Is it time to be more optimistic about the UK?
Whoever picked D-Ream’s Things Can Only Get Better for Tony Blair’s 1997 election campaign soundtrack, deserves a medal. Even now, the early days of New Labour embody a spirit of optimism and renewal encapsulated in that song. With Barack Obama, it was a chant that captured the mood. Yes. We. Can. Keir Starmer and Rachel […]
Never Knowingly Undersold: A great way to refocus the John Lewis brand
You really appreciate good slogans when you see a bad one. Among my favourite disasters are “nothing sucks like Electrolux” (vacuum cleaners) and “cheat on your girlfriend, not on your workout” (an unsurprisingly short-lived Reebok Germany campaign in 2012). Never Knowingly Undersold was always a great slogan, classy rather than catchy, and speaking to a […]
Assessing Labour’s first two months in office
Indeed, the key early task for Keir Starmer and his Cabinet is to set the tone for what will follow, communicating through actions as well as by words. So how have they done so far? Objective 1: Being bold Governing a country, like running a business, invariably involves strategic balancing acts. For Starmer, the […]
Will D&I make a comeback?
The business response fell somewhere on a spectrum from genuine reflection and commitment to change, through to panicked bandwagoning. Some said that they couldn’t see the business benefit to justify hiring a D&I (or, if you include ‘equity’, DEI) professional, but they largely kept that to themselves. D&I boomed, particularly in large corporates. But as […]
New CEOs & the Gareth Southgate problem
He won’t be the last either. But as a headhunter, I can’t help but sympathise with the FA’s board as they look to replace him. The departing England manager resembles a great FD-turned-CEO, a stabilising force who built a great team out of a group of high performing individuals, but who lacked strategic flair or […]
Companies and prioritising sales and operations over tech and marketing. It’s a wise strategy
How times have changed. Speaking with CEOs across the retail, consumer, leisure and even tech sectors, we’ve seen a distinct shift in priority towards getting core operational and commercial roles secured. Outside of high-growth companies, most simply do not have the money to invest in large data, tech or marketing projects. This may surprise some […]
How to get best out of headhunter when hiring for senior roles
Headhunters can be vitally helpful here in finding the best candidates, but executive search isn’t something you can just outsource, getting on with something else while you wait for them to come back with the perfect CFO, CMO, divisional head or indeed CEO. Like most services, executive search works best when you, the client, know […]
How to build better boards
On the one hand, sound governance provides vital protection from the risks that have befouled so many companies over the years. On the other hand, it’s an opportunity for executive directors to benefit from the experience, expertise, perspective and networks of non-execs, which can guide the business in often unexpected ways. Finding the right non-executive […]
The career ladder is broken for aspiring women CEOs. Here’s what we can do to fix it
I don’t meet many sexists these days, thankfully. Most CEOs and chairs are fully committed to equal career opportunities. They recognise that their companies will be stronger as a result. Unfortunately, this widespread belief in equality doesn’t always square with the outcomes. Statistically, the odds are stacked against women with ambitions to lead. A typical […]
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. […]
