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About this podcast
In-depth conversations with decision makers. Jim Reid digs deep for insights.
In this episode
Nigel Wilson, CEO, Legal & General and Jim discuss how the future is in our own hands and that there are huge opportunities out there in new technologies and strategic investments that can overcome many of the secular negative forces we are all familiar with (debt, demographics, low productivity etc.). However Nigel believes we need to shed our old fashion attitude to the type of assets we invest long-term money into and urges Governments to provide the infrastructure and regulatory regime to make the future as bright as he thinks it can be.
A bright future if we seize the opportunities
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What we discuss
- How is it running a business in a pandemic where virtually everyone has been working from home and what is the future of work?
- How do big cities need to adapt post pandemic?
- We've got this epic battle at the moment between the huge secular problems such as debt, demographics and low productivity versus the emergence of what probably is a fourth technological revolution. Which is going to overpower?
- With government bond yields very close to zero in the UK and negative elsewhere, is there a once in a lifetime opportunity for governments to borrow to invest? Or is that reckless?
- Should we be moving away more from traditional investments like government bonds and into more new economy and infrastructure projects? Who would buy government bonds then? Given that we've got much outstanding government debt.
- The need for massive green investment and a huge need for more investable assets is a win-win for investors and society. What is the future of green investment? Should we attack it from carbon capture or renewables?
- What's Legal & General's attitude to how ESG plays a role?
- Modular housing - is it starting to gather momentum? Intergenerational divide - is housing and building more a way to fix that? Is that enough?
- Is there a bubble in tech valuations in the US at the moment?
- Were negative rates in Europe a big error? Does the BoE need to be very careful about implementing negative rates in the UK?
- Will London maintain its advantage in financial services post Brexit or will it now be in decline?
Resources for this episode
Featured guest
Dr. Nigel Wilson,
Group Chief Executive
Legal & General
Group Chief Executive
Legal & General
- Nigel was appointed Group Chief Executive in 2012 having joined as Group Chief Financial Officer in 2009.
- Nigel was awarded City AM’s “Business Personality of the Year” in 2014. Nigel also won the ‘Most Admired Leader’ award at Britain's Most Admired Companies Awards 2017, for Management Today. In 2019 Nigel won ‘Change Maker of the Year’ at the Seven Hills Change Makers Summit.
- In 2015-2016 Nigel was a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group. Nigel was Chairman of the Investment Association’s review of Executive Pay (2016-2017) and the government’s review of Mission Led Business (2016- 2017). He was also a member of the government’s Patient Capital Review Industry Panel (2017–2018) and a Commissioner in the Resolution Foundation’s Intergenerational Commission (2017–2018).
- He is currently a member of the expert group’s advising on the government’s Social Care Green Paper and the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Implementation Board. He chairs the Bank of England’s Climate Financial Risk Forum, Innovation Working Group.
- Qualifications include a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was a Kennedy Scholar, and a recipient of the Alfred P Sloan research scholarship. Nigel also worked at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
- Nigel has won numerous national masters Athletics Championships. He has five daughters. He is leading the 50/50 by 20/20 gender diversity initiative.
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About Jim Reid
Jim is Global Head of the Fundamental Credit Strategy Group; he also heads up Deutscher Bank's Thematic Research Product and Corporate Bank Research.
He is a top-ranked strategist, consistently named the No.1 analyst in the major surveys over the last 25 years. He has had 25 No.1 positions in these awards in the last decade, more than quadruple the number of any other analyst. His daily Early Morning Reid report has been running for over 13 years now, has tens of thousands of daily readers, and has the most subscribers of any Deutsche Bank Research publication globally. It is one of the most widely read financial market pieces in the investment world.
Jim is Global Head of the Fundamental Credit Strategy Group; he also heads up Deutsche Bank's Thematic Research Product and Corporate Bank Research.
He is a top-ranked strategist, consistently named the No.1 analyst in the major surveys over the last 25 years. He has had 25 No.1 positions in these awards in the last decade, more than quadruple the number of any other analyst. His daily Early Morning Reid report has been running for over 13 years now, has tens of thousands of daily readers, and has the most subscribers of any Deutsche Bank Research publication globally. It is one of the most widely read financial market pieces in the investment world.
He is a top-ranked strategist, consistently named the No.1 analyst in the major surveys over the last 25 years. He has had 25 No.1 positions in these awards in the last decade, more than quadruple the number of any other analyst. His daily Early Morning Reid report has been running for over 13 years now, has tens of thousands of daily readers, and has the most subscribers of any Deutsche Bank Research publication globally. It is one of the most widely read financial market pieces in the investment world.