Improving diversity and equity in the fashion industry
DE&I has become a buzzword for many companies, but fashion still has a long way to go when it comes to improving diversity, equity and inclusion. A recent report from the British Fashion Council found just 5% of the most senior roles in the industry are held by people from an ethnic minority background. Chanda […]
Re-booting the CBI’s purpose, fast
Rain Newton-Smith surely thought long and hard about whether to accept the role of Director-General of the CBI. The invitation has ‘glass cliff’ written all over it. Chief among the items in her unenviable in-tray are restoring trust in the scandal-ridden business lobby and stopping the exodus of big employers that threatens to kill its […]
BT’s Bridget Lea for International Women’s Day
Bridget Lea is the Managing Director of Commercial at BT / EE. She has held senior roles at Sainsbury’s, O2, Oasis and more, and is also a non-exec at Marston’s and governor at Manchester Metropolitan University. She sat down with ORESA for International Women’s Day, telling us about her storied career, gender equality and what […]
Why founders are turning off stock market flotations
Floating on the stock market was once the ultimate sign that the business you’d founded was a serious, lasting concern. That feels like a long time ago. When the stock of ailing businesses like GameStop or AMC Entertainment can balloon twentyfold in a month because some kids in basements think it’s funny, you know that […]
Talent isn’t a zero sum game
I’ve seen a few downturns in my time. They usually come with tough decisions, not least when it comes to people. Many leaders will be balancing the need to retain talent in their business with the need to cut costs. Redundancies are never an easy choice to make. Aside from the human impact, they can […]
The E=mc2 of interviewing
I have to put the same question to one of the UK’s experts in selection, Douglas Board. His degree was a first class honours in mathematics from Cambridge. Surely there isn’t an equation for interviewing? “Well, I’ve invented one which can help you avoid a common mistake!” he replies. “Seriously, sweating the complex abstractions of […]
What recruitment trends can tell us about 2023
In these blogs we usually talk about the cut and thrust of running a business, and wider trends that we see in the market. It’s rare that we talk about what we actually do day to day. Yet it struck me that our executive search business provides a unique glimpse into how companies are preparing […]
What they don’t tell you about leading flexible teams
That prognosis still probably holds in the long term, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see a relapse over the next year. The cost of living crisis and recession are focusing minds. People are unlikely to be as insistent about their working conditions if they’re worried about meeting mortgage payments. At the same time, the […]
Why social immobility is a business problem – and what you can do about it
When diversity and inclusion became a significant business issue in the following decades, the focus unsurprisingly fell on gender and race, perhaps a little later LGBT and disability. Class is relatively rarely discussed. Yet if anything, social immobility has worsened over the past 25 years. If they want to access the best talent and give […]
Will 2022-3 be this generation’s winter of discontent?
You’d be forgiven for thinking that you fell asleep one night and woke up in 1978, our last winter of discontent. Many will wonder whether this winter will be even worse. Businesses need to plan and that requires some certainty. No one can offer that right now, but we can look at the causes and […]
