Champion of better capitalism
With the Stewardship Asia Round Table behind me, I caught up with Singapore friends before heading to the airport. I also had time to look at the papers. Here’s a selection of what readers of the Straits Times and Business Times have been reading on … Continue readingWhat’s in the papers in Singapore
‘We need a better form of capitalism, one which, while promoting competition, is there to serve and not dominate; to respect human beings and not exploit them; to nurture our surrounding environment, and not destroy it. The question is how. How to make our system … Continue readingWe need a better form of capitalism – and rediscovering stewardship is the key to change
How to get financial services companies to combine human purposes with commercial imperatives? I’ve spent the last twenty-five years arguing that a focus on purpose, values and relationships is the key to a company’s success, and opens the door to it making a valuable … Continue readingPurpose in financial services
In Monday’s Financial Times (13th May) there are two stories which, taken together, demonstrate the current failure of our capital markets and their potential to become a force for good. First the failure (Fingerpointing begins after Uber IPO Misstep). This is illustrated by the telling … Continue readingUber IPO trivia and serious lessons from Volkswagen
I am speaking today at a meeting in Parliament of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Corporate Responsibility. The subject is the duties of directors of companies under UK Company Law. It is an opportunity to put right those in business who mistakenly say that … Continue readingGovernment’s role in promoting better capitalism
In 1994, just as the Tomorrow’s Company Inquiry was getting into full swing, I undertook a fascinating study tour of Silicon Valley. I met some of the young companies, like Intuit, that were breaking through, and some of the venture capitalists, like Sequoia Capital that … Continue readingUnicorns or Monsters?
I have just returned from a short visit to Vilnius where I was invited to give the closing speech at the annual conference of the Baltic Institute of Corporate Governance. While there, I learned so much about Lithuania and the Baltic Countries. Here is … Continue readingLearning in Lithuania: three Baltic states and three views of the company
Under Chris Grayling, the UK privatised its probation service, a move that the Chief Inspector of Probation has condemned as ‘Irredeemably flawed’. Clearing up this mess will cost £467m, and re-offending has significantly increased. Meanwhile Northern Ireland retains its integrated public sector provision. As … Continue readingWhere privatisation doesn’t pay
I know from my own conversations with company General Counsels (GCs) that once a listed company gets into trouble, the investment banks have it over a barrel. Every step the board takes is required to be vetted by brokers, lawyers, accounting firms and investment bankers. … Continue readingMaking accountants, lawyers and investment bankers responsible for their clients
The decision by the Department of Transport to offer a contract to Seaborne Freight to run ferries in the event of a no-deal Brexit has now been scrapped. This was a company with no ferries and no experience of operating ferries, as part of a … Continue readingHow to ensure taxpayers get better value from private sector