The founder of Yulife on avoiding the grey-suit mentality of the insurance industry August 19, 2019 Dressed in a tie-dye T-shirt and jeans, Sammy Rubin looks more like a climate change activist than the chief executive of an insurance company. But then, there’s a lesson on why you shouldn’t judge people on how they look. Indeed, there are many things we can learn from Rubin – his hippyish dress-sense feeds right [...]
What role does the state play in corporate governance? April 29, 2019 What do the recent corporate governance scandals involving the Italian oil company Eni, the Franco-Japanese auto alliance Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, and the Canadian construction giant SNC-Lavalin all have in common? They each have a surprising culprit lurking behind them: the state. While corporate governance is intended to describe a system by which firms protect shareholder and stakeholder [...]
Hacking Wall Street: Are tech unicorns about to disrupt stock market flotations? January 21, 2019 Tech companies have changed the way we chat, bank, travel and date. Are they about to disrupt capital markets too? “In [Silicon] Valley there’s always been that mentality: how do we hack Wall Street?” says Rob Kniaz, a founder of tech-focused venture capital firm Hoxton Ventures. Two weeks ago reports broke that Slack, the workplace [...]
Happy Hammers: West Ham starting to reach heights promised before move to London Stadium under Manuel Pellegrini December 20, 2018 The ugly scenes at the London Stadium towards the end of last season are now just a distant memory as West Ham sit pretty in the top half of the Premier League on the back of four straight wins for the first time in almost in five years. It was just nine months ago when [...]
Michael Jamieson interview: Former Olympian on how coaching has helped him find a life after swimming November 22, 2018 Swimming has been a rollercoaster ride for Michael Jamieson. The Scot’s high points – silver medals in the 200m breaststroke at the London 2012 Olympics and both the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games – have contrasted sharply with the lows: injury, mental health struggles and, in 2013, emergency treatment for heart arrhythmia following overexertion in [...]
Arsenal rise to Unai Emery’s challenge and show they are ready to take on Premier League’s big guns again November 4, 2018 Speaking 24 hours before Saturday’s riveting 1-1 draw with Liverpool, Unai Emery was clear about what he wanted to see from his Arsenal team against Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League title hopefuls. “The result tomorrow is very important but first I want to show them, to show you and to show everybody our best mentality in [...]
10 years on: How the iPhone changed the world January 9, 2017 The iPhone got off to a subdued start when it was first unveiled by Steve Jobs 10 years ago Today. The decade anniversary of the device feels short and at the same time a lifetime. On 9 January 2007, we had no idea how the pocket sized computer would change our lives and business as [...]
The rise of reward crowdfunding in Europe September 10, 2015 Harriet Green asks Indiegogo’s Anastasia Emmanuel about the platform’s experience in new markets WHAT does the rewards and donation-based crowdfunding sector look like today? Despite having a longer history than equity and debt crowdfunding, the fast-growth of platforms which offer perks and non-monetary rewards in return for investment doesn’t get so much media time. Indiegogo, [...]
Alastair Campbell on winners: Are there any left in the Labour party? March 5, 2015 When the political satire In The Loop came out in 2009, the Culture Show did a segment in which the critic Mark Kermode watched the film with Alastair Campbell. Afterwards, a sourfaced Campbell delivered his verdict: “I didn’t find it terribly funny.” Kermode said he had sympathy with any representation of politics as venal and [...]
Natalie Bennett suffers car crash interview with LBC’s Nick Ferrari February 24, 2015 Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has got her party's general election campaign off to a nightmare start, after an excruciating interview on London radio station LBC. Bennett appeared on the station ahead of the launch of the Green's manifesto, but stuttered and left lengthy pauses when host Nick Ferrari questioned her on particular issues. See [...]