Sunday Times and Croissants - CEO's update 24th July

There is something special about Sunday Morning, The Sunday Times,hot croissants, with honey and butter rather special. The news from Norway is so shocking and the death of Amy Winehouse so sad. It is a moment to realise the fortune of life in a vibrant city.

It is also a great chance to catch up on the week just past. Sometimes I get home and Mary will ask what have you done today. I reach for the iPhone calendar to make sure nothing is missed out. It is not that I am busy, it is more of an age thing.

Talking of Apple gadgets, there is a saying in Spain, never count your money in front of the poor people. I am beginning to feel the same way about use of the iPad 2. How can senior executives in the city derive any pleasure in flaunting their devices in front of early adopters of the iPad classic like me. Can never understand this mentality, am thinking of banning the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4 in meetings.

As an early adopter I downloaded the new OS X Lion operating system for my MacBook Pro within hours of release. My life together with my mouse has turned upside down. Have decided there is little value in being an early adopter, if you prefer things just the way they were.

Received confirmation from Baron Frankal, director of economic strategy (New Economy) that he did not tread on his hamster and fall downstairs as Mike Emmerich had suggested. The truth is he trod on his stamp book and fell downstairs holding the hamster. The hamster was unharmed. Baron, although penny black and blue is a hero to hamsters everywhere.

Baron is one of the great thinkers in the city. All great thinkers are a little incomprehensible at times and in this Baron is assisted by his intergalactic mobile device which emits text messages which would baffle Bletchley Park. Words are important and the inclusion of key consonants assists. Hours are lost in the decipher but this a price we all pay in the encounter with genius.

This week Rupert Murdoch gave evidence before the select committee. The most exciting moment when Wendi Deng, the formidable wife, Kung Fu d the shaving foam attacker. The  Media select committee is so dull, like being pecked by a flock of dead seagulls. It is so dull even the security guards fell asleep. I mean how do you pull out a paper plate, an aerosol can, then make a shaving foam pie within a nation on red alert for terrorist attack.

I had two exciting group meetings this week. The board meeting on Thursday and the second e team meeting on Friday. Paul Lupton is the new chair of pro.manchester. Evidence of a new style appeared at the AGM when the Chairman instructed delegates, when passing the second resolution, to raise their hands, dispensing with the more conventional, all those in favor, prefix. It was a good board meeting, all over in an hour. The sponsorship of SME club by RBS was approved and the board commissioned the new events board project. Excellent. Paul is one of those, no time for autocracy, leaders.

The e-team meeting on Friday, as part of the SME club development programme was a great success. One of the best focus groups meetings one could have with excellent participation from key players in
e-commerce in the city. The fact that everyone did not agree with everything I said, drew out proceedings unnecessarily but some great progress was made nonetheless.

This week we have been recruiting for two full time roles in finance and digital marketing and the Greater Manchester Tweet Map went live. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together and more significantly moves off your desk. Thanks to Richard Hudson, Nick the Geek and Natalie for pulling this together.

Saturday morning, blogged on economics. News on government borrowing and retail sales were poor and all eyes will be on the disappointing GDP figure on Tuesday. Good news the EU has resolved the Greek debt crisis again. They should be good at this, since this is the sixth time round. Europe has trouble with the GIPSIs, but is getting there. Will the Euro survive, is to ask will Congress approve the new debt ceiling? The answer is yes, of course. Germany is the biggest beneficiary and China needs an alternative to the imperilled Dollar for now. It took the Dollar just ten years to assume the mantle of reserve currency, displacing Sterling, OK ten years and a world war. For the Greenback it could all be over by 2020, support for the Euro, delays the rule of the Renminbi.

Have not seen my new grandson Joseph Michael as yet. Next week we finalise the business plan for SME club and the Quarterly Economic Review is in production. Hope to get to London soon after that to see
Pete, Kate and Joseph.

Hope all is well with all, more news next week,
John
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