Bupa Global CEO: We need a serious rethink on how to conduct business travel May 17, 2021 As the long-awaited green list holiday destinations have been unveiled, the airline and associated travel industries must be breathing a sigh of relief. However, whilst the future looks clearer for holidaymakers, the return of business travel has been put on ice over the course of the pandemic. The business travel industry has dealt with many [...]
The City is opening up even more, let’s all enjoy it May 17, 2021 Like the rest of the country, the City of London is feeling a sense of anticipation as England enters the third step of the Government’s roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions. The return of indoor hospitality and reopening of cultural institutions is a welcome return to normality that will help the Square Mile regain the exciting [...]
Cinemas aren’t dead, but we need to overhaul the anonymous multiplex design May 16, 2021 Multiplex cinemas need more than new seats to reengage cinema audiences. Most of these mammoth properties have stood largely unoccupied since the last lockdown – a time during which subscribers to the major streaming services have swelled within the UK to over 32 million. Cinemas, however, have an opportunity, not to mention the motivation, to [...]
Keir Starmer was right on one thing in his reshuffle – we need a Future of Work Secretary May 15, 2021 After a poor set of local election results and a botched reshuffle, Labour hasn’t had the best of weeks. But one thing it may have gotten right is the appointment of Angela Rayner as “shadow secretary for the future of work”. While it is easy to mock the elaborate titles bestowed on the deputy leader [...]
In the lead up to COP26, ministers need to revolutionise procurement policies to meet net zero targets May 14, 2021 Boris Johnson’s bold aim to cut carbon emissions by 78 per cent by 2035 has cemented Britain’s commitment to address the climate crisis in the lead up to COP26 in Glasgow later this year. Questions on delivery remain, however. While we await the Treasury’s much-anticipated Net Zero review, the UK needs to deploy a smart [...]
Moral hazard: Covid has created a generation of investors with a skewed sense of risk May 14, 2021 The financial industry has a penchant for complex terminology. Contango and backwardation, to name two – are designed to describe a particular event or scenario in ‘finance’ speak. Moral hazard is another one. The use of two surprisingly normal words creates an opaqueness that is hard to puncture. Moral hazard is thrown around a lot. [...]
Sadiq Khan needs to get real on housing – Londoners deserve it May 14, 2021 After a surprisingly close race, Sadiq Khan has secured another term as Mayor of London. He has promised to rebuild London, post pandemic, and announced big spending plans to bring life back to the capital. Piccadilly Circus now has its very own David Hockney design. But Khan has failed to put forward a coherent policy [...]
DEBATE: Should the Tokyo Olympics go ahead? May 13, 2021 Gonzalo Brujo, Global President, Interbrand says Yes If it is possible to carry out the Tokyo Olympics without jeopardising the safety of the public, the volunteers or athletes, they should go ahead. Consumers and competitors were already prepared for the absence of an international audience, and the rise of a virtual audience in the next games. [...]
Boohoo’s profits surged during the pandemic – do the fast fashion giants really need social responsibility? May 13, 2021 Last week, Boohoo reported a surge in profits despite damaging revelations about its supply chain and poor treatment of workers. As the world of retail pivots towards social responsibility, the bumper results could be seen as consumers rejecting the importance of brands’ embracing purpose. While Boohoo was able to reap in revenue, it is still [...]
Taiwan Health Minister: We survived Covid with a handful of deaths, let us help build a global healthcare system May 13, 2021 Emerging infectious diseases pose an unceasing threat to global health, international economies, trade and tourism. As the world has grown close through international aviation and transport, the ability of pandemics to spread rapidly has increased. Covid-19, the novel form of pneumonia which first emerged in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019 has killed more [...]