In memoriam: Ian Taylor 1946-2020 Remembering Ian Taylor, one of the City's finest figures Ian Taylor, who died in June of last year, ran Vitol for two decades. He was well-liked in the City not just for his business acumen, but for his philanthropy – which, it was revealed last week, continued after his death. Bloomberg reported he left £1m to the Royal Opera House and significantly more than [...]
London ad campaign could be a sign of things to come How do we begin again when we’ve lost so much? Ronel Lehmann has a pertinent example ‘It’ll be just like starting over,’ John Lennon once sang. I’ve been humming that song this week, as beginning again is precisely what we’re all doing now. Nothing in the song – or in the news over the past [...]
Is entrepreneurship set to boom post-pandemic? Ronel Lehmann backs the next generation to find their own way in an increasingly confusing world When we’re growing up, we plan for a world that has changed by the time we arrive in it. This has always been a problem: how do you look ahead when the world is moving so fast? It’s never [...]
We live in interesting times, but kindness matters too June 7, 2020 There is hardly a day goes by that I don’t think of the old curse: ‘May you live in interesting times.’ The saying comes – appropriately enough, you might say – from China. But whatever one’s suspicions about the Xi Jinping administration and its role in the current crisis, I have always liked the saying. [...]
Crisis has taught leaders the value of compassion May 20, 2020 With more pressure on our political system than ever, we must not forget what really counts – our compassion and soft power. In a matter of weeks, all our lives have been transformed in ways that we never thought we would accept: our freedoms limited, our employment insecure, our children temporarily uneducated and our bank [...]