Blogs

The Duke of Sussex vowed never to walk away from Sentebale, the charity he created in 2006, at the age of 21, in memory of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, but this week he resigned as a Patron, following a breakdown in boardroom relations during which all trustees but one resigned. The incident has generated significant press coverage, which was fed by a number of public statements made by the different parties to the dispute.

It isn’t easy being the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2025. The Chancellor is restrained by two devices created by former Chancellors to reassure the markets. The first device is Gordon Brown’s “Golden Rule”, (the rule that says the current budget should balance) which was created to help New Labour win the 1997 election. The second device is the Office for Budget Responsibility, created by George Osborne in May 2010 to take economic forecasting out of the hands of optimistic politicians and put it into the hands of pessimistic economists.

A conference first-timer gives his reflections on last year’s annual conference.

Electrical power has been restored to Heathrow Airport, but fixing the governance problems which underlay the crisis will take much longer. Daniel Valentine suggests that Friday’s emergency shutdown of Heathrow raises serious questions about both the governance of the UK’s energy infrastructure, and decision making by airports, and provides lessons for all organisations.

The Company Law Review Group is an expert advisory body charged with advising the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment on the review and development of company law in Ireland. It was accorded statutory advisory status by the Company Law Enforcement Act 2001, which was continued under Section 958 of the Companies Act 2014. The CLRG operates on a two-year work programme which is determined by the Minister in consultation with the CLRG.

Boards really matter. A successful board of directors adds significant value to an organisation and its stakeholders. Good boards do not happen by accident. Nor does board effectiveness last indefinitely. Many boards don’t achieve their potential because they remain collections of individuals and never form into a team.

Risk is now a mainstream topic of conversation. In the past, risk was associated primarily with fast-moving innovative businesses (and with particular events such as product launches); but the UK’s risk landscape has changed radically in the last decade.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has finished consulting on its proposed changes to the Code. The UK Stewardship Code sets a standard for how investors manage their responsibilities and aims to ensure that investment decisions drive long-term value and create positive societal outcomes.

Changing a company’s year end and the filing of the B83 sometimes leads to confusion among presenters

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) recently reviewed the first mandatory Climate-related Financial Disclosures (CFD) prepared by AIM-listed and large private companies.

The UK is changing its listing rules to attract high-growth companies. These reforms aim to make the market more appealing while ensuring investor protection.

The government’s recent announcement that it will build more data centres highlights the demand for technological infrastructure. As data centres expand, the discussion around their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) implications grows.