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SME confidence rises slightly but pressures remain acute. The Vistage CEO Confidence Index for Q2 2025 shows optimism among UK and Irish SMEs edging higher, yet Rebecca Drew, Managing Director of Vistage UK, warns leaders still face tariffs, cost pressures and talent shortages requiring significant strategic adjustments.
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Daniel Ek is stepping down as Spotify CEO. From January 2026, co-presidents Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström will serve as co-chief executives, while Ek becomes executive chairman focused on strategy and long-term priorities. Spotify shares fell after the announcement as investors assessed the leadership shift.
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Heriot-Watt University launches a global Professional Academy. The online platform offers more than 50 stackable, university-credited courses designed to help professionals upskill rapidly while building towards postgraduate qualifications. Courses span business, psychology, sustainability, and specialist sectors, with content co-developed alongside leading industry partners.
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UK employees want flexibility at work, rejecting rigid office rules. A new report from Owl Labs shows 86% demand flexible hours, with a four-day week and work-to-rule tactics becoming mainstream. The findings highlight the growing expectation for autonomy, fluid schedules, and supportive technology.
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Britain will ease high-skilled worker visas to attract global talent. UK finance minister Rachel Reeves said the plan would counter new U.S. restrictions, with potential cuts to fees under review as London courts displaced workers.
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Four in ten leaders call for stronger C-Suite alignment. New research finds that CEOs back HR chiefs as equal partners in transformation, but finance and operations leaders remain sceptical of their influence.
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Reeves faces £18bn shortfall if public sector gains fail. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that the government’s budget strategy rests on historically ambitious assumptions for productivity growth, with potential consequences for spending, taxation, and public services if efficiencies do not materialise.
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AI is not yet reshaping jobs, but leaders must prepare. The New York Fed reports rising adoption of artificial intelligence without widespread layoffs, with most firms retraining staff. History suggests disruption lags adoption, leaving leaders a crucial window to redesign roles, embed trust, and invest in future skills.
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Todd Davison wanted SMEs to borrow without risking everything. His insurance venture has grown steadily, offering protection for directors against personal guarantee liabilities, and is now preparing for international expansion into other markets where guarantees are common.
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UK employees missed nearly ten days of work last year. The CIPD’s 2025 Health and wellbeing at work report finds sickness absence rising to its highest level in over a decade, with mental ill health and musculoskeletal issues among the leading causes.