Latest news with #businessleaders
BBC News
21 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Institute of Directors Guernsey reacts to inflation slowing
The Institute of Directors in Guernsey has reacted after inflation slowed to 3.9% between March and rate, measured by the Retail Price Index (RPI), is 1.4% lower than the same time last year and 0.3% lower than March 2025. Richard Hemans, the Institute of Directors Guernsey's lead on economics, said the island "must accelerate housing development, expand workforce capacity, and improve productivity in key service sectors, while fiscal discipline, targeted immigration, and greater competition in key markets are also essential to ease inflationary pressure".He said the inflation rate was "lower than the UK" which was "a welcome development but not yet a cause for complacency". The bulletin showed Guernsey's housing costs increased by 6.9% and contributed 1.3 points to overall inflation. Household services and food were the other major drivers of Guernsey inflation, rising 5.7% and 4.4% inflation, excluding food and energy, was 3.2%, down from 4.2% in institute represents business leaders and directors in Hemans said: "The reduction in core inflation underlines the impact of volatile food and energy prices on local inflation, with recent electricity price increases contributing 0.3% to the latest figures. "Core inflation is therefore coming down faster than the headline figure suggests." 'Avoiding wage-price spirals' He added that "services inflation accounts for 2.9% points of Guernsey's 3.9% RPI, compared with 1.0% from goods. "The biggest service-sector pressures stem from rents, fees and subscriptions, mortgage interest, electricity, and domestic and personal services — areas where market concentration and labour shortages are driving persistent cost increases."He said it highlighted the structural challenges faced by Guernsey's housing and labour said the "States' forecast of 3.2% inflation by year-end looks achievable, but further progress will depend on easing housing costs and avoiding wage-price spirals."Persistent inflation at current levels risk eroding competitiveness and living standards," he added.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
What Leaders Need To Know About Their Safety
Michael Evanoff is the chief security officer and strategic advisor at Verkada, a leader in cloud-based physical security solutions. There has been a paradigm shift regarding security for business leaders. C-level executives are more visible than they've ever been. At their best, they're painted as celebrities. At their worst, they're lightning rods for criticism. I've spent the majority of my career protecting some of the most visible leaders in the public and private sectors. In that time, I've witnessed a major shift in executive protection (EP). Not only have the nature of threats to their safety evolved, but the technologies and tools that security experts leverage have also advanced with them. In this new threat landscape, data and information control are often overlooked threats that put leaders—and the teams that protect them—at risk. However harmless it may seem, sharing information creates vulnerabilities that bad actors can exploit. Organizations are rethinking the safety and security of their leaders at this moment. Beyond the clear investment in technology, tools and personnel, they must also recognize that a hidden strength in any security strategy lies in the thoughtful, deliberate management and control of personal data. Here are four often-overlooked areas that can have an outsized impact on the strength of executive security programs in the year ahead. 1. The Double-Edged Sword Of Social Media Social media has become a powerful platform for executives to connect with their customers and even their employees. However, this accessibility comes at a cost. Platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram are often rich sources of personal information that bad actors can exploit. Even seemingly harmless posts such as photos from a conference or updates about company events can provide clues about travel schedules, routine activities or locations. As executives become more visible online, organizations must provide better training and privacy protocols that emphasize discretion, limit exposure and monitor sentiment online. This applies not just to executives but also to their families, family offices and teams. Social media can be polarizing and divisive. Rapidly radicalized online narratives can spread like wildfire across TikTok, Facebook and X, amplifying offline threats in real time. Security and communications teams must work in tandem to track, assess and respond to this interconnected reputational and safety risk as it develops. 2. The Gaps From Operational Overload EP officers carry immense responsibility—often working long hours, managing high-stress situations and constantly adapting to the demands of high-profile principals. Their well-being directly impacts the effectiveness of any security program, which is why ongoing support is critical. Many officers work up to seven days a week, particularly when supporting public figures with rigorous travel schedules. Over time, this level of strain can take a toll, making it harder to perform under pressure. In April 2025, a Diplomatic Security Service agent assigned to Secretary of State Marco Rubio was reportedly arrested after a public outburst—a stark reminder of the importance of ensuring EP officers are equipped with the resources, support systems and balanced workloads they need to perform at their best. Support also means building a coordinated ecosystem around the EP officer. Protection isn't handled in isolation; it includes local law enforcement, private teams and federal agencies. When roles, communication systems or protocols aren't aligned, confusion can arise quickly, especially during last-minute schedule changes or high-pressure scenarios. Leaders in executive protection must prioritize alignment, communication and clarity—not just for operational success but to support the people doing the work on the ground. 3. The Routines That Become A Risk Rigid daily routines and habits are widely publicized as productivity hacks of C-suite leaders. However, while rituals are effective, promoting them can also be dangerous. A quick search can unearth the daily routines of many high-profile CEOs. For someone intent on doing harm, the predictable nature of a CEO's publicly known schedule, including their travel times and regular activities, creates a window of opportunity. Beyond the vulnerabilities revealed when routines are shared online, time-bound routines such as commuting, dining or exercising are ultimately easily observable patterns that bad actors can exploit. While it's not always possible to disrupt every habit, security teams must work with executives to incorporate flexibility where possible. Shifting commute routes, adjusting public appearance schedules or even introducing impromptu stops during travel can dramatically reduce predictability—and, in turn, risk. 4. Outdated Technology: A Missed Opportunity EP is resource-intensive. Meta, for example, reportedly spent $43 million on CEO Mark Zuckerberg's personal security between 2020 and 2023. While "boots on the ground" remains essential, technology should be considered as a foundational piece of any executive protection program. Using the latest technology can act as a force multiplier for resource-strapped teams, and today's tools can give security officers insight into threats emerging online and in the physical world, from motion-based alerts for loitering or line-crossing in prohibited areas to social media sentiment analysis. Rethinking Security For The Modern Leader Executive protection must always evolve alongside the important individuals that EP officers are entrusted with protecting. In today's environment, this means taking a deliberate and thoughtful approach to information sharing and gathering as well as investments in people and technology. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Trust, human oversight key to unlocking $450bln agentic AI opportunity
Artificial intelligence (AI) agents are poised to deliver up to $450 billion in economic value by 2028 yet, despite strong momentum, only 2% of organizations have fully scaled deployment and trust in AI agents is declining, said an expert. Organizations are discovering that AI agents deliver the greatest impact when humans remain actively involved. Nearly three-quarters of executives say the benefits of human oversight outweigh the costs, and 90% view human involvement in AI-driven workflows as either positive or cost-neutral, according to the Capgemini Research Institute's latest report 'Rise of agentic AI: How trust is the key to human-AI collaboration.' The global survey covered 1,500 executives at organizations each with more than $1 billion in annual revenue across 14 countries. The Capgemini report finds that trust and human oversight are critical factors in realising the potential of Agentic AI, and the gap between intent and readiness is now one of the biggest barriers to realizing the $450 billion opportunity. Agentic AI is one of the fastest-emerging technological trends, but organizations are still in the early stages of application. While nearly a quarter have already launched pilots and a small number have begun implementation (14%), the majority remain in planning mode. This steady progress stands in contrast to executive ambition – nearly all (93%) business leaders believe that scaling AI agents over the next 12 months will provide a competitive edge, yet nearly half of organizations still lack a strategy for implementing them. "The economic potential of AI agents is significant but realizing this value depends on more than just the technology, it requires a comprehensive and strategic transformation across people, processes and systems," remarked Franck Greverie, the Chief Portfolio & Technology Officer, Head of Global Business Lines, and Group Executive Board Member at Capgemini. "To succeed, organizations must remain focused on outcomes, reimagining their processes with an AI-first mindset. Central to this transformation is the need to build trust in AI by ensuring it is developed responsibly, with ethics and safety baked in from the outset. It also means reshaping organizations to support effective human-AI chemistry, creating the right conditions for these systems to enhance human judgment and help deliver superior business outcomes," he stated. According to Greverie, trust in fully autonomous AI agents has dropped sharply, from 43% to 27% in the past year alone, with nearly two in five executives believing that the risks of implementing AI agents outweigh the benefits. Only 40% of organizations say they trust AI agents to manage tasks and processes autonomously, while most do not fully trust the technology. The report finds that as organizations move from exploration to implementation, trust in AI agents grows: for organizations in implementation phase, 47% have an above average level of trust, compared to 37% in exploratory phase. Therefore, organizations are prioritizing transparency, clarity around how AI agents make decisions, and ethical safeguards to drive greater adoption. Human-AI chemistry is key to lasting adoption The real promise of agentic AI lies in tackling core business challenges and reimagining how work gets done. Within the next 12 months, over 60% of organizations expect to form human-agent teams where AI agents function as subordinates or enhance human capabilities. This means that AI agents can no longer be considered tools, they are becoming active participants in the team. 70% of organizations believe AI agents will necessitate organizational restructuring, prompting leaders to rethink roles, team structures, and workflows. Enterprises are discovering AI agents deliver most value when humans remain in the loop. With effective human-AI collaboration, organizations expect a 65% increase in human engagement in high-value tasks, a 53% rise in creativity, and a 49% boost in employee satisfaction. The time to scale is now The $450 billion dollar opportunity for AI agents to deliver new economic value by 2028 includes both revenue uplift and cost savings, driven by the implementation of semi to fully autonomous AI agents. Scaled adoption is found to hold far greater potential, as organizations with scaled implementation are projected to generate approximately $382 million on average over the next three years, while others may realize around $76 million. In the near term, AI agents are expected to see most extensive adoption in customer service, IT, and sales, expanding into operations, R&D, and marketing over the next three years. However, most deployments remain at early stages of autonomy with only 15% of all business processes operating at semi-autonomous to fully autonomous levels in a year. While this is expected to rise to 25% by 2028, most agents today function as assistants or copilots, supporting routine tasks rather than independently managing complex workflows. AI-readiness remains a challenge Today, most organizations are not equipped to scale agentic AI effectively cites the report. 80% lack mature AI infrastructure and fewer than one in five report high levels of data-readiness. Ethical concerns such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, and lack of explainability remain widespread, yet few organizations are taking decisive action. For example, privacy is the primary concern for over half of organizations (51%), yet only 34% are actively taking steps to mitigate it. Compounding this, only half of business leaders say they understand what AI agents are capable of, and even fewer can identify where these systems outperform traditional automation. To harness the full potential of AI agents, organizations must move beyond the hype, recommends the report – working toward redesigning processes and reimagining business models, transforming organizational structure, and striking the right balance between agent autonomy and human involvement. Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Tapping The Ancient Wisdom Of Hospitality To Foster Inclusivity
Team members feeling safe and connected and actively listening to and learning from one another. In the past some business leaders solved the problem of employees being constantly connected to their laptops and smartphones by tapping ancient Jewish wisdom and providing digital sabbaths so employees could disconnect from their digital devices and find time to rest, reflect, and reconnect. Today business leaders can solve the problem of companies abandoning or weakening their commitment to DEI programs, even though the issues those programs sought to address persist, by adapting the ancient virtue of hospitality to make others feel welcome, connected, safe, valued, respected, and heard. Under pressure and threats from the Trump administration and certain conservative lawmakers and activists some companies have abandoned or weakened their DEI commitments as too controversial and risky. But the importance of hospitality as a virtue is recognized in Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism. Given that widespread acceptance it seems safe to suggest that a company's public commitment to creating a culture of hospitality would be less risky than a public commitment to DEI efforts--though some companies may want to accept the risk of staying openly true to their convictions. The Benefits of An Inclusive Workplace Employees in an inclusive workplace feel that they belong, that their perspectives matter, that they are valued and respected, and that they are safe to be their authentic selves. That is good for the employees and also for their organizations. A 2025 report by the World Economic Forum found that companies that companies committed to DEI more generally experienced higher levels of performance, innovation, and employee satisfaction. And a survey by Boston Consulting Group and the Future Forum revealed that employees who feel they can be their authentic selves at work are more happy and motivated and more than two times less likely to quit. The practice of hospitality could yield similar positive results for employees and organizations and help promote not only inclusivity, but also diversity and equity. A hospitable workplace culture is more likely to attract a wider range of top talent and also to be a place where employees feel they are treated fairly. But creating a hospitable environment requires moving beyond the common understanding of that virtue. The Deeper Meaning of Hospitality In Reaching Out, Catholic spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen, suggests that we think of hospitality not narrowly as welcoming strangers into our homes but rather as the fundamental welcoming attitude we have toward other human beings. He points out that we often see strangers as a potential threat, but that we should see them as potential allies who have gifts they may share with us if we welcome them into a safe and open space in which they can be themselves and then show genuine interest in them. The goal of creating that open space is to invite others to enter it and form a new relationship with us. But people will enter that space and share their gifts fully with us only if they feel safe. Nouwen observes that people will not reveal their most precious experiences and insights with those who evoke fear in them. He also emphasizes that those offering hospitality must see and affirm that the life experiences and ideas of others are worthy of our full attention and respect. Receptivity and Openness Nouwen explains that hospitality requires both receptivity or openness and confrontation or presence. Receptivity involves welcoming others as who they are, not as who you would like them to be. A report by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law found that half of LGBT employees are not out to their direct supervisors and that one quarter of them are not out to even a single co-worker. Those employees reported not feeling safe speaking about their lives outside of work or displaying photos of their partners or families. They indicated not feeling welcome in their workplaces as who they are. Turning to what Nouwen labels 'confrontation,' hospitality requires that we welcome others as who they are while staying true to who we are. I prefer 'presence' to 'confrontation' since being present to others as who you are need not lead to confrontation. Leaders offering hospitality should be clear about their own ideas, opinions, and convictions. A hospitable workplace promotes real conversation, after all, and real conversation requires that all parties remain who they really are and say what they really think. That being the case, leaders offering hospitality should not hide what they think and believe. They should also be clear about any boundaries that employees should follow. If I have been welcomed to a home in which it is common practice to remove one's shoes before entering, for example, I should respect that boundary and remove my shoes even if I do not do so in my home. If it is part of the culture of a company I have have been welcomed to join to offer praise publicly but criticism privately then I should do that even if I would sometimes like to do otherwise. I recall a story about a senior finance executive who welcomed a new employee and told him that he had a bright future at the firm. He then added that if the new employee ever recommended a client transaction he could not defend as being in the best interest of the client, he would be fired immediately. That is an example of welcoming a newcomer and seeing and believing in that newcomer's potential while also setting a clear boundary with consequences. The Importance of Speaking Less and Listening More Nouwen stresses that listening is one of the most important forms of hospitality and that to practice it well we need to develop our listening skills. He points out that hosts should create open spaces in which they can share perspectives with guests, but that some hosts prevent that from happening by speaking all the time and filling up the schedule so that none of their guests has much of a chance to speak or to interact freely with one another. Leaders who want to practice hospitality in preparing for meetings should think less about what they will say at the meeting and more about what they will ask in order to find out what their team members think and feel. And they should open by inviting the ideas of team members and only then share their own ideas. Leaders who hire talented, experienced, knowledgeable, and motivated people but then fail to give them the opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives waste their organization's most precious resources. They also miss out on learning opportunities that could leave them better-informed and wiser and help them make better decisions. To illustrate the inability of a person who cannot learn because he thinks he already has all the answers Nouwen shares the story of a Zen master who received a university professor who wanted to learn about Zen. The Zen master served tea and poured until the professor's cup was full but then kept pouring. When the perplexed professor exclaimed that the cup was full and could not hold any more water the master explained that the professor's mind, like the cup, was already so full of ideas and assumptions that it would not be able to hold more unless it was first emptied of some of those preconceptions. Leaders must not be so full of their own ideas that there is no room in their minds for the fresh ideas of their team members. The Need for More Hospitable Workplaces Persists The goal of a hospitable workplace is creating a space in which everyone feels safe and welcome as who they are and as having valuable gifts to share. But to create that space hospitable leaders need to recognize that some employees are likely to feel less welcome, valued, respected, connected, and safe than others. Full-time remote workers may well feel less connected to co-workers than those who work the office. Female employees may feel less valued and heard if they are interrupted more often, and a number of studies indicate that they are. Indeed a 2017 study indicates that male Supreme Court justices interrupted their female colleagues three times more often than they interrupted one another. Black employees who feel the need to code-switch, or alter their speech, dress or behavior, in order to fit in with the dominant culture, are less likely to feel welcome as who they are. And a 2023 survey conducted for Indeed by The Harris Poll indicated that black employees are almost three times more likely than their white counterparts to code-switch. Conservative employees may feel less connected, respected, and heard on teams that are predominantly liberal or progressive just as liberal or progressive employees may feel less connected, respected, and heard on predominantly conservative teams. And Muslim employees may feel less welcome and safe on teams in which Christians are a clear and vocal majority. The list could clearly go on but each of those illustrative instances of workplace inhospitality could be remedied by the practice of hospitality as described above. Best Practices for Offering Hospitality in the Workplace First, welcome others as who they are, recognize and affirm their gifts, and make it unambiguously clear by your words and actions that you really want to hear what they think. Second, think of the ratio of speaking to listening that you are comfortable with in your interactions with junior members of your team and then speak less than that so that they can speak more. Third, be your authentic self and communicate your experiences, insights, opinions and values to others clearly. But clarify that your perspective is not the only one that matters and you are open to modifying or changing it based on information and insights from others. Fourth, clarify that having a welcoming attitude toward all does not mean accepting all behaviors or attitudes. Be clear about the boundaries that must be observed for your team to perform at its best and insist that those boundaries are observed. Finally, move beyond the mere acceptance of experiences and perspectives that are different from your own to the positive appreciation of those different experiences and perspectives as leading to richer discussions, better decisions, stronger teams, and better business results as well. Some companies reluctantly eliminated their DEI programs and Chief Diversity Officer positions while remaining quietly committed to having a diverse workforce in which everyone feels that they belong and are treated fairly because that is good in itself and also good for business. Those companies are welcome to appoint a Chief Hospitality Officer to achieve their worthy goals.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Fired Off A Sexist Trope At A Faith Luncheon. It Shows He's An ‘Unhappy Man,' Expert Says.
President Donald Trump fired off a sexist trope about women when he rambled on and on about his so-called Big Beautiful Bill during a faith luncheon at the White House earlier in July. During Trump's speech at the White House Faith Office luncheon with business leaders, he went on a tangent about the giant bill he'd signed into law, which favors the wealthy and is expected to cause millions of people to lose their health insurance. The president complained about the Republicans who'd initially pushed back on the legislation and claimed the bill would 'perhaps' prevent an economic depression that, he bizarrely reasoned, wouldn't be good for 'unattractive' men married to women. 'You people, so rich, so beautiful, so nice to look at, will be totally busted,' he said. 'And let's see how long your wife stays with you ... she'll stay with you for about three weeks and she'll say, 'Darling, I can't take it anymore. I can't take it anymore, darling, I'm leaving you.'' 'I said to one guy — he's a very, very unattractive man — but he's smart and he's rich, and I said, 'You better hope we get this thing passed because your wife will be gone within about two minutes,'' Trump continued. 'He said, 'You're right.'' The crowd erupted in laughter. Trump has made a few public quips about women marrying for money in recent months. Back in May — again making an assumption about his audience — the president inexplicably warned graduating cadets about 'trophy wives' in a commencement address at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He said that trophy wives often don't 'work out' as he told the story of the late real estate developer William Levitt and his eventual professional downfall. Geralyn Fortney, a licensed professional counselor and regional clinic director with Thriveworks who specializes in women's issues, previously told HuffPost that narratives about women marrying men for financial benefits is a 'long-standing sexist trope.' 'It dismisses the fact that everyone, even women who marry men of privilege, is capable of marrying for love,' she said. 'This is a long-standing sexist trope that discredits women as incapable of love without strings attached, and also makes us believe that women are unable to have success on their own!' As it relates to Trump's speech on Monday, Kari J. Winter, a professor of American studies at the University at Buffalo, said that the president — in addition to 'incessantly sexualizing women' — seems to 'have a core belief that women marry only for money.' 'Like a crude, cliched commercial that uses women's bodies to sell cars or booze or whatever, Trump conjures absurd, non-sequitur images of patriarchal marriage to sell his disastrous economic policies,' she told HuffPost in an email. 'He is literally telling men that they need his economics to keep their marriages afloat.' Trump's worldview is 'transactional and misogynistic' — and he's unhappy, Winter says. Winter, whose expertise includes gender, feminism, race and class, doesn't think Trump is consciously pushing a trope — she believes his 'worldview is fundamentally transactional and misogynistic.' 'In these remarks, he is addressing men despite the presence of women in the audience, and he assumes that they share his belief that wealth is the only way to attract and keep women,' she said. 'In his repetitive use of the 'trophy wife' trope, we can see that underneath his arrogance and delusions of grandeur is an unhappy man who does not believe that he is worthy of love.' 'Maybe he doesn't even believe that love is a thing,' she continued. Winter admitted that she laughed out loud when she first heard Trump's remarks at the faith luncheon — but not because his speech was funny. She laughed because his comments were 'spectacularly awkward, inarticulate and idiotic.' 'We expect incoherent word salads from Trump, but the rambling offensiveness of his remarks continues to exceed expectations,' she said. When asked to share her thoughts about the audible laughs Trump received from business leaders in attendance at the luncheon, Winter said: 'Some wealthy people will pander to anything as long as they get tax breaks at the expense of the poor and middle class.' 'The enormous economic violence encoded in Trump's big, b*shit bill shows how morally bankrupt his rich supporters are,' she wrote before later adding, 'History bears witness to the fact that many people cloak themselves in the garbs of religion in order to provide cover and permission for their most hateful, violent impulses.' 'They should be ashamed of themselves, but they appear incapable of shame so we as a society need to find a way to hold them accountable,' Winter added. Related... Trump Mocked For Claiming 'Big Beautiful Bill' Helps Ugly Rich Guys Stay Married 'South Park' Goes Scorched-Earth On Trump In Shockingly NSFW Season Premiere Stephen Colbert Absolutely Torches Corporate Bosses Amid New Trump Settlement Claim
