Business in Focus

In this episode Virgin Group CEO Josh Bayliss sits down with PwC’s Global Workforce Leader Pete Brown to discuss the decisions and culture that have propelled the brand’s trailblazing reputation for reinvention. How has that mindset and purpose been successfully infused across a broad portfolio that covers everything from finance to telecoms and health to holidays? We look at the role of leadership when it comes to finding the right path through today’s challenges as well as how technology, GenAI and purpose are all playing a role in taking the Virgin experience forward.

How can a broader view of resilience not only protect your organisation but support taking advantage of opportunity? We explore how elevating resilience - to a mindset and culture that cuts across your organisation - goes beyond managing risk and empowers you, your people and supply chain to collaborate for better outcomes for all. Join host Emily Khan and special guests Elaine Bucknor, PwC strategic advisor for cyber, technology and enterprise resilience, and Elisa Moscolin, Sage Executive Vice President for Sustainability as they explore how doing the right thing for your resilience is often also the right thing for business.

Flexible working, talent and capability gaps, challenging decisions around pay and reward - how can business leaders unpick these complex issues to move forward in a way that works for their people as well as their bottom line? Host Emily Khan is joined by economist Nabil Taleb and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion consulting director Katy Bennett to examine what the findings of Women in Work Index mean for society and the competitive position of both businesses and the UK as a whole. When an 18 year old woman entering the UK workforce today will not see gender pay parity in her working lifetime, are there unexpected areas that could create a more equal workplace?

Whether driven by a shift to digital, the ESG agenda or changing regulation, transformation has been a major theme of 2022. And the scale, pace and expectations seem to keep increasing. But delivering that degree of change is a different challenge - especially as resource pinch points, cost pressures and inflation put budgets and scope under scrutiny. This episode, we go behind the scenes of how that change works in practice - and the importance of relationships and trust in making sure everyone feels part of the journey. Host Rowena Daines is joined by Richard Bailes, PwC UK’s national leader of governance, risk and compliance and Mercedes Bermejo Alverez, Global Head of Internal Audit for Ferroglobe to use their recent work around internal audit and SOX reporting as a case study for ‘human-led, tech-powered’ transformation.

As COP27 kicks off, how can conversations and pledges turn into meaningful action at the pace needed? The challenges are of a scale and complexity that can’t be solved in isolation. Join host Rowena Daines to explore how organisations and investors can work alongside innovative ClimateTech to direct focus and funding towards collaborative momentum on progress. PwC’s ESG leader for Deals, James Pincus will be providing insight into the trends in the market while Grey Parrot’s CEO Mikela Druckman will share the perspective of the innovative new scaleups offering new ways to tackle sustainability.

Following the pandemic we’re more online, more aware of emerging technology and more likely to place as much greater emphasis on a brand’s reputation and purpose as their products or services. So what does this mean for businesses looking to connect with their customers? PwC’s Head of Industries, Quentin Cole, invites WPP’s Chief Client Officer, Lindsay Pattison, and Leader of Industry for Technology, Media and Telecommunications, Mary Shelton Rose, for a closer look at how the trends seen in this sector are creating opportunities and challenges for businesses of all sorts.

What does today’s external environment and its rapidly evolving risks mean for business resilience? Organisations of all types are now having to grapple with high impact, severe events at a pace that has been amplified by the move to digital. So how can business leaders move to an agile mindset that lets them respond and maintain reputation and trust with investors and the public? Host Emily Khan is joined by Paul Williams, formerly of the Bank of England PRA and special adviser on the topic of resilience, and PwC Crisis and Resilience partner Bobbie Ramsden-Knowles to explore the case for looking at resilience differently.

We all know we need to get to net zero - and fast - but the challenge has always been putting it into practice. The scale of change required - and the amount of time to make it in - makes for a daunting prospect. Where do you start? (Especially when you’re a huge, complex organisation)? Which is why we’ve invited Jude’s ice cream, a certified B Corp and makers of carbon negative ice cream - to talk through their transformation journey and how purpose and the disruption of the pandemic became the catalyst for changeTranscript - hereRecording - here

The past two years have caused many of us to reassess what we look for in where we live. We explore that impact in our latest Good Growth for Cities index and what this means for the levelling up challenge across the UK. How can local authorities, central government, public and private sectors come together to create cities where everyone can live, work and socialise? Join host Rowena Morris, PwC Partner Karen Finlayson and John Walsh from Belfast City Council to hear about the importance of passion, purpose and partnerships in creating cities for all.

The results of our 25th CEO Survey indicate a tipping point for purpose. With their actions and decisions under the microscope, how do CEOs see this as a chance to showcase the role business plays across society? Host Teresa Owusu-Adjei is joined by Alex Baldock, CEO of Currys and Kevin Ellis, PwC Senior Partner and Chairman to discuss the importance of trust and transparency in navigating the way forward.

The potential of technology to transform organisations has kept it at the heart of strategy considerations. But, as we explore in this podcast episode, lasting success will be driven by people. Host Rowena Morris is joined by Mark Moffat, CTO for PwC’s consulting practice, and Semsi Sonmez, Digital Audit Partner and Technology Talent Leader, to explore how diversity helps make the right technology choices and the steps to find, attract and retain the right talent to put businesses ahead.

The pandemic forced many organisations to adapt at pace and this was certainly the case for those at the heart of developing and producing a viable vaccine. Over the past 18 months the pioneering work of AstraZeneca has thrust them into the spotlight and they suddenly became front page news. What was it like to have the eyes of the world on you, while maintaining the controls and transparency needed to retain trust? In this episode, Philip Broadley, Senior Independent Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair of AstraZeneca, joins PwC’s Head of Audit, Hemione Hudson, and host Teresa Owusu-Adjei. They discuss how disruption led to innovation in the face of a global crisis. And looking towards the global challenge of combating climate change, what lessons can be learned about responding to a crisis at speed?

The build up to COP26 is focusing the minds of business leaders on their path to Net Zero. In this episode, host Rowena Morris is joined by Rob Smith, Finance Transformation Lead, and Claire Reid, Regional Leader for Scotland and Head of Technology, Data and Analytics for Risk to explore the transformational role finance teams can play. Not only in accelerating the path to credible action on Net Zero emissions, but in using data to enable better business decisions that build trust alongside lasting success. Discover more about how Finance can lead change: https://pwc.to/3jGzCep