Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
The US Loses Ground in Providing Retirement Security to Baby Boomers
 A new global index of best practices by policy makers, employers and asset managers found that the United States is losing ground in providing economic and financial security and improved health care services to its 75 million baby boomers.

While more homogenous and much smaller Scandinavian and European countries lead the world in forging a sound and humane retirement policies, the United States ranked only 17th among 43 countries in shoring up retirement security, according to the fifth annual Natixis Global Retirement Index released on Wednesday.

Related: The Biggest Regret for People Approaching Retirement

The index provides an overall retirement security score based on 18 key drivers of retiree well-being across the four broad categories of finances, health, material well-being and quality of Life. The latest U.S. ranking is three steps below its global rating a year ago.

While the U.S. enjoys the fifth highest income per capita and pours more money into the health care system than any other country, the new global index highlights many troubling developments that are making the U.S. a more hostile environment for an aging population than before.

Among those are:

A growing income disparity between the ultra rich and the poor and middle class. The U.S. registered the sixth lowest score of any country for income inequality compared to the previous year in the “material well-being” category.

“The results suggest that millions of lower-income Americans are missing out on that economic growth and may struggle to save for a secure retirement as a result,” the report stated.

A BlackRock survey last year said the average baby boomer approaching retirement, defined as 55 to 65 years old, has $136,200 saved for retirement, a relatively modest amount. When additional savings and compound growth are factored in, that typically translates into $9,129 a year beyond Social Security and other pensions.

Related: The 25 Best Cities for Retirement

A lagging life expectancy despite arguably one of the best health care systems in the world. The U.S. spends more per capita on healthcare than any other country and has the sixth-highest score for insured expenditures on health. Yet, the United States ranked just 30th in life expectancy – failing to keep pace with top-ranked Japan and other countries. That suggests that “its health expenditures may not be yielding the same return on investment,” the report states.

This is a slightly skewed statistic because of America’s involvement in two wars and its ongoing opioid crisis.

Between 1980 and 2014, life expectancy at birth increased by 5.3 years for both men and women, from 73.8 years to 79.1 years. However, experts say the numbers aren’t the same everywhere, with substantial differences from county to county.

A mixed message of stability from financial institutions. The U.S. remained among the top ten countries in terms of strength and dependability of their financial institutions, largely because of improvements in bank “non-performing loans” and federal debt levels.

However, the U.S. has the seventh-highest public debt to GDP ratio of any country, as well as a growing adverse ratio of retirees to employment-age adults. That mismatch between the number of Americans working and paying taxes and retirees drawing down on entitlement benefits is putting added stress on the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds, which are gradually running out of money.

Related: Trump’s Tax Plan Could Affect Your Social Security

At the same time, low-interest rates and tax pressures “negatively affect savings rates and income in retirement, according to the report.

Ed Farrington, executive vice president of retirement for Natixis Global Asset Management, said in a statement that the new index underscores the fact that retirement security “is a complex, multi-dimension issue that is vastly influenced by a nation’s policies, politics and economics.”

On a regional basis, the top 10 countries in the 2017 index include eight from Western Europe. Norway leads the way, followed by Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. New Zealand and Australia round out the group.

Residents of these countries benefit from a “combination of strong programs, widely accessible health care and low levels of income inequality.”

Related: A New Plan to Save Social Security for Another 75 Years

The study found that rapid growth of the elderly population is forcing many countries to rethink and revamp their public pension systems. Many pension managers “are under pressure as increased lifespans and a long period of historically low-interest rates had increased liabilities and created a funding shortfall,” according to the report.

Indeed, the world’s six largest pension savings systems, including that of the United States, are projected to reach a $224 trillion funding gap by 2010, according to a study by the World Economic Forum.

That concern about mounting unfunded liabilities has prompted significant changes in employer retirement plans. Many companies and organizations have frozen or jettisoned traditional plans and moved to “defined contribution plans” that shift the liability for retirement funding from the employer to the worker.

Output: A new global index of best practices by policy makers, employers and asset managers found that the United States is losing ground in providing economic and financial security and improved health care services to its 75 million baby boomers.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Spread of digital advertising is damaging creativity, claims CEO
 Recently I looked through various ‘greatest Ads of all times’ lists, and one thing struck me. They are largely all TV-led. For example, the biggest global advertising event is arguably the Super Bowl in the USA, where every year agencies try to outdo each other creatively.

These ads hit the headlines worldwide; with a casual Google search, one can bring up a stack of features on Super Bowl advertising.

If you didn’t know any better, based on those articles you’d think that traditional channels, in particular TV, still eat up the lion’s share of brands’ advertising budgets.

But that is not so. For example, if you look at the UK, digital advertising overtook TV advertising spend as far back as 2009. Other markets have been slower to catch up, but according to Zenith, globally, internet advertising spend this year will be worth $205 billion compared to $192 billion for TV. So why aren’t we seeing the same kind of creativity online as we are in traditional media? There are a few reasons:

Social media is the great leveller but it has also reduced quality

First of all, the growth of social media has lowered the bar to allow anyone to advertise, but it has also seen a decrease in the quality of online ads.

A recent Digiday article talked about Snapchat loosening its ad criteria and as a result opened the floodgate to “bad ads.” The article points out that “a drift to low-quality ads seems to go along with a platform’s maturity.”

So for example, Instagram founder Kevin Systrom used to approve every single ad that appeared on the platform to make sure it had the right quality and fit. Now, you can put anything out on Instagram provided you abide by Facebook’s ad guidelines.

A knock-on effect is that where brands used to engage creative teams at ad agencies to come up with ad concepts, often a social media or PR agency is now briefed to knock up something quick and cheap using nothing more sophisticated than free online tools such as Canva.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a good thing that digital advertising is so accessible. But at the same time, there should not be a trade off in creativity. After all you might ‘only’ spend $100 or $1000, but if it’s a bad and low quality ad, it’s still a waste of money.

As a result, I believe there’s a need for creative agencies to reassert themselves as brand guardians on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

A lot of online advertising tends to be formulaic and project based

Related to the last point, an opinion piece from The Drum in May points out that projects are killing creativity. Essentially the focus is often on tactical executions rather on creative themes and campaigns.

For example, brands scramble to get ‘something viral’ out around events such as Mother's Day where the only success metric is the popularity of the video, and as people reading this blog will know, a video view for Facebook has been as little as three seconds, which is arguably worthless. As a result, focusing on one-off projects means there’s a lack of an overall creative theme.

The Facebook / Google duopoly means other options aren’t considered

According to the most recent Mary Meeker Internet trends report, 85% of online advertising growth is driven by Facebook and Google, leading to what the Financial Times last year called an online advertising “duopoly."

There are good reasons for advertisers to like Facebook and Google. Facebook gives you a lot of user data and all marketers understand the power of Google search. But the focus on Google and Facebook, and its associated businesses such as YouTube and Instagram, means a lot of other options aren’t considered.

We’ve worked with a range of leading media buying agencies that are aware of the possibilities that rich media advertising offers, but for many others it isn’t yet on their radar.

More choice and some of the new ad formats we offer enable a more creative scope. Rich media ads have demonstrated strong results for brands, and this means more effective advertising overall.

As a result, my advice for brands and creative agencies is to get a tighter reign on the creative direction of an online ad campaign — to look at overall creative themes that span across different channels. Then break out of the Facebook / Google duopoly to explore other ad formats that provide more scope for creativity and more tangible results.

Eric Visser is the founder and chief executive of JustPremium

Output: Ad agencies need to get a tighter grip on the creative direction of campaigns and ensure their themes span different channels to combat not only the Facebook-Google duopoly but also the rise of poor-quality ads, wrote Eric Visser, the CEO of JustPremium. He said the looser criteria for ad campaigns on social media is partly to blame for a drop in quality, with campaigns focusing on tactical executions rather creative themes. Mary Meeker's latest recent trends report said 85% of online advertising growth is driven by Facebook and Google.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
WTW launches vPlace virtual actuarial office in cost-cutting move
 The SaaS platform has been developed to address legacy technologies shortcomings, reducing IT costs and finding more efficient ways to respond to business and regulatory pressures.

(Image credit: Adobe Stock.)

Willis Towers Watson (London), a global advisory, broking and solutions company, has launched vPlace, which the vendor describes as a virtual, actuarial workspace that brings the company’s insurance software to the cloud. The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform has been developed to help meet the industry’s need to reduce IT costs and find more efficient ways to respond to business and regulatory pressures, which legacy IT infrastructure is failing to address, according to a Willis Towers Watson statement.

Powered by Microsoft (Redmond, Wash.) Azure, vPlace overcomes the limitations of legacy IT by giving insurance clients an agile, alternative environment to host and manage their Willis Towers Watson software and supplementary actuarial programs. The vendor says that vPlace, software is enabled to run at peak performance, supporting insurers’ ability to effectively respond to fluctuating industry pressures, maximizing their software investment.

Respond to Changing Needs of The Business Economically

“Shorter reporting timelines are pushing insurers to do more in less time, and traditional on-premise infrastructures are struggling to remain fit for purpose,” comments Stephen Hollands, SaaS global product leader, Willis Towers Watson. “Having a virtual workspace in the cloud, supported by our risk and actuarial software experts, allows insurers more time to respond to the changing needs of the business without having to spend huge sums on purchasing, updating and maintaining onsite infrastructure.”

vPlace is built on Azure Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and deployed over Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) as the platform for delivering its thick client applications. The solution layers on Azure Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions to enhance that core platform. For example, the vendor notes, using Azure SQL Database to host its RDS connection broker enables Willis Towers Watson to support this small but critical database without the added costs of an expensive multi-node SQL cluster.

Willis Towers Watson lists key benefits of vPlace as follows:

A fully managed actuarial Software-as-a-Service—removing the burden from internal IT of installing and managing specialized actuarial systems

Automatic software updates to ensure users are always working with the latest version in an optimized environment—enabling them to benefit from Willis Towers Watson’s suite of actuarial software products

Seamless user experience provided through an easy-to-use interface that hosts their software applications and data in a central location, allowing for easy cross-tool collaboration

Increased speed and performance of software by removing workload from onsite desktop PCs to limit system conflict

Use of leading cloud-based security services with exceptional privacy credentials, as well as built-in disaster recovery

High-quality, specialist client services and expert support available 24/7

Accessible from anywhere, at any time—removing the reliance and constraints of traditional desktop PCs

Cost-effective way to implement and manage actuarial technology

RiskAgility FM in vPlace fully supports vGrid 2.0, the latest version of Willis Towers Watson’s flexible and highly scalable cloud-based computation grid service

Flexible and Cost-Effective

“To expand computing capacity enough to meet regulations and compete in the market, insurers that rely on on-premises technology will have to invest heavily in infrastructure, which may quickly become obsolete,” comments Jonathan Silverman, director, business development, Microsoft Corp. “By leveraging high-performance compute capacity in Microsoft Azure, vPlace gives insurers a solution for their risk and actuarial software challenges that is both flexible and cost effective.”

Willis Towers Watson reports that vPlace can accommodate a range of the vendor’s risk and actuarial software products and other supplementary actuarial programs to enable them to work together. The vendor’s RiskAgility Financial Modeller (FM) is the first of its actuarial software products to be hosted on vPlace, with other products scheduled to join over the coming year.

Output: London-based global advisory firm Willis Towers Watson has launched vPlace, a fully managed actuarial Software-as-a-Service insurance platform. The platform is aimed at reducing internal IT costs and offering a more nimble response to regulatory challenges than traditional legacy infrastructure, according to a company statement. vPlace is constructed on Microsoft's Azure Infrastructure-as-a-Service, with layered-on Azure Platform-as-a-Service solutions.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Google opens Expeditions VR education app for public use
 In 2015, Google launched a pilot program of its Expeditions software that let teachers take their students on VR explorations of various sites around the world. A few months later, it released a beta version of its Expeditions app for certain schools to try out, which was then released for anyone to use in June of last year. Today, Google announced that its now releasing a solo mode for the app that makes it easier for users to take tours outside of a classroom setting.

Previously, Google Expeditions allowed teachers to guide their students through a tour as they viewed it on phones enclosed in Google's Cardboard viewers. Now, with Self-Guided Expeditions, teachers can assign tours as homework and anyone else can easily explore on their own. In Explorer mode, points of interest will be highlighted and relevant information will be provided on the screen. Additionally, teachers will now be able to annotate screens as they guide their students through a tour.

Google Expeditions has over 600 different tours including the Seven Modern Wonders of the World, the Great Barrier Reef and even sites like baseball stadiums and solar power plants. For now, the app is only available for Android, but Google says an iOS version is in the works.

Output: Google has launched a solo version of its virtual reality Expeditions app, allowing users to enjoy the software outside of a classroom setting. The tool, called Self-Guided Expeditions, enables tours to be taken as homework, and allows individuals to explore on their own. The app is currently available for Android, with an iOS version set to follow.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Park24 makes $408m acquisition of UK's National Car Parks
 TOKYO -- Japanese parking lot operator Park24 said Friday that it will acquire British peer National Car Parks, jointly with the Development Bank of Japan.

The deal is valued at roughly 312 million pounds ($408 million). Park24 will set up a U.K. subsidiary this month to buy a 51% stake in the British company for about 159 million pounds. The DBJ will take the rest.

Output: Japanese parking lot operator Park24 is set to acquire the UK's National Car Parks (NCP), in a deal worth around £312m ($408m). The purchase, a joint venture with the Development Bank of Japan, will give Park24 a 51% stake in NCP in its first foray into Europe, with the bank taking the remaining share. The acquisition could lead to greater investment in technology, including contactless payment across NCP assets, as less than 30% currently offer the service to customers, according to Paul Gallagher, a consultant in JLL's automotive team.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
A self-extending robot creeps out of Stanford's lab
 tech2 News Staff

Vines, fungi and nerve cells have inspired a team of researchers to develop a new type of robot that uses growth for mobility. The robot is soft and flexible, and can adapt itself to navigate through obstacles that conventional robots find difficult to tackle. The researchers created a number of prototypes that can grow into freestanding structures, reach a designated goal, or move through various obstacles. The new type of soft robot can potentially used for disaster response and medical purposes.

The results of the research have been published in Science Robotics. Allison Okamura, senior author of the paper says, "Essentially, we’re trying to understand the fundamentals of this new approach to getting mobility or movement out of a mechanism. It’s very, very different from the way that animals or people get around the world."

The robot prototypes were made up of thin plastic tubes that were inflated with air, which can also be replaced with pumped water. A control system that can inflate only portions of the body of the robot, can be used to make it maneuver to the left or right. The robot could navigate through glue, pointed nails, up an icy wall to deliver a sensor that could be used to find out the carbon dioxide levels in a fire. In another demonstration, the robot grew under the gap of a door, and formed a free standing spiral structure which was used to broadcast a radio signal.

The robot can find its own way to navigate through cluttered environments, and one prototype was used to move through the wiring in a false ceiling. A camera can be mounted at the end of the robot, which can be used for search and rescue operations, and for controlling the movement of the robot. The robots can also be used to lift weights, and one prototype was used to lift a 100 kg crate.

Output: Researchers at Stanford University have developed a soft and flexible robot that grows its way around obstacles, according to an article in Science Robotics. The thin plastic tube prototypes were filled with air or water, while a control system inflated the part of the robot required to move. In one demonstration, the robot moved through glue, past pointed nails and up an icy wall to deliver a sensor to detect the carbon dioxide levels in a fire, while, in another test, the robot lifted a 100kg crate.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Semi-autonomous Mercedes automatically adjusts its steering
 Robocars are a bit like infants—we teach them in steps. First, humans gave them the ability to drive down the highway without smashing into things. Then humans taught them to change lanes without smashing into things. Now, self-driving vehicles finally mastering taking turns without smashing into things. The methodical German engineers behind the 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class want their baby to move beyond simplistic freeway driving, and onto the roads that wind through towns, villages, and cities. You know, the complicated ones.

The Mercedes flagship’s secret sauce is in its updated semi-autonomous adaptive cruise control. This newly juiced system has the car automatically slow down for turns in the road ahead to help the driver steer safely through. It also comes with an updated lane-change assist, meant to make the maneuver easier (and safer) for human drivers.

Some of this is helpful. During a test-drive, I was impressed by how well the S-Class handled funky road features like roundabouts and toll booths. But there are still parts of the semi-autonomous driving system that can be unsettling for drivers.

It points to the awkward challenge of sort-of self-driving systems: How do automakers notify the people behind the wheel when they, and not the machines, should take charge? And is there such a thing as too much information? It’s why well-crafted driver interfaces are so critical, providing steady awareness of what the vehicle is doing. The S-Class fixes most of the problems with Mercedes’ earlier systems, with crisp monitoring graphics that are easy to read and use. But like any growing child, the semi-autonomous vehicle has its own quirks.

Mercedes-Benz

Twisty Turns

Mercedes can credit some of the new S-Class breakthroughs to maps. “There are situations in the road ahead that neither cameras or sensors can see, but which the computer can prepare for by folding in map data,” says Mercedes engineer Bernhard Weidemann.

As a result, the vehicle can now automatically adjust its steering and speed based on the tortuous road up ahead. It will even modulate its approach based on your own strange driving preferences. Drivers can select one of three modes: in eco mode, you’ll get a more leisurely maneuver; in comfort mode, a faster turn; in sport mode, you’ll rocket through like Lewis Hamilton tackling a chicane at Monaco. The car also factors in downhill slopes by gently decelerating the vehicle, which should make otherwise leery semi-autonomous drivers a bit more chill about a robot making their turns for them. Now drivers won’t have to keep disengaging their cruise systems to deal with squiggly lines on the map. It makes for a relaxing drive, like playing a racing game with the assists turned on.

Adventures in Lane Changing

But the semi-autonomous cruise functions still aren’t perfect. Unlike a (good) human motorist, the car won’t wait for breaks in the traffic flow before entering roundabouts. And it won’t know to make a turn after pausing for a stop sign. This is, of course, a semi-autonomous driving system, which means it’s on the driver to monitor the vehicle and make sure it doesn’t do anything dumb.

The limitations extend to the S-Class’s updated lane changing feature. Once a driver tells the new car to change lanes, it will watch and wait for an ideal opening—for up to 10 seconds. The idea here is to nix the driver’s workload. The machine is better than you, Mercedes posits, so it will select the best time to shift lanes.

But this feature introduces the possibility that the driver might actually forget they’ve asked for a lane change, and be very surprised when the change starts happening 10 seconds later. Weidemann, the Mercedes engineer, scoffed at this—but it happened to me within an hour of being in the car.

Human brains are like that. We lose smartphones we’d been using seconds before and glasses sitting right on our noses. Semi-autonomous driving systems will have to get better at accommodating this everyday human dysfunction. If a robocar can get through a roundabout—the kind of driving move that flummoxes many Americans—a simple lane change maneuver shouldn’t be scary at all.

Output: Mercedes' semi-autonomous 2018 S-Class features automatically adjusted steering and lane-change assist to ease manoeuvres, and can automatically slow down for turns in the road. The model's updated driving assist system also offers monitoring graphics that are easier to use than earlier systems. In situations where cameras and sensors can't prepare the car for a manoeuvre, the car uses map data to modulate its approach, said Mercedes engineer Bernhard Weidemann. Mercedes will offer the model in eco, comfort and sport modes.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Deutsche Bank's relationship with Donald Trump under scrutiny
 During the presidential campaign, Donald J. Trump pointed to his relationship with Deutsche Bank to counter reports that big banks were skeptical of doing business with him.

After a string of bankruptcies in his casino and hotel businesses in the 1990s, Mr. Trump became somewhat of an outsider on Wall Street, leaving the giant German bank among the few major financial institutions willing to lend him money.

Now that two-decades-long relationship is coming under scrutiny.

Banking regulators are reviewing hundreds of millions of dollars in loans made to Mr. Trump’s businesses through Deutsche Bank’s private wealth management unit, which caters to an ultrarich clientele, according to three people briefed on the review who were not authorized to speak publicly. The regulators want to know if the loans might expose the bank to heightened risks.

Separately, Deutsche Bank has been in contact with federal investigators about the Trump accounts, according to two people briefed on the matter. And the bank is expecting to eventually have to provide information to Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel overseeing the federal investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.

Output: Banking regulators are said to be investigating Deutsche Bank's relationship with Donald Trump. Since the 1990s Deutsche Bank has reportedly loaned Trump hundreds of thousands of dollars through its private wealth management unit. The regulators want to know if the loans could expose the bank to heightened risks. The German bank is also said to have given loans to Trump's family real estate business, and the president’s son-in-law and Senior Adviser Jared Kushner. Deutsche Bank is expected to provide additional information to Robert Mueller, who is overseeing the federal investigation into Trump's ties to Russia.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Boots criticised for refusing to cut cost of morning after pill
 There have been calls for a boycott of Boots after the chemist refused to lower the cost of the morning-after pill for fear it would encourage over-use.

Rivals Tesco and Superdrug halved the price of the emergency contraceptive following a campaign from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), a leading provider of abortion care.

The charity had written to retailers asking them to consider offering a more affordable product, after it was revealed that British women are forced to pay up to five times more than their European peers for the contraceptive.

Boots, however, said it would not lower the price as it did not want to be accused of “incentivising inappropriate use”. Campaigners said its statement was insulting and sexist.

Around 4% of British women of reproductive age use emergency contraception in any given year. Boots charges £28.25 for Levonelle emergency contraceptive (the leading brand) and £26.75 for its own generic version. Tesco now charges £13.50 for Levonelle and Superdrug £13.49 for a generic version. In France, the tablet costs £5.50.

A letter seen by the Guardian to BPAS from Marc Donovan, chief pharmacist of Boots UK, said it had considered the issue very carefully, but pointed out that it is already available for free in community pharmacies and NHS services.

However, towards the end of the letter, Donovan wrote: “In our experience the subject of emergency hormonal contraception polarises public opinion and we receive frequent contact from individuals who voice their disapproval of the fact that the company chooses to provide this service.

“We would not want to be accused of incentivising inappropriate use, and provoking complaints, by significantly reducing the price of this product.”

BPAS said deliberately setting the price high to prevent women from using it regularly was both “patronising and insulting”.

Clare Murphy, director of external affairs at BPAS, said: “There is no doubt about it: the high price of [emergency contraception] is an absolute barrier to women’s access to this product and puts women needlessly at risk of unwanted pregnancy.”

Murphy wrote back to Donovan after Tesco and Superdrug reduced the price, asking him to reconsider Boots’ position. “He wrote back and said they weren’t changing their minds and the letter still stood,” she said.

Sophie Walker, leader of the Women’s Equality Party, which has joined forces with BPAS to call for a boycott using the hashtag #justsaynon, said that the morning-after pill can be difficult to access for free on the NHS, with appointments at GP surgeries or family planning clinics hard to obtain at short notice.

She said: “Many women will need to buy these pills over the counter, and it is irresponsible and exploitative for retailers to charge over the odds for them ... Boots’ approach to this concern is indicative of a society that prioritises profit over women’s health and wellbeing.”

When asked for a comment, Boots released a statement that did not discuss the price, nor its reasons for justifying it being kept high, but instead said the sale of the pill was a “professional healthcare service which, we believe, requires a professional healthcare consultation”.

When asked if the reason for the higher price was due to the provision of consultations, Boots did not respond with a comment.

Output: Boots, the UK pharmacy and health and beauty retailer, is facing a boycott after refusing to reduce the cost of the morning-after pill. While Tesco and Superdrug cut the price of the emergency contraceptive by half in response to a campaign by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), Boots refused to do so for fear of “incentivising inappropriate use”. Levonelle, the leading brand of the pill, now costs £13.50 ($17.56) at Tesco whilst Superdrug charges £13.49 for a generic version. Boots charges £28.25, whilst in France the cost is just £5.50. BPAS referred to Boots’ decision as “patronising and insulting”.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
UK’s pollution monitoring satellite travels to Russia for launch
 Last year, the European Space Agency launched the Trace Gas Orbiter to Mars. It is designed to look for methane – a key tracer of life – to determine if Martian microbes are present on the red planet.

Now, ESA is preparing to launch another spacecraft to look at methane on another planet: our own.

The UK-built Sentinel-5P, a pollution monitoring satellite, is ready to begin its journey from Airbus Defence and Space, Stevenage, to the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia, where it will lift off in late September/early October.

Sentinel-5P is part of the Copernicus global monitoring programme, a joint venture between the European Commission and the European Space Agency. This particular spacecraft is the first Copernicus satellite dedicated to monitoring atmospheric chemistry.

Missions like this are essential for making the connection between space and everyday life on Earth, according to Colin Paynter, Managing Director of Airbus Defence and Space, UK. He says, “Space is not just for geeks, it is part of our national and international infrastructure.”

The Sentinel-5P satellite in the cleanroom at Airbus Defence and Space, Stevenage, UK. Photograph: Max Alexander/Airbus

As a greenhouse gas, methane is potent. It traps 28 times more heat than an equivalent mass of carbon dioxide. It is released naturally by living things – hence the interest in looking for it on Mars – but also from the fossil fuel industry, landfill sites, rice agriculture and the thawing of the permafrost at higher latitudes.

As well as methane, Sentinel-5 P will also look for nitrogen dioxide and other key polluting gases.

Nitrogen dioxide comes mainly from road traffic and other fossil fuel combustion, and naturally occurring forest fires. Last year a report from the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health found that in the UK air pollution causes at least 40,000 deaths a year, and costs the economy £20bn a year.

Sentinel-5P will be able to measure pollution accurately across individual countries, which can then be compared to their self-declared pollution inventories. It will image the whole Earth every day, and can also monitor concentrations of volcanic ash for air safety, and warn against high levels of the UV radiation that can cause skin cancer.

The Copernicus programme aims to provide comprehensive Earth observation data to improve the management of the environment. It will eventually consist of 20 missions, 15 of which will be dedicated satellites and 5 of which will be instruments on other spacecraft.

“A system like this has never existed before,” says Josef Aschbacher, Director of Earth Observation Programmes, European Space Agency. “The US and other partners are looking to Europe to make deals to get access to this data.”

In a statement released today, business secretary Greg Clark said, “The UK-built Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite and the success of the Copernicus Programme demonstrates what we can achieve through collaboration with our European partners and the UK’s vital role in the programme thanks to our Earth observation expertise.”

Aschbacher confirms that the UK has been a strong partner and says that from a programme management point of view, he wants to see that role continue but, “Brexit is the thing that is floating above us.”

Although the UK will remain a member of ESA, around 70 percent of the Copernicus programme is funded from the European Commission. As such, Britain’s future involvement seems certain to be affected by the Brexit settlement.

“It is clearly important to our industry to stay a part of the programme,” says Graham Turnock, Chief Executive, UK Space Agency, “We cannot wait until the day before Brexit to get clarity on this.”

Separately, the future of the Copernicus programme is part of an on-going series of negotiations between ESA, its member countries and the European Commission. Aschbacher says that such constant reappraisal is essential, “We have the best system in the world. In 10 years, I want to ensure that we still have the best system in the world.”

The next major hurdle is an ESA Ministerial Meeting in late 2019, after the UK has left the EU. Here, each country will agree how much to contribute to Copernicus and each of the space agency’s other programmes.

The Sentinel-5P mission is designed to last for seven years in an 824km-altitude orbit around the Earth. No one knows where the UK will be in its orbit around the EU in 2024.

Stuart Clark is the author of The Search for Earth’s Twin (Quercus). He will be delivering the Guardian masterclass on Is there life beyond Earth? on 6 September 2017.

Output: Sentinel-5P, a UK-built European Space Agency (ESA) satellite designed to monitor pollution, is about to travel from Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage to Russia in preparation for its launch in September or October. The satellite, which is part of the joint European Commission and ESA Copernicus global monitoring programme, will measure methane, a greenhouse gas that traps 28 times as much heat as carbon dioxide, as well as nitrogen dioxide and other pollutants. The satellite will accurately measure pollution across countries and will compare its data with self-declared national pollution figures.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Hiscox starts offering US security response policies
 Hiscox Ltd. on Tuesday said it has launched security response coverage designed to help U.S. policyholders face terror, criminal and political violence threats.

Hiscox will partner with risk consultancy Control Risks Group Ltd. on the new Security Incident Response product, already introduced in Europe in 2017, which is designed to “… help businesses protect their people, operations, brand and reputation by complementing existing business security resources or, where necessary, acting as a stand-alone security function,” the Bermuda-based insurer said in a statement.

Perils addressed by the new cover include criminal, political, terrorism and political violence risks; kidnap, detention and extortion risks; and information risks such as cyber threats, as well as resources to help businesses build preventive resilience programs.

Hiscox says the cover may be used by enterprises of all sizes, from small and medium-sized businesses up to larger multinationals, to aid in incident response, crisis management, strategic advice and recovery services. It includes cover for Control Risks’ costs to help a business manage a crisis, including the deployment of response consultants and technical experts, as well as post-incident reporting and remediation services to ensure a smooth return to business as usual.

“In recent years, we’ve witnessed an increasingly uncertain security picture,” Kevin Henry, deputy chief underwriting officer for Hiscox Special Risks, said in the statement. “Our Security Incident Response coverage means that businesses of all sizes — whether they have an existing security capability or have no such resources to draw on — can access world-class incident response and recovery services with only one phone call.”

Output: Insurer Hiscox has partnered with risk consultancy Control Risks Group to include security response coverage for its enterprise policyholders caught up in terror or criminal incidents, or who face threats of political violence. The offering will also include coverage for kidnap, detention, extortion and cyber risks. Customers will be able to take advantage of incident response, crisis management, strategic advice and recovery services.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Texas appeals court overturns $43.5m personal injury award
 A $43.5 million jury award in a personal injury lawsuit against a subcontractor was overturned Thursday by a Texas appeals court, which found that workers compensation was the injured employee’s exclusive remedy.

In 2013, Tyler Lee was a superintendent for a general contractor on a large-scale construction site in Houston where Bonner Springs, Kansas-based Berkel & Company Contractors Inc. was a subcontractor, according to court records in Berkel & Company Contractors Inc. vs. Tyler Lee and Leigh Ann Lee.

While drilling a piling on the site, an auger operated by Berkel became stuck. Berkel’s superintendent, Chris Miller, allegedly ordered different maneuvers to free the auger despite objections from both a foreman and a crane operator, who raised safety concerns. The two men alerted Mr. Miller that attempts to hoist the auger with the crane were causing the crane to become overloaded and tip, according to court documents.

Under continued strain from trying to hoist the auger, the crane’s boom bowed and bent, eventually snapping in half and crashing to the ground, court records show. Leads attached to the crane toppled to one side, striking Mr. Lee, who was situated a distance away from the crane behind a barricade. The leads landed on Mr. Lee’s left leg, crushing it and severing it below the knee, according to court records.

Mr. Lee recovered workers comp through his employer, Parsippany, New Jersey-based Skanska USA Building Inc., but sued Berkel in district court in Brazoria County, Texas, seeking additional recovery based on allegations of negligence, gross negligence and intentional injury. A jury ruled in favor of Mr. Lee in 2015, and the court awarded him $35 million in actual damages and $8.5 million in exemplary damages based on the court’s finding of gross negligence on Berkel’s part. Berkel appealed to the 14th Court of Appeals in Austin.

A three-judge panel of the appeals court overturned the jury decision and award, finding workers comp was Mr. Lee’s exclusive remedy.

The court determined that Berkel had the right to claim exclusive remedy protection even though it was not Mr. Lee’s employer because Skanska had agreed to provide workers comp insurance to all subcontractors and their employees through a contractor-controlled insurance program. Thus, Skanska was Berkel’s statutory employer and Mr. Lee was Berkel’s statutory co-employee, the panel said.

The court ruled that Mr. Miller was operating as a vice principal of Berkel and that his actions could be imputed to Berkel for liability purposes if the substantial certainty exception to the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act could be proven, which would require evidence that Mr. Miller had substantial certainty that his actions would cause injury.

The “evidence easily supports a finding that Miller was reckless, but it does not support a finding that Miller was substantially certain that Lee would be a particular victim of Miller’s conduct. To make that greater finding, there must have been some evidence that Miller at least knew of Lee’s location. … But there is none.”

Mr. Lee alleged that that Mr. Miller knew that his actions were substantially certain to bring about harm to potential victims in a localized area. The court, however, rejected this theory, saying Mr. Lee had outlined an area of danger — the fall radius of the crane — where an injury was foreseeable but not substantially certain.

“The flaw in Lee’s argument is that it equates the probability of a fall with the probability of an injury,” the panel said. “Miller could only be substantially certain of an injury if he knew that the leads would contact a person, and to establish that knowledge, Miller would have to know the fall path of the leads.”

“Because there is no basis on which the claimant’s recovery of common law damages can be sustained, we must reverse and render judgment that the claimant take nothing on his claims against the subcontractor,” the court concluded.

Houston-based law firm Wright & Close L.L.P., which represented Berkel, said the decision was a “major victory” and serves to clarify what evidence and intent are required to allow an injured worker to be exempted from the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act.

“In its very thorough opinion, the appellate court found that ‘intentional injury’ requires an intent to injure a particular person or a small class of people, not just a general knowledge that an activity is dangerous,” said Thomas C. Wright, a partner at the firm, in a statement. “Many plaintiffs attempt this way around the Workers’ Compensation Act, and this case should bring some clarity to the law.”

Output: An appeals court in Texas has overturned a $43.5m payout to a former construction worker who lost a leg when a crane collapse on a building site. The court found Tyler Lee was not entitled to the award for negligence, gross negligence and intentional injury meted out to subcontractor Berkel & Company Contractors after leads from the falling crane crushed Lee's leg and severed it below the knee. The court said Lee was entitled only to workers compensation because the company couldn't have known that events that led to the collapse would have caused injury.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
US appeals court upholds steel mill fatality claim
 A safety citation against an electrical services company whose employees failed to follow procedures while servicing a client’s equipment resulting in a fatality was upheld by a federal appeals court Thursday.

James Eddie Lanier Jr. was an apprentice at Smyrna, Georgia-based Action Electric Co., which provides electrical services to other businesses. In December 2011, Mr. Lanier and a leadman were tasked with replacing fans in a cooling bed at a Cartersville, Georgia, steel mill.

Safety protocols required that the entire cooling bed be locked out and a work authorization permit be issued before technicians could enter the space beneath the cooling bed to perform maintenance. Mr. Lanier and the leadman entered the basement and moved off the designated safe walkways even though the leadman knew that the steel mill’s technician responsible for locking out the cooling bed had not completed the lockout process. Mr. Lanier and the leadman did not affix their personal locks to the group lockout box or complete the required work permit, according to court documents in Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor vs. Action Electric Co.

The steel mill technician could not see the two men beneath the cooling bed and began to de-energize the counterweights in the cooling bed as part of the lockout procedure. As a result, one of the counterweights fell from an energized position and fatally struck Mr. Lanier, court records show.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the incident and issued a serious violation to Action Electric for its employees’ failure to affix a personal lockout or tagout device. Action Electric contested the citation arguing that the lockout/tagout standard did not apply because the equipment that caused the fatality was not the equipment that its employees were servicing, and that its employees were only looking at the fans, not working on them, at the time of the incident, according to court documents

The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor responded that the cooling bed constituted one discrete mechanical system for the purposes of lockout/tagout rules, which would require Action Electric employees to control the energy of the entire cooling bed before conducting work on it that could expose them to danger. An administrative law judge vacated the citation, agreeing with Action Electric that the fans and counterweights were separate machines, court records show.

The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission reviewed the decision but could not reach a unanimous decision and adopted the ALJ’s decision as its final order. The Department of Labor appealed the decision to the United States 11th Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

A unanimous three-judge panel vacated the commission’s ruling and remanded the case to the commission to reinstate the citation against Action Electric.

The panel first considered whether the lockout/tagout standard required Action Electric employees to control the stored energy in the counterweights before entering the area to work on fans. The panel disagreed that it is impossible to determine where a machine begins and ends, which would lead to employers having to lockout entire factories to perform maintenance.

According to the ruling, “we think employers, who must make frequent and expert judgments about workplace safety to quell the regulatory and liability concerns they face, are capable of determining the appropriate scope of their LOTO protocols,” the panel said.

The panel further determined that it did not matter whether the employees were working on equipment or merely observing it.

“According to undisputed testimony, the employees were observing the cooling-bed fans to decide which fans were going to be replaced and where to begin working,” the court said. “No matter whether this activity was ‘inspecting,’ ‘setting up,’ or something else productive, it was the kind of workplace activity that the regulation sought to cover because it was directed at the relevant machine and exposed the employees to the release of hazardous energy outside of normal production operations.”

Representatives from Action Electric were not immediately available to comment.

Output: A court in the US has allowed a claim against a company following a steel mill workplace incident that left a man dead. An appeals court in Atlanta approved the pursuit of a serious violation citation against contractor Action Electric after apprentice James Eddie Lanier was killed by falling machinery. The claim, issued after an investigation by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, had been opposed by the Department of Labor.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Redrow [4]: Redrow part of highly-commended project: UK's first campus for returning veterans
 A unique project near Salisbury which will see the UK’s first purpose built campus for service veterans has been honoured at a top national awards ceremony.

The Wilton Hill scheme at the former Erskine Barracks was highly commended in the category for Planning for Housing Growth at the Planning & Placemaking Awards.

The annual awards recognises projects which are improving local areas. The scheme was up against seven others shortlisted in the category.

The project is the creation of regeneration and development specialists Our Enterprise who is working alongside Redrow Homes and planning consultants Terence O’Rourke.

They’re creating the UK’s first major housing development built with returning military personnel in mind.

Alongside 292 private homes being built by Redrow Homes, Our Enterprise will build a community based campus for service veterans with homes, an enterprise hub, crèche, care home and retail units.

This element of the project is being managed by Our Wilton, a community interest company and charity created by Our Enterprise.

It will include at least 44 homes for veterans who will rent the units for a period of between six and 24 months while they receive business and skills training. They then move on to make room for another veteran.

The hub will offer training and help for veterans to launch their own businesses and will sit alongside facilities for up to 60 other local businesses.

Planning has been granted for the project and building work is due to begin later this year with completion expected in 2017.

CEO of Our Enterprise, Matthew Bell said: “We were really pleased to receive the award, both for the recognition it brings to our service veterans campus and because it acknowledges the fantastic help we have received from ToR in obtaining planning. Thank you to all the judges who supported the.”

Tim Hancock, managing director of Terence O’Rourke, said: “We are delighted to have won ‘Highly Commended’ for the Planning for Housing Growth award which recognises the excellent work undertaken by the team.”

Technical director, Nick Guildford added: “Wilton Hill, as well as providing much needed homes in Wiltshire, is also taking on a unique project to provide facilities for veterans on a former military base. We are thrilled such a worthwhile development has been acknowledged.”

Output: The UK’s first purpose-built campus for returning military personnel, Wilton Hill in Salisbury, has been highly commended at the Planning & Placemaking Awards, in the Planning for Housing Growth category. It is the creation of Our Enterprise, working with Redrow Homes, and planning consultants Terence O’Rourke. Redrow will build 292 private homes alongside Our Enterprise’s community-based campus, containing an enterprise hub, care home, retail units, a creche and 44 homes, which will be available for veterans to rent for between six and 24 months whilst they receive business and skills training. The project is expected to complete in 2017.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Silverback buys EdifyAssess to add student assessment expertise
 Companies immersed in K-12 human resources, “personalized learning” and software applications have been active in the dealmaking space recently. Ed-tech company Silverback Learning Solutions acquired assessment program manager EdifyAssess. And, AcademixDirect, a provider of higher education guidance solutions, acquired career navigation app PathSource.

Silverback Learning Solutions Acquires EdifyAssess: The Boise, Idaho-based K-12 ed-tech company snapped up EdifyAssess, a cloud-based enterprise platform designed to manage all aspects of an organization’s assessment program. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Silverback offers a suite of products including a personalized learning and instructional effectiveness solutions. In a statement the company said it “will continue to offer the assessment platform to new and existing EdifyAssess customers,” supporting educators’ “ability to quickly personalize and manage student learning.”

The acquisition adds further depth of expertise in student assessment and student data management to Silverback’s expanding education software portfolio, Silverback said in the statement.

“A key tenet of Silverback is to provide thorough, real-time data insights to personalize learning and encourage student achievement,” said Jim Lewis, CEO of Silverback Learning. “By capturing the EdifyAssess formative assessment insights directly, we strengthen the opportunities to focus on student growth, longitudinally, throughout the K-12 years. EdifyAssess is the perfect platform to expand Silverback’s solutions.” Join the Conversation Visit Education Week’s K-12 Technology Leaders Group on LinkedIn and share your thoughts about the most pressing ed-tech issues facing school districts. And check out EdWeek Market Brief , a service that provides companies doing business with schools with news, analysis, and original data on the needs and priorities of K-12 systems.

AcademixDirect Acquires PathSource: Academic advisement company AcademixDirect announced it has merged with PathSource, creator of a career-exploration app and other resume, education and career tools, AcademixDirect said in a statement. Financial terms of the deal were not released.

Menlo Park, Calif.-based AcademixDirect provides free education guidance to over 12 million students annually “who are struggling to carve out a higher education plan.”

“The apps developed by the PathSource team are unlike any other education/career search technology out there,” said Don Loonam, AcademixDirect CEO. “With the PathSource integration, we offer a full spectrum of tools to help students make incredibly informed choices, saving them valuable time and money.”

As a result of the acquisition, PathSource will join two other major career/education-matching resources in AcademixDirect’s family: CourseTalk.com and Degree.Me.

PeopleGrove Raises $1.8 Million: The ed-tech startup, which has built a software platform designed to connect students and professionals with advisers, coaches, and mentors, has raised $1.8 million in seed funding, according to a statement.

The funding round was led by Reach Capital, with participation from Bisk Ventures, Collaborative Fund, Floodgate, GSV, Launch Capital, RiverPark Ventures and University Ventures.

The investment brings PeopleGrove’s total funding to $2.5 million and will help the company expand its team of engineers, build out its sales and customer success teams and reach more universities and students. Reach Capital’s General Partner Jennifer Carolan will join PeopleGrove’s board of directors.

Escape Technology Raises Funds from Alpine Investors: The provider of software applications for K-12 schools in California has raised funding from Alpine Investors, according to a statement from the companies. The funding amount was not disclosed.

Roseville, Calif.-based Escape offers an integrated suite of finance, payroll, and human resource modules that manage mission-critical budgeting and payroll processes for California school business.

“The complexity of California regulations and strength of the Escape management team allow the Company to deliver superior customer solutions, responsiveness and reliability,” Will Adams, a partner at Alpine and now a board member at Escape, said in the statement. “We couldn’t be more excited to build upon Escape’s clear momentum and strong competitive position in the marketplace.”

Ali Jenab, an Alpine CEO-in-residence, has assumed the role as CEO at Escape.

Be sure to check back on Marketplace K-12 for updates on mergers, acquisitions, fundraising, and other dealmaking.

Output: Edtech company Silverback Learning has acquired EdifyAssess, a cloud-based platform for managing student assessment programmes. Idaho-based Silverback will use insights from EdifyAssess's formative assessments to strengthen its focus on student development throughout the K-12 years, the company said. EdifyAssess will continue to offer its assessment platform to new and existing customers, the company added.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
NIG increases cover on etrade product
 Insurer states it made updates to meet broker feedback.

NIG has rolled out new versions of its etrade business package and mini fleet eProducts in a move it said extended the underwriting footprint and increased levels of cover for both.

The insurer listed that changes for business package include new North American exports cover on product liability, a doubling of the public liability limit of indemnity to £10m, and an increase in the goods in transit vehicle limit to £50,000.

It further detailed that mini fleet now includes more quotable trades

Output: UK insurer NIG has widened coverage on its trade insurance package to include North American exports in its product liability policy, increased public liability limit to £10m and a raised cap on goods in transit vehicle liability to £50,000. It's also broadened coverage on its mini-fleet policies to include more vehicles and better breakdown coverage. The company said it had expanded its offerings after consultation with brokers.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
UK firms publish diversity data: CMI
 Britain’s biggest businesses must take action to improve the diversity of their workforces and publish a breakdown of their black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) employees, a new report has urged.

The report by the professional management body the CMI and the British Academy of Management focuses on ethnic diversity at management levels below the boardroom and highlights the importance of the issue following the vote for Brexit.

“While uncertainty persists about the outcome of negotiations with the EU, employers in all sectors have to face up to the prospect of reduced access to overseas talent. That makes it imperative that we think about how we can do better at making the the most of everyone’s abilities,” the joint foreword by CMI chief executive Ann Francke and BAM president Professor Sir Cary Cooper said.

About 12.5% of the UK population are BAME but they hold just 6% of top management jobs. A government-backed report by businesswoman Ruby McGregor-Smith, published in February, said that £24bn could be added to to UK economy each year if minorities were able to progress through their careers at the same rate as their white counterparts.

That report by McGregor-Smith, a Conservative peer and former chief executive of the facilities management company Mitie, was published shortly after a government-commissioned review by businessman Sir John Parker concluded the should be a voluntary target for FTSE 100 companies to have least one non-white director by 2021. At the time, the proportion of non-white people on FTSE 100 boards was around 8%.

Both these reports were published before the election but Margot James, a business minister, endorsed the recommendations.

The latest report sets out a seven-point plan for business leaders to adopt, including “breaking the silence” on diversity, including training on the subject as a requirement for career progression and setting targets for progression of BAME individuals.

More information is needed at companies about the make-up of their workforce as 83% of the human resources managers surveyed for the CMI/BAM report said they needed better data. One respondent said: “The lack of BAME people in my company makes me feel ashamed. It is inexplicable unless you accept there must be discrimination in our culture.”

It was not the case for gender, the report said, where respondents said they were making more progress. In 2011, a report by Mervyn Davies highlighted the lack of women in top jobs and recommended that that FTSE 100 companies should double the proportion of women in boardrooms to 25% by 2015. While the target was exceeded it was largely though non-executive roles.

Some 79% of the respondents were collecting and holding some employee data, but only 54% of them tracked the data and only 21% reported publicly on the subject and set targets.

Business executive Pavita Cooper, who has worked in senior roles in the banking industry, will chair a new body, CMI Race. She said it was time to “reboot the conversation about race and ethnicity”.

The report found managers were nervous to talk about race and ethnicity for fear of causing offence. It discusses which language to use and settles upon using the term BAME, while the Parker review uses “people of colour”.

Output: Major UK businesses must publish data about the diversity of their workforces, according to a report by professional management group the CMI and the British Academy of Management. The study concentrates on ethnic diversity within management below board level and emphasises that increased diversity will be particularly important following Brexit, which raises “the prospect of reduced access to overseas talent”. Although 12.5% of the UK’s population is from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background, such workers hold just 6% of high level management posts.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
UK firms publish diversity data: CMI
 Top British companies unable or unwilling to publicise ethnic makeup of management

19 July 2017 -

CMI calls on FTSE100 leaders to do more to actively champion greater diversity in their workforces

Matt Scott

British businesses must break their “silence” on the under-representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic groups (BAME) in key roles, according to new research from CMI and the British Academy of Management.

Only 6% management jobs in the UK are held by minorities – less than half their proportion of the working-age population as a whole.

Yet new research finds that only 54% of FTSE100 leaders are seen to be actively championing greater diversity in their companies, with just one in five (21%) revealing their current diversity levels through published progression targets and data.

The new report – Delivering Diversity, released today, highlights that many companies lack clear information about the diversity of their management pipeline.

In fact, some 83% of the HR leaders surveyed admitted that they need better data on BAME diversity to drive improvements.

MI director of strategy Petra Wilton said: “Too many leaders have been silent on race and ethnicity and it’s time for change. The progress we’ve started to see on gender diversity shows how business can build momentum on the issue.

“We need to learn from what works, which means committed leadership from the top and from managers at every level, much better data on diversity throughout the management pipeline, and more transparency about progress. We have to keep a spotlight on the issue.”

The CMI-backed report found that 75% of the FTSE100 companies surveyed now set progression targets for gender and 71% publish related data; only 21% do so on BAME.

Just less than half (47%) of the rest say they expect to set targets on BAME over the coming year.

Minority Managers Questioning Their Corporate ‘Fit’

The research also found that many minority managers find themselves questioning how they are perceived to ‘fit’ within their company, while interviews conducted as part of the research found that BAME managers often perceive their businesses as “silent” about race and ethnicity.

Company norms and expectations about leaders still favour what one BAME manager described as “white middle class men from elite schools and universities, who tend to recruit people like them in their company”.

Businesses may therefore be missing out on a more diverse set of talented leaders, and businesses need to find more varied role models and more widespread use of powerful interventions like mentoring and sponsorship to promote diversity – something that could add as much as £24bn to the UK economy every year.

Professor Sir Cary Cooper, President of the British Academy of Management, said now was the time for direct action, not just talk.

“Although C-suite executives talk a good game on the need for diversity, they fail to action it in management roles throughout their organisations,” he said. “British business has made some strides in pushing the glass ceiling for women but has failed to do the same for BAME communities, despite an abundance of research showing that diverse management teams deliver higher shareholder value and enhanced performance.

“Now is the time for action, before legislative action will inevitably take place. Diversity is good for work and is good business.”

CMI Race: Time to make a difference

In the wake of the research, CMI is developing a new network, CMI Race, to help managers across the UK deliver diversity.

The network will be chaired by Pavita Cooper, a CMI Companion who chaired the Delivering Diversity Research Advisory Board, and who is the founder of diversity and talent advisory firm More Difference.

he said: “This research shows that even today, in modern multicultural Britain, many managers still feel deeply nervous talking about race and ethnic diversity at work. Every manager in the UK should be able to talk about difference with their teams in an inclusive way, and we need to see far more leadership from senior business leaders on this issue. CMI’s new network, CMI Race, will put diversity and inclusion at the heart of good management and drive real change in the years ahead.”

Seven Steps for Action

Break the silence. Leaders need to re-boot the conversation on race, show commitment and communicate a clear business case for change to deliver diversity. Learn from the gender agenda. Business has shown that it can generate momentum to make change happen, with inclusive leadership at all levels and transparency about strategies, targets and progress Face the numbers: measure it, manage it, report it. Companies need to measure BAME diversity at every level of the management pipeline. Tap into the power of sponsorship. Senior leaders need to actively seek out and meet diverse emerging leaders to sponsor them and support their development. Build diversity through ‘next up’ leadership. Role models and mentors at the next level up – not just remote role models at the top of business – can be powerful forces for change. Use innovative models like mentoring circles and reverse mentoring Be inclusive and adaptive. Build adaptive cultures that respond to the differences people bring to work. Make it clear that the company values difference so no minority employee is left questioning whether they fit in. Benchmark and collaborate. Businesses should compare performance with others in their sector and collaborate on ways to accelerate change.

The Delivering Diversity report, which includes case studies from leading companies like Aviva, Google, Lloyds Banking Group, RBS, Sainsbury’s, Schroders, and Virgin Money, is available at www.managers.org.uk/deliveringdiversity

CMI would like to thank the following authors for their contribution to the report:

Prof Nic Beech, Chair of BAM, Vice-Principal (Academic Planning and Performance), University of Dundee

Prof Nelarine Cornelius, BAM Council (Research and Publications), School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London

Dr Lisi Gordon, School of Management, University of St Andrews

Prof Geraldine Healy, School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London

Prof Emmanuel Ogbonna, Cardiff University Business School

Dr Gurchathen Sanghera, School of International Relations, University of St Andrews

Chidozie Umeh, School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London

Patrick Woodman, Head of Research and Advocacy, CMI

Output: Major UK businesses must publish data about the diversity of their workforces, according to a report by professional management group the CMI and the British Academy of Management. The study concentrates on ethnic diversity within management below board level and emphasises that increased diversity will be particularly important following Brexit, which raises “the prospect of reduced access to overseas talent”. Although 12.5% of the UK’s population is from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background, such workers hold just 6% of high level management posts.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
BBC has gender pay gap among top earners
 The BBC is facing a backlash from female stars over pay after revealing that only a third of its 96 top earners are women and the top seven are all men.

Q&A What were the top 10 BBC salaries for 2017? Show 1. Chris Evans £2.2m - £2.25m

2. Gary Lineker £1.75m - £1.8m 3. Graham Norton £850,0000 - £899,999 4. Jeremy Vine £700,000 - £749,999 5. John Humphrys £600,000 - £649,999 6. Huw Edwards £550,000 - £599,999 7. Steve Wright £500,000 - £549,999 = 8. Claudia Winkleman £450,000 - £499,999 = 8. Matt Baker £450,000 - £499,999 = 9. Nicky Campbell £400,000 - £449,999 = 9. Andrew Marr £400,000 - £449,999 = 9. Stephen Nolan £400,000 - £449,999 = 9. Alan Shearer £400,000 - £449,999 =9. Alex Jones £400,000 - £449,000 10. Fiona Bruce £350,000 - £399,999 Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.

Chris Evans is the BBC’s best-paid star, collecting at least £2.2m in the last financial year according to an unprecedented list of top earners published by the corporation on Wednesday that revealed a significant gender imbalance. The best-paid female star, Claudia Winkleman, was paid just a fifth of what Evans collected, between £450,000 and £500,000.

Alex Jones, presenter of The One Show, is the only other female star to be paid more than £400,000 by the BBC, while 12 men are paid more than that amount. Clare Balding, the sports presenter, received about a tenth of Gary Lineker’s pay, earning £150,999–£199,999 compared with his £1.75m–£1.79m. Graham Norton was paid £850,000–£899,999 according to the list, but this does not include proceeds from The Graham Norton Show, which is made by an independent production company and is thought to take his earnings above £2.5m.

There are some high-profile female absentees from the list of actors, presenters, journalists and panellists who were paid more than £150,000 in the last year. Emily Maitlis, the news presenter, Sarah Montague, the presenter of the Today programme on Radio 4, and Louise Minchin, who presents BBC Breakfast, earn £150,000 a year or less, according to the disclosure. This is despite their co-presenters on BBC shows making the list, including John Humphrys, who presents Today and Mastermind and was paid £600,000–£649,999.

Claudia Winkleman, the BBC’s best-paid female star. Photograph: Jonathan Hordle/REX/Shutterstock

Harriet Harman, the Labour MP, said there was “clearly discrimination” at the BBC and that the corporation needed to change. “It is very important that the lid has been lifted on this pay discrimination in the BBC,” Harman, the longest-serving female MP, told BBC News. “Although everybody will think it is very unfair and outrageous, this is a moment when it can be sorted out.

“The BBC needs to set an example. This is public money and people don’t want their money to be spent unfairly. Public money shouldn’t be spent in a way which is discriminatory. When you look at the structure and the pay, it is clearly discrimination. Now that it is out in the open, it will have to change.”

Theresa May, the prime minister, accused the BBC of paying women less than men for doing the same job. “I think what has happened today is we have seen the way the BBC is paying women less for doing the same job as the men. I want to see women paid equally with men,” she said in an interview with LBC.

Agents for a group of the BBC’s female stars are understood to be preparing to demand that the corporation’s bosses offer their clients a pay rise. Lawyers have also warned that the BBC faces sexual discrimination lawsuits.

Keely Rushmore, senior associate at SA Law, said: “The statistics could well lead to claims of sex discrimination by female stars. The BBC will need to show that the difference in pay is not directly on the grounds of sex, but also that – to the extent that it asserts it relates to other factors such as viewers’ demands and preferences – the differential treatment is justified.”

News presenter Emily Maitlis does not make the list of top earners. Photograph: unknown/BBC

The BBC fought against the list being published, claiming that it would create a “poacher’s charter” and drive up salaries in the media industry, but it was forced to by the government as part of its new 11-year royal charter.

Asked whether the BBC was expecting legal action over the gender pay gap, Tony Hall, the director general, said: “We will be working carefully and managing our relationship with the talent on which we depend. That’s a job we have got to do. I want to get the very best talent working for the BBC and the best relationships with them.”

Hall insisted the BBC was “more diverse than the broadcasting industry and the civil service”, but admitted there was more to do following the pay disclosure. “I feel reinvigorated in one of the things I really believe, which is getting by 2020 equality on the air between men and women and in pay as well,” he said.

However, Jane Garvey, the BBC radio presenter, hinted on Twitter at the frustration within the corporation. Garvey, who was also not on the list, said: “I’m looking forward to presenting BBC Woman’s Hour today. We’ll be discussing #genderpaygap. As we’ve done since 1946. Going well, isn’t it?” Maitlis and Montague both retweeted Garvey’s comment.

Jeremy Vine, the radio presenter and the BBC’s fourth-best paid star, on £700,000 to £749,999 , admitted the organisation was “really hurting” following the revelations.

Humphrys supported the disclosures, but said he was “not happy” that his female colleagues on the Today programme, Montague and Mishal Husain, who was paid £200,000 to £249,999, were not among the top 10 highest paid. Referring to his female colleagues, Humphrys said: “I’m not happy with that. I don’t think that is right.”

Asked on Radio 4’s Media Show whether he was worth his salary, Humphrys said: “If you compare me with lots of other people – a doctor who saves a child’s life, a nurse who comforts a dying person, or a fireman who rushes into Grenfell Tower – then of course you couldn’t argue that I am not worth twopence halfpenny.

“However, we operate in a marketplace, and I think I provide a fairly useful service. Somebody has to do the job of trying to hold power to account and speak the truth about all that stuff.”

The BBC has published the list of stars in £50,000 bands. It does not include payments to staff from production companies or BBC Worldwide, which generates commercial revenues. This means some high-profile BBC figures are not included, such as the stars of The Great British Bake Off, Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch, and Sir David Attenborough.

The BBC director general, Tony Hall. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

However, programmes produced by the BBC, including EastEnders, Casualty, and Strictly Come Dancing, are included.

Evans’s work for the BBC in the past year included his Radio 2 breakfast show and Top Gear. He is understood to have received extra payments for presenting Top Gear from BBC Worldwide that are not included in this list. Evans said on Wednesday that it was “on balance right and proper” that the BBC made the disclosure.

Among the actors on the list, Derek Thompson, who plays Charlie Fairhead in Casualty, was the best paid. He received £350,000 to £399,999 in the last year. In entertainment, the judges of Strictly Come Dancing were all paid more than £150,000. Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli were paid £200,000 to £249,999 and Darcey Bussell and Craig Revel Horwood £150,000–£199,999.

Q&A How does BBC pay compare to its competitors? Show The reason the BBC was told to publish the list of top earners was to demonstrate whether it is delivering value for money - in other words, whether it pays in line with the market. Given that no other broadcaster publishes the pay of its stars this is difficult to prove, but Tony Hall, the director general, insists the BBC aims to pay people at a discount to the market while Gary Lineker, one of the top earners, insists he has been offered more lucrative deals to leave. One publicly available pay deal is for Paul Dacre, the editor of the Daily Mail, who gets £1.5m a year - which would put him second on the BBC’s list behind Chris Evans. Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.

The BBC also revealed that 106 senior managers earned more than £150,000 last year, a list it has published in the past. The corporation now spends £42.2m a year on senior managers, compared with £78.5m in 2009. The best-paid executive in the last year was the director general, Hall, who collected more than £450,000.

The bill for the 96 on-air stars was £28.7m, a reduction from the more than £31m the BBC spent on its leading talent in the previous year. The BBC said that the top earners on its list represented less than 0.25% of the 43,000 talent contracts that it handled last year.

Output: The BBC has a severe gender pay imbalance among the corporations top earners, according to figures released today. The pay details for staff earning over £150,000 reveals that, of the top 96 earners, just one third are female. The top seven earners are all male. Only Claudia Winkleman and Alex Jones are shown to earn over £400,000 compared to a dozen men. The BBC has set a target of achieving gender equality in lead and presenting roles by 2020.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Daimler recalls 3 million Mercedes diesel cars to cut emissions
 Almost every new Mercedes-Benz diesel car bought in the UK during the past six years is being recalled to improve their emissions performance.

Germany’s Daimler, which makes the vehicles, said the measure to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) output, which will cost the company about €220m (£195m), would involve no cost to owners.

The action is being taken in relation to nearly all cars with diesel engines meeting the Euro 5 standard – implemented in 2011 – and the existing Euro 6 rules.

The firm would not confirm how many UK owners were affected, but said 1 million vehicles in Germany and 2 million in the rest of Europe were being recalled. Last year, 170,000 new Mercedes-Benz cars were registered in the UK.

Diesel emissions have come under scrutiny since Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 that 482,000 of its vehicles in the US were fitted with defeat device software to switch engines to a cleaner mode when undergoing environmental tests.

The German manufacturer said 11 million of its vehicles were affected worldwide – including almost 1.2 million in the UK.

A government report published in April 2016 showed diesel cars sold in the UK emit an average of six times more NOx than the legal limit used in official tests.

Dieter Zetsche, the chairman of the board of management of Daimler and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: “The public debate about diesel engines is creating uncertainty – especially for our customers. We have therefore decided on additional measures to reassure drivers of diesel cars and to strengthen confidence in diesel technology.

Output: Around three million Mercedes-Benz diesel cars in Europe are being recalled by Germany’s Daimler, which produces the vehicles, in an attempt to improve their emissions performance. The recall will affect nearly every new Mercedes-Benz diesel car purchased in the UK within the last six years. The measure, designed to limit nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, will involve no cost to owners, but will result in a £195m ($254m) bill for Daimler. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the management board of Daimler and head of Mercedes-Benz cars stated that the move was intended to combat “uncertainty” and “strengthen confidence in diesel technology”.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
HS2 announces shortlist of potential Euston development partners
 High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd has revealed the shortlist for the Euston master development partner contract, which covers the long-term upgrade of the area around the London train station.

The winner will advise on – and later develop – sustainable, mixed-use opportunities, including new homes, offices and retail space around the revamped London Euston.

The winner will work with HS2 Ltd, Network Rail, the station design contract winner and local authorities to deliver a unified masterplan.

Poll As a broker, do you currently quote 'green' loan options alongside standard loan quotes for property development finance? Yes No Vote Results

The shortlist for the Euston master development partner contract includes:

Westfield Europe Ltd

Euston Regeneration Partnership (led by Argent Related Services LLP)

Canary Wharf Group

Land Securities Property Holdings Limited

Lendlease Europe Holdings Limited.

The scheme has the potential to deliver up to 22 hectares of development space as well as new public and green spaces across the site.

David Biggs, managing director at Network Rail Property, said: “This brings us another step closer to realising an exciting and vibrant new district in the heart of London.

“The opportunities are vast.

“A regenerated Euston station not only affords us the ability to improve connectivity and exceed the expectations of those travelling by train.

“It also allows us the rare chance to create new space for homes and businesses, to craft a desirable destination for people to live, work and meet.

“The new station can be a catalyst for local regeneration and increase connection across the local community, bringing huge benefits both to the area itself as well as the country as a whole.”

Contracts for the station designs and the Euston master development partner will be awarded early next year.

Output: High Speed Two has unveiled its shortlist of master development partners for the upgrade of the area around Euston station in London. The list includes Canary Wharf Group, Westfield Europe, Euston Regeneration Partnership, Lendlease Europe Holdings and Land Securities Property Holdings. The contract will be awarded to a business on the shortlist, which will then work on creating sustainable, mixed-use spaces such as offices, houses and retail areas. HS2 and the winner will work with Network Rail and local authorities to bring the vision to life.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
P2P lender Initiative Ireland aims to lend €60m in building loans
 Eoghan Murphy, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, and Padraig Rushe, chief executive of Initiative Ireland. Photograph: Maxwell

Peer-to-peer lender Initiative Ireland hopes to raise €60 million from members with the aim of financing construction loans.

The fintech startup said on Wednesday that the platform, scheduled to launch in September, could facilitate the building of 250 new family homes over the next 18 months if it raises €60 million.

The firm also said it hopes to create 50 jobs over the next five years.

The way the company works is that members will become part of a private lending syndicate in return for the issued loan and interest income.

READ MORE

According to the company, the members can tailor their loan portfolio in line with their own risk-reward appetite, choosing which pre-approved loans to fund and opting to finance senior or subordinate debt to achieve their financial goals. Private syndicate members can earn between 3.5 per cent and 7.5 per cent APR for their committed funds.

Minimum loan

All loans are professionally managed by the company and members must commit to a minimum loan of €10,000.

Welcoming the announcement, Eoghan Murphy, minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, said: "Addressing the housing crisis requires innovation and initiative. It is great to see Irish firms, like Initiative Ireland, responding to the market need with new, sustainable solutions.

“I welcome their goal of making finance available at affordable rates to smaller developers, which is a necessary component if we want to see the activation of dormant sites.”

Padraig Rushe, the company's chief executive, said that the initiative will offer competitive returns to company members.

“We have designed our offering to support additional, small developments across the country, with the expectation of financing the construction of a further 250 to 500 new homes per annum starting in 2019.

‘Affordable pricing’

“Our affordable pricing is designed to activate dormant sites, and as such this additional lending is expected to deliver a further 600 to 1,200 additional construction jobs in 2019, in addition to 50 new jobs to be created in the company, over the next five years,” he said.

All loans are secured with a first lien, a form of debt that has priority in payment in the event of a company’s liquidation, and must have a clearly defined exit strategy.

In Initiative Ireland’s case, the company focuses on financing construction of quality family homes in high-demand residential areas across Ireland.

Output: Peer to peer lender Initiative Ireland has plans to raise €60m ($70m) from its members in order to finance construction loans for 250 new family homes. Members, who will have a minimum investment size of €10,000, will have the ability to tailor their portfolio to match their risk appetite. Members will form part of a private lending syndicate in return for the issued loan and interest income, with returns of between 3.5% and 7.5% APR for committed funds.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Luma founder considers one third of ad tech market up for grabs
 If you’ve been to a digital media event, you’ve seen the Lumascape, showing the vast number of programmatic advertising firms that dot the industry. Some see innovations; others see a mess. Luma founder Terry Kawaja sees opportunity.

As a matchmaker in digital media, Kawaja specializes in helping acquirers figure out their needs — and then representing the targets they pursue. On this week’s Digiday Podcast, Kawaja brushed aside concerns that the duopoly will choke ad tech, even if 90 percent of ad tech firms won’t return their investors’ money.

“If we’re talking about a $100 billion market and they have two-thirds, $34 billion is up for grabs, and that’s not staying in the same hands,” Kawaja said. “There’s a migration from IO-based arbitrage intermediation to programmatic. That doesn’t mean there’s no growth opportunities for companies who are not Google and Facebook. You can have upside from taking market share from companies who are not in that $34 billion pie slice.”

Below are lightly edited highlights from the episode.

Winter is here for ad tech

“We saw it in the numbers starting last year with the pullback in venture funding for undifferentiated, me-too ad tech companies. A couple firms have announced they’re closing their doors. That’s slower than one would expect.”

Snapchat needs ad tech

“It’s no secret that Snapchat is meeting with many companies in the sector. They’re being appropriately choosy and looking at teams and technology that make sense. AdRoll could, but I’m not sure there’s much to that story.”

The bull and bear case for Vice

“The bull case for Vice can be summarized in two letters: TV. It turned from a digital property to a cable network, and cable networks still trade for big dollars. On a revenue multiple basis, a $3-5 billion valuation is reasonable. The bear case is it’s a whole bunch of hype to become a cable network, which are in secular decline.”

Ninety percent of ad tech companies will fail

“Ad tech has many false positives. In any other technology sector, if you have a $20-50 million software company, you have a winner. In ad tech, you can have $150 million in revenue, and it’s not sustainable. It’s taking a slice of an existing spend.”

Marketers are finding their power

“The problem marketers have is they can’t collude. Someone has to stand up and say it, then others have to believe it and also act on it. We’ll see if it will make its way to action. I think it will. Many marketers are recognizing they can withhold spend.”

Publishers won’t successfully band together

“Every consortium among media companies has ended in failure. QuadrantOne, there’s a graveyard full of them.”

Amazon looms large

“Not only does it have the pieces and the revenue, it has the touch points with the consumer, data, multichannel, and Alexa is a Trojan horse in everyone’s house.”

Output: The founder of programmatic advertising firm Luma Partners, Terry Kawaja, believes that one third of the ad tech market is still available, despite two thirds likely being owned by Google and Facebook. That leaves $34bn available for other firms to make their mark. However, he did say that 90% of ad tech firms will fail, even if they are bolstered with $150m in revenue.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
FT uses reader events to improve subscriber retention
 For subscriptions-based publishers, preventing existing subscriber churn is as essential as driving new subscribers. At the Financial Times, the editorial team isn’t averse to testing seemingly old-school methods to do so.

The publisher’s editorial team has hosted 10 FT Engage events in London over the last year, each with a core purpose: to build more direct relationships with subscribers, while also attracting new ones, by offering exclusive access to FT journalists. In the last few weeks, the audience engagement team has pulled data to examine the correlation between those who attended and their subsequent frequency of visits to FT.com, volume of articles consumed and the recency of their visits. Combined, this data yields an engagement score, by which the publisher judges its success. The results: Engagement scores of subscribers that have attended an event have spiked 300 percent on average, according to the publisher.

The FT wouldn’t break down the 300 percent into individual user habits, but the data is enough for it to begin expanding the program internationally.

Some of the Engage events have been tied to major news themes, like Brexit, and they’re structured to give subscribers the chance to mine the knowledge of FT journalists on these topics. Others have focused on wider trends pertinent to FT areas of coverage like the gender gap and 21st century skills in the workplace, and the rise of European populism. Still others are based on readers’ interests and requests, which resulted in an event with the theme of football culture — not the typical editorial stomping ground for the FT.

The total number of attendees was capped at 100 people, roughly half of whom were existing subscribers and the other half new to the FT. After an event, attendees were sent follow-up emails with relevant links to articles that FT journalists referenced in the sessions and a breakdown of what was covered, along with discounts to other FT products. Naturally, it was harder to track the online behaviors of the people who were new prospects, so the core results were monitored from the 500 subscribers that attended across the 10 events. The FT found that those 500 individuals’ engagement scores spiked 300 percent in the 26 weeks after an event, compared to the 26 weeks before one.

“A lot of quantitative data like web behavior can tell us what is happening, but why it’s happening is harder to get. So having that in-person relationship with readers, which is what the relationships built at these events start to foster, helps with the why,” said Alyssa Zeisler, engagement strategist at the FT. “That engagement metric we use is directly linked to retention, and the higher the retention, the less likely they are to leave us, which is very important to our bottom line.”

Putting on an event is nothing new in publishing, but Engage has been an editorial-led exercise created separately to the core FT conferencing division, which puts on sponsored FT Live summits throughout the year. Engage events aren’t sponsored and cost between £15 ($20) and £30 ($39) — far cheaper than the main events the publisher runs, which cost between £649 ($846) and £849 ($1,107). Engage events’ sole purpose is to drive reader engagement, ultimately driving up the lifetime value of a subscriber, as well as introduce new ones.

Engage will expand internationally with an event planned in New York in the fall. Another ran in Singapore earlier this year. The plan is to work closely with marketing teams to move both the new readers and existing subscribers that attended the events further up the subscription funnel, according to Zeisler.

Output: Ten physical events held by the editorial team at the Financial Times have led to a 300% rise in engagement in its website among attendees, whose frequency of visits, article consumption and recency of visit following an event were all measured. "That engagement metric we use is directly linked to retention and the higher the retention the less likely they are to leave us, which is very important to our bottom line," said Alyssa Zeisler, engagement strategist at the FT. The media group plans to host more events internationally.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
Start-up broker Zego raises £1.22m
 Pay-as-you-go broker targets drivers working for sharing economy companies.

Start-up broker Zego has raised £1.22m in seed funding led by venture capital firm LocalGlobe.

Zego provides pay-as-you-go insurance for drivers and riders who work flexibly with their own vehicles, and has recently launched its first product, which is underwritten by Aviva.

The broker was launched last year to provide insurance for drivers working for sharing economy companies, such as Deliveroo, UberEATS, Jinn and Amazon.

It detailed that all car, bike and scooter drivers are required by

Output: Zego, the usage-based insurance broker that caters to the sharing economy, has won £1.22m ($1.59m) in seed funding to develop its Aviva-underwritten product. The InsurTech start-up provides coverage for workers at companies like Deliveroo and Uber, who need insurance on vehicles only when they are using them. Venture capital firm LocalGlobe led the funding round.