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

Enter our competition to win a night’s stay plus bottomless brunch at the Andaz London Liverpool Street Although a mini-break is out of the question for anyone at the moment, one Director reader and their guest can win a weekend night’s stay at the five-star Andaz London Liverpool Street hotel, once the lockdown is over. The winner will be able to select a date which suits them, once the current situation returns to normality. Located in the east of the City, this grade-II listed Victorian building with designer interiors provides easy access to everything the capital has to offer. Visitors wi ..read more

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

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

Milan Shah is director of Virani, a food manufacturer based in Wellingborough, Northants, that is keeping retailers supplied despite the problems posed by coronavirus. As one of the IoD’s first members to have become a Chartered Director, he explains how the qualification has equipped him to lead his firm through the emergency How has your company been affected by the pandemic? We have seen a short-term increase in retail grocery demand that can be met only from our buffer stocks, as the raw materials we require are several months away on the other side of world. But there is uncertainty ..read more

It took a shocking personal tragedy – and the empathic response of his then employer – for Gian Power to realise the potential of emotional engagement as a motivational tool. The entrepreneur and public speaker explains how sharing your feelings at work can empower others to give more of themselves Showing emotion in the workplace can be a challenge for many people. Almost 60 per cent of 2,250 British workers surveyed by TotalJobs in January said that they struggled to express their true sentiments – particularly negative ones – at work. One-third of respondents admitted to putting on a “posit ..read more

The chairman of 4icg Group, a marketing data specialist based in Glasgow, tells Director about the key challenges facing his firm and evaluates the government’s response to the pandemic so far How serious is the situation and how is your company dealing with it? This pandemic is by far the biggest economic threat we have seen in modern times. It’s possible that the whole economy will go into isolation. The whole of the capitalist world survives on the basis of a circular economy: when everyone stops moving, the economy stops moving. A decent part of our work is securing business for large tech ..read more

The chair of the National Trust has enjoyed a long career running some of the UK’s best-known companies. He shares some of what he’s learnt and his thoughts on challenges such as overcoming a lack of diversity at the higher echelons of business I was lucky, because I was able to make a lot of mistakes early in my career. I was given the opportunity to run my first business – a small subsidiary of Thorn EMI based in Chicago – at the age of 26. The one thing that’s true of anyone who starts out in business is that the earlier you make mistakes, the better. Your ability to build an effective team ..read more

JoJo Maman Bébé was a B Corporation before B Corps even existed. Established 27 years ago by Laura Tenison, the retailer of French-influenced children’s clothing and accessories has always worn the founder’s philosophy on its stripy Breton sleeve. The Newport-based firm’s stated mission, for instance, is to “be the leading global mother-and-baby brand, offering high-quality products at reasonable prices and putting people and the planet above profit”. Today the CEO has come from south Wales to the firm’s marketing office in London for her interview with Director. While Ruby Tuesday, her Staffo ..read more

For the past 15 years Rubber Republic has, in the words of founder and creative director Matt Golding, “created videos that get people talking online”. The Bristol-based firm produces an eclectic mix of video content in support of its clients’ marketing campaigns. Focusing mainly on social and environmental issues, these tend to be vivid affairs. In one of its projects for eBay, for instance, a classic 1968 Ford Mustang was converted into a glittering rainbow unicorn for Pride in London in 2017. It’s clear that Rubber Republic is on to a good thing. The company, which has only eight people on ..read more