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Jun 19, 20234 min read
Memo to the chair: unhappy about ticking those ESG boxes? Then lead from the front
I experienced a nasty discordant sound last month on hearing two pieces of news. First I learned from some of the world’s leading...
Apr 25, 20234 min read
Set up a shadow board by all means, but when will you get serious about intergenerational fairness?
‘It's clear that while capitalism has a huge amount to offer in terms of wealth creation and encouraging free enterprise, it has still...
Apr 17, 20234 min read
Migration – the fairness test to come
I listened recently to a fascinating BBC radio programme about housing in Vienna. There was so much to admire. Housing designed for...
Mar 28, 20233 min read
We need to talk about Purpose – but also about values!
The UK needs better, stronger companies. Companies which, while being commercial and competitive, dedicate themselves to serving human...
Mar 8, 20234 min read
Thinking like an owner – a precious byproduct of capitalism
Last week BBC Radio 4 hosted a discussion about capitalism between three authors - the Financial Times’ Martin Wolf, US Senator Bernie...
Feb 27, 20234 min read
From Jack Welch to Paul Polman — what a change in just 15 years!
Trials of a 4-day working week have been a success, according to recent reports in The Guardian. 18 of the 61 participating companies...
Feb 6, 20230 min read
Jan 30, 20231 min read
Nadhim and Ram – two tales about fairness
My Silk Road The Adventures and Struggles of a British Asian Refugee Pippa Ramm Books 2022
Jan 16, 20234 min read
Which company do you most admire?
‘Which company do you most admire?’ I like to ask this question if I am at a dinner party and the conversation has slowed. Some people...
Jan 9, 20234 min read
Labour and the 21st Century Economy – a 12 point plan for building better capitalism
When I was 11 years old my grandmother gave me a book token for Christmas and I spent it on two paperback biographies. One was about the...
Nov 27, 20225 min read
What does respect for employees mean in the age of the algorithm?
'There’s an algorithm here, tracking a human worker. Do you not see this as a problem?’ Darren Jones, MP, chair of the Employment Select...
Nov 18, 20223 min read
What if the chancellor were an anthropist?
The 2025 Autumn Statement - a Naïve Proposal Madam Speaker Today I wish to present the House with an entirely new kind of Autumn...
Nov 7, 20223 min read
One day of Anthropy
‘A great garden is a symphony’ Thus spoke Tim Smit yesterday as – for the first time – The Eden Project closed its doors to allow the...
Nov 1, 20224 min read
Harvest Economics – sentimental throwback or idea whose time has come?
Recently, Kate Raworth the creator of Doughnut Economics, asked her twitter followers how she might better describe the flaws in...
Oct 17, 20224 min read
What do we mean by growth and why do we want it?
My answer to Kate Raworth’s Question Last week I woke early with a strange dream still vivid in my memory. I had a collection of donuts...
Oct 10, 20224 min read
Education should broaden minds. Too often we are doing the opposite.
Learn how to see. Realise that everything connects to everything else’ - Leonardo da Vinci. ‘Why do politicians fail so miserably when...
Oct 3, 20224 min read
The Chancellor’s growth plan: a 20th century response to 21st Century challenges
On Friday 23 September the Chancellor of the Exchequer made his ‘Growth Plan’ speech. While the news has been full of the market reaction...
Sep 27, 20224 min read
Can ESG be saved? Only if it radically changes its definition of governance
On holiday in Italy recently, I got talking to Mario, a wine enthusiast. We discussed an outstanding white wine which came from a small...
Sep 5, 20224 min read
A little less wishful thinking, a little more listening please
‘In Stoke-on-Trent last month, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak traded blows over everything from credit card economics to Channel migrants…The...
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