Welcome to the first episode of Competitive Edge - The Podcast, in which our London-based competition lawyers Saskia King (Legal Director) and Ariane Le Strat (Senior Associate) take a look at sustainability and how it impacts competition policy in the UK. 

The podcast explores recent guidance published by the UK’s CMA on horizontal sustainability agreements, touches on how sustainability is addressed in the CMA’s VABEO consultation relating to vertical(supply chain) agreements and, finally, explores the CMA’s guidelines on green advertising.

In Competitive Edge – The Podcast we dissect topical competition law issues to help you understand how they may affect your business.
 
If you have any questions or need clarifications, we would be happy to hear from you. You can contact us at saskia.king@twobirds.com and ariane.lestrat@twobirds.com.
 
Stay up to date on Competition & EU Law developments in Europe and beyond https://bit.ly/CompetitionMailingList – sign up to receive our monthly newsletter Competitive Edge. https://bit.ly/CompetitiveEdgeBB

Competitive Edge – The Podcast Episode 1: Sustainability

The conversation continues between Fnatic’s GC, Andrew Cooke, and Bird & Bird’s Will Deller.

Esports, the metaverse and more – a conversation with Andrew Cooke, GC at Fnatic (Part 2)

In this podcast, Bird & Bird’s International HR Services Partner Pattie Walsh, chats to Carolyn Jameson, Chief Trust Officer at Trustpilot. Trustpilot is consumer review website which hosts reviews of businesses worldwide, with nearly 1 million new reviews posted each month. Carolyn oversees Trustpilot’s legal affairs, global PR, and external communications with the primary goal of ensuring the integrity of Trustpilot’s platform as it continues to grow.

Carolyn describes her motivations to start a legal career in the tech industry, the people who have inspired her to push boundaries, and offers advice to those looking to change the face of the industry.

Women in Tech - In Conversation with Legal Leaders, Episode 2: Carolyn Jameson, CTO at Trustpilot

Head of Hotels, Hospitality & Leisure, Karen Friebe, speaks with Corporate Partner, Nick O'Donnell, to explore the hotel M&A market and current trends in the sector. They discuss post-pandemic activity, the impact of the conflict in Ukraine, how the cost of living crisis affects the importance given to sustainability considerations, and more.

Trends in the hotel M&A market

Head of Retail & Consumer, Graeme Payne, explores trends in the sector and speaks with Corporate partner, Nick O’Donnell, about M&A and corporate investor activity. Graeme and Nick discuss the impact of Brexit and COVID-19, provide some tips for potential buyers and sellers, and make predictions for the future around investment in e-commerce and the importance of sustainability.

Trends and predictions in the Retail & Consumer sector

Richard Bush, a partner in Bird & Bird’s international sports group, and Tom Macken, a senior associate in Bird & Bird’s Sydney office, speak to international safeguarding expert Phil Doorgachurn about safeguarding in sport from both a UK and Australian perspective. Phil has extensive experience of safeguarding in sport, having been the head of safeguarding at Arsenal F.C. and currently working as the Executive Director of YMCA Australia.

Safeguarding in Sport: From Australia to the UK

In the first in a series of interviews with inspirational women in the hospitality sector, Head of Bird & Bird’s Hotels, Hospitality & Leisure group, Karen Friebe, speaks with Ina Plunien, Vice President of Cedar Capital Partners. Ina shares her journey to her current position, and chats with Karen about key challenges for women in this sector and the importance of sponsorship. We also hear Ina’s view on the most meaningful actions companies can take to support women as they start and progress through their careers, as well as her tips for young women as they embark on a similar career path to her own.

Find Karen Friebe here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-friebe-a2926a156/?originalSubdomain=uk

And Ina Plunien here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ina-plunien-a5a290103/

Interview with Ina Plunien: on representation and female leadership in hospitality

To kick start the series, our first episode focuses on the recently re-launched UK reform of data protection law and will provide guidance on what privacy professionals need to know. It features insights from Ruth Boardman (Partner and Co-head of Bird & Bird's International Privacy & Data Protection practice), James Moss (Partner and former Director of Legal Services (Regulatory Enforcement) at the ICO), and Emma Drake (Legal Director, International Privacy & Data Protection practice)

Privacy Unpacked Episode 1

At Bird & Bird, our international labor and employment experts partner closely with our clients to develop practical, forward-looking strategies that will both evolve and grow as your business does and deliver a long-term competitive advantage. 
As thought leaders in critical conversations around the people agenda, we are best placed to keep you ahead of the curve on industry trends. The Bird & Bird International L&E Club is your one stop shop for labor and employment horizon scanning through a US lens. 
We are delighted to launch our first series, where our Bird & Bird international labor and employment experts deliver 5 key takeaways in 10 minutes focussing in on a specific theme with the US market firmly in mind.
In our first episode of the series, Head of Employment Belgium, Pieter De Koster sets out the purpose of European Works Councils ("EWCs"), how they operate in practice and how underestimating EWCs could have a negative impact on your organisation when doing business in Europe.
Look out for Episode 2...
In our second episode, our Employment Partner Anton Aerts in Belgium outlines the purpose of the EU Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Directive, the directive in practice as well as its benefits to both employers and employees.

International L&E Club - Episode 1: How do European Works Councils operate in Practice?

In the latest episode in our series of interviews with inspirational women in hospitality, Head of Bird & Bird’s Hotels, Hospitality & Leisure group, Karen Friebe, speaks with Sophie Perret, who has recently been appointed as Managing Director at HVS, where she has worked for 20 years. Sophie speaks about her career journey and the enjoyment of working with an increasingly wide pool of stakeholders, including hotel owners, investors and operators. She also shares her perspective on the challenges of balancing personal life expectations with professional aspirations, and the benefits of flexible working post-pandemic.

Finding your mentor and balancing the personal with the professional - Women in hospitality

Our Broadcasting team led by Richard McMorris put together a two part podcast on the issues facing broadcasting, content, media and OTT businesses. Part 1 looks at "The Piracy Issue & a Technological Response" and Part 2 looks at "Demographic Change, Micropayments and Piracy – which way(s) for broadcasters in 2020?"

Broadcasting & OTT Part 2: Demographic Change, Micropayments and Piracy

Bird & Bird is an international law firm with a focus on helping organisations being changed by technology and the digital world. We have over 1600 lawyers in 32 offices across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa, as well as close ties with firms in other parts of the world. We're ready to help you wherever you are.