‘It’s a powerful, symbolic moment’: Chief executive Warren Deutrom on Ireland’s Lord’s Test match against England July 23, 2019 Wednesday is a significant day for Irish cricket: a third Test match in the country’s history, a first against England, at the Home of Cricket, on television and in the midst of a swell of interest in the sport, thanks to a recently concluded World Cup and an approaching Ashes series. For Warren Deutrom the [...]
How to host a dinner party: Top tips to ensure guests leave happy July 24, 2019 My editor asked me to write about how to throw the perfect dinner party. But there’s a problem: while I host quite a few myself – and pull them off pretty well, I think – I don’t have much to compare them to. You see, nobody ever invites me back. Read more: Trisara hotel review [...]
How the fall of Mugabe allowed Zimbabwe to reclaim the future of its tourism September 2, 2019 We discussed him in hushed tones, out of earshot of anyone else. Always the conversations were the same: “one day, maybe…,” swiftly followed by, “don’t say this where anyone else might hear.” Mugabe’s spectre loomed over even the most innocuous of chats, just like He Who Must Not be Named. And then, 24 hours later, [...]
Daydreams are the key to creativity and business success July 9, 2019 I believe that there’s a reason why people phase out and daydream at work: it’s that their work is utterly tedious and offers them little reward besides the paycheck. If their work doesn’t require any personal input or even rudimentary thought, it’s no wonder that employees become disengaged from it. But dreaming – either daydreaming [...]
Tradeweb’s CEO on tech, China, and modernising bond markets July 24, 2019 While researching Lee Olesky, the co-founder and chief executive of the fixed-income market platform Tradeweb, I came across an article comparing him to Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos. Both started their companies in the nineties. Both set out to use the internet and ecommerce to disrupt their respective industries at a time when the idea of [...]
Office Space: Step into Sessions House, the courthouse HQ of Ennismore, the company behind The Hoxton and Gleneagles July 24, 2019 From the outside, Sessions House is a slightly menacing proposition. Squat and grimly imposing, it looks mistrustfully out onto Clerkenwell Green, seemingly miles removed from the surrounding buildings. If you’re a frequent visitor to central London, you might recognise its austere, almost gothic facade, all dreary grey brick and prison-bar windows. Upon entering the building, [...]
Business risks ‘Corbygeddon’ if it doesn’t learn to speak up May 15, 2019 The headline in the Sunday Times was stark: “Rich prepare to flee Corbyn’s Britain as Tories desert PM”. The country’s millionaires and billionaires were, according to the compilers of the paper’s annual rich list, preparing for “Corbygeddon” – the prospect of a hard-left Labour government making an irreparable dent in both their own finances and the [...]
Horse Racing: Dragonet set to lead good crew from Ballydoyle in Investec Derby May 21, 2019 DESPITE a sharp drift in the betting a few days ago casting major doubt over the participation of Aidan O’Brien’s ante post Investec Derby favourite Sir Dragonet, the latest report from the trainer suggests otherwise. Speaking at the annual Breakfast with the Stars event at Epsom Downs Racecourse yesterday, the six-time Derby-winning trainer far from [...]
Bronek Masojada: The Hiscox CEO who’s got the City covered February 25, 2019 Hiscox chief executive Bronek Masojada is no stranger to the City of London Corporation. Nearly 10 years ago, his insurance house sued the body over the demolition of a building near its office, which would later be cleared to make way for the “Helter Skelter” skyscraper at 22 Bishopsgate. Now, after pursuing the organisation from [...]
Why you should blame personality tests for the psycho in your office February 27, 2019 Most of us have, at some point, encountered a Myers-Briggs personality test. Katherine Cook Briggs began her personality research over a century ago after an awkward dinner party, which just goes to show the lengths that some people will go to avoid small talk. Of course, personality tests can be useful, but the corporate world [...]