Your address will show here +01 (414) 230 - 5550



The average FTSE 100 CEO is now receiving £4.5 million a year, based on the FTSE 100 list in March 2017.

The CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, is a not-for-profit organisation that champions better work and working lives. It has 140,000 members across the world, provides thought leadership through independent research on the world of work, and offers professional training and accreditation for those working in HR and learning and development. The High Pay Centre is an independent non-party think-tank established in 2012 to monitor pay at the top of the income distribution, and set out a road map towards better business and economic success.

The CIPD and the High Pay Centre report examines FTSE 100 CEO pay packages, which show that rewards at the top have dropped by almost a fifth, but still remain extraordinarily high. CEO pay in the UK’s largest firms has fallen by 17%, from £5.4 million in 2015 to £4.5 million in 2016. However, while there has been a significant drop in CEO pay, it would still take the average UK full-time worker on a salary of £28,000 (median full-time earnings) 160 years to earn what an average FTSE 100 CEO is paid in just one year.

The gap between highest and lowest FTSE 100 pay packages has closed, as companies ‘chase the median’. Average pay packages of the 25 highest paid CEOs have dropped by 24% to £9.4 million in 2016. Conversely, the 32 lowest paid CEOs in the FTSE 100 have seen an increase in their overall package. The squeeze is largely down to one individual, Sir Martin Sorrell, whose pay package has dropped significantly from £70.4 million to £48.1 million in 2016. If he were excluded from the analysis, the fall would decrease from 17% to 15%.

While the overall trend has been downwards, there are exceptions. Some of the biggest pay climbers this year include: AstraZeneca’s Pascal Soriot, whose total pay package rose by almost £5 million to £13 million this year; CRH plc’s Albert Manifold, whose package virtually doubled from £4.07 million to £8.05 million; Carnival plc’s Arnold Donald, whose package almost quadrupled from £6 million to £22 million; and British American Tobacco’s Nicandro Durante, whose total pay package rose from £4.5 million to £7.6 million.

Mark Cutifani, CEO of AngloAmerican, saw his pay package rise by half a million to £4.0 million despite the number of fatalities among the workforce increasing to 11 fatalities, compared with six last year.

The CIPD and the High Pay Centre look forward to seeing the Government’s responsible business reforms when they come out later this year.

Read the report here

0



The CEA (Construction Equipment Association) has welcomed JCB’s David Bell as the trade associations first Honorary President.

Bell joined JCB in 1974 as a graduate trainee, following an Engineering apprenticeship at Rolls Royce in Derby. He has held a variety of senior roles during his 43-year career at JCB, including managing director of JCB Sales/Service, JCB Agriculture, JCB’s Backhoe Loader and Telescopic Handler Business Units and Group HR Director. He is also a seasoned traveller and lived and worked in North America for three years.

Bell also currently holds the position as chairman of governors of the JCB Academy where he has been involved since its formation. He was Regional Chairman for the CBI in the East Midlands, and has recently stepped down as a National Apprentice Ambassador.

Speaking about his new role, Bell is quoted as saying, “The construction equipment industry is vitally important to the UK economy and I strongly believe it has a very bright future. The CEA is the voice of our industry and having spent my entire working life over 40 years working in different roles at JCB, I have a good understanding of the issues that everyone is facing. I’m really looking forward to championing the interests of the industry on behalf of the CEA at the highest level.”

Rob Oliver CEA chief executive said, “David has been a well-known leader in the construction equipment industry for many years. His scope of experience and continuing enthusiasm for our sector is outstanding. I am thrilled that he has agreed to be our figurehead as our first ever Honorary President. We very much look forward to working with him.”

Read more

0



Increasing training opportunities in acoustics and continuing to develop professional standards are among the key priorities for Anne Budd following her election to the board of the Association of Noise Consultants (ANC).

Anne joins the leadership team after being appointed at the trade association’s AGM – and is the first woman to be elected to the board in its 45-year history. Throughout her career, which spans 21 years in the acoustics sector, Anne has played an active role in the industry. She is a member of the Institute of Acoustics’ Building Acoustics Group, the Acoustical Society of America and the Women’s Engineering Society.

In her position on the ANC Board, Anne is particularly keen to give a voice to the small acoustic consultancy members located in the regions.  Anne said: “During my time on the board I hope to represent the voice of the micro-acoustic consultancy.

 “We face very different challenges to the larger SMEs and multi-disciplinary – in some cases multi-national – firms based closer to the capital, in areas including recruitment and in developing training and education opportunities.

 “I am looking forward to working with the other members of the ANC board on this and other industry matters over the coming years.”

Anne, a BEng Electro-acoustics graduate from the University of Salford, started her career in 2000 at Bruel & Kjaer’s headquarters in Copenhagen, where she was an application specialist for the electroacoustics team and product manager for the ear and mouth simulators.

 In 2002 she joined Professor Bridget Shields’s team at London South Bank University as a research assistant, investigating room acoustics in classroom environments and their effects on children and teachers.

 Anne’s career then took her north in 2005 to Scotland where, six months after joining New Acoustics consultancy based in Clydebank, she became a director of the company. Today Anne is the company’s majority shareholder, and is responsible for all aspects of its technical work and administration.

Read more

0

 

Chief Executive Officer

The National Speakers Association (NSA) is searching for its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The position is located in NSA’s Tempe, Arizona headquarters, just outside of Phoenix.

Founded in 1973, the National Speakers Association is the “leading source for education, community, and entrepreneurial business knowledge needed to be successful in the speaking profession.” NSA is a 501(c)(6), purpose-driven, membership association that provides services to more than 3,500 members whose skills, expertise, and experience power the most recognized and respected professional speaker’s organization in the industry. NSA has the comprehensive resources, insightful education, and productive events that speakers need to develop their brands and grow their businesses. NSA’s members include experts in a variety of industries and disciplines who reach audiences as speakers, trainers, educators, humorists, motivators, consultants, authors, and more.

NSA is organized into 34 independently-run state and regional chapters throughout the U.S. NSA’s membership categories include Academy Membership (offered to aspiring speakers), Professional Membership (offered to established speakers), and Professional Affiliate Membership (offered to service suppliers who support speakers or who own speakers bureaus).

NSA is a founding member of the Global Speakers Federation (GSF), a network of 13 independent speaker associations representing 15 nations and individuals from over 20 countries. The GSF collectively serves the interests of their member associations while advancing professional speaking.

A separately-incorporated NSA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the National Speakers Association and serves to help those members and families of the NSA community, as well as those in need in the larger global community. The Foundation acts on behalf of NSA’s members to do something that comes naturally in the speaking profession – helping others.

NSA’s budget is in the $4M range. The organization is governed by a 19-member Board of Directors, including the Chief Executive Officer, who serves in a non-voting ex officio capacity. Nine members of the Board (including its six officers) make up the Executive Committee, which serves as the interim governing body between meetings of the Board. All Past-Presidents serve as ex officio members of the Board. A professional staff of 14 serves the organization from its Tempe headquarters. There are approximately 15-20 ongoing committees and ad hoc task forces (comprised of volunteers and staff) that are core to NSA’s work. For more information, please visit www.nsaspeaker.org.

Read more

0



Freelancers’ Confidence Plummets to Lowest Level on Record!

Driven by Brexit and government policy, the confidence of the UK’s two million freelancers has plummeted to the lowest level on record, according to research conducted by IPSE.

The outlook over the next 12 months, saw just 19 per cent of freelancers’ express confidence in their businesses performance. This represents a decrease of nine percentage points compared to the previous quarter. Alarmingly, over half of all respondents (52%) said confidence in their business for the next 12 months have decreased.

Along with Brexit, freelancers attribute their concerns to government policy relating to taxation and regulatory constraints as the main factors behind their declining confidence in the freelance business sector. Two-thirds of freelancers also expressed grave concerns about the wider economy with 69 per cent of respondents predicting a major slowdown in the economy. 

A striking 92 per cent of freelancers expect their business costs to increase over the next year with just four per cent expecting them to fall. There is positive news, however, with freelancers’ day rates of pay for Q2 remaining strong. At the same time, freelancers were working 83 per cent of their time, maintaining a long-term pattern of high activity.

Suneeta Johal, IPSE Head of Research, Education and Training, said: “Freelancers attribute their loss of confidence to the economic pressure from Brexit and the negative consequences of government policy relating to the regulation and taxation of freelance work. This can be linked to the roll-out of changes to taxation of freelancers working in the public sector.”

“The good news is that these negative drivers are all within the control of the government and, if addressed, could and should help alleviate concerns. Successful Brexit negotiations and reassuring freelancers of their tax status would go some way to increasing their waning confidence.”

Professor Andrew Burke, Dean of Trinity Business School, Dublin, and Chair of the Centre for Research on Self-Employment, said: “Freelancers have never been convinced that the UK economy would avoid any major negative consequences from Brexit. That view is now held more widely than ever. Freelancers accurately predicted the slowdown of the economy in 2017, therefore their rapidly dwindling confidence in the UK economy over the next 12 months is somewhat alarming. “

“The managerial, professional and technology-based freelancers in this survey are in a position to observe the early indicators of a slowing economy as they are typically contracted on projects involving business growth, innovation, technological change and entrepreneurship. They are clearly observing their business clients scaling down plans for firm growth and innovation. These findings are very concerning indeed.” 
 

The full survey can be read here. 

0


IofAM Half Day Board Member Induction Event

Date: Wednesday 18th October 2017

Venue: Shakespeare Martineau, 60 Gracechurch St, London EC3V 0HR

Time:  2.00 pm – 4.45 pm.  Registration from 1.30 pm

There has never been a more challenging time to be an association Board member.  There always were challenges. But with the increased availability of affordable technology; increased member expectations; more onerous and additional legislation and regulation; and the drive for better governance and accountability, the pace of change has exceeded what most us could ever have imagined even 10 years ago.

Therefore, with exponentially Increasing expectations of members, increased burdens in areas such as external reporting requirements, and increased risk of legal actions, Board members need to be clearer about their obligations and responsibilities in the face of the potential for prosecution. They also have skills and knowledge gaps, especially in fast moving ICT areas.

Quite simply, board members don’t have the time, relevant experience or capacity to assimilate all the appropriate background material.   Lots of help is available to identify these areas of risk and how to navigate them, but most of it is poorly targeted, expensive and some not necessarily relevant to Board members of associations.

So, IofAM have teamed up with an expert lawyer, and devised a bespoke training course for association Boards and Directors. The course goes back to basics, explaining the vital elements of good governance and then unpacks the complex legislative and regulatory framework association Boards and Directors must comply with. This is supported by a take-away delegate pack including the presentation – and additional information on specific subject areas.

Core subjects include: Corporate Structures and the Role of the Board, Committees and their Chairs; Board meetings: Structure, Agenda, Minutes, Conduct; Directors’ Duties and Responsibilities and Persons with Significant Control; The role and duty of the Company Secretary; Conflicts of Interest and Collective Decision Making; and, Constitution and Memorandum and Articles of Association and Regulation.

 

Additional topics which may be touched upon include: Basics of Good Governance, communication methods including e-communication; Delegation of Powers by Officers to Board members in between meetings; Board agility: flexing roles and the role of staff members in supporting the Board; and, Learning to take a strategic view: what are Directors there to deliver: linking operational activities back to strategic objectives.

More detailed training on these topics will be provided in future sessions.

Rachel Gwynne provides specialist corporate and governance advice and support to Registered Providers, charities and not-for-profit organisations. She has a particular focus on large projects including corporate and group restructuring, governance reviews, collaborations, joint ventures, stock transfers and charitable conversions. Rachel also has significant experience in advising on governance issues, regulatory matters and charity law requirements and provides strategic and operational support to Boards and Executive Teams.

There will be a 3 tickets for the price of 2 offer for this event.

Register here

Or Contact: events@iofam.co.uk or info@iofam.co.uk  to register or for further information.

0

Association News

Get Ready for GDPR: How to Assess Your Readiness to be Compliant and Avoid Fines

Hart Square Webinar 14 September 2017

The long lead-time between adoption (April 2016) and enforcement (May 2018), and doubts about the forthcoming translation of EU legislation into UK law, have led to doubt and uncertainty around the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR for short.

Originally intended to strengthen and unify data protection for all individuals within the European Union (EU), the primary objectives of the GDPR are to give control back to citizens and residents over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business. The GDPR also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU. Unlike a directive, it does not require any enabling legislation to be passed by national governments and is thus directly binding and applicable.

However, conjecture and obfuscation have led some to doubt that the legislation will ever be enforced. Others are simply unaware of what is about to happen. And some are prepared to gamble on evading or flouting the law: both dangerous strategies!

Some feel that GDPR doesn’t need to be considered until we know more, or that action can be halted until next year, waiting for others to make their move first. In Hart Square’s opinion, this is a high-risk strategy that will lead to a greater chance of fines, failed audits and damaged reputations, especially as the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) have set out guidelines to follow.

Surely it is better to be prepared? As the regulations will apply to all organisations – not for profit, membership, charity, and commercial alike – and will apply to you. So, many organisations are working towards ensuring they are compliant with the standards being introduced, not least because the implications of the changes bring the potential for substantial fines, and huge reputational damage due to media coverage and word-of-mouth discussions.  

Hart Square’s position within the charity and NFP sectors means we want to ensure our clients and contacts are prepared for these changes. We will be running a series of webinars which will include a process to self-assess your current situation, and to plan how you can ensure you are ready for these changes.

So, we would like to invite you to register for our webinar to find out more about how these regulations will affect your organisation.

What makes our offering unique is its focus entirely on the NFP sector, that we have developed our own self-assessment form, and that we have honed our own set of FAQs. A Hart Square ‘White Paper’ is also on its way!

Are you aware of these changes and what they mean for your organisation?

Do you have a plan of action in place to ensure your compliance?

Register now for this first webinar on 14 September at 12:30. In the meantime, please do contact us if you have any questions or want to book an appointment at our TechSmart NFP conference to discuss.

0



The government’s paper on trade and customs arrangements post-Brexit, published on 15th August is a “step in the right direction”, according to the Freight Transport Association (FTA), the UK’s largest membership association for the logistics sector. But FTA has warned that the ambitions laid out in the document are far from guaranteed, and will require some careful negotiation in order to ensure that British businesses are able to trade freely and easily post-Brexit.

Read more
0



The ALMR has responded to the publication of the Scottish Government’s review of non-domestic rates welcoming steps to streamline the rates system for businesses but calling on both the Scottish and UK Governments to push forward with further reform.

The Barclay review was last year commissioned to chair a review into the non-domestic rates system in Scotland to better support business growth, long term investment and reflect changing marketplaces. Kenneth Barclay’s today makes a series of recommendations for the reform of business rates in Scotland, including:

An increase in the frequency of revaluations to every three years from 2022; targeted reductions in bills to help retain shops in town centres; a cut in the supplementary charge for large business premises, in line with England; a legal duty on businesses to provide information for assessors; and, an extended 12-month period of rates relief for businesses investing in expansion.

 ALMR Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “The Scottish Government’s review of business rate contains a few welcome proposals, but falls somewhat short of the wholesale reform that eating and drinking out businesses need.

 “An increase in the frequency of revaluations is welcome, to keep the system as responsive and accurate as possible. And the relief for those businesses that have invested and expanded makes a great deal of sense and is something the ALMR has been pushing for. It is illogical and unfair that businesses that have invested time and a great deal of money in to expanding, employing, and renovating and reinvigorating businesses should then have to face a massive rates hike.”

 The review’s remit requirement to safeguard revenue neutrality of business rates prevented it from recommending linking increases to CPI inflation, something for which the ALMR has also pushed. Nevertheless, the report included that option for consideration, following “widespread enthusiasm” for CPI linkage.

“The principal of revenue neutrality is a double-edged sword; eating and drinking out businesses have suffered increased bills at the expense of reductions elsewhere. The review clearly wanted to fully recommend a sensible move towards using CPI to measure increases, which would ensure a more responsive and fairer system for businesses.

“There are some good first steps here, but this must be the launch pad for further action and large, root and branch reform of the system. Westminster must also take some inspiration from this and undertake the full review of business rates that was promised at the Spring Budget and included in manifestos before the election.”

Source: http://www.almr.org.uk/

0




Total card spending reached £57.1 billion in June, up by 0.3% on May and 7% on June 2016.

There were just under 1.4 billion card payments in June, a monthly record and a 12% rise in the last 12 months. This is the highest annual rate of growth in the number of payments since June 2008, driven by a robust rise in online (+20%) and contactless (+143%) purchases. 

Retail sector spending rose by £19 million in June to reach £26.1 billion. The largest increase in retail sector spending was on food and drink, which passed £10 billion in June. Service sector spending rose by £138 million to £31 billion. 

Contactless payments accounted for 34% of all card transactions, while online payments accounted for 13%.

Richard Koch, Head of Cards at UK Finance, said:

“Contactless payments accounted for a third of transactions in June with consumers continuing to use their cards for lower value purchases. While spending recorded a relatively modest monthly growth, the number of transactions rose at a faster rate with some 46 million card purchases made every day.”

The average transaction value on all card payments fell by 16p to £41.36 in June, the lowest level since June 2000. This compares to £43.53 a year ago and £50.55 at the peak in July 2011.

The largest increase in spending between May and June was on tax preparation services. Travel related merchants such as foreign currency exchange, auto rental and miscellaneous travel also recorded strong growth in June.

The debit and credit card share of total retail sales was 77 per cent in June.

The full June 2017 Card Expenditure Statistics, include detailed retail and service sector data, are available at: https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/statistics/cards/. Total spending figures are seasonally adjusted. Sub-sector level spending figures have not been seasonally adjusted.


 

Total Spending

£ billions

Annual growth rates for spending

Number of purchases

Millions

 

Jun 2017

Jun 2016

Jun 2017

Jun 2016

Jun 2017

Jun 2016

All payment cards 

57.1

53.5

7.2%

4.9%

1,381

1,230

  Of which online

15.4

12.2

21.7%

7.8%

186

149

Debit cards

40.6

38.2

7.3%

5.6%

1,078

951

Credit cards 

16.5

15.4

6.9%

3.4%

304

279

0

PREVIOUS POSTSPage 1 of 2NO NEW POSTS