Are we entering the ABBA Voyage era at work? Opinion AI avatars are about to replace you in meetings. The possibilities are tantalising – and unsettling, writes Paul Armstrong AI avatars are joining our Zoom calls, often before we do. Meeting note-takers, digital clones, even interviewers are now infiltrating the office landscape—often uninvited. This isn’t some distant sci-fi concept; it’s happening now. Is this progress, [...]
CBI says it has financial backing for return of flagship summit Corporate News The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has insisted it will have financial backing for its annual flagship summit next month as it returns for the first time since the group nearly collapsed last year.
This is why business travel will never be the same again – IWG boss Business Current signs indicate business travel is unlikely recover to pre-pandemic levels, the boss of IWG, one of the world’s largest office providers, has said. “Technology will never replace the value of in-person interactions where they are strategically important,” chief executive Mark Dixon told City AM. However, he warned “all signs suggest it is unlikely to return to [...]
McLaren W1: A ‘once in a generation’ hybrid hypercar October 8, 2024 When the opening gambit is ‘a successor to the McLaren F1 and P1’ – two of the greatest supercars in history – you know what follows will be something special. Or it certainly needs to be. The McLaren W1 does not disappoint. Welcome to the inner sanctum of a futuristic, semi-subterranean factory in Woking: home [...]
When viral fame fades: From Binley Mega Chippy to the Spudman October 1, 2024 In March 2022, I visited fish and chip takeaway Binley Mega Chippy in my hometown of Coventry 10 minutes after it had opened for dinner, joining a growing queue of people snaking out across a tarmac car park on the side of a busy A road. A line of cars waiting for a parking spot [...]
Bentley Continental GT Speed 2024 review: Need for speed October 1, 2024 The Continental GT changed everything for Bentley. In 2002, the craftspeople in Crewe – many of whom still referred to their workplace as ‘Royce’s’ ‒ hand-built just over 1,200 cars. But when the svelte new W12-powered coupe was unveiled in early 2003, dealers were inundated with 6,500 advance orders. Almost overnight, Bentley had gone from [...]
Jaguar Land Rover plans £500m ‘factory of the future’ in UK electric vehicle drive September 26, 2024 Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced plans to invest £500m to transform one its historic factories as part of its drive to build more electric vehicles. The Whitley-headquartered automotive giant has already spent £250m on upgrading the Halewood plant, near Liverpool, which was originally constructed in 1963 to make the Ford Anglia. The work will [...]
We need more new towns like Brent Cross – but we need them in the right places September 25, 2024 Brent Cross is London's newest park town. Its proximity to London has been crucial to making it a success, writes Tom Goodall
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio review: A blast from the fast September 20, 2024 After nine years, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio should probably be shuffling off arthritically into the sunset. Instead, this old stager has come out fighting, with a second facelift designed to keep it competitive with the BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C63. A case of too little, too late? The Guilia has always been beautiful, so [...]
‘Strike right balance’ on flexible working, business groups urge Labour September 17, 2024 Ministers must allow firms to “strike the right balance” on flexible working, business lobby groups have urged. It comes after business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told The Times alternative work schedules “contribute to productivity” and could be “significant” in tackling regional inequality issues, amid debate over the government’s proposed plans for workers’ rights reforms. He said, [...]