The Green Room: Questions that matter most in business

It's hard to think of a part of our lives that isn't impacted by technology. It's made our world more connected. Our work easier to do. Limitless choice at our fingertips. But it's also contributed to a society that consumes more resources than ever before. We replace instead of repair. We upgrade instead of keep. We follow trends rather than embrace the timeless.

Are these technologies enough to make a real difference? Or are they just a piece of the puzzle? What changes do we all need to make to create a healthier planet? And how can we empower others to embrace change too?

How do we stay positive and focus on the future while our planet feels like it's falling apart? How can we inspire action through hope instead of despair? Is it time to finally change the narrative?

To help answer, we're joined by Colin Butfield, Executive Director, Our Planet – WWF, and Siobhan Gardiner, Deloitte Ventures' Climate Studio Lead.

Hosts: George Parrett and Ethan Worth Guests: Colin Butfield, Executive Director of Our Planet, WWF, and Siobhan Gardner, Climate Studio Lead, Deloitte Ventures Technical support: Deloitte's Creative Studio Original music: Ali Barrett

Hands up if you had a trip cancelled because of COVID-19. As the pandemic continues to evolve, spending time abroad, exploring that new city or walking along a deserted beach may have to wait a little longer.

Since lockdown, some of us have been discovering our local areas. Others probably need a holiday now more than ever.

We can't imagine a future without travel. It's a fundamental part of human history. It sustains families and economies. It makes us see the world differently (and up until earlier this year, made us lose countless hours on Instagram…).

But there are many questions about the sustainability of the way we travelled before this pandemic. From mass tourism to business travel, many of us worry about the impact on the environment and local communities.

So where do we go from here? For this episode, we're joined by Andreas Scriven, a hospitality and leisure industry expert, and Ian Taylor, executive editor at Travel Weekly to find out.

What will happen to the empty hotels and airlines in distress? How do companies cater for the future of travel? Will we finally see better environmental strategies? What will be the key for success?

And how are we changing as a society? What kind of experiences will travellers be looking for? Are business trips a thing of the past? And as hard as it's been - is COVID-19 the perspective we need for better travel going forward?

Tune in to find out:

• Why rocky road is Lizzie's favourite ice cream
• Ian's predictions on when we'll next be travelling again
• Why Andreas wants to see hotels review their light switches
• Why they both feel confident about the future

Enjoyed the episode? Check our website for our recommendations to learn more about this topic: deloitte.co.uk/GreenRoomPodcasts

Guests: Andreas Scriven and Ian Taylor Hosts: Lizzie Elston and Ethan Worth Technical support: Deloitte's Creative Studio Original music: Ali Barrett

Humans are funny creatures. We wake up and brew ourselves a cuppa, using only our favourite teabags of course. We butter our bread using our favourite spreads (or not, you love it or you hate it after all) and we message our friends on our mobiles, the same make we've had for the last decade.

Some of these brands have been around for generations. But we keep going back for more. And it doesn't make it easy for the new kids on the block. So why exactly do we have such an emotional connection to them? Are we all just creatures of habit, easily charmed… or is there more to it?

We speak to our Chief Marketing Officer, Annabel Rake, and Johan Bello from creative design agency ACNE to find out.

Tune in to hear:

• Why purpose is about more than just a fancy slogan
• How Johan helped design Ikea's answer to Balenciaga
• What Lizzie's learnt from playing the logo game
• And why our teabags need to do more than make a good brew

Hosts: George Parrett and Lizzie Elston

Guests: Annabel Rake, Chief Marketing Officer at Deloitte UK and North and South Europe, and Johan Bello, Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director at ACNE.

Technical support: Deloitte's Creative Studio

Original music: Ali Barrett

How often do you think about race?

If you're white, chances are – rarely. That's because you're unlikely to be the only person in a room who looks like you.

If you're Black, race defines your experience from the day you are born. The street you grow up in. The school you attend. The friends you make. The jobs you go for.

We might say we don't see colour, but our skin marks every aspect of our lives. The recent Black Lives Matter protests shocked many into paying attention to the systemic racism endured by Black people for centuries. In the UK, we realised it was much closer to home than we wanted to believe. The same goes for our firm.

October is Black History Month – an annual celebration of the history, achievements and contributions of Black people in the UK. It's a time to honour and celebrate Black Britishness. Black heroes. Black talent. Creativity. Drive. Passion. But it's also a time to question and learn.

For this episode, two guests help us get under the skin of Black Britishness. They're both senior professionals in their chosen fields. We talk about what it was like getting their first job. Their experience in the workplace. Did they ever think they got the role because of their skin colour? Were they ever rejected because of it? What's been the proudest moment of their careers?

But they're also just people. Who did they look up to as kids? When was the first time they experienced racism? Were they told they had to work twice as hard? Does it ever get tiring talking about race? Are they proud to be Black? And British?

Tune in to find out:

• Why George mentioned his lockdown love handles
• How seeing the first Black British role models on TV impacted Sandra
• About the responsibility David feels being one of our few Black partners
• Why Sandra and David are both optimistic about the future

Enjoyed the episode? Check our website for our recommendations to learn more about this topic: deloitte.co.uk/GreenRoomPodcasts

Guests: David Wallis and Sandra Kerr CBE Hosts: George Parrett and Ethan Worth Technical support: Deloitte's Creative Studio Original music: Ali Barrett

And a special thanks to our Black network for their support on this episode.

When our CEO Richard Houston took on the role in 2019, he spoke to our hosts about starting a new job and preparing for his next step. He was prepared for a challenging year, with uncertainty around Brexit, the ongoing audit debate and the pressures of life at the top.

But what he couldn't predict was a global pandemic. A pandemic that would turn our lives upside down and change the world forever.

Last time we spoke to Richard, we asked him if starting a new job ever gets easier. Now, we're wondering if the first year of a new job has ever been harder.

There's no playbook for 2020. So how have business leaders navigated through it? What's it been like behind the scenes, as they've had to make tough decisions to protect their businesses and their people?

And what's next? What does the world look like five years from now? Can we keep going as before? Or is change inevitable?

How do we focus on what matters most? And where can we make the biggest impact? How do we put sustainability at the heart of our business and inclusion at the forefront of our recovery? And is technology the key to helping us build a better future?

This week's big question: One year on: did anything go to plan?

Hosts: George Parrett, Lizzie Elston and Ethan Worth Guest: Richard Houston, CEO Deloitte UK and NSE Technical support: Deloitte's Creative Studio Original music: Ali Barrett

At 23:00 on January 31, three years and four months after the EU referendum, the UK officially stopped being a member of the EU. In that time, we've had three prime ministers and two general elections, with countless disagreements, debates and unexpected turns along the way.

Newspapers around the world kept us up to date with daily headlines. Families across the country banned the B-word from their dinner tables. Businesses scrambled to prepare for every possible eventuality. And the fate of wonky bananas sparked many a heated conversation. But is it really all over? Can we finally stop talking about it? Or are we only just getting started?

What's actually changed and what's still to come? What might our future trade deals look like and why do they matter? How much can we prepare in advance? And what happens if we don't?

These aren't easy questions to answer. But luckily for our hosts George and Ethan, we're joined by two people who just might know where to start - Amanda Tickel, our Global Brexit Lead, and Raoul Ruparel, former special adviser to the Prime Minister on Europe, and now adviser to our Global Brexit Insights team.

Tune in to find out:

• Why pet passports could be at risk;
• All about Raoul's experience living through the negotiations;
• How Amanda never envisioned a career as Brexit lead;
• Why George would like to set up a pub on a desert island.

Hosts: George Parrett and Ethan Worth

Guests: Amanda Tickel and Raoul Ruparel

Technical support: Deloitte's Creative Studio

Original music: Ali Barrett

Over the last few decades, businesses have struggled to keep up with our demand for more. Supermarkets provided us with a dazzling selection of affordable ready meals. Online retailers gave us a fresh look at the click of a button. We bought new phones every year, sipped lattes from plastic cups and splurged on the latest beauty products without thinking twice.

But things are beginning to change. The research shows that we're thinking more carefully about where and how we spend our money. Thrifting is on the rise, meat consumption is down and businesses are under pressure to reduce their use of plastic. We're more interested in experiences than products and, when we do splash out, we want to know that the products we buy are sustainable and that the companies we're buying from align with our values.

So what does this all mean? Are we really buying less, or just spending in ways that make us feel good? Can consumerism ever truly be sustainable? Or are shopping sprees now a thing of the past?

If our consumption is finally slowing down, what does that mean for consumer business? Should they focus more on quality than convenience? How can they create the experiences we're looking for, while remaining profitable? And have they left it too late to try?

This week we talk to Ben Perkins, Head of Consumer Business Research at Deloitte, and Philli Boyle, Co-Founder of Choose Love.

Tune in to find out:

• Why people are queuing round the block to buy gifts for refugees
• Why Ben thinks shell suits should make a comeback
• How George's new toilet roll could save the planet
• Whether re-commerce could be the future

Hosts: George Parrett and Lizzie Elston

Guests: Ben Perkins and Philli Boyle

Technical support: Deloitte's Creative Studio

Original music: Ali Barrett

We live in a data-driven world. And it would be pretty difficult to exist in it without sharing information about who we are and what we like. But are we trading our privacy for the convenient life data gives us? How far are we willing to go? Where is this valuable information going? And what happens when it all goes wrong?

For our first episode of season three, we're discussing something about ourselves that we give away every day, often without realising – data.

Joining our hosts George and Ethan to dive into our latest big question are Peter Gooch, Cyber Risk Services partner and Susie Sharawi, a director in our Risk Advisory practice.

Tune in to find out:

• What a cyber attack has to do with stuffed crust pizza
• Why Susie think millennials are becoming more data savvy
• What surprises Ethan found out about George online
• Why Peter saved all of his GDPR mailing list emails

Hosts: George Parrett and Ethan Worth

Guests: Peter Gooch and Susie Sharawi

Technical support: Deloitte's Creative Studio

Original music: Ali Barrett

Back in 2016, economists said Brexit was unlikely to happen and the media reported that Hillary Clinton was a safe bet for the US presidency. Since then, it's fair to say that world events have taken an unexpected turn. But why didn't we see it coming? Did the experts really get it wrong or are we being unfair?

In an ever evolving business and economic landscape, is certainty now a thing of the past? Is there any point in making predictions at all?

This week George and Lizzie are joined by leading business journalist, James Ashton, and Deloitte's chief economist, Ian Stewart, to find the answer to our latest big question: why do the experts keep getting it wrong?

Tune in to find out why:

• Economists just want to be popular
• Ian thinks forecasts are an expression of hope
• George reads a lot of children's literature
• We're all swimming in a river of fake news

Hosts: George Parrett and Lizzie Elston

Guests: Ian Stewart and James Ashton

Technical support: Deloitte's Creative Studio

Original music: Ali Barrett

From smarter healthcare to remote working, there's no doubt that technology has had a positive impact on our lives. But there are downsides too. In an always-on world, how is constant connection affecting our mental and physical health? Or is it too early to tell?

As our lives move online, how can we be sure that businesses are keeping our data secure? Should we completely switch off from technology, or could we not live without it?

This week, we're diving into the world of technology to look at whether it's really making our lives better. Joining our hosts George and Lizzie are Paul Lee, UK partner and Head of Global Research for Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) and Libby Cousins, partner at Deloitte Digital UK and marketing practice lead.

Tune in to find out:

• What Lizzie's favourite smartphone app is and why
• If George's vegetable box deliveries are doing more harm than good
• Libby's views on how businesses can keep our data as secure as possible
• Why Paul thinks technology connectivity is like a game of KerPlunk

Hosts: George Parrett and Lizzie Elston

Guests: Paul Lee and Libby Cousins

Technical support: Deloitte's Creative Studio

Original music: Ali Barrett