Experience you can count on: Older workers are an untapped pool of business talent July 17, 2020 Businesses of all sizes across the UK are grappling with how to emerge from the Covid lockdown, re-engage with their customers and suppliers, and — for many in more adversely impacted sectors — sadly how to make parts of their workforce redundant. Job cuts have obviously been a major concern, as evidenced by the chancellor’s [...]
Time to break down the barriers holding back ethnic minority entrepreneurs July 16, 2020 The past few months have been incredibly challenging for many of us on many levels. An extended lockdown period has disrupted personal and professional lives, triggering one of the sharpest recessions in history. One positive we can point to, however, is the opportunity to sort out the structural inequalities that prevent millions from achieving their [...]
Beyond lockdown: The tech trends to watch July 16, 2020 Covid-19 has indelibly altered the way we live and work. As lockdown restrictions ease, it is vital that British businesses address the implications of the pandemic as part of their long-term strategies. However, rather than viewing this as a “restart”, companies should make the most of this opportunity to “rethink” their approach to a post-lockdown [...]
Retail restraint: John Lewis and Primark decline government help to play the long game July 16, 2020 For retail, the story of Covid-19 has been one of survival. Inevitably, the sector has looked to the government for assistance. Even the most hardened devotee of the free market has seen the Treasury’s coffers as a life belt to help companies get through the worst of the pandemic. Change and adaptation can come later. [...]
Time for an energy revolution? Creating opportunity after a crisis July 16, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic is a tragic event we hopefully will not see again in our lifetime. The human destruction and the strain on global healthcare systems have been devastating. There are no winners from this crisis. Still, it was Winston Churchill who said “never let a good crisis go to waste”. That certainly rings true [...]
No more posturing — impact matters more than dogma in the fight against climate change July 15, 2020 “As the number of products that claim to be linked to firms’ sustainability performance increases, we need to be careful to ensure that investors do not end up buying products that are marketed as sustainable when in reality they are not”. That’s the view of Steven Maijoor, chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority. [...]
Knowing V, Knowing U: The shape of the recession July 15, 2020 On Tuesday, the Office for National Statistics released data on UK GDP for the month of May. It showed that the economy had recovered by just 1.8 per cent in May, following a sharp contraction of 20.4 per cent in April. Many commentators and economists voiced their disappointment at these figures, and ruled out the [...]
The Huawei ‘U-turn’ isn’t enough to keep Britain safe July 15, 2020 Yesterday, the UK government announced the results of its long-awaited review into Huawei’s role in our country’s 5G system. Following months of speculation and increasingly public and political concern about the influence of China, the new plan revises the January 2020 decision giving the Chinese telecoms giant a 35 per cent stake in Britain’s network [...]
DEBATE: With the economy under such strain, should new fintech regulation be paused? July 15, 2020 With the economy under such strain, should new fintech regulation be paused? Elisabeth Kohlbach, co-founder and chief executive at Skwire, says YES. The UK’s fintech scene is one of the most vibrant and well-regulated in Europe. And in extraordinary times, this UK success story needs to be nurtured, not subject to more red tape. The [...]
Office clusters are as crucial to productivity as they ever were July 15, 2020 The Prime Minister is now demanding that offices reopen to revive economic activity in the centres of towns and cities. But there is not much sign of a return to work. The preferences of the workforce are an important factor in the very slow pace of return. Fears expressed about the safety of public transport [...]