George Gordon

In case you are interested

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Key points from today’s useful Government of Jersey Financial Sevices Update: - key development was launch of new Sustainable Finance Action Plan, with progress in coming years across governance, incentives and engagement - retaining competitiveness is a vital focus, including products, skills and overseas visibility - integration of digital and sustainability critical to long term growth - recruitment and attracting talent remains key across sectors - lots of Moneyval and Pillar 2 mentions, but international tax transparency and AML agenda continues to evolve - trade partnerships landscape interesting to track for Jersey into 2025, including the CPTPP Plenty to unpick and follow as we head into 2025…! #finance #sustainability #digital

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Some great advice here from Vicki Marinker ACC

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👇🏼💡TISA's Manifesto - 10 key recommendations to improve the financial wellbeing of UK households

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It’s #COP29 next week; what key things should PRs and comms folk know? Yesterday, I attended PRmoment’s Guide to COP29, which provided a snapshot of the event's key focus and the main PR/comms and policy-related issues. It was hosted by Ben Smith with a strong lineup of expert speakers. My takeaways below: ✅ One of the main agenda items at COP29 will be climate finance (including funding help for lower-income countries to decarbonise their economies). Among the other key hot topics the UK media will be focusing on is Keir Starmer’s appearance as the UK tries to position itself back at the centre of climate diplomacy; the announcement of the UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (each country's pledge/targets/plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Agreement); and how Trump’s presidency will change the USA’s position on climate change. ✅ To any PRs considering pitching top UK national media with climate change-related news during COP29, Rebecca Speare-Cole, sustainability reporter at PA Media, advised thinking about whether your story will cut it with so many major climate change announcements. Maybe change the timing of your campaign? ✅ PA receives 100s of PR emails a day during this type of event. Rebecca suggested you might be better off thinking about how you can add to the stories coming out of the event (rather than trying to outperform those major global news stories with your own news). ✅ PRs might struggle with releasing reports or surveys to coincide with COP29. PA has done its own public opinion snapshots around COP, and several big reports are scheduled to come out for COP29 from the likes of the World Meteorological Organisation and the UN Environment Programme. ✅ Stephen Kelly of BOLDT (at very short notice) did a great job of discussing how the Trump presidency might impact the US approach to climate change (even though it will still be the Biden administration attending COP 29). For example, we can expect the US to withdraw from the Paris Agreement again, cut restrictions on drilling for oil, boost fossil fuel exports, and possibly impose tariffs on electric vehicle imports. ✅  James van der Graaf, of H/Advisors Cicero, said record numbers of lobbyists attend COP events (2456 fossil fuel lobbyists were given access to COP28). However, the event is not really effective as a lobbying shop to influence policy (there is limited access to policymakers who are more focused on the actual negotiations). There are good opportunities in the Green Zone (which is open to the public) to speak on panels and attend events, which could be good for corporate branding.  ✅  Sophie Morello of SEC Newgate presented its research on attitudes to ESG(based on 14,000+ consumers). One interesting finding: while only 29% of baby boomers think companies should speak publicly on ESG issues that are not related to their own business, it was twice as high (63%) among Gen Z.

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Latest instalment from our Labour experts on the likely new MPs to watch in key biz sectors. Today it’s the turn of the tech brigade 💻 🤖 https://lnkd.in/eaCenqn7 #ge24

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People in their 20s, 30s and 40s need to make sure they aren't leaving themselves short in their retirement, as The Independent's Katie Rosseinsky warns in this piece - featuring our own Ross Leckridge 🙌 #financialplanning #pensions

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When I run media training I talk about the energy that well chosen words can bring to a short media piece. Often times industry spokespeople are contributing to a wider story, and are not able to deliver a lengthy monologue. This makes the chosen words even more important. I absolutely love this clip of the Henley Mermaids contributing to a Channel4 News piece last week about shoddy management from Thames Water (scroll to 30 seconds in). Things she does to ensure her piece goes...ummmm...swimmingly 🏊‍♀️ "We feel let down" - makes it very human 🏊‍♀️ "Thames Water serves 1 in 4 of us" - hugely inclusive...this matters to a lot of us 🏊‍♀️ "It's a total monopoly, we have no choice who we go to" - emphasis and really accessible language. You may not think you need to explain a word like monopoly, but doing it deftly like this can be helpful 🏊‍♀️ "It's just poo and pipes" - alliterative perfection. A clever phrase that in 5 words ridicules TW's mismanagement and makes her point emphatically 🏊‍♀️ "If I did my job that badly..." - elaboration through a personal example 🏊‍♀️ "They need to go!" - call to action The interviewer doesn't need to ask her any questions or interrupt her in anyway as she is engaging, energetic and clearly voices strong opinions. Chef's kiss! https://lnkd.in/eTmC6_h8

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The Payment Systems Regulator’s (PSR) interim report on card scheme and processing fees is out - covering some crucial aspects of the payment ecosystem. Thoughts below… ⬇ Highlights 💡 1. The report underscores the complexity of current scheme and processing fees, highlighting the need for greater transparency from card schemes. Decoding these fees is currently challenging for many businesses. 2. The PSR indicates that existing fees might inhibit the rise of alternative payment methods, suggesting a more competitive landscape could emerge if these barriers are addressed. The complexity of the fees might also be limiting the rise of players that compete with the schemes on additional services - as it’s unclear for acquirers which services are core and which can be procured from these alternative providers. 3. The report identifies an imbalance in bargaining power between acquirers and issuers, emphasising the need to ensure that the network's benefits are balanced between the buyer and seller sides. Proposed Remedies 🔎 1. Encouraging card schemes to engage more constructively with acquirers and merchants to enhance offerings and foster a more collaborative environment, for example by consulting before introducing new fees. 2. Increasing transparency on what services are optional vs. mandatory could allow smaller providers to compete more effectively, driving innovation by allowing specialised providers to build on the schemes’ core platform. 3. Implementing greater financial reporting for continuous PSR supervision aims to pre-emptively address potential issues and prevent them from escalating into major problems. Really looking forward to contributing to these discussions and supporting the development of sustainable solutions. We need measures that will boost competition in the long run and benefit the entire payments landscape, including new methods like Account-to-Account (A2A) payments. Teya

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Today, SONI - System Operator for Northern Ireland has published our Winter Outlook 2024/25. This annual publication sets out our assessment of the balance between anticipated consumer demand for electricity and expected generation for the Winter period. Our assessment for Winter 2024/25 shows that we expect to have enough generation to meet demand in normal operating conditions, and assuming our portfolio of conventional generation remains available. In this context, the likelihood of any disruption to consumers because of insufficient generation is small. We have experienced some challenges in recent months with unexpected forced outages, and these challenges may remain in the lead up to the Winter period. However, we have the plans in the place to minimise the risk of any disruption. Operating any power system is inherently challenging and involves balancing a wide range of variable factors. As Northern Ireland's power system, rightly and importantly, transitions to cleaner, but more variable and intermittent sources of electricity, this balance becomes more complex. In the future, technology such as Long Duration Energy Storage, at sufficient scale, will help address some of these interim, transitional challenges. Find out more about the 2024/25 Winter Outlook here: https://lnkd.in/eKDvvinC

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A really clear message from Fiona Bride at Financial Times Global Pharma & Biotech Conference this morning: 1 - let’s build on our strength as a pro-innovation health system that gets cutting edge therapies to patients 2- let’s do our best for taxpayers by using clinically effective medicines available at lower cost 3- let’s not shy away from the challenge of improving uptake of treatments for large eligible populations, but use tech to lean-in and evolve

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Great advice here to involve your people when you are doing and IPO. The Company would not be what and where it is without your people

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The next government has a critical opportunity to boost financial inclusion & protect people's #mentalhealth. Today Money and Mental Health has set out five steps it can do that - from ensuring everyone getting help for their mental health also gets money advice, to cracking down on aggressive debt collection & protecting disability benefits. 👇 Find out more here

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For any PR professional or anyone in business, an absolute masterclass in crisis comms and PR in the link below, from the great Donald Steel FCIPR FRSA Practically everything I know about PR is learned from this man during my formative career at the BBC. A legend in his own lunchtime…..and mine!

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BT Group’s appointment of Allison Kirkby as CEO and the addition of Poppy Gustafsson’s company, Darktrace, to the FTSE 100, officially brings the index’s female representation to a new high, according to Raconteur | B Corp™’s CEO Index. “At the current rate, the FTSE 100 will reach CEO gender parity by 2057, 16 years ahead of the next best-performing index. But reaching gender parity at CEO level may not be enough to achieve true gender equality among the UK’s blue-chip firms. Recent analysis by the High Pay Centre shows that executive pay in the FTSE 100 has reached a record high – but there is still a gender pay gap of nearly £800,000.” This news really gives the same energy of last year's Bloomberg report that there were (finally) more female CEOs than men named John... #ftse100 #genderpaygap #womeninleadership

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With inflation finally on the wane, can we claim an end to the cost-of-living crisis? From mortgage repayments to food and energy, I look at seven reasons why consumers are still feeling a pinch in their pockets.

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Democracy is about more than a vote every few years. It'a bigger than 650 people sitting in London making decisions. I love this film, shared by Jon Alexander - for the way it shows the layers of how democracy really functions - democracy is rule by the people. We are the bosses, the workers, the customers and the shareholders in this enterprise. I really hope we can start to work towards a political system in which people feel valued, engaged and empowered to beyond sticking an X in a box. #election2024 #UKelection #GeneralElection #politics #democracy #bythepeopleforthepeople

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Ahead of the first televised head-to-head UK General Election debate tonight between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, bringing back a piece I wrote for The Times Red Box on how to prepare for high-stakes election TV debates. Drawing from experiences preparing senior Cabinet Ministers during the UK 2017 General Election and the EU Referendum campaign, the fundamentals for all participants remain constant: 🔹 A particularly time and resource intense format, debates require participants – and their support teams – to expect the unexpected. 🔹Taking the time to role-play, anticipate your opponents' weak spots, and come up with zingers is crucial. 🔹Real-world examples and empathy are needed to connect emotionally with viewers. 🔹All sides need their players to look and sound like they come from “Planet Normal”. Not just paying lip-service, the principals need to show empathy, that they get people’s everyday concerns, understand their lives and what makes them tick. 🔹 There should also be zingers a-plenty. The sharp ripostes designed to get noticed, ignite the next day’s press and have a lifespan throughout the campaign and beyond. 🔹Think about the viewer at home experience, not just the people in the room. Body language, looking and sounding like you are doing the top job, and befriending the main camera are vital. 🔹This format means lots of demands to “level with people” and “rule things in or out”. Falling into the trap of the off-the-cuff thinking can be an advisor’s worst nightmare, but for the viewer and voter, how someone reacts in the moment can be illuminating. 👇 Edelman Global Advisory #GeneralElection

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