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Articles by Ian Mann
BVI Court Recognises Appointment Of A Committee By Hong Kong Court Of First Instance Over The Financial Affairs Of Person Lacking Capacity
On 17 February 2025, the BVI Court recognised a Committee, appointed by the Hong Kong Court of First Instance, with responsibility over the financial affairs of a family member who lacks capacity and has movable assets in the BVI. In the BVI, it is well established that the Courts may recognise foreign money judgments, grants of probate, appointments of foreign insolvency office holders and foreign commercial receivership orders.
Material returns for the next generation of semiconductors
Rapid geopolitical, economic, social and environmental disruptions have highlighted the increased global reliance on semiconductors and microchips. This trend is set to continue as the world accelerates its electrification and digitisation transition. Semiconductors, also known as microchips, are one of the most important technologies on the planet, underpinning all leading-edge industries and capabilities.
BOOK REVIEW | How to develop your long-term thinking skills
Currencies Commodities Jse Indexes Rand - Dollar 17.86 +0.4% Rand - Pound 23.12 +0.0% Rand - Euro 19.70 +0.0% Rand - Aus dollar 11.92 +0.0% Rand - Yen 0.12 -0.1% Platinum 955.90 -0.2% Palladium 937.50 -1.7% Gold 2,507.82 -0.0% Silver 29.03 0.0% Brent Crude 79.68 -1.7% Top 40 75,706 +0.7% All Share 82,824 +0.7% Resource 10 58,934 +0.2% Industrial 25 112,092 +0.9% Financial 15 20,234 +0.9% All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Editorial feedback and complaints Contact the public editor...
BOOK REVIEW | Demographics have nothing to do with your choices anymore - but 'valuegraphics' do
Whether you are in marketing or sales or any other part of the business, this is a fascinating way to rethink how you could and should segment markets, your workforce and more, for maximum effectiveness, writes Ian Mann. The Death of Demographics: Valuegraphic marketing for a values-driven world, by David Allison We have been on a data binge for quite some time. We have gathered information on every blink, like, click, step and so much more.
BOOK REVIEW | Know when to quit - it's a good thing
Sometimes winners really do know when to quit. Take it from three would-be Everest climbers who survived potential disaster - and other examples in this fascinating book, says Ian Mann. Quit: The power of knowing when to walk away, by Annie Duke South Africans need to be in the know if we want to create a prosperous future. News24 has kept the country informed for 25 years, and we're about to enter a new chapter of fearless journalism.
BOOK REVIEW | Know when to quit - it's a good thing
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BOOK REVIEW | Why many time management tricks don't work (and one that does)
Most time management strategies are dropped as quickly as they are picked up for one key reason: insight is so much more important than theory, says Ian Mann. And this author's insight is invaluable. Tranquillity by Tuesday: 9 ways to calm the chaos and make more time for what matters, by Laura Vanderkam I rate Vanderkam very highly in the time management arena. South Africans need to be in the know if we want to create a prosperous future.
Restructuring Officer Regime Applies To Segregated Portfolios
The decision concerns an unopposed application to appoint joint restructuring officers under the Cayman Islands dedicated restructuring regime in relation to two segregated portfolios of a SPC.
Splitting The Costs: The BVI Court Retains A Discretion To Order Costs At The End Of The Liability Phase Of A Split Trial
By way of background to the appeal, the 1st to 6th respondents, in their capacity as minority shareholders, commenced derivative proceedings against the appellants. At a case management hearing, Wallbank J ordered that the issue of liability was to be determined at a split trial and that the issues of relief and quantum were to be stood over for the direction of the trial judge.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Toxic conflict is costly and hurts productivity - here's how to break free
26m ago Share your Subscriber Article You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend! Enter recipient email address This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Subscribers can listen to this article Whether we're gangsters or musicians, we all have the same need to be understood. Figuring out how to communicate and minimise conflict in tense environments is crucial, writes Ian Mann.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Lessons from the man who turned Lego around
PHOTO: GALLO IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES) Existing frames are seductive. We are naturally biased towards frames that have worked before, have yielded results, and that we have already mastered. But it can have disastrous consequences, writes Ian Mann. Get 14 days free to read all our investigative and in-depth journalism. Thereafter you will be billed R75 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Doing the same thing, expecting different results? Try reframing
Existing frames are seductive. We are naturally biased towards frames that have worked before, have yielded results, and that we have already mastered. But it can have disastrous consequences, writes Ian Mann. Framers: Human advantage in an age of technology and turmoil, by Kenneth Cukier, Francis de Véricourt, and Viktor Mayer-Schönberger Get 14 days free to read all our investigative and in-depth journalism. Thereafter you will be billed R75 per month.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | How Greta Thunberg and other Gen Zs are consciously disrupting the world
Share your Subscriber Article You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend! Enter recipient email address This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Subscribers can listen to this article Gen Z has characteristics quite unlike any previous generation, which defines them and differentiates them from other generations.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Lessons from Kodak and Amazon: How to survive a changing world
Winning the wrong game is as bad as losing. That's why timing is everything, says Ian Mann. Winning the Right Game: How to disrupt, defend and deliver in a changing world, by Ron Adner Tuck Business School Professor Adner isn't a prolific writer, but a perspective-altering one. His impressive last book 'The Wide Lens' written 10 years ago was as important at the time as this book is today. Get 14 days free to read all our investigative and in-depth journalism.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Creativity is the scarcest skill. It's also the most important leadership trait
Picture: CharlieAJA/iStock For the individual, developing your creativity skill is a great investment. It just keeps paying dividends, says Ian Mann. Big little breakthroughs: How small, everyday innovations drive oversized results, by Josh Linkner Only a couple of decades ago, your career guidance was to get a 'good job', follow the rules, keep your head down, don't make waves, and to execute your manager's instructions. Today that's about as relevant as a Palm Pilot.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Why a diverse team is the key to managing complex problems | Fin24
45m ago Ian Mann Share Share your Subscriber Article You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend! Enter recipient email address 0:00 Subscribers can listen to this article . In a complicated domain, knowledge is power. In a complex domain, a fully tapped diversity of talent is power, writes Ian Mann. Support independent journalism Subscribe to News24 for just R75 per month to read all our investigative and in-depth journalism. You can cancel any time.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Why most people would rather confide in strangers than those closest to them
19 Feb Ian Mann Share Share your Subscriber Article You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend! Enter recipient email address You can make more connections with staff and colleagues in two months by becoming interested in them, than you can in two years by trying to get them interested in you, writes Ian Mann. Support independent journalism Subscribe to News24 for just R75 per month to read all our investigative and in-depth journalism. You can cancel any time.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Learn to think long-term to succeed in your career
1h ago Ian Mann Share Share your Subscriber Article You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend! Enter recipient email address 0:00 Subscribers can listen to this article Think of persuasion as the art of building bridges across turbulent waters of hate and rage. Picture: iStock What is true for the best and smartest corporations is also true in our own lives and careers, says Ian Mann.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | People like you more than you think, and other surprising truths of networking
8h ago Ian Mann Share Share your Subscriber Article You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend! Enter recipient email address 0:00 Subscribers can listen to this article Social Chemistry This is not a book on "networking" which, in its most crude form, is a way of thinking of relationships instrumentally – what can I get out of this one? writes Ian Mann.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Rules for humans in an age of robots
0:00 Subscribers can listen to this article The book considers what kinds of people are in danger of being replaced by machines, writes Ian Mann. Oli Scarff/Getty Images Job-killing machines aren’t a new phenomenon. In 350 B.C.E., Aristotle was concerned about the effects of automated weavers on craftsman. But recent technological developments are a little different, says Ian Mann.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Are you backable? This book unpacks what impresses investors
0:00 Subscribers can listen to this article People who get ahead anywhere, in any context, do so because others thought they were backable – someone or some entity you would be happy to invest in, writes Ian Mann. Backable: The surprising truth behind what makes people take a chance on you, by Suneel Gupta with Carlye Adler Are you backable? Support independent journalism Subscribe to News24 for just R75 per month to read all our investigative and in-depth journalism. You can cancel any time.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | The 7 tests any great CEO or manager should learn to pass
11 Sep Ian Mann Share Share your Subscriber Article You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend! Enter recipient email address 0:00 Subscribers can listen to this article CEOtest Very little that is written about leadership is wrong. However, just because something isn't wrong doesn't mean it's an insight that is valuable, says Ian Mann. Support independent journalism Subscribe to News24 for just R75 per month to read all our investigative and in-depth journalism.
Ransomware - What is new?
Executives are worried. They see organizations crippled by ransomware, often for days or weeks, and rumors of multimillion-dollar fines being paid. By Ian Mann, CEO and Founder, ECSC Group plc In this article, we explore the evolving strategy of ransomware attackers, and more critically, what is causing this increase in damaging attacks, and how you can prevent them.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Scout or soldier? Learn when an open mind serves you and when it doesn't
11h ago Ian Mann Share Share your Subscriber Article You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend! Enter recipient email address 0:00 Subscribers can listen to this article Book cover: 'The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't.' Supplied More than ever, we need awareness of the limits of our understanding, and an openness to changing our minds when new information presents, says Ian Mann.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | When doing less achieves more
3h ago Ian Mann Share Share your Subscriber Article You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend! Enter recipient email address 0:00 Subscribers can listen to this article There are three forms of effortlessness required: the effortless state, effortless action and effortless results, writes Ian Mann. Support independent journalism Subscribe to News24 for just R75 per month to read all our investigative and in-depth journalism. Subscribe Already a subscriber?
IAN MANN REVIEWS | How geniuses are made - and how they are suppressed
12m ago Ian Mann Share Share your Subscriber Article You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend! Enter recipient email address 0:00 Subscribers can listen to this article . Talent and genius are two very different things. A talented person can hit a target that no one else can hit; a genius hits a target that no one else can see, says Ian Mann. There’s more to this story Subscribe to News24 and get access to our exclusive journalism and features today.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | The importance of the ability to rethink and unlearn | Fin24
Think again: The power of knowing what you don't know, by Adam Grant The author, Adam Grant, is a professor of Organisational Psychology at Wharton, with a special interest in evidence-based management. When we think of smart people, we usually understand them to be able to deal with complex problems quickly. It is common to presume that if a person has to rethink and unlearn what they know, it is because they aren't that smart, and didn't think well enough in the first place.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | A practical and uncomplicated guide to help you make better decisions
How to Decide. Simple Tools for Making Better Choices by Annie Duke How your life turns out, both in business and in your private life, is based on two factors: good decisions and luck. And you only have control over one of those factors – good decisions. As such, investing time and energy in improving your ability to decide more effectively, has to be a very valuable investment. That is undeniable.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Lessons from Netflix: Super-charged growth through company culture
0:00 Subscribers can listen to this article Photo: Getty Images No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention, by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer The most important business question of our time must surely be how to keep innovating. This imperative is not limited to creative industries, it applies to every business, of every type. There’s more to this story Subscribe to News24 and get access to our exclusive journalism and features today. Subscribe Already a subscriber?
[sat free] IAN MANN REVIEWS | Masters, builders, visionaries: Lessons from the world's great leaders
How to Lead: Lessons from the World's Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers, by David M. Rubenstein Is there really anything that hasn't already been said about how to lead? Probably not. But this book is worth reading, and here's why. The author David Rubenstein is a founder and co-executive chairman of Carlyle, one of the world's largest and most diversified investment firms. They have $230 billion under management, employ over 1 800 professionals, and operate across six continents.
Investegate |ECSC Group PLC Announcements
RNS Number : 3830M ECSC Group PLC 21 January 2021 This announcement contains inside information as stipulated under the UK Market Abuse Regulations ("MAR"). With the publication of this announcement, this information is now considered to be in the public domain.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Surviving the double whammy of Covid-19 and the digital revolution
DI-VOLUTION: An essential guide to winning in a digitally transformed post-pandemic environment, by Professor Herman Singh Prof Singh uses the analogy of a war to describe the evolution of technology and how this war affects the current, and the post-pandemic, business environment. Over millennia we have operated with one foundational theme - this is life, deal with it. And for the most part, deal with it we have.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Why staying small may be better for your business
Subscribers can listen to this article Company of One: Why staying small is the next big thing for business, by Paul Jarvis Traditionally, your success is measured by the size of your business. "As a society," author Paul Jarvis explains, "we give people more clout and respect if they own a large company." There’s more to this story Subscribe to News24 and get access to our exclusive journalism and features today. Subscribe Already a subscriber?
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Talking to a customer is one thing - the art is getting them to listen | Fin24
Building a StoryBrand: Clarify your message so customers will listen, by Donald Miller If you are like me, you have at some point in your company’s journey wasted precious money on a new marketing effort that gets no results. I rate this book because it succinctly identifies what should be done and in doing so, at least reveals the gaps you have left unattended. The starting point is simplicity and predictability of the communication, so it is easy for the brain to digest.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | With 10 years to midnight, what are we going to do?
Ten years to midnight: Four urgent global crises and their strategic solutions, by Blair H. Sheppard The author was the global head of strategy and leadership at PwC, and the dean of Duke University’s School of Business. Behind the wide-ranging insights and assertions lies evidence, not just informed opinion. The book thoughtfully articulates worries that citizens of villages, towns, cities, countries, and the world share, but might not have been able to articulate.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Lies, damn lies, and statistics: Understanding data better
The Number Bias: How Numbers Lead and Mislead Us, by Sanne Blauw Quick! How many numbers have you seen today that report on what is going on in the world? Many! The beauty of numbers is that they (supposedly) don't lie. Either there are 28 boxes on the shelf or there aren't. Either there is R36.67 in your account or there isn't. If only all numbers were that simple.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | How to be (a lot) more persuasive
We all have things we want to change, or behaviours in the people around us we'd like to influence, says Ian Mann. The author identifies five principles of human functioning, each of which stops people saying 'yes' to our offer of change - and how to respond to them. These are explained as the five horsemen of inertia: Reactance, Endowment, Distance, Uncertainty, and Corroborating Evidence. Catalyst: How to change anyone's mind, by Jonah Berger "Everyone has something they want to change.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | A guide to mapping uncharted territory
Is the basis of good management forecasting accurately, planning meticulously, and executing efficiently? We have moved from a complicated world to a complex one. Our desire for certainty makes us very vulnerable to other people’s agendas. Uncharted: How to Map the Future, by Margaret Heffernan The sooner we face this, the more progress we will make in our personal lives and our businesses: uncertainty is inherent to human life.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Position your product as though your business depends on it - because it does
Obviously Awesome: How to nail product positioning so customers get It, buy It, love It. By April Dunford This practical book deals thoroughly and accessibly with the much-overlooked issue of positioning your product or even your company. All too often people focus on the product"s qualities and features, which they erroneously imagine is good enough to take care of positioning. It isn"t, and author Dunford explains why.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | How to get a business growing again
New, innovative businesses cannot grow within a rigid corporate structure Large, mature organisations tend to replicate results rather than creating them The key is to protect the parent company while growing new revenue streams The Acorn Method: How Companies Get Growing Again, by Henrik Werdelin "The upward growth of successful organisations, like that of oak trees, slows as they mature," the author explains.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Struggling to solve a problem? Maybe you're asking the wrong questions
Questions Are the Answer: A Breakthrough Approach to Your Most Vexing Problems at Work and in Life, By Hal B. Gregersen and Ed Catmull "If you want better answers at work and in life, you must ask better questions… (and) if you want better questions to ask, you do not have to resign yourself to chance and hope they will occur to you," the authors assert. And they know.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Seizing opportunity when the unknown looms large
Agility: How to navigate the unknown and seize opportunity in a world of disruption, by Leo M. Tilman and General Charles Jacoby "To thrive in the years ahead, all organisations, both public and private, will need to make a concerted and ongoing investment in the knowledge, capabilities, processes and cultures that foster a distinctive and all too rare organisational quality—agility," assert the authors, Tilman and General Jacoby.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | A shot of inspiration for SA-pessimists
The Upside of Down: How Chaos and Uncertainty Breed Opportunity in South Africa by Bruce Whitfield If you are not feeling the funk right now, the chances are that you don't really understand how bad things are. If you have listened to or read 'motivational' books or talks, you know how short-lived is the 'motivation' you feel. That said – here is my take on Bruce Whitfield's book. Buy this book immediately you finish reading this column. Read it from cover to cover.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Making innovations that make money
Monetizing innovation: How smart companies design the product around the price, by Madhavan Ramanujam and Georg Tacke This book comes at a good time. Everyone in business today knows that things have to change, and the call is to innovate – doing what we have always done will no longer achieve what it used to. Besides which most innovations have a horrible habit of failing to live up to the excitement they can generate for their innovators.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | Getting the jump on problems before they happen
Upstream: The quest to solve problems before they happen, by Dan Heath Picnicking beside a river, you see a child floating down, in danger of drowning. You and your friend dive in and save her, only to see another coming down, and another and another. Suddenly you see your friend climb out the river and start running.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | SA experts weigh in on managing organisations during coronavirus
Managing Organisations During the Covid-19 Vortex, Edited by Wilhelm Crous I am sure everyone in business in South Africa today feels a resonance with editor Wilhelm Crous' sentiment: "We haven't seen this movie before." To assist those charged with leading their organisations at this time, he has assembled in one book, 18 credible voices to weigh in on the subject.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | The customer of the future
The Customer of the Future: 10 Guiding Principles for Winning Tomorrow's Business, by Blake Morgan What exactly will the customer of the future be like? No one can know for sure, but we are seeing trends to which we need to respond. "While price and quality are still the top considerations for consumers making a purchase decision, 78% of respondents said that a good experience is key in influencing their brand loyalties," author Blake Morgan explains.
IAN MANN REVIEWS | When your organisation's 'why' no longer matches its 'what' or 'how'
Fit for purpose. Why leadership with contextual intelligence is key to sustainable organisational success, by Thabang Motsohi "The Fit for Purpose approach is a thinking methodology that instills the discipline of bringing context into the centre when considering the performance and prospects of an organisation." Clearly, there is nothing more dangerous to any organisation than to expend considerable effort doing what should no longer be done.
BOOK REVIEW: Nine Lies About Work
IAN MANN REVIEWS Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall’s guide to leadership is a catalyst for freethinking in business BL PREMIUM 19 March 2020 - 13:23 Ian Mann Many ideas and practices that are held as settled truths in the work context are deeply frustrating and unpopular with the very people they are supposed to serve. The authors, Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall, believe that these settled truths are the reason fewer than 20% of employees report being fully engaged at work.
IAN MANN REVIEWS: Tiny habits that can change everything
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything, by BJ Fogg Author B.J. Fogg is a social science research associate at Stanford University. He is the founder and director of the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab. In February 2018, Wired Magazine claimed that Fogg's "Stanford lab created the formula to make technology addictive." By applying the insights for which Fogg has been most prominent, businesses (and governments) are able to influence the choices you make every day.
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