Q&A with Clive Moorhead of Hymans Robertson, AI and Software Development Awards finalist

‘We’ve made good strides in AI adoption over the last year’

Clive Moorhead is a finalist in the Software Leader of the Year category in Computing’s AI and Software Development Awards.

Clive is a Partner and Head of Software Development at Hymans Robertson, having been with the firm for 12 years.

Previously Clive had been Engineering Manager at Fintech startup Vebnet, before joining Standard Life in a similar role following their buyout of Vebnet.

Prior to this Clive was a developer at two other Fintech startups, having moved into software engineering following a short career in astronomy research after graduating in Astrophysics from UCL.

Why do events like Computing AI and Software Development Awards matter?

Our culture is centred on two simple beliefs: the importance of our people, and a commitment to Continuous Improvement. Events like the Computing awards matter because they shine a spotlight on individuals and teams across the industry who consistently raise the bar and strive for better.

The credibility of these awards, the high standards with which they are run, and the fantastic energy of the evening make them our ‘go‑to’ event each year. For us, it’s a privileged opportunity to learn from outstanding achievements across the industry and to celebrate our own successes alongside like‑minded people.

What would winning this award mean to you/your company/your team?

We’ve been fortunate enough to receive recognition in previous years, and it has honestly been the highlight of the year for us - it never loses its impact. We take immense pride in seeing our people acknowledged for the brilliant work they do every day.

An award like this provides real motivation across our teams, reinforcing our commitment to Continuous Improvement and inspiring us to keep raising the bar. The energy it gives us to keep pushing for better is priceless.

What is your/your company's proudest achievement over the past year?

Our proudest achievement this year is the continued success of our cross‑functional Expert Groups framework, which has been the backbone of our Continuous Improvement journey for the past seven years. We use respected industry metrics, including DORA, to monitor our progress and ensure we are improving in the areas that matter most for efficiency, quality, reliability and client trust.

Seven years ago, our Deployment Frequency was fewer than 300 releases a year. Through sustained focus and collaboration across our Expert Groups in DevOps, Security, UX, QA/QE, Architecture, Modelling and AI, we have delivered year‑on‑year improvements — culminating in more than 5,000 releases annually in 2025/26, a significant milestone for the firm.

Crucially, this rapid increase in throughput has been achieved without compromising quality or risk management. Our DORA Change Failure Rate is below 0.5%, an exceptional result that reinforces the robustness of our software engineering practices.

These and other gains in efficiency and effectiveness across our Expert Groups and Product Teams have generated an estimated £5 million in savings for the firm. It is a testament to the skill, dedication and relentless commitment of our people to Continuous Improvement — and something we are genuinely proud of.

What have been the biggest challenges of the year so far, and how have you overcome them? How have your people helped with that?

Our biggest challenge is consistently balancing the many ingredients and competing demands of our complex business landscape - from managing technical debt while still driving innovation and evolution, to prioritising effectively when business appetite outpaces capacity, to integrating niche financial‑modelling expertise with modern software engineering and technical architecture practices.

The impressive advances made by our Product Teams and cross‑functional Expert Groups in areas such as DevOps, Security, UX, Quality Assurance, Architecture and Modelling have given us an excellent platform to build on as we mature our adoption of AI.

Ultimately, every step forward in overcoming challenges and strengthening our culture of Continuous Improvement has been driven by the talent, dedication and collective commitment of our people.

Which new technology trend are you placing your bets on?

This has to be AI - even if it’s no longer a ‘new’ trend in the strictest sense. Our technology landscape blends complex financial‑modelling capabilities, requiring deep domain expertise, with high‑quality software engineering and technical architecture. We’ve made good strides in AI adoption over the last year, but we are still evolving how best to apply AI across every facet of our SDLC, and ultimately how to re‑imagine that SDLC through emerging AI‑engineering practices.

There are so many opportunities for innovation, evolution and Continuous Improvement through AI, and we believe this will be the most transformative enabler for our us in the years ahead.