BLACKROCK REINFORCES COMMITMENT TO ESG; DIGITAL CODE HEATS UP

BLACKROCK REINFORCES COMMITMENT TO ESG; DIGITAL CODE HEATS UP

Welcome to this week’s business and media intelligence update, with insights collected over the past seven days by the Cannings team.

BLACKROCK REINFORCES COMMITMENT TO ESG

  • BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink is stepping up his climate change activism with a blunt warning to 1,000 global CEOs of carbon-intensive companies: lift your game or be dumped by the world’s largest fund manager. In his annual letter to chief executives, Fink pushes companies to disclose plans for their transition to a net-zero carbon economy, saying CEOs making “insufficient preparation for the net zero transition” and giving a “low reception to our investment stewardship engagement” will be axed from BlackRock’s funds. Read the letter here.

THE WORKPLACE WILL ‘NEVER RETURN TO NORMAL’: TELSTRA BOSS

  • Telstra chief executive Andy Penn has warned employers that the workplace will “never return to normal”. Speaking at a Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) event, Mr Penn argued for continued flexibility and a move towards a “location agnostic” workplace. Read more in The AFR.

DIGITAL CODE HEATS UP

  • The increasingly bitter dispute between the tech giants and Canberra went up a notch or two during the week. This followed comments by the Australian CEO of Google, who threatened the search monolith may have to walk away from its lucrative Australian market. One thing is for sure, the rest of the world is closely watching. Read all about it here.

SCRIPTING YOUR SPEECHES? MIGHT WANT TO THINK AGAIN

  • Contrary to popular belief, memorising a word-for-word speech is one of the most destructive and counterproductive tactics you can take as a presenter. Harvard Business Review shares the biggest pitfalls of memorising speeches, as well as what you should be doing instead. Read them here.

HOW MEN WILL DRESS ONCE COVID IS OVER

  • Fashion shows have always gazed toward the future, and at this month’s European fall 2021 men’s fashion shows, we got a glimpse into what our wardrobes will look like in a few months’ time. It looks like we’re unlikely to cast aside the comfortable loungewear of quarantine, with designers showcasing a blend of WFH ease and tradition. Read all the trends in The WSJ.

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