Strengthening London's business environment

For our capital to remain globally competitive, the voice of London’s business community must be heard loud and clear. The LBS 2019 highlights the sentiment and top policy priorities for CBI’s London members, providing policymakers and businesses with guidance on how to ensure the capital’s continuing status as the home of business.

This year’s report, in partnership with Russell Reynolds Associates, Wilson Wright and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), also explores:

• The city’s ability to attract and retain business leaders, both national and global, and the type of leadership we require to navigate this era of uncertainty and change
• How we can optimise the capital’s tech and finance opportunities and encourage innovation and growth
• What we can do to strengthen collaborations between London’s world-leading universities and businesses, enhancing knowledge exchange.

Key recommendations for members include:

• Promote your success stories and showcase London’s competitive advantages by working with organisations such as London and Partners
• Continue to work with both local and national government to find solutions to London’s most pressing problems and support consumers and employees by driving change and building confidence in new solutions
• Source strategic leaders for your business, who are able to navigate uncertainty. These leaders should be long-term thinkers and apply market and business insights to develop compelling strategies. They should also be able to pivot effectively between disruption and pragmatism
• Invest in your employees’ digital and financial skills, ensuring that your business has the ability to take advantage of emerging technologies and the changing financial and lending landscape
• Take advantage of London’s world-leading universities in a variety of ways, such as through secondments and placements and research projects or consultancy work. These partnerships can help enhance ‘work readiness’ in graduates and postgraduates and increase diversity of thought within your projects.