Year: 2021

Imagine being told that the evidence is now overwhelming that eating more food contributes to longer life. If you are suffering from malnutrition this is of course true. If, on the other hand, you live in comfort and don’t bother to take any exercise, it … Continue readingESG is not a noun: it is an adjective

Are there difficult environments where aggression and bullying are the only way to get results? This question was raised in the Financial Times this week following the downfall of Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York. The investment world is not always noted for its patience. … Continue readingStewardship’s quiet hero

I am a judge. Not in a court of law, but in a rather special company award scheme. For the last 23 years, I have been one of three judges for Mark in Action, an award scheme operated by Unipart Group to recognise outstanding customer … Continue readingBetter judgement

Is the governance and proper conduct of our companies a priority for the UK government and Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary? It would appear that the answer is ‘no’.   The whole UK system of listed companies depends for its regulation on the workings of … Continue readingFirst steps towards a wealth creation manifesto

‘It was getting hotter’. These are the opening words of ‘The Ministry for the Future’, a science fiction novel by Kim Stanley Robinson. The opening chapter is set in Lucknow, India. As the sun rises in the sky, ‘people were dying faster than ever’. This … Continue readingA national discomfort policy

Last week I was invited by the UK’s Institute of Directors (IoD) to hear a discussion about the proposal for a Better Business Act (BBA) This comes from the UK branch of the admirable B Corp movement, which has attracted 3720 companies in 74 countries … Continue readingThe Better Business Act – a charter for pie splitters?

Last week I compared the Big Four Accounting firms with the Church and said that their plans to invest heavily in the market for ESG reminded me of the sale of Indulgences in the early church. So what should the Big Four do in response … Continue readingArchitects or plumbers – the big four’s ESG dilemma

For the medieval church the quest for salvation was a major concern.  Demonstrating your faith through good works was a good way to save your soul from purgatory. And so emerged the concept of indulgences, which could be granted by popes, as measurable ways of … Continue readingESG and the lucrative market for salvation

Oh to be a fly on the wall in the Exxon boardroom as Alexander Krasner joins Kaisa Hietala and Gregory Goff for their first meeting. While these three well-qualified champions of decarbonisation were endorsed by the votes of shareholders, Darren Woods, the Chairman & CEO, … Continue readingFrom hubris to hybrid