In May 2017, Alan Pickering won the award for the `Greatest Single Contribution to Occupational Pensions (1998-2017)' at the Professional Pensions UK Pension Awards. It was a well-received tribute to the role he had played for more than twenty years. The Pickering Report, commissioned by the Blair government, had been a blunt, brutally honest and pragmatic assessment of what needed to be done if Britain's leadership position in occupational pensions was to be maintained. In this biography, Paddy Briggs, who worked closely with the subject, focuses on the world of pensions and Pickering's leading role in it. But the story is broader and more human than the highly technical world of retirement benefits. Pickering is a baby boomer who grew up in modest circumstances in the City of York. As a child, he was diagnosed with a degenerative eyesight disease, and by his twenties he was totally blind. His disability became more of a spur to ambition and accomplishment than a restraint. This included athletic achievements such as running marathons and being a serious participant in competitive race walking. He has reached the highest levels in the world of financial services and also became a well-known racehorse owner and a vice-president of the Racehorse Owners Association.

Private Equity and Venture Capital in Europe: Markets, Techniques, and Deals, Third Edition introduces private equity, investments and venture capital markets while also presenting new information surrounding the core of private equity, including secondary markets, private debt, PPP within private equity, crowdfunding, venture philanthropy, impact investing, and more. Every chapter has been updated with new data, cases, examples, sections and chapters that illuminate elements unique to the European model. With the help of new pedagogical materials, this updated edition provides marketable insights about valuation and deal-making not available elsewhere. As the private equity world continues to undergo many challenges and opportunities, this book presents both fundamentals and advanced topics that will help readers stay informed on market evolution.

Climate change and the depletion of resources will have a long-lasting effect on the globe. Thus, it is essential that businesses and organizations across the world adopt financial practices and strategies that allow them to continue their service, limit emissions, and preserve resources. However, these practices are only made more difficult to adopt within the context of a turbulent economy. In this context, it is imperative to research financial strategies to protect the environment and support business resilience. Finance for Sustainability in a Turbulent Economy provides international financial strategies to achieve sustainable business practices within a turbulent economy. It highlights the importance of maintaining environmental health in a cost-effective way. Covering topics such as environmental finance, renewable energy frameworks, and social responsibility, this premier reference source is an essential resource for environmental scientists, government officials, engineers, business executives, environmentalists, politicians, students and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

As the spectrum of the internet of things (IoT) expands, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted agile IoT is the way forward for sustainable finance. The depth of agile IoT has changed the financial market, and it may quickly evolve as a powerful tool in the future. The convergence of AI and IoT techniques will significantly extract valuable financial information and offer better services to customers. Some of the potential benefits of AI-assisted agile IoT for FinTech include prompt customer support, in-door client navigation, on-site queue management, improved customer experience, security and authenticity, wireless payments, increased business efficiency, self-checkout services, and business automation. There is no doubt that leveraging the complete potential of AI-assisted agile IoT will result in the creation of a new and innovative financial system. AI-Enabled Agile Internet of Things for Sustainable FinTech Ecosystems presents the advances in AI-assisted agile IoT for financial technologies (FinTech). It further explains the new applications, current issues, challenges, and future directions of the field of AI-assisted agile IoT for FinTech applications and ecosystems. Covering topics such as consensus algorithms, IoT-based banking, and secure authentication, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for business executives and managers, IT managers, librarians, students and faculty of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

How Charts Work brings the secrets of effective data visualisation in a way that will help you bring data alive. Charts, graphs and tables are essential devices in business, but all too often they present information poorly. This book will help you: Feel confident understanding different types of charts, graphs and tables - and how to read them Recognise the true story behind the data presented and what the information really shows Know the principles and rules of how best to represent information so you can create your own information-driven (and beautiful) visuals Design visuals that people engage with, understand and act upon Don't value design over information - present data persuasively. Find the FT Chart Doctor's columns here - https://www.ft.com/chart-doctor

Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) risk considers the nonfinancial risks that could arise in a business, such as sustainability, brand reputation, legal aspects, ethics, and more. As businesses all have their own risk profiles, there is a need for risk management and mitigation that is unique for each company. Because of this variability, the study on ESG risk factors and motives of incorporating the ESG perspective into business models are crucial yet challenging. Therefore, it is important to understand how companies are adapting and mitigating ESG risk in diverse types of businesses. Adapting and Mitigating Environmental, Social, and Governance Risk in Business examines processes in enterprises that can increase the sustainability of business models and their coherence with the assumptions of the concept of sustainable development and ESG risk. Furthermore, the book explores how enterprises operating in different sectors are adapting their business models towards sustainability in order to create sustainable value. This book is a valuable tool for managers, executives, entrepreneurs, practitioners, academicians, researchers, and graduate students in finance, business, and management.

Despite its economic impact, understanding what shaped emerging economies' success seems to be a mystery. These complexities are compounded by fast moving technologies, such as the increased usage of artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT). These new technologies have a social impact, but it is how these impacts are developed and managed by people and companies that is significant. Similarly, it is important to investigate how the uncertainties and intangible factors are dealt with and how businesses can utilize innovative approaches to become adaptive in emerging market economies. Research is needed to determine how actors or businesses interact to shape and define either new institutions, new industries, or new innovation to meet the need of potential customers in emerging economies. Innovation Management and Growth in Emerging Economies explores how innovation from emerging economies is being developed through strategic choices and presents the benefits and the drawbacks, the processes, and the characteristics and management practices of both private and/or public organizations. The chapters identify the trends and approaches to innovation development as well as the strategies of adapting and converting threats and challenges into opportunities. The target audience of this book is composed of practitioners, policy influencers, course instructors, professionals, academicians, students, and researchers in the fields of business, administrative sciences, management, and economics.