Alasdair Lane

The New York Times • 11th January 2022

What Will the Highways of the Future Look Like?

The Romans built 50,000 miles of them. Today, there's at least 500 times that number worldwide. They convey goods and people over vast distances at speed, allowing societies to bloom and economies to thrive. Highways were a cornerstone of the ancient world — and in the 21st century, they’re no less important.

The New York Times • 12th November 2021

How Crypto is Re‑Writing the Rules of Digital Ownership

Shortly after the financial crisis of 2008, a group of tech-minded trailblazers sought a solution to the shortcomings of conventional finance. They envisaged a world underpinned not by centralized power, but by a distributed, democratic system of ownership that was inclusive, transparent and secure. This world, the crypto world, grew steadily in the years that followed. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Global lockdowns have hastened the advance of all things digital and, in this uncertain age of

Nasdaq.com • 1st January 2015

Higher Wages Can Mean Higher Profits, If Staff Have the Right Tools

Some call it the “Great Resignation”; others the “Big Quit.” Since early 2021, around 33 million Americans have parted ways with an employer — the highest ‘quits rate’ on record. And the Big Quit won’t be ending any time soon. Recent job market research suggests a staggering 74% of full time US employees intend to leave their jobs this year in search of new opportunities, more compensation, or better working conditions.

CryptoSlate • 1st January 2015

Friendly fraud warning as resurgent travel businesses explore new crypto horizons

Few industries are as competitive as international travel. An innumerable array of airlines, hotels, and tourist agencies vie for the custom of would-be vacationers, each trying to outdo the other in the features they offer. Payment options are key to this, with rich rewards for companies that are willing to innovate.

Multichannel Merchant • 1st January 2015

BNPL Debt Warning Raises Friendly Fraud Concerns

A few years ago, you’d be hard pressed to find an ecommerce retailer offering buy now, pay later (BNPL). Today, it’s surprising not to see the option advertised at checkout. Since 2018, the number of BNPL users in America has more than tripled, and as of last fall almost half of U.S. consumers said they were on the pay-later bandwagon.

Bobsguide • 1st January 2015

Data management: reinventing a foundational capability to optimise cloud transition for financial services firms

Data is the lifeblood of the financial services sector. By mining and analysing financial market data, customer information and overall market trends, financial institutions can glean game-changing insights — but where to store that sensitive information has always been an issue.

Retail Technology Insider • 1st September 2014

Are Brand Employees Ready for Experiential Retail?

For brick-and-mortar retailers, COVID-19 was the challenge of a lifetime. The virus’s sudden spread in early 2020 saw sales plummet, with all but the most essential stores forced to close. Some, unable to weather the storm, never reopened.

The ACR Journal • 1st January 2015

Building sustainability: a smart solution

Buildings aren’t merely bricks and mortar. They’re where business deals are brokered, and families gather at the end of the day. They’re where we work, and where we play; where we grow up, and grow old. They are the centrepieces of cities, towns, and villages, and where most of our lives are spent. And, sadly, they are part of the greatest challenge that confronts us all: climate change.

Global Banking & Finance Review • 1st January 2015

Global supply chains: three predictions for the future

It’s been a tumultuous couple of years for global supply chains. First came the pandemic; an unforeseen public health emergency that disrupted the flow of goods and materials, prioritizing essential goods over non-essential goods as well as changing trading patterns. As the virus spread, national lockdowns were implemented, piling added pressure on already creaking commercial networks.

Internet Retailing • 1st January 2015

Automation: the future of supply chains?

Caught between the chaos of coronavirus and fallout from Brexit, international supply chains are under serious strain. Add into the mix a global labour shortage that shows no sign of abating, and the cross-border flow of goods is set to get even trickier.

Finance Derivative • 1st January 2015

Harnessing Connectivity: The Key To Global Exchange Operators Finding New Horizons In The Cloud

Offering the massive amounts of storage and compute power that drives our digital lives, the cloud is an incredible innovation, one that has changed the way we communicate, the way we consume entertainment, the way we work – and, yes, the way we do business. But the cloud cannot work without the network infrastructure underneath.

Telemedia Online • 1st January 2015

Predictions for 2022: The communications trends that will shape the year ahead

We started 2021 with a quiet sense of optimism, hopeful that this year had to be better than the twelve months prior. And though the first weeks of 2021 saw the pandemic reach its very worst, we rebounded strongly, edging closer to total a return to normality.

Johnson Controls • 1st January 2015

The Power of Smart Cloud Connectivity

We’re in the middle of a smart revolution. Phones, watches, and even kitchen appliances have become ‘smart’ in recent years. It’s the same story with buildings: smart innovations are bringing buildings to life, heightening occupant productivity and happiness. Connectivity is at the heart of this. Operating alone, digital solutions risk becoming siloed, but working in synchrony, they can deliver an experience that’s truly special.

LiveArea, a Merkle Company • 1st January 2016

Inspiring Innovation: Building Retail Agility

No industry has been left untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic — a crisis that emerged with little warning, throwing business plans into disarray. Thrust onto the backfoot, companies have had to react or face ruin. To better understand the retail industry’s approach to innovation, LiveArea, a Merkle Company surveyed retail decision makers across three regions: the UK, the USA, and the Netherlands, to explore the drivers, priorities, and investment needs of their company’s particular approach to i

Avanade • 1st January 2015

Healthcare’s most precious resource: people and time

Healthcare organisations like yours are a vital cog in the smooth running of society. In the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, that’s true now more than ever. All too often, however, vital organisations and departments such as yours are held back by fragmented legacy systems, disparate data silos spread across different teams and departments, and poor collaboration between team members.

Avanade • 1st January 2015

The Private Equity Integrated Ecosystem

The upheaval of Brexit, then a global pandemic. It’s certainly been an interesting year for private equity (PE) firms. But with the industry’s appetite for new deals growing all the time and SPACS making a splash — plus global dry powder estimated to be around $1.9trn — 2021 is promising to be a big year for PE firms.

Medium | UK Research and Innovation • 17th December 2021

How Covid-19 is helping us fight climate change

The arrival of COVID-19 was a crisis that few foresaw. Almost overnight, organisations and individuals had to adapt to the realities of life under a global pandemic. Across the UK, people started doing things differently, seeking solutions to the most pressing problems — from business who pivoted to make hand sanitiser and face masks, to scientists who redirected their research to fight the disease.

Maintel • 1st January 2015

UK Government increases tech estate at breakneck speed – but cannot leave the back door ajar to cyber criminals

A digital revolution is underway. More and more organisations are opening their eyes to the merits of modernisation, exploring new technologies to help drive efficiency, keep connected and cut costs. This is true not only in the private sector, with public institutions just as eager to reap the rewards of digitalisation.

IT Pro Portal • 1st January 2015

How can firms shatter the glass ceiling when it comes to achieving gender parity?

In the professional world, we’ve taken some laudable steps on the path to gender parity — but there’s still an awful lot of work to be done. This is true especially in the technology sector; a realm in which women remain woefully underrepresented with recruitment structures skewed heavily towards their male counterparts.

AI Magazine • 1st January 2015

Should we find leaders who use AI, or expert AI leaders?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay; of that, there’s little doubt. For business leaders eager to build back better post-pandemic, this is good news — AI technology can save time and money with sophisticated automation, boost productivity, and give invaluable insights to the trickiest commercial conundrums.