International Women’s Day 2016: Government nagging hasn’t worked – so businesses must take responsibility for helping women to climb the career ladder themselves March 8, 2016 Another International Women’s Day, another opportunity for the usual merry-go-round of politicians and academics to lecture businesses on gender diversity. By now, the complaints are well-rehearsed. Women earn 24 per cent less than their male counterparts. At a senior level, they make up only 14 per cent of senior executive roles. On the FTSE 100, [...]
Women in fintech: Four ways to close the gender gap March 8, 2016 Fintech has gone from strength to strength over the past couple of years. With greater investment from venture capital and institutions, the rise of new technologies and solutions, as well as increased attention from policy-makers, legislators and regulators, fintech has become a magnet for talent, innovation and entrepreneurship in the UK and around the world. [...]
British female entrepreneurs on the rise: Report finds millennial women more likely to start businesses than men and older ladies March 8, 2016 The proportion of female entrepreneurs in the UK has nearly doubled among recent generations, a new report has found. And the majority – 59 per cent – of entrepreneurs aged under 35 are female, according to HSBC Private Bank’s Essence of Enterprise report. This figure for millennials compares with 16 per cent among UK entrepreneurs over the age of [...]
International Women’s Day 2016: Female traders’ bonuses are half that of their male counterparts – while it takes women bankers six months longer to be promoted March 7, 2016 The banking sector already has a pretty bad reputation when it comes to diversity among the genders – but things are about to get worse, after new research suggested some female bankers can expect a bonus less than half the size of their male counterparts. The research, by salary benchmarking site Emolument, found while men in [...]
Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk talks Japan, business trips and blockchain March 7, 2016 Most kids make it no further than the TV when they’re off school sick. But Nathan Blecharczyk, co-founder of Airbnb, wasn’t like most kids. Aged 12, at home ill one day, he taught himself how to programme using one of his dad’s – an electrical engineer – books. “I started buying more and more books. [...]
Event sponsorship: How to build brand value March 7, 2016 Sponsorship – whether of a sports team or event, a conference or a concert – can be an effective way to build brand presence and awareness for the overall benefit of your business. And it’s not only an option for larger companies. Sponsoring a smaller event, especially if your broader activation strategy is clever, can [...]
Helping more women into the workplace could net the UK £170bn in economic benefits, and boosting digital skills could help us achieve equality earlier March 7, 2016 Supporting women in the workplace is about more than fairness, as a report out today has discovered it could also drastically boost the UK's finances. According to the study by accountancy giant PwC, if the UK was as good as getting women working as Sweden, which is the highest-performing country for helping women into work, [...]
From experience to tenacity: Here are five key traits shared by all successful entrepreneurs March 4, 2016 Confidence, passion or a true belief in their business idea is the route to success for many entrepreneurs, and while these qualities are often the most celebrated, they will rarely deliver in isolation. When you scratch the surface, many entrepreneurs also possess a broader set of skills and personality traits that help them in all areas [...]
Firms are failing millennials by ignoring their leadership development needs March 4, 2016 Research from Deloitte this week revealed some worrying trends in how UK businesses view their leadership pipeline. According to our annual human capital trends survey, leadership development needs to improve in many companies. Fifty-nine per cent of UK HR and business leaders say their organisations are not ready to meet their leadership needs. Only 13 [...]
From raising women’s state pension age to auto-enrollment: Why the government is overhauling the UK’s pension system March 1, 2016 Over the past few years the government has embarked on a radical, root and branch overhaul of the UK’s pensions system. Whatever your circumstances this will affect you, either as an individual or as an employer. As pensions minister I need to help everyone know about and understand these changes. Our reforms are all about ensuring [...]