Baulking boards to blame for pay probe November 28, 2016 Don't say you weren’t warned. Britain’s big listed companies have, in recent years, been told loud and clear – reform your executive pay structures before the government storms in and does it for you. The Institute of Directors, for example, has been preaching this message in the hope it could ward off any populist interventions [...]
Businesses need to refine their data as the countdown to GDPR begins November 28, 2016 The way businesses harness data is invariably compared to the extraction of valuable minerals: a gold rush, or data mining. But it’s more like oil, in that, as the new EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) approach, the way we use data needs refining if it’s going to be of continued value. With loyalty and [...]
America’s psychological divisions foretell a toxic era of partisan gridlock November 28, 2016 The political blow to the Democratic Party following its surprise loss to Donald Trump has been cataclysmic. Rather than holding the presidency and retaking the Senate as was expected, America’s ruling party finds itself shut out of power in every branch of the federal government and at the state and local levels, too. By this [...]
The chancellor’s economic programme contains much the City should welcome November 28, 2016 The chancellor stepped up to the despatch box last week to make his most important speech since taking office in July. Where previously the Autumn Statement was an important political date on the calendar for UK media, it had gone largely unnoticed by the European press. This year, however, was different. Philip Hammond’s address was [...]
Forget the crushing consensus of trigger warnings and safe spaces: Our world needs more contrarians November 28, 2016 The news that the London nightclub Fabric is to potentially reopen is welcome. The progressive house music played there provided an antidote to the chart-toppers heard in the more salubrious salons of the West End. Similarly, those who speak out and stand up for what they believe in provide a contrarian view to mainstream thinking. This [...]
Is the uncompromising stance of the other EU leaders pushing the UK towards a hard Brexit? November 28, 2016 Rachel Cunliffe, deputy editor of Reaction, says Yes. First the European President decided to lecture Britain that it was “hard Brexit” or “no Brexit". Then the Prime Minister of Malta (that European powerhouse) felt the need to reiterate that the EU is “not bluffing” about barring the UK from the Single Market. Such posturing only [...]
Why more training is needed to prepare for increasing cyber attacks November 27, 2016 We've probably all received those emails, apparently from a bank, asking us to check our account by logging into it. Those kinds of emails are sent out on a massive scale so that, randomly, some are received by the bank's actual customers. If you're not a customer, it’s easy to spot them for what they [...]
Editor’s notes: Still in shock over Brexit? Get a grip November 25, 2016 Some corners of our national life are finding it harder to adapt to the new post-referendum reality than others. Earlier this week I joined the cream of the British commentariat at the annual Comment Awards, celebrating the best columns and comment pieces of 2016. As you know, we have a stable of excellent columnists here [...]
Don’t lament the sale of homegrown businesses – they are a sign of success for Britain’s burgeoning tech sector November 25, 2016 In business, a good exit is a good exit – regardless of whether the sale is to a foreign company. The acquisition of one of the UK’s tech unicorns by China’s Ctrip is another win for the country’s technology industry and the latest signal that investing in UK tech pays off. It’s also a much needed [...]
The City will remain at the vanguard of financial innovation post-Brexit November 24, 2016 A year ago, London Stock Exchange celebrated the first Green Bond from China to be listed internationally, a landmark renminbi and dollar issuance by the Agricultural Bank of China. I wrote here at the time how London was leading the world in financing the global shift to a low carbon economy – a transition endorsed [...]