Reading Time: 5 minutes Ok so there aren’t any prizes here in 2019 for observing that consideration of ESG (Environment, Social and Governance factors) has become a big theme in the institutional investment space in the UK, the theme has been around for a number of years but has really gathered momentum in the last 12 months placing it … More Universal Owners: A New Culture of Weighing Externalities?
Reading Time: 5 minutes 1. The Universal Owner Did you go to many investment conferences in 2018? You probably don’t need me to tell you that ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) considerations have been brought front and centre this year. I think this theme can be interpreted at a higher level in terms of how asset owners weigh externalities … More Three Ideas that Came of Age in 2018
Reading Time: 9 minutes A simple question of defining an oft-used term leads to important but tricky questions, and throws light on key issues. It becomes clear that running a pension scheme in run-off mode involves a very different set of considerations to deficit recovery mode. Mindset, language and tools need to change. The conclusion is that a full … More Running off DB Pensions: What is Self-Sufficiency?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Authors Cass Sunstein and Reid Hastie have put together an excellent and readable taxonomy of the “bugs” that can afflict group decision making and cause groups to blunder in their book Wiser. In the first part of this blog I discussed their dissection of the causes of group decision making failure. How can we make … More [Books] Wiser (part 2) – getting past groupthink to better outcomes
Reading Time: 5 minutes I’m sure you can picture the scene. A group sits down to make a critically important decision. Much discussion follows. One person after another lays out their views, lots of points are made. There are some clear areas of agreement. Nods all round. The answer starts to become clear. With a few changes a consensus … More [Books] Wiser – how group decisions can let us down
Reading Time: 7 minutes So this is about strategies and tactics to understand and get past I am right you are wrong type situations and get to better outcomes. Specifically I am going to address this through three vignettes. But before we start I’d like to ask you to picture a recent example of a disagreement. I’m sure you can … More I am right, you are wrong…
Reading Time: 6 minutes What I read this summer Stumbling on Happiness The pursuit of happiness is built into the very definition of human desire. We treat our future selves as though they were our children, spending most of the hours of most of our days… volatilityviewpoint.w… The Inevitable From one of our leading technology thinkers and writers, … More What I’m reading summer 2017
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s good to reflect, like many of you I spend a lot of time looking forwards, setting goals, moving forward, thinking about what we’re going to achieve. That’s what gets you far, but I’ve learnt it’s also important to look back, see how far you’ve come. That gives motivation, helps push on through the inevitable … More Five years as part of a small team doing important work
Reading Time: 5 minutes I really enjoyed this fantastic article which featured in the March issue of Harvard Business Review, and explores the Deloitte Business Chemistry model in relation to trying to understand differing work styles and team dynamics. I’d definitely recommend reading the article in full if you haven’t already. Pensions It got me wondering – how might … More Why a Focus on Personality Matters for a Better Pensions Team
Reading Time: 2 minutes My most-read blog posts of 2016 were: 1. Why Anthony Hilton is wrong about DB pensions This post, responding to the misguided (in my view) viewpoints of London Evening Standard journalist Anthony Hilton in September garnered by far the most views of any of my blogs this year (around 1400 views). An extended version of … More 2016’s Most Popular
