Why it’s getting harder to hire a great CFO
The latest version of the UK corporate governance code, commonly referred to us as UK SOx, leaves them personally liable, at least in part, for the accuracy of financial statements, and the effectiveness of internal controls and risk management frameworks. I’m all for preventing fraud and accounting scandals, but no one should be surprised that […]
B Corp month: How to talk about purpose
“A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.” Lines like that abound at times like this. It’s B Corp month, after all, and those of us who care about such things want to inspire each other to believe that business is more than just an exercise in profit maximisation. You need more […]
When should founders step back
If leaders are expected to have all the answers, the same goes doubly for founders. You are often synonymous with the business, its guiding light. It makes it tremendously difficult to admit that you’re out of your depth, even drowning in your work. This is ironic, because founders arguably face this challenge more than anyone […]
Why you can’t plan for succession
But the traditional approach to succession planning is no longer fit for purpose. In an era of rapid and unpredictable change, you cannot just select an heir apparent, review every couple of years and wait. Adaptability and agility are paramount. The needs of your business are ever evolving, which means the brief for succession will […]
Do co-CEOs really work?
In a corporate setting it’s rare for there not to be a single chief executive running the show, but not unheard of. Increasingly, we’re seeing prominent examples of co-CEOs, including Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters at Netflix, co-MDs Jane Eskriett and Richard Grainger at River Island, and M&S CEO Stuart Machin and co-CEO Katie Bickerstaffe. […]
4 more people predictions for 2024
Two weeks ago we talked about people trends we expect to see this year, and their unintended consequences: the shift back towards office based rather than hybrid working, the use of AI to automate roles, and the increased use of equity as part of compensation packages. This week, we’re exploring four further developments we’re seeing […]
3 people predictions for 2024
It’s easy to say that we live in uncertain times, without giving any thought to times past. Life, and business, have always been uncertain. Farmers sowing their crops could never predict whether the coming summer would bring blight or some ravaging army. They just had to get on with it. Indeed, compared to 2020 (or […]
How Gymshark Became a $1.45bn Brand
“I want to grow a billion-dollar business.” These words may sound like a pipe dream to many, but when Gymshark founder Ben Francis said this to the ORESA team during their second meeting back in 2017, we knew this was a statement of intent – and we were committed to helping make that happen. Three […]
Neurodiversity: Great minds think differently
Neurodiversity has a lot of employers scratching their heads, either because they don’t know what it means or because they don’t know why everyone seems to be talking about it all of a sudden. What it is, broadly, is an umbrella term for a range of neurocognitive differences including but not limited to autism, dyslexia, […]
Hybrid working: Can you drive innovation on Teams?
As we now know, it turned out to be premature. The alpha, delta and omicron waves ensured that the hybrid working experiment would be a long one. Opinion is still divided over whether allowing any meaningful amount of working from home is a good idea and – even more pressingly for the leaders of businesses […]
