Why British business needs more female non-executive directors 
Director Magazine
by Victoria McLean
4y ago
Women have much to offer as Neds – and much to gain – writes Victoria McLean, founder and CEO of City CV Companies all over the UK are recognising the need to have more women working for them at the highest level. Female non-executive directors (Neds) of all ages offer them benefits of a very measurable kind – proving the business case, if it were ever needed, that such roles should no longer be dominated by men approaching retirement. Research by campaign group 2020WOB, whose mission until this year was to increase female representation on US company boards to 20 per cent, has found that firm ..read more
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Universities and businesses must collaborate more closely
Director Magazine
by Charles Clarke
4y ago
Charles Clarke, former secretary of state for education and skills, and Ed Byrne, principal at King’s College London, explain why greater co-operation is needed between higher education and the private sector The nature of all kinds of work is changing dramatically, which in turn is transforming many aspects of our society. This should provoke a fundamental reassessment of the relationship between universities and employers. In particular, we need to address the following three challenges: The number of “careers for life” is in steep decline. This means that university courses and teaching me ..read more
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Why learning will become even more crucial during the coronavirus crisis
Director Magazine
by Russ Lidstone
4y ago
Directors who prioritise training and development in these uncertain times will reap the rewards, argues Russ Lidstone, group CEO at The Creative Engagement Group When businesses are facing such an extraordinary threat as the coronavirus, advising them to “invest in the future” may sound simplistic. But Harvard Business Review’s 2010 assessment of business performance over three recessions found that the firms most likely to emerge strongly from economic downturns were those that struck the right balance between judicious cost-cutting in the short term and investment for the long term. I sugge ..read more
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‘Business must tackle widespread shortage of negotiation skills’
Director Magazine
by Richard Savage
4y ago
Richard Savage, director at Scotwork Negotiation, urges employers to address what recent research has revealed to be an international problem In a world where goods and services worth more than £60 trillion are traded each year, negotiation transcends most parts of business. Despite this, it remains one of the most neglected professional skills. A recent research report by my firm about the skills and tactics of negotiation – based on an extensive international survey of more than 5,000 executives in 51 industries – has revealed just how little effort businesses devote to doing it well. The ne ..read more
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‘Best-practice guidance for internal auditors will help to strengthen corporate governance’
Director Magazine
by Brendan Nelson
4y ago
In January the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors published its new Internal Audit Code of Practice. This provides guidance for internal auditors in both the private and third sectors, writes Brendan Nelson, chair of the independent steering committee that developed the code. We were delighted that the publication was welcomed by the IoD’s director general, Jon Geldart, as well as the chief executives of the UK’s main accountancy bodies. This guidance is needed because we’ve seen a string of high-profile corporate collapses, including those of Carillion and Thomas Cook, which have led to ..read more
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How to optimise and market your website for e-commerce
Director Magazine
by Director commercial and sales
4y ago
Liron Smadja, director of local marketing at Fiverr, offers his tips for making your firm’s e-commerce function as accessible and welcoming as possible to its target market No matter how advanced your business is in e-commerce terms, continually improving its online shop will ensure that customers can always easily find and use it. This work needs to be done in three critical areas of the website: design, content and analytics. The good news is that you don’t have to spend time, effort and money on recruiting employees to do this. You could instead find a specialist to outsource the work to us ..read more
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Eight lessons from real-life mergers and acquisitions
Director Magazine
by Mieke Jacobs and Paul Zonneveld
4y ago
Change consultants Mieke Jacobs and Paul Zonneveld advise on how to keep your next deal off the ever-growing list of M&A disappointments It’s widely accepted that that between 70 per cent and 90 per cent of mergers and acquisitions fail to achieve their stated objectives. Despite this terrible record, M&As remain a key strategy for many businesses. Indeed, deal activity is expected to rise again in 2020. Here are eight lessons that directors can draw on to increase a deal’s chances of success, particularly in the cultural integration phase. 1. Know yourself and your motives. If you buy ..read more
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Why every company needs a chief communications officer
Director Magazine
by Emma Kane
4y ago
Reputation is everything in business. The market’s focus on key factors such as environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG); corporate purpose and responsibility; employer brand; and leadership vision has become razor-sharp. These are just as crucial as a company’s products and services are in determining how that business is perceived. The responsibility for ensuring that all key stakeholders in a company understand such factors lies with the communications team. This means that the role of in-house comms chief should no longer be a rung below the C-suite. Every serious company of sc ..read more
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It’s time to end comfort-zone recruitment and embrace generational diversity
Director Magazine
by Chris Dyer
4y ago
Does your hiring strategy tend to bring the same types of recruit into your company? Certain industries naturally attract candidates of the same gender, ethnic background or age group. But some leaders stay in their comfort zones when it comes to their preferred applicants. They tend to hire those who match the type of people who have previously worked well in the organisation and/or select from an established network that they know and trust. It’s not too hard to see this as a self-limiting move. A team of like-minded individuals may work together with less friction, but that comes at the exp ..read more
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How to achieve a better work-life balance
Director Magazine
by Chris Griffiths
4y ago
Chris Griffiths, creator of the productivity app Ayoa.com, offers his advice on finding enough time for everything that’s important to you and striking the perfect work-life balance Getting to that happy place between scarcity and excess is central to a fulfilling life. From diet and exercise to the time we spend at work and at home, finding the Goldilocks zone of “just rightness” is a constant quest for most of us. Balance doesn’t come naturally; it’s something we have to keep working on. When it comes to business, no matter how much responsibility you have, making time for your personal life ..read more
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