Rain Newton-Smith has been appointed director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) after her predecessor, Tony Danker, was sacked following an independent investigation into his workplace conduct.
Newton-Smith will be familiar to the CBI's employees, and to the 190,000 British businesses it claims to represent. The 47-year-old was the group's long-serving chief economist from August 2014 until March this year, when she left to join Barclays as a managing director, responsible for strategy and policy, sustainability and environment, social and governance (ESG).
Only a month ago, NewtonSmith expressed her excitement at her new role on the professional networking site LinkedIn, thanking Barclays for the "opportunity to combine personal and professional passions at a great institution".
This appeared a good fit for someone whose Twitter profile says she is "passionate about things climate & biodiversity".
However, in a what is likely to be a blow for her new employer, itself a CBI member, Newton-Smith is heading straight back out of the door after being asked to lead the business group at a critical time.
This story is from the April 12, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 12, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Progress on heart disease 'at risk after Tory NHS failures'
Decades of progress in tackling heart disease and strokes is in danger of unravelling in part because of NHS failures under the last government, a report into the state of the health service in England will argue.
Corruption 'red flag' on £15bn Covid contracts
Corruption \"red flags\" in government Covid contracts worth more than £15bn have been uncovered, representing nearly one in every three pounds awarded by the Conservative administration during the pandemic, according to a detailed study.
Scores of MPs could refuse to back Starmer over cut in fuel payments
PM urges backbenchers to support measure he accepts is 'unpopular'
Workers' rights Reform plans 'backed by senior managers'
Labour's plans to boost workers' rights have widespread support from senior managers, a survey suggests, as the TUC hits back at corporate lobbying against the proposals.
Starmer: We will tackle people smuggling gangs in same way we dealt with rioters
Keir Starmer has vowed to break up people-smuggling gangs in the same manner used to apprehend and jail hundreds of rioters this summer.
Gustafsson quits as CEO of Darktrace after sale
Poppy Gustafsson, the co-founder and chief executive of the British cybersecurity firm Darktrace, is to leave the company after its $5.3bn (£4.2bn) sale to the US private equity business Thoma Bravo.
Owner of Ivy 'close to deal' to sell chain to private equity
Richard Caring and fellow shareholders are reportedly close to selling the Ivy chain of restaurants for £1bn to a little-known private equity group.
'Like a boiling pot' - How the maelstrom under Greenland's glaciers may help slow sea level rise
There are stadium-sized blocks of ice crashing from the soaring face of the Kangerlussuup glacier in western Greenland, fierce underwater currents of meltwater shooting out from its base and visibility below the surface is virtually zero owing to a torrent of suspended mud and sand. It's little wonder scientists have never explored this maelstrom.
The state of the race - Why North Carolina shows how tight the US election really is
The narrow geographical focus of the US presidential election is becoming sharply apparent, with the first ballots to determine the next occupant of the White House starting to be mailed out to voters.
Amsterdam's pot crackdown: pavement gardeners bemused over city's new rules
Residents have reacted with bemusement at plans by authorities in Amsterdam to crack down on what it sees as a plague of messy plant pots.