London needs a new deal with its nation to secure a good Brexit for its leading industries November 29, 2016 We cannot assume that London will always succeed. No city is too big to fail. London must constantly reassert its global status because if a city isn’t rising, it’s falling. London has long been a world-leading financial centre and is now a magnet for the international technology sector and its startups. But, in an environment being [...]
Five evidence-based proposals to make sure executive pay benefits society November 29, 2016 Theresa May is absolutely right that executive pay needs reform as part of creating “a country that works for everyone”. Today, her government is expected to release a Green Paper outlining measures to ensure that chief executive contracts benefit society, not just the executives themselves. At The Purposeful Company, we applaud and share this mission. [...]
The liberal left will continue to lose until they start to empathise with their enemies November 29, 2016 In the midst of much chaos, the victory of Francois Fillon in the French centre-right primary has restored some normality to politics. He is a mainstream social conservative and a mainstream economic liberal. He may not deliver the reforms France desperately needs – political leaders with great promise often disappoint. But certainly reform is needed. France is [...]
Business should embrace the government’s radical corporate governance proposals to strike a better relationship with the public November 29, 2016 What is it about luxury yachts that seems to get policy-makers so worked up? The UK’s Corporate Governance Code will be 25 years old next year and it’s worth reflecting on why it came into existence. It was the collapse of Robert Maxwell’s business empire that led to the first Cadbury Code, which has evolved [...]
As government faces a fresh legal challenge on Brexit, is it unlikely Article 50 will be triggered before the end of March? November 29, 2016 Olly Kendall, managing director and founder of Westminster Public Affairs, says Yes. The odds of Article 50 being triggered by the end of March lengthen by the day. A new legal challenge to the government argues that Parliament should also have a say over whether to trigger Article 127 – the exit mechanism from the [...]
Investors should give thanks for record highs – but prepare for Hard Trump November 28, 2016 Thanksgiving, a national holiday of reconciliation, took on greater significance in the US this year as families tried to put political differences aside and find common ground in their love of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie. President-elect Donald Trump attempted to mend the wounds of a divisive election campaign on the eve of Thanksgiving by [...]
Baulking boards to blame for pay probe November 28, 2016 Don't say you weren’t warned. Britain’s big listed companies have, in recent years, been told loud and clear – reform your executive pay structures before the government storms in and does it for you. The Institute of Directors, for example, has been preaching this message in the hope it could ward off any populist interventions [...]
Businesses need to refine their data as the countdown to GDPR begins November 28, 2016 The way businesses harness data is invariably compared to the extraction of valuable minerals: a gold rush, or data mining. But it’s more like oil, in that, as the new EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) approach, the way we use data needs refining if it’s going to be of continued value. With loyalty and [...]
America’s psychological divisions foretell a toxic era of partisan gridlock November 28, 2016 The political blow to the Democratic Party following its surprise loss to Donald Trump has been cataclysmic. Rather than holding the presidency and retaking the Senate as was expected, America’s ruling party finds itself shut out of power in every branch of the federal government and at the state and local levels, too. By this [...]
The chancellor’s economic programme contains much the City should welcome November 28, 2016 The chancellor stepped up to the despatch box last week to make his most important speech since taking office in July. Where previously the Autumn Statement was an important political date on the calendar for UK media, it had gone largely unnoticed by the European press. This year, however, was different. Philip Hammond’s address was [...]