9 April 2024

How can society manage the cross-cutting needs of an aging population?

On 9 April we convened a panel event to explore how we prepare society to cope as advances in modern medicine enable citizens to live longer. From public health to work and retirement, they examined implications of a hundred-year life and what it means for Government, industry and the wider population.  

Speakers:

• Yvonne Braun – Director of Long-term Savings, Health and Protection, Association of British Insurers  
• Chris Thomas – Head of the Commission on Health and Prosperity, Institute for Public Policy Research
• Steven Cameron – Public Affairs Director, Aegon 
• Karine Jegard – Head of Medical and Scientific Communication, HAVAS SO

Chaired by H/Advisors Cicero CEO, Mark Twigg.

As babies born today may be expected to live to 100, how do we prepare society to cope with the needs of an ageing population? From increasing responsibility to looking after our own health, to creating the right housing mix and social care settings for elder life, to managing expectations about work & retirement, this demographic change will have cross cutting impacts.

For more information please email emma.turnbull@h-advisors.global.

27 March 2024

Last week I attended PR Week’s PharmaComms Conference in London. The event brought together industry experts, thought leaders, and communication professionals to delve into the latest trends shaping our rapidly evolving healthcare sector. Amidst insightful discussions and engaging sessions, several key themes emerged, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

1. Market Access: Bridging the Gap

The pandemic has left a significant impact on Western health systems, resulting in backlogs and delays in patient care. For pharmaceutical companies, this poses a critical challenge: how can they ensure that their groundbreaking innovations reach the patients who need them most? The answer lies in integrated campaigns that not only address market access and reimbursement but also drive patient uptake.

2. Election Turmoil: Navigating Uncertainty

With elections on the horizon in Europe, the UK, and the US, the healthcare landscape is set for a seismic shift. Industry professionals recognise that election outcomes will significantly influence engagement strategies across diverse markets. Whether it’s policy changes, funding priorities, or regulatory shifts, communicators must stay agile and adapt swiftly to the changing political tides.

3. Collaborating for Impact: The Power of Partnerships

The challenges facing the UK’s health sector are multifaceted and complex. From declining life expectancy to the rise in chronic illnesses, no single entity can tackle these issues alone. Industry leaders are keenly aware of this reality and are actively seeking collaboration. By partnering with like-minded organisations, they aim to drive meaningful change. These partnerships extend beyond borders, transcending organisational boundaries to create a collective force for progress.

4. Battling Misinformation: A Call for Responsibility

In an era of information overload, trust in authoritative institutions like governments has hit an all-time low. Patients increasingly turn to social media for health-related advice, often encountering misleading or inaccurate information. The pharmaceutical industry recognises its responsibility in combating misinformation. But many people believe technology giants should step up their efforts to fact-check health information on public-facing platforms.

5. Embracing Artificial Intelligence: A New Frontier

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is our present reality. Pharmaceutical companies are dipping their toes into this transformative technology. From Google to Microsoft, industry players are exploring AI applications that can support their day-to-day work and communications strategies.

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In summary, the PharmaComms Conference provided a glimpse into the future of healthcare communications. As we navigate the complexities of 2024, the industry must remain agile, collaborative, and committed to accurate information dissemination.

20 March 2024

WATCH: Samantha Niblett, Founder of Labour: Women in Tech talk about her organisation.

This week, H/Advisors Cicero, in partnership with Labour: Women in Tech, was delighted to welcome Darren Jones MP, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, to a roundtable discussion on how best to champion female entrepreneurs and boost investment in the UK science and technology sectors.

Darren explained how a Labour government would be a strong ally to the tech sector and specifically to women in tech, adding that female leaders are an untapped resource in the UK economy. Citing Rachel Reeves’ claim during her Mais Lecture that harnessing female entrepreneurship could add £200bn to UK GDP, Darren emphasised that partnership between government and tech companies is vital.

Women’s careers in tech and investment in female entrepreneurship

The roundtable centred around the challenges that the next government will have to face in this area – particularly the lack of investment in female-founded companies, which receive less than 2% of venture capital funding. The discussions shed light on how investment programmes are often inadequate in both addressing the knowledge gap that precludes women from a career in tech, as well as in identifying the firms and individuals that most deserve and would most benefit from funding.

The discussion also looked at whether the lack of women in positions to make investment decisions has an impact in the lack of investment in female-founded companies, despite the appetite among institutional investors and impressive track records of returns. Potential solutions put forward included a B-Corp style seal of approval that companies can apply for to show their commitment to invest in women. Labour’s proposals to empower the British Business Bank (BBB) with a broader remit to expand access to capital, as well as its planned reforms to reform the Apprenticeship Levy into a Skills Levy, were highlighted as promising steps forward.

Participants emphasised the need for vocal backing from government for funding and skills programmes to increase visibility of the significant work that women in tech are making to the sector and the broader economy. Such initiatives must be sufficiently well-funded to avoid over-mentoring and deliver tangible benefits to recipients.

3 areas for developing women’s advancement in the tech sector

Three key areas were identified as important for advancing the position of women in tech:

• beginning with capital;
• then the connections which open the door to that capital;
• and lastly the contracts that help to match buying organisations with female-founded companies.

Darren Jones welcomed the points raised throughout the roundtable, which comes at an important time with Labour working on the delivery of three separate products that will seek to tackle the issues under discussion: the election manifesto, delivery notes (which can delve deeper into the policy detail), and Labour’s longer-term vision for government.

H/Advisors Cicero would like thank Samantha Niblett, CEO of Labour: Women in Tech. Find out more about Labour: Women in Tech’s work here: https://labourwomenintech.org/

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12 March 2024

On Tuesday we hosted Conservatives in the City and Paul Maynard MP to speak to an invited group of attendees about the pensions industry.

The event was conducted under Chatham House Rule.

To stay informed about other upcoming events and insights from our UK Public Affairs team, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, or get in touch with us at ukpublicaffairs@h-advisors.global.

31 January 2024

This week, in collaboration with Conservatives in the City, H/Advisors Cicero was delighted to welcome the City Minister, Bim Afolami, to a breakfast roundtable with representatives from across the financial sector.

The Minister gave an update on the Government’s ongoing reforms to financial services regulation, noting that the sector has a vital role to play in boosting the growth of the economy, and in turn, improving the living standards of people across the country.

He highlighted the bulk of work that has been underway following the passage of the Financial Services and Markets Act last year which will help ensure that the City of London remains a global leader in financial services for decades to come.

Aligning with the Government’s broader goal of boosting the attractiveness of the UK’s capital markets, he specifically pointed to the importance of building investor confidence in the City, with roundtables such as this providing a vital ongoing dialogue between industry and Government to help inform policymaking.

Guests had the opportunity to ask Afolami a range of questions on matters as diverse as regulatory oversight, approaches to policymaking, digital assets and retail banking.

If you would like to know more about our events, please get in touch with a member of the team.

15 February 2024

This month, H/Advisors Cicero was delighted to welcome Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, to discuss the Labour Party’s plans for devolution and Levelling-Up.

In addition to her close involvement in Gordon Brown’s Commission on the UK’s Future report, Arooj has worked closely with Keir Starmer to develop Labour policy on:

• Fiscal devolution
• Investment zones
• Infrastructure investment
• Housing
• Business rates
• Planning reform
• Reforms to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

We heard from Arooj about Labour’s local government policy platform, her journey into politics and what it’s like being a female leader in a high-profile public role.

Having witnessed how the toxic nature of politics can disengage much of the general public, Arooj discussed how local leaders have a difficult balance to strike in offering both hope and guidance to their communities.

With the timing of this year’s General Election still subject to speculation, Arooj explained how many in local government roles are hoping that it coincides with May’s local elections, noting the exhaustion that many councillors feel as they grapple with holes in council budgets and part-time salaries for what is often full-time work. She noted that some local government Labour reps are expecting a May polling date.

Arooj’s view of policymaking is guided by her strong belief that devolution can deliver better outcomes for people. While she lamented cuts to local government funding under the current Government, she praised the work of Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove to keep the issue on the agenda. Arooj hopes that Labour’s devolution plans will go further, however, and expects to see a lot more engagement at a regional level and greater local control over planning reform, business rates and housing. On the latter, she noted Labour’s ambition to build 1.5m new houses, emphasising that local councils are well placed to support this project given their familiarity identifying land and brownfield sites for housebuilding.

On business rates, she stressed the need for engagement between central and local government to find the right balance, as well as a broader shift in the relationship from day one of a Labour government. Arooj cautioned that Labour cannot expect their local representatives to agree with them on every issue simply because they wear the same colour rosette, and suggested this will be most evident with mayors and devolved administrations that have separate mandates to the Government in Westminster.

Arooj also pointed out that the devolution settlement requires further development. She described how Greater Manchester’s set-up undermines the potential value of its local investment zone, because areas like Oldham, Bury and Rochdale lose out to already-developed areas in the same zone such as Manchester and Salford.

She also discussed pension provision for local councillors, highlighting that many local councillors are being forced out of their work by the lack of a pension and other benefits like maternity leave and statutory sick pay. As a result, many of those in local government are those that can afford to, meaning that local politics can suffer from the same lack of representation as national politics.

Find out more about Arooj’s work here: https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/who-we-are/gmca-members/councillor-arooj-shah/

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