Board Agenda: Podcast Board Agenda

A great wave of regulation is washing across business: capital rules for banks, cyber security and sustainability reporting mean corporate leaders appear to be in a new age of oversight. What’s driving this rule-making overdrive and how should business respond?

Mark Kennedy and George Lagarias of Mazars, and Gavin Hinks of Board Agenda—also ask why London is struggling as a centre for IPOs and, with the Paris Olympics just around the corner, we ask whether showpiece events can really boost finance and economics?
Those are some the big issues under discussion in this month’s Macro Memo podcast as it explores the international business landscape.

All this and much more in Board Agenda’s podcast series, The Macros Memo, the global trends briefing for boards and directors. 

You can access the podcast via Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t forget to hit subscribe.

The global economic landscape appears to be going through a form of fragmentation. There are growing tensions between the US and China over “dumping” of industrial products; the German economy is in “troubled waters”; France has revised down its growth; and the UK has sunk into recession (though could emerge quickly). Yet the largest developing world economies continue to do grow at a clip. What’s driving the differential performance? And how should business respond?
These are among the big questions tackled in this month’s The Macro Memo podcast, as it considers an evolving economic environment.
The team—Mark Kennedy and George Lagarias of Mazars, and Gavin Hinks of Board Agenda—also consider the maturing, or more realistic, view of artificial intelligence and its prospects, and examine what European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) could do to improve EU competitiveness.

The Macro Memo podcast looks ahead at prospects for 2024. Some observers think the inflation crisis is close to resolution. But is it? And what are the implications for business and, most importantly, interest rates.  

Those are some of the big questions tackled by The team—Mark Kennedy and George Lagarias of Mazars, and Gavin Hinks of Board Agenda, who also look at the risk of trade wars and whether the EU’s concern with Chinese electric cars reflects bigger issues.

Lastly, this episode looks at labour markets and how companies will cope with a global shortage of skills, a big theme of the World Economic Forum’s meeting this year in Davos.

COP 28 is underway in Dubai but what responsibility do business leaders have for beating climate change? How will trade benefit from from US and European efforts to improve relations with China? And can companies in the EU, and elsewhere, expect an interest rate cut for Christmas?
 
Mark Kennedy, partner and member of Mazar’s group executive board, alongside George Lagarias, Mazars’ chief economist, offer their thoughts on global trends to Board Agenda’s Gavin Hinks in this edition of Macro Memo.

 What does Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement hold for UK business and what will it do for the economy? How is global trade affected by conflict and geopolitical uncertainty? And can companies play a role in making sure artificial intelligence is safe, or is the world heading for a Terminator-style melt down? 

Mark Kennedy, partner and member of Mazars’ group executive board, alongside George Lagarias, Mazars’ chief economist, offer their analysis of global trends to Board Agenda’s Gavin Hinks in this episode of Macro Memo.

What’s next for boards in the UK pharma and life sciences industry? Navigating the challenges of innovation, productivity and ESG in a post Covid world.  
The life science industry is in a dynamic phase of transformation which has been rapidly accelerated by the pandemic, with more workforce agility, shortening development and review times, increased speed to market, and greater efficiencies. In response to the pandemic, life sciences companies mobilized impressively to meet the needs of their employees, patients, customers, and communities. This mobilization, however, has upended well-established business norms, including about how and where people work. 
 panel guests discuss.
-            Key priorities for boards in life sciences industry as they transition to the future of healthcare
-            Harnessing opportunities from rapid digitalisation and tech disruption
-            Building resilience in an era of rapid transformation
-            Ideal skill sets and composition of life science company boards
-            How boards in pharma and life science are integrating ESG and building trust with stakeholders