The City View podcast, from City A.M., with Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient May 12, 2020 In this episode Christian is joined by Nigel Vaz, CEO of the digital transformation giant, Publicis Sapient. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Nigel has 20,000 employees across the globe in 53 offices, so he’s confronting changes to the world of work just like every other company. But his [...]
‘We cannot afford another lockdown’: Italy’s cautious return to work May 11, 2020 Italy was the first European country to be hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and it is now one of the first beginning to ease its draconian lockdown measures to lessen the economic damage of the crisis. Last Monday the country began cautiously moving out of its tough lockdown with factories, building sites and offices [...]
Covid-19 has only increased the appetite to talk trade May 11, 2020 The announcement that UK-US free trade agreement discussions have officially begun will have been welcomed by many firms across the Square Mile last Tuesday. Incidentally, it also coincided with my first virtual ‘visit’ to the country to speak to US regulators alongside UK Finance. Accounting for nearly £22 billion, the US is by far the UK’s largest single export [...]
Captain Tom Moore to be honoured with City of London award May 10, 2020 The 100-year-old who captured the nation’s heart Captain Tom Moore will be awarded the Freedom of City of London award next week. Moore has raised more than £33m for the NHS during the coronavirus crisis by doing laps of his backyard on his walking frame. The World War II veteran, who has been tipped by [...]
Banking boss raises prospect of further changes to Coronavirus Business Loan Scheme May 8, 2020 There could be further changes to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) as more data emerges on the number of rejected applications, according to the head of the banking industry group, UK Finance. Stephen Jones, chief executive of UK Finance, said: “I think as the data gets better we will continue to find where [...]
The Long Read: Sir Martin Sorrell on advertising, coronavirus and the new media landscape May 7, 2020 Sir Martin Sorrell has bestrode the ad world for decades – and in the midst of a global pandemic that has hit the industry hard, he’s understandably got some thinking to do. Christopher Jackson spoke to the ad mogul, and his interview for finitoworld – the organisation’s online magazine – is republished here. Prior to [...]
FTSE 100 and US stocks rise despite more dire economic warnings May 7, 2020 US stocks have joined the FTSE 100 in positive territory as investors bet on a relatively speedy economic recovery from coronavirus despite yet more dire economic predictions. London’s blue-chip FTSE 100 index was up 1.4 per cent at 5,933 points in afternoon trading. This was despite the Bank of England warning of the worst slump [...]
British Airways: Five things you need to know as IAG reports £1.5bn loss May 7, 2020 British Airways owner IAG this morning reported a total first quarter loss of €1.8bn (£1.5bn), saying that it was currently operating 94 per cent down on its total passenger capacity. More worryingly, it said that it expected the second quarter’s results to be far worse, and warned that passenger demand would not return to pre-coronavirus [...]
Are we heading back towards single-use plastic because of coronavirus? May 7, 2020 The battle against plastic pollution has rapidly gained momentum in recent years. Our 2018 report – Plastics phase-out: exposure through the value chain – analysed the challenges across sectors beyond the use of carrier bags, microbeads and straws. We concluded that the issue was not just a point of public concern but either an opportunity for forward-thinking [...]
Could group action claims explode in post-coronavirus crisis litigation boom? May 7, 2020 Lawyers and litigation funders are increasingly looking at group action lawsuits in England and Wales as a way of holding major companies to account. After the last financial crisis litigation spiked as contractual counterparties fell out and consumers and shareholders pursued banks for wrongdoing. The litigation landscape in the English legal system has changed over [...]