Ethics

1. NEWS: Audit quality, 24 July, 2026

   Audits improve, but ‘need consistent execution’

   The Financial Reporting Council’s investigations of audit work in the past year resulted in fines for firms of £18.2m.

2. NEWS: Board decision-making, 17 June, 2026

   Chairs with ‘skin in the game’ make better decisions

   Director shareholdings have more impact on success than whether the chair/CEO roles are combined, research suggests.

NEWS: Business and human rights, 16 June, 2026

Need for UN rights framework has ‘never been stronger’

As the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights turn fifteen, they face ‘severe stress’, write experts.



NEWS: AI and the board, 11 June, 2026

Directors consider AI versus human decision-making

Most boards are currently confronting the question of what they can allow artificial intelligence to decide, research finds.



NEWS: Governance, 5 June, 2026

Chair role ‘needs more flexibility’

It would be better to move beyond the ‘binary choice’ of non-executive vs executive, argue governance experts.



COMMENT: UK productivity, 1 June, 2026

It’s time to count the cost of disengagement

Only 11% of UK employees are happy at work. With disengaged workers having 18% lower productivity, why are leaders looking the other way?



NEWS: Sustainability, 28 May, 2026

Faith group praises corporates ’under attack’ for sustainability policies

Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, a body supported by the Church of England Pensions Board, highlights big companies pursuing ESG despite attacks from the right.



NEWS: Human rights, 13 May, 2026

Attacks against whistleblowers rise globally

People are harassed, attacked and—in 53 cases—killed for speaking out against corporate harms, a new study reveals.



NEWS: Executive pay, 21 April, 2026

FTSE 100 CEO pay rises steeply

Median annual pay for chief executives increased from £5.01m to £5.89m, according to 2025/2026 figures from Deloitte.



NEWS: Shareholder proposals, 20 April, 2026

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund backs re-election of BP chair

Investors choose sides after a campaign group challenged BP’s exclusion of shareholder proposals on sustainability.