Weekend Interview: Weight Watchers UK boss on the fight against obesity post-lockdown December 12, 2020 During two lockdowns this year millions of us were stuck at home, moving less, eating more. According to recent data from diet giant Weight Watchers, one in two people ate more during lockdown, while one in three drank more alcohol. Meanwhile, nearly one in two have been less active since the pandemic began. To take [...]
Join EY in celebrating UK entrepreneurship December 9, 2020 | City Talk Tune in on Thursday 10 December to celebrate the UK’s entrepreneurial community. EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ UK has been celebrating, supporting and connecting entrepreneurs since it first launched in the UK over 20 years ago. Entrepreneurs are a crucial part of the UK economy, and will be key to our economic recovery as we [...]
Citigroup appoints first female head of Middle East and North Africa operations December 8, 2020 Citigroup has appointed Elissar Farah Antonios as the first woman to head the bank’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) operations. MENA is Citi’s fastest growing region in its emerging markets portfolio and contributes 30 per cent of the bank’s net income in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Antonios joined Citigroup in 2005 as [...]
The economic recovery is coming — and it will be powered by micro-businesses December 8, 2020 I wouldn’t be the first to talk about how incredibly difficult 2020 has been for small businesses. And based on the chancellor’s economic forecasts last month, those challenges look set to continue for the foreseeable future. The worst economic downturn in a generation, thousands of businesses and their employees out of work, and continued uncertainty [...]
A healthy dose of FOMO can get London’s workers back to the office December 7, 2020 Covid-19 has made central London unrecognisable — the quiet streets and empty offices of today are a far cry from the bustling metropolis it once was. Despite the end of the second national lockdown, there hasn’t been much improvement since the summer. A recent survey from Arup showed that London is still trailing other British [...]
DEBATE: Is a virtual office Christmas party a disastrous idea? December 4, 2020 Is a virtual office Christmas party a disastrous idea? John Oxley, a Conservative commentator, says YES. The only thing worse than enforced fun is enforced virtual fun. Real office parties are barely enjoyable. Spending an evening with colleagues you are largely indifferent to is an obligation you endure, because if you don’t they put “Poor [...]
Pride and paradox: How to celebrate business success in the midst of a pandemic December 2, 2020 Though we have all read countless stories of under-pressure businesses this year, we should not forget the many companies that have benefitted from 2020’s radical shift in human behaviour. 12 months ago, the average person on the street had no idea about “Zoom”, for example. Since then, the video conferencing brand has become a household [...]
Dial “Enterprise, Enterprise, Enterprise” for this economic emergency December 2, 2020 Never before has a chancellor had to stand in the House of Commons and present quite such dire economic news: the largest fall in output in 300 years; the highest level of borrowing in our peacetime history; and unemployment set to rise by over a million in the next six months. Amid this economic emergency [...]
The rush for Tech Nation visas is misguided — why limit recruitment by geography? November 30, 2020 Earlier this month, it was reported that applications for the Tech Nation visa into the UK spiked almost 50 per cent this year. Pandemic or no pandemic, Britain’s tech sector continues to attract talent from around the world. In the last two years alone, almost 2,000 people have applied for the visa, which grants tech [...]
Challenges for small businesses when sending employees overseas on assignment November 27, 2020 | City Talk For small businesses with global vision, expat employees may be part of your roadmap but what are the challenges you might expect to encounter when sending an employee overseas on assignment and how can you overcome them? Selection Process Selecting the right employee for an expat assignment is critical to success for businesses of all [...]