How to make it: be ready to replace your CEO September 15, 2025 If there’s one inevitable in business aside from death and taxes it’s that the CEO will always leave, so succession planning is essential. But why hire an expensive headhunter when the right person could already be in your boardroom? Asks Richard Harpin As the new football season nears kick-off, I’ve been pondering that famous old [...]
If Pat McFadden wants to get Britain back to work, business has the answers September 9, 2025 The new work and pensions secretary, Pat McFadden, should look to the City for ideas on getting 9m adults back into work, says Matthew Elliott Britain’s growth problem is evident to everyone. Since the global financial crisis of 2008, GDP per capita has expanded at barely half a per cent a year – a fraction [...]
Ahead of the Game: Fifa eyes Morocco over Spain as 2030 World Cup HQ August 27, 2025 Fifa is in advanced discussions about basing the headquarters of the 2030 World Cup in the Moroccan capital Rabat. The centenary World Cup will be co-hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with the opening three games to be held in Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay in a nod to the competition’s roots. The 2026 World Cup [...]
Aviva’s profit soars ahead of merger with Direct Line August 14, 2025 Aviva posted a profit jump for the first half of the year after strong growth across its wealth and insurance divisions. The company’s operating profit climbed 22 per cent to just north of £1bn – topping the £875m netted in the first half of 2024. This comes after Aviva completed its £3.7bn takeover of rival [...]
After the shake-up, is the CMA still a watchdog with teeth? August 14, 2025 Those of us who have regulators' email alerts switched on were familiar with the CMA as an active regulator, but that didn't align with the Labour government's agenda.
Another blow to London as Just Group goes to Canadian manager July 31, 2025 The London Stock Exchange lost yet another constituent to foreign ownership on Thursday, after pension insurer Just Group agreed a bumper takeover deal from Canadian asset manager Brookfield Wealth Solutions (BWS). The FTSE 250 firm’s board told markets it had accepted a £2.4bn offer from the North American company in a deal valuing the firm [...]
Mansion House: UK giants to agree to pick high-return pension schemes July 14, 2025 UK giants Tesco and NatWest Group are set to answer the City of London Lord Mayor’s calls to focus on driving returns rather than getting bogged down by fee costs when picking pension schemes for employees. Ahead of the Mansion House speech on Tuesday, the Lord Mayor criticsed UK companies for choosing providers that charged [...]
Bailey: Don’t force pension funds into UK assets July 9, 2025 Andrew Bailey has warned the government against forcing pension funds to invest in UK assets, saying that while reform to the sector was essential, he would prefer to see it done in a “natural” way. Treasury ministers have refused to rule out taking measures to make British pension funds allocate a certain share of their [...]
Aviva’s £3.7bn takeover of Direct Line approved by UK watchdog July 1, 2025 Aviva’s acquisition of smaller insurance peer Direct Line has been approved by the competitions watchdog, paving the way for the formation of Britain’s biggest home and motor insurer. The £3.7bn takeover will not be subject to a phase-two investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday, after a preliminary probe to assess whether [...]
Lord Mayor: The unicorns are galloping away June 30, 2025 As capital dries up and unicorns flee, the UK must act now or accept its fate as an incubator economy, writes Alastair King.