The City has a duty to prevent people from lower socio-economic backgrounds falling behind With traditional ways of working being upended by the pandemic, employers and employees across all industries are looking to reinvent their sector and address historic challenges. For the financial and professional services sector, a key part of this journey has to be achieving a more diverse and inclusive workplace. Focusing on increasing diversity in the [...]
Work from home advice has finally been dropped and we need our staff back in offices for our economy to recover Today is truly a significant moment for businesses and households across the nation, as social and economic COVID-19 restrictions in England are finally eased. It’s been a long journey, but for the City, after many months of quiet we can now breathe a collective sigh of relief, as workers and visitors start to return to [...]
London should be the go-to city for green finance as Britain takes on COP26 It’s just over four months to go until the UN Climate Change Conference – better known as COP26 – takes place in Glasgow, and few will deny we are at a pivotal moment for our planet, and for the future of finance. With this in mind, we recently held the second of our hybrid Green [...]
The City is resilient but it needs to nurture its small businesses and advocate for a return to the office June 21, 2021 Over the last 12 months, the City has faced twin challenges from Britain’s exit from the European Union and the pandemic. Despite these challenges, the financial and professional services sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience as well as playing a key role in supporting other parts of the economy. We cannot, however, afford to be complacent. [...]
G7: Building back better will need a truly global approach to finance June 7, 2021 Over the weekend G7 finance ministers and financial leaders from across the world came together in London for arguably their most important meeting since the 2008 financial crisis. Top of their packed agenda was of course the recovery from COVID, against the backdrop of environmental issues and the challenges of reaching net zero emissions. Much [...]
Flood the streets with art: traffic-free weekends and an all-night celebration in the City for a cultural comeback May 24, 2021 The City’s reopening is building up to a crescendo with the return of visitors and audiences to some of the Square Mile’s iconic cultural institutions. One of the things that I – like many others – have missed the most during lockdown has been the opportunity to enjoy world-class art and culture in person rather [...]
The City skyline is changing and will earn its keep as a world-leader May 10, 2021 The Government will this week set out whether England can take the next step in its roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions as expected on 17 May. The data seems positive, so we hope to see more people returning to the Square Mile soon for work, hospitality, shopping and everything else on offer – other than, [...]
The Square Mile’s recovery will create an innovative, inclusive and sustainable business eco-system April 26, 2021 Walking around the City’s streets has been a joyous experience since many businesses started to reopen their doors and welcome back customers. It has been fantastic to see the vibrancy and the buzz, which the Square Mile is so well known for, gradually returning, taking us that bit closer to the more normal times that [...]
We must help the small businesses in the Square Mile get back on their feet April 12, 2021 From today, many businesses that are so essential to the energy and vibrancy of the Square Mile will be able to reopen their doors and welcome back customers. This is a much-needed return to a semblance of normality after a long and difficult winter. Large parts of the City have adapted remarkably well to working [...]
Corporate diversity: The City must keep working to enable fair access to everyone March 29, 2021 Last week, our nation came together to mark the anniversary of our first national lockdown. The National Day of Reflection was a time for all of us to reflect on the year that has passed and how dramatically our lives have changed. As we look ahead towards the coming months, many will be wondering what [...]
