To the Point with Portland

Fintech’s march to ubiquity

‘Fintech’ is transcending mere ‘financial technology’ and becoming a core part of a wide array of everyday services. With this in mind, Portland partner Luke Baker sits down with Mark Whitcroft, one of the UK’s leading fintech nurturers and early-stage investors, and a founding partner of Illuminate Financial. The pair look at what the future holds for fintech, how the sector will cope in an economic downturn, why money raised does not always equal start-up success, and the looming presence of blockchain technology.

 

Can COP26 “keep 1.5 alive” and can business meaningfully address climate change?

Summits like COP26 have a reputation for amounting to more talk than action, but Gillian Tett’s background in cultural anthropology means she nevertheless sees value in these rituals. The Financial Times' US Editor-at-Large sits down with Portland Partner Mary Pollard to discuss what to expect from the meeting of world leaders and how impactful promises made around climate change will prove to be. The current energy crisis leading to more fossil fuel usage is discussed, along with the lessons for ESG arising from Covid vaccine hesitancy, the role of business vs. governments in tackling the climate crisis, and the need to listen to those with wildly differing viewpoints.

How can business and government work together more effectively?

There has long been a feeling that government doesn’t understand the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of business, and business doesn’t understand the processes and realities of government. So how can the two better understand one another? Portland partner Anita Boateng talks this over with Gavin Barwell, a Member of the House of Lords and former Chief of Staff to Theresa May.

Politics outside the Westminster bubble

After serving on the front bench in the House of Commons, Andy Burnham took a bold career pivot and became the Mayor of Greater Manchester. In the first episode of our second series, he talks to Portland advisor David Davies about the strategic move away from Westminster, effecting change away from London, devolution, and the relationship between mayors and prime ministers.

Communications in flux

The comms landscape was undergoing huge changes before the world had even heard of Covid-19, and an array of new dynamics, mediums and incentives now face brands looking to get their stories out into the world. In the final episode of series one, Richard Suchet, Portland Director, sits down with Mark Flanagan, Portland Chief Executive, to consider the new epoch of PR we have entered, and discuss intergenerational values, the alchemy of combining data and insight, and ESG as more than a set of metrics.

Sport under scrutiny

With sports players amassing vast social followings and glossy documentaries attracting millions of viewers on the big streaming services, some sportsmen and women find themselves questioning the utility of talking to the media in 2021. Matt Dickinson, Chief Sports Writer at The Times, has seen first-hand how the relationship between the sports media and the people it covers has changed over the past 20 years. In this episode, he discusses the new dynamic with Ben Wright, a Director in Portland's Sport unit, and makes the argument that there will always be a role for sports journalists, who he sees as providing a level of insight and honest interrogation of facts that platforms like Instagram simply can't.

PRWeek Editor, Danny Rogers, on cause-related campaigning

Social media may have offered brands a whole new way to reach audiences, but it is a high-stakes channel where putting a foot wrong can cause serious damage. In this episode, Portland Creative Director, Leila Mountford, discusses corporate character and cause-related campaigning with Danny Rogers, Editor-in-chief of PRWeek UK & EMEA and the author of Campaigns that Shook the World, which tracked the evolution of PR and looked at some of the most influential creative campaigns of the last 30 years.

Denise Lewis on the business of athletics

A huge financial gulf exists between football and athletics, with athletes often struggling to secure the resources required to compete at the highest levels, and coaching not being as obvious and viable a retirement plan as it can be for footballers. In this episode of TTPWP, Olympic gold medal winner, Denise Lewis discusses the state of modern athletics, issues of representation and what 'zero tolerance' really means when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs in sport, with Portland consultant and former FA executive director, David Davies.

When does 'purpose' become woke-washing?

'The risk isn't in telling the truth, the risk is in not knowing where the truth lies.' Or so contends David Gallagher, Omnicom's President of Growth and Development, who alongside John O'Brien MBE, EMEA Managing Partner at One Hundred, has written a new book about what it means to be a purpose-led business or leader post-pandemic. Here, the co-authors make the case to Mary Pollard, Portland Partner, that 'purpose' has superseded corporate social responsibility (CSR) and discuss the perils of 'woke-washing'.

Gary Lineker on the business of football

Gary Lineker has had not one but two hugely successful careers, first as a footballer who scored 48 goals for England, and now as the most recognisable face in football television coverage. In this episode he speaks with David Davies, Portland Adviser, broadcaster and former executive director of the Football Association. The pair discuss how football is governed, the importance of the sport to UK towns and cities, protecting smaller clubs from the financial might of bigger ones, and whether football needs an independent regulator.