Brain Food For General Counsel

After a bruising 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic and its attendant lockdowns caused sickness, anxiety and economic uncertainty for many, we look ahead to 2021 and ask seven business, law and politics experts for a reason to be cheerful, something we might have overlooked that will help us to believe in better times ahead. Alastair Campbell, John Amaechi, Vicky Pryce and others discuss the resilience of youth, changing attitudes to national debt, the humanisation of the workforce and progress on climate action. 

Brexit is just weeks away, yet companies have been hampered in their preparations by a lack of clarity about what, if any, deal will be in place. But it now looks certain that any deal will be slim, so companies can look ahead with more confidence.

We hear from Alastair Campbell, former communications adviser to UK prime minister Tony Blair, and Sean Elson of Pinsent Masons about operating under pressure while dealing with depression; and from Philip Aiken of Barclays and Kate Dodd of Pinsent Masons about practical measures companies can take, and about creating a ten point charter to help them do better. 

The workplace and mental health are closely intertwined – work can be the cause of problems, and issues can express themselves in the workplace. Organisations that don’t improve their culture are at risk of failing their people, while those that do change have a chance to attract the best people for longer.

All eyes have been trained on the life sciences industry as the world hopes for medical solutions to the Covid-19 pandemic. As pharmaceutical and medical device companies have collaborated at a speed and intensity never seen before, we ask if there are lessons that can be learned for how collaboration can work in more normal times. We speak to an industry inside, an life sciences lawyer and a business strategy academic about what coronavirus collaboration can teach the business world. 

The latest phase of the Black Lives Matter movement has helped to clarify for a lot of people how pervasive and powerful structural racism is. It affects organisations even when they are not overtly racist. 
We explore how this is likely to affect your business, and what steps you can take to address it, and look at the duty of all of society to educate themselves on the nature of racism, with organisational psychologist John Amaechi, Pinsent Masons lawyer Alexandra Aikman and diversity and inclusion consultant Stuart Affleck of Brook Graham. 

The climate crisis has become a major business issue – companies are changing their strategies because of its impact and because of their growing desire to be part of the solution, not the problem.
GCs have an opportunity to lead their organisation's thinking on the opportunities and risks the crisis presents. We hear how from leading lawyers and a chief executive-turned climate champion. 
With Alastair Morrison, Madeleina Loughrey-Grant and Philippe Joubert. 

Companies are redefining what they are for: away from solely delivering shareholder returns and towards a central 'purpose'. But can that approach survive the coronavirus crisis? Do purpose-led companies have a better chance of thriving, even at the most testing of times?

We look at the impact of coronavirus on five vital sectors of the economy (Advanced Manufacturing & Technology, Energy, Financial Services, Infrastructure and Real Estate) and hear from Pinsent Masons experts about what actions companies are taking now to survive and thrive. 

How can GCs help their companies prioritise coronavirus issues? And what can we learn from past crises to help make better decisions in this one?

Clear thinking on big issues to sustain GC growth and development.