Author: Lucas

By Rick van den Bosch, Director of Talent Development,  Trivium Packaging   The Movember movement provides a vital reminder that prioritising the mental well-being of your people is one of the most important investments a company can make.  In demanding, shift-based environments like ours, our focus is on unlocking the full potential of our team by prioritising a culture of support, empathy, and open dialogue over outdated norms of stoicism.    In the manufacturing industry, it is not uncommon to have a large male employee base. Employees face specific challenges, including irregular hours due to round-the-clock shifts, high physical workloads,…

Investors would have noticeably outperformed the S&P 500’s returns.As the artificial intelligence (AI) boom expands, it is taking the semiconductor industry along with it. Semiconductor chips are to most tech products what engines are to cars. This central role helps explain why semiconductor companies like Broadcom (AVGO 0.51%) are seeing a much-appreciated boost to their top-line revenue, bottom-line earnings, and stock prices. Over the past 12 months (ended Nov. 18), Broadcom’s stock is up about 107%, meaning a $1,000 investment made a year ago would be worth $2,066 today. For comparison, the S&P 500 — in which Broadcom is the…

CEO and Founder at Smart Energy Water. Connecting People with Energy and Water Providers.It’s a retail world these days — one that is completely centered around the customer’s needs. While this CX phenomenon is somewhat new for the utility industry, we have accepted it. Utilities that have taken years to build reliability and win customers’ trust now want to win over customers with their new-age services.Amid the overwhelming challenges of Covid-19, customer experience has become more important than ever. Reliability now marries care and convenience. Hand in hand with this perspective, two themes have emerged that can help utilities reframe their…

A hotel in Euston has been recognised with the highly sought-after Eco-Smart Platinum Accreditation, the highest sustainability level awarded. The Wesley Euston has successfully advanced from its previous Eco-Smart Gold accreditation to achieve Platinum status, highlighting its continued commitment to sustainable hospitality. The prestigious certification recognises the hotel’s ongoing efforts to minimise its environmental footprint through energy efficiency, responsible sourcing and carbon reduction. By meeting the stringent criteria for this top-tier standard, the hotel continues to demonstrate its focus on integrating eco-friendly initiatives into every aspect of its operations. Part of The Wesley Euston’s broader environmental strategy includes reducing carbon…

The arrival of the Schroders long-term asset fund on Hargreaves Lansdown’s platform for self-invested personal pension investors two months ago may have given the new semi-liquid structure a big thumbs-up for the retail investor.But they have not yet taken off as a private markets wealth structure, with only a few of the dozens of LTAFs registered with the Financial Conduct Authority targeting individual investors. Of the 25 sub-funds approved by the FCA, only six — from five managers — are currently targeting wealth investors, whether ‘wealth’ or ‘retail’, according to FT Adviser research.The five managers are: Schroders, Fidelity, WTW, Partners…

(Credit: Adobe Stock) 3 min read17 November Contributing over £100bn to the UK economy, the government highlights the high-growth value of the creative industries in their sector plan. But as Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport Anna Sabine reminds us, its impact is as social as it is financial The UK’s creative industries are one of our greatest national assets, a sector that not only fuels economic growth but also strengthens communities, nurtures talent and brings people together. Worth over £100bn to the economy and employing more than two million people, creativity is one of Britain’s…

The DWP has issued a warning to people claiming Universal CreditLinda Howard Money and Consumer Writer and Sophie Buchan Money and Lifestyle Writer14:10, 22 Oct 2025The ‘act now’ warning comes from the Department for Work and Pensions (Image: John Lamb via Getty Images)The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is urging Universal Credit claimants to report any changes in their living arrangements through their online account to prevent potential overpayments, which would need to be repaid.This advice is particularly pertinent for single claimants who either move in with a partner or have a partner move into their home, as this…

The Federal Reserve has begun cutting rates. Borrowing costs should be falling. Commercial real estate should be breathing a sigh of relief. Yet the sector remains locked in a frustrating stalemate, and for high-net-worth investors trying to time the market, understanding the reason requires looking beyond the headlines.When Rate Cuts Don’t Cut ItThe Fed reduced its benchmark rate to 3.75% to 4.00% in October 2025, marking the second cut of the year. On paper, this should signal relief for a capital-intensive industry that’s been suffocating under elevated financing costs since 2022. But the reality has been more complicated.Following the Fed’s…

Rosneft’s oil refinery at Ryazan, Russia’s fourth-largest, has suspended crude processing after a Ukrainian drone attack this weekend, industry sources told Reuters on Tuesday.  The Ryazan refinery, which has been targeted – and hit – by drone strikes all year, has now halted its main crude distillation unit.  “The plant is ‌expected to remain idle until the end of the month. No (oil product) loadings are planned ‌before December 1,” according to one of Reuters’ sources. Pavel Malkov, the governor of the Ryazan region, on Saturday said on his Telegram channel that debris from downed drones “caused a fire at one of the…

Yes, the American Express Platinum Card® has one of the highest annual fees of any credit card: $895 (see rates and fees). But did you know it can save you a whopping $3,000 in your first year on travel alone?It’s true. If you use only the card’s travel-related perks — plus the valuable welcome offer — you can actually cover the Platinum Card®’s annual fee three times over in your first year. Here’s how.Welcome offer: as high as 175,000 pointsRight now, the Platinum Card® is offering a massive welcome bonus: Apply and find out if you are eligible for as…