Jeff Randall: From Sky soap box to Prudential sounding board
So, Jeff Randall’s off the to the Pru. The veteran business hack, whose career has seen him go from The Telegraph, to the BBC to Sky (from where he stepped down earlier this year) is to become an adviser to Prudential boss Tidjane Thiam.
Ah, I hear you say, another journo heads-off into a PR role. But no, it seems Randall will steer clear of all things media, acting as business counsel. He’s on a retainer for no more than 40 days a year.
It might not be as well-trodden a route as hack-to-spinner, but a move from journalism into the corporate world isn’t all that rare.
Stephanie Flanders went from BBC economics editor to chief market strategist at JP Morgan in 2013, after 11 years at the beeb.
In 2007, ex-Telegraph editor Patience Wheatcroft joined the board at Barclays where she stayed for a year before moving on to a string of other corporate boards.
And Randall, who takes up his new role at the start of September, doesn’t have to worry too much about being the only former journalist in the village. Prudential director of media relations Jonathan Oliver was once political editor at The Sunday Times.
■ Economist Danny Blanchflower was left in the cold yesterday when three economic commentators he was debating with on Twitter excluded him from their lunch plans. Dario Perkins, chief European economist at Lombard Street Research, director at Barclays Capital Moyeen Islam and fund manager Toby Nangle were chewing over interest rates with Blanchflower when Perkins said, “the three of us should have lunch”, taking Blanchflower’s handle out of the conversation. “Not four?” responded the economist who’d clearly seen the invite despite being left out. “It was only cause I know the others,” responded Perkins quickly. They do say four’s a crowd.