John Whittingdale’s BBC velvet glove at Edinburgh TV Festival masks a hand of steel August 26, 2015 John Whittingdale struck a conciliatory tone on the BBC at the Edinburgh TV Festival, saying "It was never our intention to create the impression that the BBC was under attack". The culture secretary explained that much would remain unchanged at the BBC of the future. The licence fee was still the only option because the [...]
Young women think engineering is unglamorous, and it’s resulting in a skills shortage August 26, 2015 I believe I have one of the most exciting jobs around. I work on projects that affect millions of people every single day, striving to deliver a safe and high-performing railway for Britain. And yes, I am an engineer and I am a woman. Read more: From the Shard to Crossrail: Five female engineers shaping [...]
London mayoral election 2016: After Boris Johnson, the next Mayor of London must be a dealmaker – Zac Goldsmith August 26, 2015 Next year you will decide who replaces Boris Johnson as Mayor of London. But in less than a month, you also have an opportunity to decide who will be the Conservative party’s candidate for mayor. London’s performance under Boris’s mayoralty has been remarkable. Our city has not only emerged from recession but has also driven [...]
Including peer-to-peer lending in the new innovative finance Isa will provide boost for millions of Brits August 26, 2015 Something momentous has happened to the UK peer-to-peer lending industry, as the government finally confirmed its plans to introduce a new type of Isa covering peer-to-peer loans. This boost for the sector comes a decade after my company Zopa pioneered the concept back in 2005. Read more: Peer-to-peer lending isn’t shadow banking – it’s now [...]
How to write for City A.M.’s Expert Voices pages August 25, 2015 City A.M. is all about business with personality – and now we are looking for the biggest personalities in business to make their voices heard. Our Expert Voices section is the place for thought-leaders and key industry figures to get their point across on the issues that matter. We want the movers and shakers of [...]
The UK’s gender pay gap is not a moral issue, but a business one August 25, 2015 A survey carried out by the Chartered Management Institute and the pay analysts XPertHR reported a 22 per cent gender pay gap at management level – with women earning far less than their male counterparts. This translates to women working effectively 57 days for free. This is unacceptable, but do the statistics really show a [...]
China crash: This is China’s Lehman Brothers moment and global liquidity is to blame August 25, 2015 August is the cruellest investment month, once more, and disappearing money flows are again the culprit behind crashing stock markets. The gyrations in global liquidity explain market movements around six-12 months ahead and predict economies over the following year. The problem right now is that despite the well-flagged easing by the ECB and Bank of [...]
Self-driving cars: This is why they won’t reach our roads for a long time August 25, 2015 There’s much excitement about the future of the self-driving car. We've heard endless discussions about Google's version ever since it was first launched in 2010, and now Apple has jumped on the bandwagon, too. Read more: Driverless car technology to get £20m UK government funding and testing guidelines introduced In fact, earlier this year [...]
Chinese economic slowdown: Devaluation and volatility should not put off Western retailers August 25, 2015 The surprise decision by the China's central bank to devalue its currency on three consecutive days has been linked to China’s state authorities’ attempts to boost its struggling economy. It is, however, unlikely to cause significant disruption to many Western retailers who are supplying in the region. The correction may have been a gesture to [...]
Supermarket wars: Aldi has changed the face of UK retailing in its first 25 years – but it must adapt as much as everyone else to continue August 24, 2015 As Aldi celebrates 25 years of trading in the UK the joy may be felt by the German-owned discount chain and the great British price-conscious shopping public for its impact on the cost of food. But the reaction from rival retailers, big and small, and pretty much everyone else in the supply chain who [...]