Shaping the agenda

Insights, Events & News

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Jenny Hanlon, Adnams: "I relish not being the CFO you would expect to meet"
Here, Jenny shares her thoughts on how to best…
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Transparency was yesterday. Tomorrow is about vigilance. Four questions boards need to ask
Boards must prepare for a new era in which…
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It’s fine to set up a youth board, but what is your company doing about intergenerational fairness?
Boards and leadership teams are tackling the…
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Migration — the fairness test to come
“Who is my neighbour?” will increasingly loom…
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Susanne Chishti: “It felt like the world was being changed right in front of us.”
Here, Susanne shares the key ingredients for a…
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Joel Ripley: “The perennial challenge is taking data to information, to insight, to action.”
Here, Joel shares how CFOs can contribute to a…
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Sally Lake, CFO, Beazley PLC: “The scariest thing for CFOs today is also the most exciting thing — it’s change.”
Sally Lake, Group Finance Director at Beazley…
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We need to talk about purpose — but also about values!
The Purposeful Company offers us 6…
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Silvana Bonello: “Knowing which questions to ask is more powerful than knowing everything.”
Here, Silvana shares her advice for how the board…
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Does your company’s core activity help humans thrive?
Can you genuinely say your company’s activity…
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Stuart Jackson, CFO, Octopus Energy: “Let things go and see what flourishes.”
Stuart Jackson, CFO and co-founder of Octopus…
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Thinking like an owner — a precious by-product of capitalism
Capitalism displays many faults, but…
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From Jack Welch to Paul Polman — what a change in just 15 years!
We have begun to recognise that the employee is a…
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Nadhim and Ram: two tales about fairness
Most of the coverage of the Nadhim Zahawi story…
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Andy Boteler, CFO, Riverford: “Net zero is a chance to say yes.”
Andy Boteler, CFO at Riverford Organic Farmers,…
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What companies do you most admire?
What companies do 15 year olds most admire and…
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Christiana Figueres: “We live in a truly exciting moment in the history of our species, with a great capacity to improve the world around us for each other.”
Christiana shares her insights as chair of the…
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Saker Nusseibeh: “The market can’t solve problems without social cohesion.”
Saker Nusseibeh is CEO at Federated Hermes…
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Labour and the Twenty-First Century Economy — a twelve point plan for building a better capitalism
What is Labour’s plan for building better…
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What does respect for employees mean in the age of the algorithm?
What questions should boards ask when deploying…
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What if the Chancellor were an Anthropist?
A naïve Autumn statement from Mark Goyder.
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Echoes of a better future
A reflection on the Anthropy conference 2023
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How can boards align company success with the needs of the planet and society?
A discussion from non-executive directors around…
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Harvest economics
A sentimental throwback or idea whose time has…
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Paul Polman: “Being ‘less bad’ isn’t good enough anymore.”
Paul Polman, who helped develop the UN Global…
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What do we mean by growth and why do we want it?
Start with what helps people flourish.
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Education should broaden minds. Too often we are doing the opposite.
Leonardo da Vinci would be horrified.
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Kwasi Kwarteng’s growth “plan” — a twentieth-century response to twenty-first century challenges
The Chancellor’s speech turns us back to the 70s.
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Saving ESG requires a radical change in its definition of “governance”
Learn about the challenges facing ESG governance…
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A little less wishful thinking, a little more listening, please
Running things isn’t governing.
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Fairer Future case study: Greg Turner-Smart
Greg Turner-Smart, Group Inclusion and Diversity…
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Chaos, crisis, and hope
Building a new manifesto for Britain.
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What DAOs teach us
Will crypto’s nonsense birth better governance?
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Net or not?
Isabelle Green, Research Executive from the Board…
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Climate gloom — from chair action to share action
We can do more than glueing ourselves to chairs.
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Leading the Change: Rachel Youngman
Rachel Youngman is the Deputy Chief Executive of…
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How lazy labels about business purpose fuel the indignation industry
Polarisation poses tough choices for companies.
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Fairer Future Case Study: why TSB signed the Good Business Charter
Kate Osiadacz, head of responsible businesses at…
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Stuart Kirk — a finance professional handicapped by his education
Fiduciary duty extends beyond finance.
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The bewilderment brew — how technology, privatisation and outsourcing combined can make life hard for customers
Hard-to-use products reflect insulated boards.
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Fairer Future Case Study: Marnie Millard
Marnie Millard, chair of UA92, talks business and…
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What would make us proud of our country?
The Jubilee is a time to revisit our qualities.
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Leading the Change: Sir Ken Olisa
Sir Kenneth is a technology business leader and…
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Leading the Change: David Bennett
David Bennett chairs the boards of Virgin Money…
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Trust and Russian money — time for the City to look in the mirror?
Can we be accused of wilful blindness?
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The Madness, Let Alone Unfairness, of US Executive Pay
Share-price-driven pay is a dangerous game.
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What Will It Take To Get Companies to Care About the Next Generation?
Values-driven companies act ahead of the law.
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Leading the Change: Baroness Patience Wheatcroft
Baroness Patience Wheatcroft is a journalist,…
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Too polite to make progress? Social mobility in the boardroom calls for a rude awakening
Is now the time for a review of social background…
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Football’s Ownership Problem: Empower the Fans
What can British clubs learn from a Swedish bank?
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Culture — The Gaping Hole That Undermines B Corp’s Credibility
Certified B Corps can have toxic cultures. Why?
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Master or Servant — A New Agenda for Teaching Business
Business is about profitably serving others.
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Leading the Change: Richard Burge
Richard Burge is chief executive of the London…
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Lithuanian Chocolates and Global Shocks
What questions must boards ask in a warring world?
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The High Road To Improved Productivity
Wealth creation requires more than higher public…
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Leading the Change: Sir Brendan Barber
Sir Brendan Barber is deputy chair of the…
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Yes to Levelling Up. No to Divisiveness and Ignoring Nature.
How can long-term focus be sustained?
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Fresh Voices: The Benefit of Foresight
The new generation of workforce are highly aware…
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Leading the Change: Stephen Welton
Stephen Welton was founder CEO of BGF and is now…
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Stewardship — A Joint Responsibility That We Have Yet to Crack
Shareholders and directors share the same duty.
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Stakeholder Capitalism - Fink Again
Exploring "stakeholder capitalism" with a focus…
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How Do We Stop Organisations Doing Stupid Things?
Discomfort now can prevent stupidity later.
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Has Private Equity Lost Its Way?
PE pioneers thought in terms of stewardship.
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Fairer Future Case Study: Louise Parkes
Louise Parkes, CEO of GOSH Charity, talks EDI…
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What Is the Role of Business in Creating a Fairer Future?
The Think Tank 2021 inquiry’s findings are out.
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Listening Is OK. Acting on What You’ve Heard Is Harder
If your organisational design sucks, what then?
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Leading the Change: David Dickson
David Dickson chairs Family Business Matters,…
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Leading the Change: Lord Bob Kerslake
Lord Bob Kerslake is the chair of Peabody and the…
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Leading the Change: Sarah Flannigan
Sarah Flannigan chairs Riverford, Yeo Valley…
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Guilty — of Reshaping Someone’s Mind?
Thinking through unintended consequences.
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More Foxes, Please
Why are our debates — and thinking — so narrow?
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Where’s the Pulse?
Our understanding of governance holds us back.
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Governance — My Gut Instinct
Good governance comes in many forms.
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Make the Journey Your Own
Beyond “Don’t worry; everybody does it.”
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Our Better Nature?
Your board’s language can reveal its assumptions.
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On Behalf of Which People?
Prioritise citizens, not consumer rights.
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Stewardship Could Deliver What ESG Cannot. Here’s How
Fund managers aren’t croupiers.
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Rebellion and the Boardroom
Will directors stand in the way of change?
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ESG Isn’t a Noun; It’s an Adjective
Pigeonholing ESG will kill it.
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Stewardship’s Quiet Hero
Remembering Simon Fraser.
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Better Judgement
A better approach to procurement is needed.
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First Steps Towards a Wealth Creation Manifesto
Governing well the good governance regulator.
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A National Discomfort Policy
What does it take to make us feel unfairness?
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The Better Business Act — A Charter for Pie Splitters?
Success depends upon what gets added to the pie.
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Architects or Plumbers? The Big Four’s ESG Dilemma
As they focus on ESG, where do EY et al. stand?
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ESG and the Lucrative Market for Salvation
Balancing self-interest with serving others.
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From Hubris to Hybrid
Governance must reflect commitment.
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None of Us Can Outsource Our Consciences
Health & Safety and ESG have something in common.
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There Is No Wealth But Life
How can economic policy transcend economics?
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Greed, Super Leagues, and Sewage
When does short-termism become a public matter?
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Private Sector Smugness and an Entitlement Mentality
No business endures unless founded on integrity.