The regulator’s intervention on car finance hides an underlying reality October 28, 2019 The UK’s car finance boom has been a cause for concern for some time now, and the regulator is finally cracking down on questionable practices. One common complaint of this sector has been the practice whereby a car dealer or broker will make commission on the interest rate of the loan. By setting a higher [...]
Why we need to ditch the ‘Superwoman’ role model October 28, 2019 Is it right to make a straight-out judgement on “good” and “bad” role models? As a female chief executive working in a predominantly male industry, I am often asked if I had a female role model. And I have to be honest, it is not a question that I find easy to answer. From the [...]
This will be much more than a Brexit election October 28, 2019 Labour is on the back foot. In recent weeks it has played an entirely defensive game — denying Boris Johnson his preferred EU exit date and further denying him a General Election on his terms. With each of these blocking moves, Labour backs closer into the corner, seemingly devoid of a strategy beyond frustrating a [...]
The Lovie Awards show Europe’s creativity is a force for good October 28, 2019 My entire career has been fuelled by a love for the European creative industry. And now, at a time when our digital lives feel chaotic, when business often feels overly challenging, when political issues invade our every waking moment, that fuel is more essential than ever. This is precisely why Nicolas Roope and I founded [...]
Beware the chilling consequences of facial recognition technology on society October 28, 2019 Since the 1950s, researchers have been working towards the holy grail of artificial intelligence (AI). Now, as last week’s City A.M. feature outlined, recent advances are moving out of the lab and into our daily lives – with disturbing implications. Facial recognition systems, powered by these developments in AI, are spreading into society. This is [...]
Syria is the climax in the long battle over the soul of American foreign policy October 28, 2019 In defying the American foreign policy establishment, I once wrote a book that cost me my job. In 2006, in response to the looming debacle in Iraq, the British thinker Anatol Lieven and I wrote Ethical Realism. It was a broadside castigating the brain-dead, pro-interventionist intellectual sameness of the US foreign policy establishment, and the [...]
DEBATE: Is there any point to LinkedIn? October 28, 2019 Is there any point to LinkedIn? Asad Moghal, digital and content manager at legal PR specialist Byfield Consultancy, says YES. It is probably obvious from my job title why I would say this, but there is a point to LinkedIn. Since Microsoft purchased the platform in 2016, LinkedIn has successfully changed its reputation as the [...]
The UK has a vital role to play in leading the global fourth industrial revolution October 28, 2019 For nearly a year, my mayoral programme – Shaping Tomorrow’s City Today – has promoted UK innovation and technology, addressed social and digital exclusion, and championed digital skills. And during my recent business delegation visit to Kenya, I saw the great potential that technological innovation offers to individuals and communities seeking financial empowerment. Over the [...]
Top tips for National Mentoring Day October 27, 2019 We all know that having a mentor can make a huge difference to entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders. The most successful people surround themselves with those they learn from, so it’s no surprise that many of our aspirational clients ask for a mentor. I’d like to think that we know a thing or two about [...]
Wework’s fall back down to Earth was a long time coming October 25, 2019 Sometimes only a bold and radical move can pull a company out of a hole, and by the standard of Wework, plans don’t get more radical than the ones announced by the company’s new chairman Marcelo Claure. One can almost imagine the gasps as he informed staff that from now on, the business will “prioritise [...]