"I see HR as having a distinctive competence which, aligned with the other parts of the organisation, can make the whole stronger."Paul Drechsler, chairman and chief executive of Wates Group, developed his leadership skills and vision through interactions with inspirational leaders and a supportive HR department during the early stages of his career at ICI. Today Paul, as the chairman and chief executive of Wates Group, gets energised when he sees how the values of his organisation are lived through its people. But having values alone is not enough – they need to be evidenced-based and leaders need to embody them in their actions. HR plays a fundamental role in bringing the different parts of the business together and even sometimes ensures that leaders live the values of their organisation.

The UK has the world’s first code for investor stewardship. Improving the quality and quantity of investor stewardship will help make the code a working reality. 20/20 vision is needed to clarify what is meant by investor stewardship and to find ways to help investors and companies put this into practice building on many years of progress in UK corporate governance. Introducing value-adding stewardship programmes takes time but we anticipate full and effective implementation will have been achieved by 2020. Our ideas are aimed at the UK but we believe that they will be of value in other markets. We believe that a critical mass of investor stewards is vital. We also recognise that not every shareholder can or needs to be a good steward. There is nothing wrong in NOT signing up to the Stewardship Code when an institutional investor has products that are not suitable, or is too small, or is a non-believer in the benefits of stewardship. The findings in this report represent both our...

The conference explored how companies can inspire themselves by and through nature, by developing and implementing 'natural business strategies' into their business models. This helps businesses become both sustainable and successful in an increasingly challenging and uncertain global climate. You can download Michael Bremans' slides here. Michael, who is chairman of Ecover International, was a keynote speaker on the day.

The conference explored how companies can inspire themselves by and through nature, by developing and implementing 'natural business strategies' into their business models. This helps businesses become both sustainable and successful in an increasingly challenging and uncertain global climate. Keynote addresses and contributions from: L. Hunter Lovins - founder and president of Natural CapitalismDianne Dillon-Ridgley - director of InterfaceMichael Bremans - chairman of Ecover InternationalAndy Wood - CEO of AdnamsJane Davidson - director of InspireGiles Hutchins - global director of sustainability of AtosDiane Gilpin - director of B9 ShippingJo Fox - director of 'bigger picture' BSkyBMelissa Sterry - futurologist and Earth 2.0Denise DeLuca - founder of BCIAndy Middleton - founder of TYFNigel Stansfield - senior and vice president of product and innovation at InferfaceFLORAnthony Hilton - financial editor of the London Evening Standard You can download the slide deck from the day...

Tomorrow’s Corporate Reporting: A critical system at risk focuses on the systems architecture and the behaviours and values of its stakeholders. Not on the content of the ‘ideal corporate report’. By corporate reporting we mean all the mechanisms by which companies communicate their performance and activity to their stakeholders, with a particular emphasis on the flow of information into the investment community.The study looked at:What aspects of the system are preventing or supporting the effective development of corporate reporting? And what changes are needed to make the system fit for purpose for the future? During the research, 145 individuals provided evidence, were interviewed or engaged through roundtable discussions, representing 118 organisations from 22 countries across five continents. The report explains the components of the current system and highlights that very few, if any, stakeholders see it as a system – rather they see particular pieces of the jigsaw. The...