Rarely have the forces shaping Hong Kong’s fortunes tugged in such opposing directions. On the one side are the continuing street protests and on-again/off-again US-China trade war. On the opposite side are the city’s ambitions to serve as a hub for digital innovation. Pulling in yet other directions are forces driving integration of the economies of southern Chinese cities: forces that could lead to the rise of strong rivals to Hong Kong – or reinforce its role as gateway to the mainland.

Not much more than a year has passed since the then-15 year old Swedish girl Greta Thunberg began spending her school days outside Sweden’s parliament. Holding a sign saying “School strike for climate”, she called for stronger action on global warming.

While recent meetings in Europe between Prime Minister Johnson and his counterparts in Brussels, Germany and France may have brought increased hope that a revised deal can be negotiated for Britain’s departure from the EU, it is still the case that a ‘No Deal’ exit remains a distinct possibility. This would see the UK leave the EU at the expiry of the Article 50 extension, at 11 p.m. on 31 October.

21 January 2020 – Kekst CNC, the global strategic communications firm, has once again strengthened its position globally, as well as in each of its core regions, in the Mergermarket M&A league tables 2019.

London/Munich, 20 December 2019 – The global strategic communications firm Kekst CNC continues to grow, welcoming back three senior communications executives, all of whom started their careers with the business more than a decade ago.

Ola Rembe, former global head of Brand & Communication at Ericsson, will become a Director at Kekst CNC from January 1, 2020.

Shareholder activism has surged in Japan over the past few years. In addition to the increasing number of activist campaigns, a record 65 Japanese companies received shareholder proposals during this year’s AGM season. This is reflective of the government’s corporate governance reform, such as the introduction and revision of the stewardship code and corporate governance code serving as a tailwind.

Shareholder activism has made massive inroads into Japan over the last four years. In 2018, the number of activist campaigns in Asia surpassed the number across Europe for the first time, with Japan accounting for the majority of cases in Asia.

The digital revolution and the rise in smartphones, blockchain and artificial intelligence is reshaping the business world. As a result, we are seeing the emergence of a new trend that is threatening to disrupt these technologies and how we use them – that of data ethics.