Tortoise Media

To sleep, perchance to dream. That’s one option for the winter solstice, at least for people with time off. Another is to read, mark, learn, inwardly digest and watch the telly. Hoping our readers and listeners have a bit of both, we present suggestions under eight headings for all 12 days of Christmas, to help you feel inspired, intrigued and maybe even younger. Check out some of our favourite books, films, music, TV shows, articles and podcasts. 🎁: https://torto.se/4gJrpBc

Tortoise is pleased to announce that it has signed a deal to buy The Observer from The Guardian Media Group and The Scott Trust. Tortoise will invest £25 million and combine its digital newsroom with that of the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, adding significant new editorial resources to the paper on a Sunday and building a daily digital Observer that includes podcasts, video, newsletters and a new website. Read more: https://torto.se/3BCHgCD

The tech millionaire Bryan Johnson once went viral for infusing himself with a litre of his 17-year-old son’s blood plasma. That experiment failed, but it hasn’t distracted him from his life’s mission: reversing ageing. This week's Slow Newscast is the story of biohacking… on steroids. What happens when you build a privately run, for-profit nation state? And what happens when that state becomes a playground for experimental medicine? Listen wherever you get your podcasts: lnk.to/XSGGvM

In October, our Responsible Investment Forum took place at the Waddesdon Estate, providing the perfect setting for candid and meaningful discussions. At Tortoise, we run four Responsible Forums a year, each focused on a critical topic: investment, governance, energy, and AI. These forums are grounded in the principle of civilised disagreement and provide a space to explore the balance between power, profitability, people, and the planet. We are deeply grateful to our partners, Brown Advisory and the Rothschild Foundation, for helping us bring these vital conversations to life. Thank you to everyone who has joined us on this journey towards building a better, more sustainable future: Ann Cairns Lord Jitesh Gadhia Karina Funk, CFA, Esohe Denise Odaro, Huw van Steenis, Faith Ward, Jake Cusack and Kirsty Jenkinson. To find our more about our forums email [email protected]

🐢🦅🐋🐭 Episode ten of the Animal Sensemaker is out now. One animal, each week, to make sense of the world through stories of remarkable survival. This week, a mysterious species that was lost to science for half a century – the Elephant Shrew. Listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnkd.in/eu-zcqEW In partnership with On the Edge. 🗣️ Sebastian Pipins

Solar energy costs have dropped by 90 per cent in the last decade. Floating offshore wind turbines are now operating off the coast of Scotland. In China, 54 per cent of car sales last year were electric vehicles. While clean energy technologies are now readily available, the critical challenge for net zero transition lies in creating supportive economic, policy, and market frameworks to back them up. We dived into this and more at this year's Responsible Energy Forum, held last week at Waddesdon Estate. Special thanks to our co-chairs, Audrey Zibelman and Sir John Rose, and our advisory board members Ann Davies, Bob Dudley, Ivan Glasenberg, Patrick Handley, Majid Jafar, Philip Lambert, Claire Perry O'Neill and Lord George Robertson. Thanks also to our hosts and partners the Rothschild Foundation and Brunswick Group, and to all our insightful speakers for driving such thoughtful conversation. We'll continue these conversations around the Tortoise Business Roundtable, kicking off our 2025 series with Sir John Manzoni, Chair of SSE and AWE. For information on how to get involved, and plans for future Forums – email us at [email protected]

Last week, we joined our partners at Spencer Stuart to celebrate the 2025 cohort of the Next Gen Leaders network at a special reception in their London office. The evening brought together 80 guests, including alumni, senior leaders, and rising stars who are shaping the future of business and policy. The event, introduced by Katy Jarratt, featured a fireside chat between James Harding and Lord Jitesh Gadhia, who shared insights from his career, including the importance of resilience and staying calm under pressure – a skill he developed early at Barings Bank. Lord Gadhia also highlighted five transformative forces reshaping the global landscape: demography, deglobalisation, decarbonisation, digitalisation (including AI), and threats to democracy. Mentorship emerged as another key theme, with Lord Gadhia crediting influential mentors for teaching him to simplify complexity into actionable insights – an invaluable skill for leaders today. The Next Gen Leaders programme, a partnership between Spencer Stuart and Tortoise Media, equips rising talent with tools, insights, and connections to succeed, linking them with senior board members, CEOs, and policymakers. Past and present Next Gen participants present included: Georgie Smallwood, Katherine Ramsden Chartered Fellow CIPD, Suzy McClintock, Ianina Lucca, Enass Abo-Hamed MBE, Sophia Huver, Nicholas de Mestre, Ruth Cranston Matt Wood, Gurjeet Grewal, Catherine Dolton, Alice Pilia Drago and Felipe Arbelaez Thanks to Katy Jarratt, Hugh Thorneycroft, Suniti Chauhan, Veena Marr, Rowen Bainbridge, Michael Barrington-Hibbert, Alastair Rolfe and Alice Wyatt To find out more email [email protected]

The fall of President Assad in Syria is a disaster for Iran – so much so that people are beginning to ask if this might finally be the moment when Iran’s pro-democracy movement breaks through. In this week’s Slow Newscast, we tell the story of one activist’s 25 year fight against the Islamic regime in Iran, a story of courage and despair. Listen: lnk.to/rusydQLI

The British economy might be in better shape than you think. Real wages have grown over the last four quarters, cash reserves in bank accounts are rising for the top 60 per cent of households, and larger corporations are reporting strong profits. But is it enough to sustain growth in the long run? Last week, we welcomed Charlie Nunn, CEO of Lloyds Banking Group, to the Tortoise Business Roundtable to discuss the future of banking and the economy – from building resilience to driving sustainable growth. Our next roundtable is on Wednesday 11 December, when we’ll welcome Debbie Weinstein, Managing Director of Google UK & Ireland, to discuss AI and the future of the workforce. Interested in joining the conversation? Our Members gain access to influential leaders, timely debates, and exclusive insights through newsletters, journalism, and podcasts. To join the discussion email us at [email protected]

Tortoise Media is pleased to announce that its offer to buy The Observer newspaper has been approved by Guardian Media Group (GMG), and its owner the Scott Trust. Read more: https://torto.se/49o3swO