Evolving the Enterprise Podcast

Dayle Hall talks with Ana Yakovleff, Senior Director of Enterprise Apps and Data at POWDR, an adventure lifestyle company with ski resorts and experiences across the U.S. Ana shares how her team bridges modern and legacy systems to deliver frictionless experiences for guests and employees alike. From lift tickets to lodging, ski passes to park concessions, Ana explains how SnapLogic, Snowflake, and Power BI enable real-time insights, automation, and operational agility. She also reflects on her journey from Skullcandy to POWDR, and how collaboration across the ski industry sparks innovation. We explore the future of enterprise applications in hospitality and outdoor recreation, where AI, predictive scheduling, and integration-first thinking are reshaping how resorts serve guests and employees.

We sat down with Mark Leonard, Director of IT at Drax, the UK’s largest renewable power generator. From transforming the largest coal-fired power station in Europe into a biomass-powered facility to leading an ambitious AI-driven digital strategy, Mark shares how Drax is shaping the future of sustainable energy. Mark takes us inside the Drax Digital Hub — a platform approach that combines data, integration, and microservices to deliver innovation faster, modernize heritage systems, and enable smarter decision-making. He also explains how Drax is leveraging AI, machine learning, and digital twins to improve operational efficiency, automate 550+ sustainability metrics, and prove renewable credentials at scale.

Dayle Hall talks with Lexton Raleigh, Distinguished Architect at Otelier, about the surprisingly complex world of hospitality data—and how to make it work for guests, managers, and owners alike. Lexton breaks down why hotels juggle dozens of systems across brands, owners, and management companies, and how legacy tech (yes, even green-screen F-keys) meets cloud, automation, and AI. He shares repeatable use cases—from daily revenue reconciliation to digital audit packs—that replace back-office wrangling with real business outcomes. We also look ahead: machine learning that reconciles OTA commissions, BI that tells you the three things you should know today in plain English, and why “perishable inventory” demands low-friction change management.