Champion of better capitalism
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
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
Here’s a company boss telling regulators worldwide that his business is a threat to competitive markets! (Uber chief says workplace culture needs improvement). So Dara Khosrowshahi wants to make Uber into the Amazon of transportation. He says his ‘aha!’ moment came when he saw … Continue readingUber: don’t be surprised when regulators bite back
It is easy to criticise the UK’s Financial Reporting Council and the audit firms it monitors. But critics and Sir John Kingman might just pause and consider the context. Firstly – the FRC has no power to act against people who are not accountants. … Continue readingDon’t blame FRC for confusing regulation tangle
Google and Facebook last year between them controlled more than 58% of total US digital advertising spend. Amazon is on course to capture nearly half of America’s e-commerce market in 2018. Decades ago US regulators forced the break up of telecommunications giants with positive … Continue readingThe strong are getting stronger – time for government to act
Since the Lord Mayor’s Mansion House debate I have been reading and thinking about trust and the City of London. This has strengthened my feeling that the real issues extend beyond retail mis-selling, or getting boards to focus on culture. The elephant in the room … Continue readingThe part of the financial services industry we could usefully do without
For those of us who have long admired and respected HSBC as a company with a strong sense of values, the last few days have been painful. Nils Pratley’s piece in Saturday’s Guardian is a reasonably fair account. The conclusions? First, as with … Continue readingWhat to make of the HSBC tax calamity?