The future of the office: How one property firm is using virtual reality to create the new normal August 16, 2021 The future of the office has never been more richly discussed. For all the benefits of flexible working, most firms seem determined to bring people back in to reap the benefits of collaboration and creativity. But the co-founder of one property firm, Kitt, is determined to make sure that when we get back to the [...]
Big Four refuse to back government plan to break dominance of audit market August 16, 2021 The UK’s Big Four accountancy firms have refused to back a government scheme that would see them share audit work with smaller firms. Last month, Deloitte, EY and PwC said they did not support the government’s proposal for “managed shared audits” of large listed companies. The Financial Times has reported that the other Big Four [...]
Big Four refuse to back government plan to break their dominance of audit market : CityAM August 16, 2021 The UK’s Big Four accountancy firms have refused to back a government scheme that would see them share audit work with smaller firms. Last month, Deloitte, EY and PwC said they did not support the government’s proposal for “managed shared audits” of large listed companies. The Financial Times has reported that the other Big Four [...]
Businesses without diversity are plagued by groupthink August 16, 2021 Cast your minds back to your school days and in particular, the days when you received your final exam results. As you opened your results envelope, did you do that excitedly, with a flourish, or did you shield it from your friends, worried that you might not get what you expected? Last week, students across [...]
Long read: the office, pay cuts, promotions and cities. Transcending the gender gap post-pandemic August 14, 2021 Cabinet ministers and CEOs are falling over themselves trying to bark us back into the office. Some are even threatening to cut our pay if we move too far away, but their sledgehammer approach is not winning converts, especially amongst women. Over the course of sixteen months of remote work, many of us have felt [...]
The interview: Sir Richard Branson on the past, present and future August 14, 2021 Christopher Jackson talks to the CEO about the pandemic, work and his friendships with Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela. Thanks to our friends at Finito for allowing us to republish their article. Fame will sometimes have a blurring effect. Public presence sustained over a long period of time can create a confusing image. During a [...]
Datasite executive Merlin Piscitelli on the UK’s fintech funding boom and the future of M&A August 13, 2021 British fintech investment across M&A deals, private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) has boomed as the country emerges from the pandemic, soaring in the first six months of 2021 to four times the $5.9bn invested during the whole of 2020. Investment in UK fintech has reached an all-time high as firms in the industry [...]
Apple child protection features spark concern among its own staff August 13, 2021 Apple employees have spoken out internally about privacy concerns over the firm’s move to scan US customer phones and computers for child sex abuse images as protests over the new feature intensify, it is reported. More than 800 messages were shared between Apple staff across several days on an internal Slack channel, sources told Reuters, [...]
From grocery delivery to supply chains, the future of food tech is in flexibility August 13, 2021 Grocery delivery apps, promising to deliver food and drink in just 10 minutes, have become almost ubiquitous on London’s streets after more than a dozen launched in the last year. Venture-backed grocery companies have raised over $10bn so far in 2021, according to figures from Pitchbook. Less visible, but no less disruptive, we have also [...]
German MPs fail in bid to publish ‘dynamite’ report on EY’s Wirecard audits August 13, 2021 Germany’s highest court has rejected an attempt by MPs to force the publication of an unredacted report into EY’s audits of Wirecard, according to reports. The lawsuit was filed by MPs who had investigated the Wirecard fraud, one of the biggest corporate scandals, according to the Financial Times. The Federal High Court of Justice has [...]