Life in the City has been far from normal for over a year but hope is now on the horizon April 6, 2021 As we prepare for a brighter summer, the UK is entering a new recovery phase of the pandemic with our successful vaccination drive leading the way. The economy is being gradually unlocked as shops, outdoor hospitality and – mercifully for many – hairdressers in England join those preparing to reopen next week in line with [...]
Gender divide: a post-Covid recovery must address pandemic inequalities April 5, 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has affected us all. However, it’s clear women across the UK have faced particular challenges over the past year. From key workers, the majority of whom are female, to mothers supporting their children with home learning – often combined with working from home – women have shown incredible resilience; but at what [...]
The retail behemoths of the future will be the ones crafting a seamless online platform April 3, 2021 A casual observer of the much publicised takeovers of high street behemoths like Debenhams by online retailers such as Boohoo would be tempted to conclude that having an online presence is the swiftest hack for a brand to succeed in the current retail climate. But that is not the case. The UK may have leapfrogged [...]
Generational divide: Millennials are taking charge, how are they changing capitalism? April 3, 2021 As we emerge into spring and begin to see normality return, spare a thought for those who celebrated their 40th birthdays in lockdown. Talking about Millennials tends to conjure images of youth, 20-something-year-olds with avocado toast. The reality is that the oldest of the cohort, those born in 1981, are now turning 40. While that [...]
Thinking differently: hiring people with autism isn’t about altruism April 2, 2021 Businesses in the UK have made great strides towards creating more diverse workforces. Teleport any 1970s employee into a modern-day workplace and, once they get over the fact that most of us are working from home, they’d find it remarkable that people of all races, sexual orientations, gender identities, and religious beliefs work in harmony. [...]
Screenshot: Will London ever be ready for tech IPOs? April 2, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Volkswagen’s awkward U-turn **Will London ever be ready for tech IPOs? **Amazon goes bonkers for bots Media Moment of the Week: Volkswagen’s awkward U-turn There are few things as grating as the forced joviality of April Fool’s Day and it should, in this writer’s opinion, be cancelled. That [...]
Georgia was the post-Soviet beacon of hope for democracy but political turmoil could unravel it all April 1, 2021 Georgia, for so long a beacon of hope for democracy and the rule of law in the post-Soviet world, is now once more mired in a political crisis. It is a tragedy for Georgia, where polling by the Washington-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) shows that the overwhelming majority of people want their country to be [...]
The greatest gift Ever Given: Why we all loved the Big Boat stuck in the Suez April 1, 2021 In a world of extraordinary complexity, at a time of enormous uncertainty, a big boat stuck in the Suez Canal took us back to a simpler time. “The greater our knowledge increases,” said John F Kennedy in the speech that launched the US space programme, “the greater our ignorance unfolds.” So it proved to be. [...]
CBI: There can be no true economic recovery until travel reopens April 1, 2021 Reigniting the UK economy will be a complex task. While vaccine rollout has increased optimism for a rapid recovery, plenty of hurdles remain. Business confidence must be renewed, consumer freedoms restored, and connections rebuilt between companies, cities and nations if we are to regain lost ground. Indeed, it is this idea of repairing connections which [...]
We must help grassroots sport clubs at risk of collapsing April 1, 2021 While kids across the country could barely contain their excitement this week with the resumption of grassroots sport, the sad reality is that many local community clubs which bring opportunity, escape and structure to the lives of young people are on the brink of financial collapse. Over the last year, young people have felt the [...]