The City and Silicon Roundabout lead Britain’s economic recovery February 16, 2015 London’s buoyant recovery is driving Britain’s economy forward, a study from RBS showed today. Inner-east London was the fastest growing locality in the country last year, expanding by 5.2 per cent. Next up was Milton Keynes at 4.9 per cent, followed by Aberdeen at 4.8 per cent. “Top of the class last year was London, driven [...]
UK house prices: Is the government’s pension reform about to put strain on the property market? February 16, 2015 Britain is in the grip of a property shortage, and it could be about to get worse. New legislation means that from April many pensioners will be able to cash-in their pension pots, with many expected to invest in the buy to let market. The market seems ill-prepared for such interest. Data from Rightmove, the [...]
The Drum co-founder Diane Young talks learning curves and Scotland February 15, 2015 A career analysing statistics in community and mental health services may not be an obvious route to heading up a publishing business, but that didn’t stop Diane Young, co-founder of media company The Drum. The move from healthcare into business came when Young’s husband, Gordon, and his business partner Nick Creed, saw an opportunity to [...]
The next generation: How we will prepare them for the business world of the future February 15, 2015 Last week, I published the final instalment of my report on small firms. Unbelievably, the only other report on small business, the Bolton report of 1971, said that they were on the way out – that in a few years, they would cease to exist. Yet now, over 19 firms out of 20 employ fewer [...]
Gimme 5: Books on conscious business February 15, 2015 The Responsibility Revolution Jeffrey Hollender Promoting the idea that business can move beyond “less bad” and embrace an ethos to be “all good”. The book presents ideas to inspire leaders to create socially and environmentally responsible companies. £18.99 (Jossey-Bass) Conscious Capitalism John Mackey & Raj Sisoda An argument from the founder of Whole Foods [...]
Crowdfunding could transform healthcare through innovative disease diagnosis and new treatments February 11, 2015 Crowdfunding provides a unique opportunity for the development of innovations that might otherwise fall by the wayside – between the government and private companies, there is simply not enough money available to turn all promising ideas into a reality. The merits have already been shown across a range of industries – over the last few [...]
Businesses cut employee benefits with changes to pension plans February 11, 2015 Businesses are cutting the benefits they give their employers, so that they make up a smaller proportion of their overall salaries. According to a survey of mid-sized companies by professional services firm Towers Watson, the proportion of companies spending over 20 per cent of employee salary costs on workplace benefits has dropped from [...]
US investments in London’s tech sector soar to $795m February 10, 2015 Mayor Boris Johnson will reveal how US investors poured a record $795.2m (£521.7m) into the London technology sector last year, while speaking as part of a trade mission in New York this afternoon. The mayor will also reveal that one of the capital’s rising FinTech stars, Digital Shadows, has closed an $8m funding round led [...]
Finovate Europe: Global FinTech stars meet up at London’s Old Billingsgate February 10, 2015 London played host to a financial technology (FinTech) showcase yesterday as over 70 startups from around the world met at Old Billingsgate market for a showcase of their latest wares. Each presenting company at Finovate Europe was given seven minutes on stage to wow an audience of over 1,000 executives, venture capitalists, journalists, analysts, and [...]
Why FinTech is the key to a much-needed makeover in African aid February 10, 2015 Aid in Africa is big business, but one that is often mired in scepticism. Global companies pour money in through corporate responsibility programmes, alongside government aid, which can be accused of supporting private sector ambitions too closely. Some estimate that every £1 in aid costs the same to administer. This means that the sector is [...]
