior roles at Sophos and, ultimately, to building a specialist agency focused on cyber and complex technology. Her core belief is simple but powerful: cybersecurity is no longer a niche technical concern. It is a leadership issue, a commercial issue, and fundamentally a human one.
The discussion explores why cybersecurity has remained opaque for so long, and how fear-based messaging and jargon have actively held the industry back. Alice argues that recent high-profile outages and breaches have forced cybersecurity into the mainstream, making it unacceptable for senior leaders to plead ignorance. Yet she is equally critical of scaremongering, advocating instead for education, clarity, and a reframing of cyber as both protection and opportunity.
Dave and Dharm probe how CEOs should think about cybersecurity without becoming technologists themselves, why CISOs must learn to communicate in business language, and why even the most sophisticated technical defences can be undone by human behaviour. From ransomware-as-a-service to AI-powered impersonation scams, the conversation makes clear that many of today’s biggest risks sit outside the data centre.
The episode also tackles quantum computing, Q-Day, and the growing anxiety around encryption, separating genuine long-term risk from headline-driven panic. Alice offers a pragmatic, optimistic view: technology will evolve, but so will the countermeasures, provided organisations stay informed rather than paralysed.
AI features prominently, both as an accelerator for attackers and as a productivity tool for defenders, marketers, and content creators. Across marketing, cybersecurity, and leadership, the group converge on a shared view: AI works best as a co-pilot, not a replacement for experience, judgement, or human connection.
Throughout the episode, one theme consistently surfaces. Cybersecurity only becomes effective when it is made understandable, relatable, and embedded into culture. Or, as Alice puts it, humans may be the weakest link in cyber, but they are also the strongest defence.
This is an essential listen for fintech leaders, CEOs, CISOs, marketers, and anyone navigating a world where digital trust is central to business survival.
