Operation Save Big Dog
Is this a work event? Edition 47
Happy Sunday,
Give the British one thing - they know how to make a good comedy. Sue Grey is probably curled up on her couch with a cuppa on this miserable, grey, winter’s Sunday wondering, what she ever did to be dragged into the U.K. prime minister’s at times hilarious and bizarre #Partygate.
Front-page fodder for tabloids and news organisations around the world — she’s even become social media’s new meme queen. #Partygate may have people around the world fascinated, or laughing out loud at the sheer audacity of the bumbling blonde and his entourage — but it also has the majority of rule following Brits immensely angry — hence all eyes are on Sue.
As the daughter of a civil servant, I know what my father’s reaction would have been, if he’d found himself in her shoes! Shock and horror would have been putting it mildly. Civil servants like to stay under the radar. They like being the unknown faces who get things done, as the political merry-go-round keeps turning. Anonymity is their best friend in being able to keep a country ticking like clockwork! But it’s not Sue’s fault she’s now as famous as Judi Dench, so — who is she?
A civil service lifer, Sue joined the service straight out of school in the 1970s. Working her way up to the Cabinet Office, she led the government's Propriety and Ethics team and became famous (within government circles) for knowing everyone’s secrets. In one case a politician has said of Sue:
“It took me precisely two years before I realised who it is that runs Britain. Our great United Kingdom is actually entirely run by a lady called Sue Gray, the head of ethics or something in the Cabinet Office - unless she agrees, things just don't happen.”
Now in charge of investigating how many and what kind of events were happening in Downing Street during lockdown, she will need to honestly communicate in her report whether Boris Johnson was living a tale of two rules — one for them (the people), and one for himself.
But Sue is going up against a No. 10, No.11 (Treasury) and a cabinet that has denied so much in the past and keeps making excuses when they’re found out. Plus given the fact that her report’s criteria is to be a largely factual account of gatherings, that she cannot rule on whether lockdown laws were broken, or that Boris will be the final word on any action on her report — for her to have any real impact is mission impossible.
Sue’s report comes out later this week and Boris is already gearing up to prep for its fall out. He’s drawing up what he has dubbed “Operation Save Big Dog,” according to the newspaper The Independent. It’s a list of officials to offer resignations over #Partygate in a bid to salvage his PM-ship. But it may not be enough. The #Partygate tally keeps rising. Here’s the latest count:
* THAT cheese and wine garden party on May 15, 2020
* BYOB ‘enjoy the weather’ party May 20, 2020
* Leaving do (November 13, 2020) & the day Dominic Cummings was kicked out
* Leaving do for Cumming’s aide on November 27, 2020
* BYOB 'Wine-time Fridays' at Downing Street every week during lockdowns
* £142 drinks fridge purchased on December 11, 2020 during lockdown
* THAT Christmas quiz party December 15, 2020
* Sue Grey’s boss Simon Case (previously investigating #Partygate) throws a party December 17, 2020
* Head of Covid taskforce threw a leaving do on December 17th 2020
* A staff party with no PM on December 18, 2020
* 2 leaving do’s in No.10’s basement and building culminating in the garden on April 16, 2021 — the night before Prince Phillip’s funeral
The business of governing
Distractions & Chinese spies
When you’re busy covering up #Partygate, you tend to miss that Chinese spy in your midst, even if your intelligence agency has flagged it vigorously. Christine Ching Kui Lee has been accused by the U.K.’s intelligence service MI5 of political interference on behalf of China, which officials in Beijing deny.
MI5 alleged in an alert this week that Christine Ching Kui Lee has "acted covertly in coordination" with the United Front Work Department (UFWD), of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and is "judged to be involved in political interference activities in the UK."
Not your expected cloak and dagger style spy, but a savvy lawyer — she used her firm and the more ubiquitous tactic of electoral contributions and donations, socialising at parties and awards to influence British politics and trade. It seems the U.K. government’s trade department had even been directing investors towards her law firm.
Going Dutch
Thank you to Chief Briefer Iris Bloem for reminding me Sigrid Kaag has become the new finance minister of the Netherlands. 10 months after the last election a new government was sworn in this week led for a 4th time by Mark Rutte and his centre-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Sigrid missed the inauguration having tested positive for Covid but now holds what is probably the most powerful ministry in the government. The Finance Ministry has largely run the Netherlands’ EU policy since the 2010-12 crisis.
Sigrid is a former UN diplomat and served as foreign minister in the previous government. She is also the leader of the second largest party in the coalition, the centre-left, pro-EU D66 (Democrats 66). As Iris points out — this new coalition government (albeit made up of the same 4 parties) has an unprecedented gender balance, with 14 of the 29 ministers and secretaries of state women, including 10 of the 20 ministers.
Others of note? Kajsa Ollongren, the country’s new defence minister. She also belongs to the D66 party and has served in Rutte’s prior cabinets as second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.
Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius has become minister of justice and security. Born in Turkey, she immigrated to the Netherlands as a child and was nominated by the VDD for the job.
South Africa’s constitutional debate
Politics in South Africa is a hotter mess than even its Covid problems! Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu decided she’s had enough of the state of South Africa’s affairs and the poverty of its people and penned an opinion piece laying the blame squarely on the constitution, and the judiciary. It’s sparked a massive controversy, with the country’s Chief Justice saying her piece was an insult to the entire judiciary. Others have also widely panned it, highlighting the points she raises are a result of a failure of government, not the constitution. The take no mercy reaction to her piece means — she’s been accused of plagiarizing almost a quarter of what she wrote. There is even a video of her doing the rounds on social media praising South Africa’s constitution in 2018.
Ironically Lindiwe has been a part of the ruling government since 1994, so she’s had plenty of time to be the change she wants. But never mind, disgraced former president Jacob Zuma's daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has come out in her support on Instagram saying, “We see you ... Amandla.” It’s almost like getting an Ivanka Trump endorsement in 2022!
The business of business
Tree hugging pays $$
On the ball with environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues? A move to Hong Kong might be just the ticket (if you can tolerate Carrie Lam’s policies & the CCP’s National Security Law). The city’s targeting getting as many as 2,586 publicly listed companies, licensed banks and asset managers to comply with its ESG disclosure requirements by 2025. That means everyone is snapping up qualified candidates to help make that goal a reality. ESG jobs in the territory now command salary premiums of 15% to 50% as Hong Kong pushes forward its plan to transform into a regional centre for ESG services and sharpen its edge in banking and finance, logistics and supply chain management.
By the way, in mainland China, the deal is even sweeter. According to Hays, ESG candidates in China can command up to 50% salary increments.
Naver’s got a problem
Naver recently became South Korea’s first to provide a telecom service using a private 5G network. But in the same breath the company and its competitor Kakao, which are Korea’s two largest online service providers, saw their market caps shrinking by 7 trillion won each ($5.8 billion) over the past fortnight.
Why are the markets concerned? Aside from the macro issue of a potential rate hike by the US Federal Reserve, Naver seems to be getting painted with the same brush of concern about corporate governance as Kakao. That company is facing backlash from investors over one of its senior executives at subsidiary Kakao Pay, who “made off” with billions of won in a stock selloff that investors say was unethical.
In response, Kakao this week banned its CEOs and executives from exercising their options shortly after their market debuts. In Naver’s case, investors have their eyes on what Choi Soo-Yeon will do to allay concerns. She became the CEO of South Korea’s most prominent internet firm only last year. At 40, she is also the youngest leader of the company so far. When she was appointed, reports in Korean papers indicated it was a signal of Naver’s intentions to overhaul corporate culture and accelerate business growth in the global market.
Soo-Yeon joined Naver as an entry-level employee in 2005 with a degree in engineering from Seoul National University. She subsequently enrolled at Harvard Law School and worked in M&A, capital markets and corporate governance for a few years. She re-joined Naver in 2019 and has been spearheading the firm’s global businesses since.
Caught my eye
Good to know
Eat it or wear it!
“Sustainable” fashion has been slammed for its green washing repeatedly, and frankly — quite fairly. But now some designers are realising, more and more of us are paying attention to not just where they source their manufacturing and materials from, but the actual care label and material itself. I found this story about the “Weird and Wonderful Sustainable Fabrics You’re About to See Much More Of” fascinating. Get ready for care labels that talk about Spirulina, wood pulp, mushrooms and even grapes from brands like Ganni, Gucci and Adidas this year.
If you’ve been out shopping in the past two Covid-ridden years, you may be surprised with what’s already in your closet too! Stella McCartney, Hiut, and Kings of Indigo already use something called Coreva: a plant-based yarn made from natural rubber wrapped in organic cotton. Marni, H&M, and Mr Porter use grape leather. Charlotte McCurdy and Phillip Lim use algae. One of the most widely known leather alternatives is Piñatex and was used by Nike in its 2021 Happy Pineapple collection!
Life Lesson: Get a Momager
I need to have a word with my mother. What was she doing when I was growing up? Imagine being 10 and being able to retire a multi-millionaire at 15. That’s what Pixie Curtis will be able to do thanks to her mother Roxy Jacenko. Roxy is the owner of prominent Sydney based PR firm Sweaty Betty PR (no relation to the U.K. fitness apparel company). Together with her daughter she founded Pixie’s toy company last year which sold out in 2 days. The 10 year old has more than 100,000 Instagram followers and also owns Pixie's bows, a hair accessory company that was set up when she was a baby. Both are a part of holding company Pixie's Pix, which also sells children's games and accessories.
Sporty Spice
Australian Open 2022
The courts have spoken and he’s now out, of the tournament and the country. So can we put the melodrama and politics of Novak Djokovic and Scott Morrison’s visa war behind us and be fair to the other players in the court for a minute?
It’s a big championship for Naomi Osaka who’s making her comeback after taking most of 2021 off for her mental health. Emma Raducanu has to manage expectations while being on a massive learning curve. World No.1 Ash Barty will be chomping at the bit to dominate the court as she did in 2021.
The Australian Open is high stakes, and it is about more than the world men’s number 1 and championship record holder or his belief (or lack of) in vaccines and Covid. It’s time we remembered the other players who have trained, put up, shut up and are ready to play for the win! It all kicks off on Jan 17th and the draws for the ladies are out!
2021’s highest paid athletes
The Forbes list ranking 2021’s highest paid athletes is out, and Naomi Osaka tops the list. She may have had a terrible year professionally but 2021 made her the world’s highest-paid female athlete. She raked in raked in $ 57.3 million in prize money and endorsements. Also on the list:
#2 American tennis star Serena Williams ($ 45.9 million)
#3 American tennis star Venus Williams ($ 11.3 million),
#4 American gymnast Simone Biles ($ 10.1 million)
#5 Spanish tennis player Garbine Muguruza ($ 8.8 million)
#6 South Korean golfer Jin Young Ko ($ 7.5 million)
#7 Indian badminton player PV Sindhu ($ 7.2 million)
#8 Australian world No.1 Ash Barty ($ 6.9 million), but she made more on the court than any other women’s tennis player in 2021.
#9 American golfer Nelly Korda ($ 5.9 million)
#10 American basketball player Candace Parker ($ 5.7 million)
Collectively, these 10 athletes earned a total of $ 166.6 million, which Forbes says is a 23% increase on its 2020 list. It’s also the first year when tennis players haven’t dominated the entire top 10.
Entertainment
Emma Watson got slammed on social media accused of anti-Semitism by a former UN envoy from Israel for sharing this image and phrase showing ‘solidarity’ with Palestinians.
Now, around 40 celebrities have stepped forward to support her for speaking up against the violation of human rights. They include Susan Sarandon, Mark Ruffalo, Gael García Bernal, Ken Loach, Michael Malarkey, Matt McGorry, Gemma Jackson, Asif Kapadia, Mira Nair among others. The statement couldn’t be clearer:
HERE IS THEIR THE LETTER IN FULL:
“We join Emma Watson in support of the simple statement that ‘solidarity is a verb’, including meaningful solidarity with Palestinians struggling for their human rights under international law. We oppose injustice anywhere in the world and stand with all those seeking an end to oppression.
We stand against ongoing Israeli attempts to forcibly displace Palestinian families from their homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan and elsewhere in the occupied Palestinian territory.
We recognize the underlying power imbalance between Israel, the occupying power, and the Palestinians, the people under a system of military occupation and apartheid, as described by Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, Israel’s leading human rights organization, and by Palestinian and international human rights experts.
We condemn all forms of racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia. Opposition to a political system or policy is distinct from bigotry, hatred and discrimination targeting any group of humans based on their identity. We see the former as a legitimate and necessary form of political and ethical expression and the latter as racism – pure and simple.
The late Desmond Tutu once said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Heeding Tutu’s moral appeal, we stand on the side of justice, freedom, and equal rights for all. This is the least we can do.”
Eye on Afghanistan
Dozens of Afghan women held a protest mid-week demanding the Taliban provide them government jobs and equal representation. Some women who participated were former employees of the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission.
An economic collapse has led to no jobs for men in Afghanistan, with women forced to stay home and now struggling to feed their families.
According to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 11.8 million women and girls need urgent humanitarian assistance.
The U.N’s secretary general Antonio Guterres is pleading with the US and the World Bank to unfreeze Afghanistan’s funds to avert an economic and social collapse.
Former U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has written to Liz Truss, the U.K. foreign secretary calling on her to help convene a donor conference to raise $4.5bn (£3.3bn) in aid.
In the meantime, around 100 ex-British Council staff are still in hiding in Afghanistan having so far been denied the right to come to the UK. The teachers have been told they can apply for the new Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
On the move
In France
Charlotte Tasset Ferrec became the CEO of French fashion brand Maje this month and has joined the Executive Committee of parent company SMCP. She was previously part of the Puig Group as CEO of Nina Ricci Fashion and Perfume and has led Printemps as Chief Merchandising Officer along with various positions at Sephora and Gap.
In Sweden
Jenny Sjödahl becomes the President and CEO of Beijer Electronics Group AB on 1 March of this year. She is currently CEO of the company’s industrial data communications subsidiary Westermo and will retain her role as its Managing Director. Jenny was previously with ABB in Sweden and Singapore for more than 18 years.
In the U.K.
Amrapali ‘Ami’ Gan is the new CEO of subscription-based video sharing website OnlyFans (adult content subscription site). She was previously the company’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. She has also worked with companies like Cannabis Café, Red Bull Media and Phyllis Klein and Associates.
Emily Austin has become the new CEO of the Association of Apprentices (AoA). AoA formally launched its services of supporting thousands of UK apprentices in issues like life skills, mental health and well-being in September 2021. Emily was formerly AoA’s Partnerships Director and has worked for Lloyds Banking Group’s apprenticeship programme and Capita Learning.
In Ireland
Dr Una May has been named as the new CEO of Sport Ireland where she has worked for more than 23 years. She was instrumental in setting up the Irish Sport Council’s anti-doping programme in 1998 and still directly oversees it. She has also been the national sporting body’s director of participation and ethics since 2013.
In South Africa
Ann Leepile becomes CEO of Alexander Forbes Investments, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed financial services group from next month. She was previously the firm’s head of global manager research and deputy CIO, joining the company after heading Absa Asset Management and growing it into one of the largest asset managers in South Africa.
In Singapore
Sharon C. Brooks has been appointed as Executive Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) at INSEAD. A former attorney, she joins the business school from Yale Law School where she was Special Advisor for Strategic Initiatives. Sharon previously worked at INSEAD as head of the school’s Career Development Centre team in Asia and the Middle East.
In Indonesia
Maya Watono is taking over as Marketing Director of PT Aviasi Wisata Indonesia, or In Journey — a newly established holding company for Indonesia’s state-owned enterprises. She was previously the first woman and youngest person to be CEO of Indonesia’s largest advertising agency Dentsu.
In Australia
Jia Xinting is the new ESG investment strategist for Asia Pacific at State Street Global Advisors, the asset management business of State Street Corporation. In this newly created role, Jia will report globally to Karen Wong, global head of ESG and Sustainable Investing.
In the U.S.
Nicole Otto’s new gig as global brands president at The North Face begins in June this year. She will be the first woman to hold this position at the company and report into parent company VF corporation’s CEO Steve Rendle. Nicole has been with Nike for the past 16 years as vice president of Nike Direct North America.
Quick note underscoring Nicole’s appointment: overall representation of women at The North Face has been over 50% since 2015 and 2020 saw an increase of women at the director level and above from 35 to 38%.
Inspiration for the week
“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” — Ayn Rand