Introducing the new lord mayor of London November 11, 2019 As the 692nd lord mayor of the City of London, it is an enormous privilege to represent the greatest city in the world. I was delighted to start my term with a spectacular cultural event on Saturday at the Lord Mayor’s Show, which brought together different communities from across the capital and beyond. This showcased [...]
Top tips for negotiations from Sir Richard Branson November 8, 2019 Israel is famous for its savvy negotiators. So to launch the new Virgin Atlantic route from London to Tel Aviv, I went head-to-head with its residents to put my skills to the test — and I had to bring my A-game. It was no easy feat. The people of Tel Aviv know how to drive [...]
Spare a thought this winter for our poor under-valued MPs November 8, 2019 Why would anyone want to be an MP? If the number of prominent parliamentarians who have announced that they are standing down in this election — now more than 70, including some shock names like Philip Hammond, Amber Rudd, and Tom Watson — is any indication, that question is getting more complicated to answer. MPs, [...]
The legacy of the Berlin Wall is the city’s thriving tech scene November 8, 2019 Tomorrow marks the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, arguably the most symbolic political moment of the post-war twentieth century. On 9 November 1989, tens of thousands of people flooded across a barrier that had divided ideologies for 28 years. The German capital was transformed. Anniversaries like this are important because they [...]
DEBATE: Should the London Stock Exchange cut its hours to improve work-life balance for traders? November 8, 2019 Should the London Stock Exchange cut its hours to improve work-life balance for traders? Galina Dimitrova, director of investment and capital markets at the Investment Association, says YES. Trading hours in the UK are 8am to 4:30pm GMT — some of the longest in the world. That doesn’t sound like a long day, but traders [...]
The Tories and Labour both seem happy to throw fiscal responsibility to the wind November 8, 2019 The “money men” are at it again. Yesterday, chancellor Sajid Javid and shadow chancellor John McDonnell took part in a spending showdown, announcing pledges and making their cases for different economic visions for Britain in years to come. Labour’s spending promises are staggering. Essentially doubling the figures from the 2017 manifesto, the party has ditched [...]
DEBATE: Will the M&S venture with Ocado turn around its fortunes? November 7, 2019 Will Marks & Spencer’s joint venture with Ocado turn around the struggling retailer’s fortunes? YES, says Adam Vettese, investment analyst at multi-asset investment platform eToro When you think of Marks & Spencer, you think of food. And not just any food, but top-quality food. In fact, food is so important to M&S that it now [...]
Changing the childcare system is the answer to closing the gender pension gap November 7, 2019 The average monthly cost of childcare in the UK is more than the cost of the average mortgage, which serves as a stark reminder of the financial burden facing many families. Childcare costs can be so enormous that it often makes financial sense for one parent to take a career break or work part-time to [...]
Can business models like Wework’s really work? November 7, 2019 Flexible businesses can, by their very nature, roll with the punches and evolve as their customers do. But the recent pace of change at WeWork has shown that even the most flexible of businesses can be at risk. Those of us in the property industry cannot fail to have noticed how WeWork has become central [...]
Dirty data deals on the dark web are a risk to business November 7, 2019 Five years ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who had even heard of the dark web. Now this realm of mystery is the topic of books and films – not to mention daily headlines alongside news on the latest cyber breach. It’s got a reputation as the “go to” place for buying anything illegal, [...]