Executive coach, event chair, former BBC News correspondent & presenter
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Articles by Philippa Thomas
Ros Atkins on explainers
How innovative storytelling can build trust with audiences.
Commercial rent arrears payable despite COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences have had a turbulent effect on the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors in the UK.
Government Consultation On Withdrawal Of Moratorium On Evictions Ends On 4 May 2021
UK: Government Consultation On Withdrawal Of Moratorium On Evictions Ends On 4 May 2021 27 April 2021 by Iain Roberts and Philippa Thomas Mayer Brown To print this article, all you need is to be registered or login on Mondaq.com. There is just over a week left to participate in the Government's consultation on the withdrawal or replacement of the protections it has put in place to protect commercial tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Government consultation on withdrawal of moratorium on evictions ends on 4 May 2021
There is just over a week left to participate in the Government’s consultation on the withdrawal or replacement of the protections it has put in place to protect commercial tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic. On 6 April 2021 the Government launched a consultation calling for those involved in the commercial property sector to participate in a survey on what should happen when the current restrictions placed on landlords come to an end on 30 June 2021.
Commercial property evictions ban extended until 30 June 2021
The Government has confirmed that it will be renewing the measures it introduced to protect tenants in the commercial property sector unable to pay their rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, commercial tenants benefit from a prohibition on landlords forfeiting commercial leases for non-payment of rent.
UK Commercial Property Evictions Ban Extended Until March 2021
The UK Government has confirmed that it will be renewing the measures it introduced to protect tenants in the commercial property sector unable to pay their rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, commercial tenants benefit from a prohibition on landlords forfeiting commercial leases for non-payment of rent. This measure was due to end on 31 December 2020, however the Government has announced that the restriction on forfeiture will be extended until 31 March 2021.
When it’s not good to be followed
I love talking on Twitter. I love being followed on Twitter. But I’m realising that more doesn’t always mean better. Which is why I’ve just cut my numbers. Am I behind the curve here? I wonder how many of you already act to filter out fake follows. I noticed on Tuesday that something odd was going on. I’ve been getting a flurry of followers with similar names and similar profiles – @axxxx101 and so on.
UK Government Extends Ban On Commercial Landlords From Making Statutory Demands Until End Of The Year
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Government Extends Suspension Of Commercial Property Evictions Until End Of The Year
Mondaq Ltd requires you to register and provide information that personally identifies you, including your content preferences, for three primary purposes (full details of Mondaq’s use of your personal data can be found in our Privacy and Cookies Notice): Mondaq hopes that our registered users will support us in maintaining our free to view business model by consenting to our use of your personal data as described below. Mondaq has a "free to view" business model.
Commercial Property Landlords Banned from Making Statutory Demands
The UK Government has temporarily banned commercial landlords from issuing statutory demands and winding up petitions against commercial tenants unable to pay their bills due to coronavirus. A statutory demand can be issued where a corporate debtor owes £750 to a creditor. If the debt is not paid within 21 days of the issue of the statutory demand, the landlord creditor can then issue a winding up petition against their tenant.
Leading without authority: The key to success in a matrix organisation?
Matrix-style management structures have grown in popularity, with 90% of Fortune and FTSE organisations recently reported as working in 'some kind of matrix' [1]. The strategic benefits are evident. By breaking down geographic and functional silos, a matrix structure can help an organisation become more flexible and responsive to its markets, use its resources more efficiently and better leverage its talent pool.
My ears are open
I knew I would thrive on coaching – but this much? I now have a roster of BBC coaching clients in Cardiff, Edinburgh, Salford and London. I’m developing my niche. Identifying strengths. Focussing forward, on what success means for each client and how to get there. Looking at the whole life experience – body and mind – and embracing “mid-life” as a fresh chance to thrive. It’s immensely rewarding to keep learning.
Coeliac disease in children
There is a strong association with other autoimmune conditions ( box 2 ), which are also rising in frequency and put patients at increased risk of coeliac disease. 1 2 9 10 Longitudinal data from a retrospective review of new paediatric cases in a large paediatric unit in South Wales show an increase in new cases from around one or two a year in the 1980s to 23 per year between 2005 and 2011.
How US abortion debate got to this point
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Liberals worry the fine balance of the Supreme Court - and Justice Ginsburg's health As the Supreme Court hears arguments on another abortion case, two factions of the debate look back on how they got here and what they expect in the future. Who cares about the exercise routine of an 84-year-old? Thousands do, when that octogenarian is Ruth Bader Ginsburg - tiny, feisty, and fit.
The Square and the Tower #network #power
Historian Niall Ferguson’s new book “The Square and the Tower” looks at how these two forms of power have co-existed through the ages. His point? In recent years we’ve celebrated the ‘network’ in many different guises. The first few examples that spring to mind for me are the Cathedral and the Bazaar – the ideal of the “netizen” – the easiness of eBay – the dawn of the Arab Spring. You’ll have others. We all do.
Skiers with tennis rackets. #Coachblog #Coaching
I start training on Wednesday to become an executive coach. I am excited and I am nervous because I am so keen to do this. The practice of “coaching” has fired my imagination. These are the best “guidebooks” I’ve read so far. I’ll write more about them as the year progresses. At dinner with my friend Jane last night, we discovered that we’d both love to learn to coach, and we really “lit up” as we fell over each other with ideas of what we think coaching is all about.
What questions do “Women at the Top” ask? #FTWomen
Today after work I dropped into the Financial Times “Women at the Top” conference – held at a smart London hotel. There was a ballroom filled with 250 women – and an agenda that rolled swiftly through stories about leadership, recruitment, tech, equal pay and more. You may be aware we’re having our own lively debate at the BBC about equal pay for equal work, and how to shake up our culture to make it truly inclusive.
Smiles for Sale – “Lotus” – a novel by Lijia Zhang | Philippa Thomas Online on WordPress.com
LOTUS is the first novel of Chinese writer Lijia Zhang, who began her working life at 16 in a factory that produced intercontinental missiles, taught herself English by listening to the music of The Carpenters, and now works as a journalist and social commentator in Beijing. I’ll be interviewing her on Monday on Impact on BBC World News (1330 BST). “Lotus” is about prostitutes in steamy southern Shenzhen, the city just north of Hong Kong.
Alice in her online Wonderland. | Philippa Thomas Online on WordPress.com
When does life online shift from broader horizons to tunnel vision? A new novel called “Sympathy” sends us tumbling down the rabbit hole like Alice. And like her, it makes me feel somewhat nauseous. I might even have to say I dislike the story. That’s not to say it isn’t good – and powerful. I look forward to interviewing its author Olivia Sudjic on BBC World this week. “Sympathy” is largely set in New York City where the narrator – Alice, from England – links her life to Mizuko, from Japan.
“Revenge of the ‘Deplorables'” – a good read | Philippa Thomas Online on WordPress.com
My day has been thrown off course by a report from the Economist Intelligence Unit. “Revenge of the ‘Deplorables‘” is an excellent long read – asking what’s behind the growing distrust in government institutions and conventional media.
Walking the talk on #Diversity at Work | Philippa Thomas Online on WordPress.com
“Walk the talk”. “Turn the dial”. “We need to hardwire diversity”. And – “You can’t improve on what you can’t measure”. “People can’t shy away from the data”. These are some of my takeaways from the BBC Diversity and Inclusion in Media event I hosted on 15th September in the stately venue of the Old Broadcasting House council chamber. Essential ingredients : some inspiring talkers, audience interaction, and a networking session with cream tea laid on.
Why Jo Cox was the best kind of politician.
I will remember Jo on her boat with a baby and a smile. We’d been introduced by a mutual friend who used to work in the White House. When I headed back to London after four years living in the States, he said “there’s this fantastic woman you just have to meet”. And so in October 2011 we did – on her lovely vintage houseboat on the Thames.
Orlando nightclub shooting: Talking gun control at a shooting range
As Americans in the west woke up to the awful news from Florida, I was on my way to the Ben Avery shooting range in the desert north of Phoenix Arizona, to meet three gun enthusiasts - Carol Ruh, president of the Arizona Ladies' Shooting Association, her husband Pete Ruh, and the group's Treasurer Debbie Arnold. Carol, a licensed instructor, teaches gun safety.
Orlando nightclub shooting: Talking gun control at a shooting range
As Americans in the west woke up to the awful news from Florida, I was on my way to the Ben Avery shooting range in the desert north of Phoenix Arizona, to meet three gun enthusiasts - Carol Ruh, president of the Arizona Ladies Shooting Association, her husband Pete Ruh, and the group's Treasurer Debbie Arnold. Carol, a licensed instructor, teaches gun safety.
America Revisited: the case for Gun Rights
As Americans in the west woke up to the awful news from Florida, I was on my way to the Ben Avery shooting range in the desert north of Phoenix Arizona, to meet three gun enthusiasts – Carol Ruh, president of the Arizona Ladies Shooting Association, her husband Pete Ruh, and the group’s Treasurer Debbie Arnold. I’m recording a documentary for BBC Radio to air this September. The brief is, “what do Americans really think?” Carol Ruh teaches gun safety. She’s a licensed instructor.
America Revisited : What happens in Vegas
I was waiting for an Uber on the Vegas Strip last night, looking up wide-eyed at some of the crazy crowded exuberant neon skyline. From the casinos of Caesar’s Palace to The Mirage to Treasure Island. Next , perfectly framed in the top of a palm tree against a purple sky, was the shining golden name “Trump”, set on top of his shining golden tower. Only a couple of days ago, I’d seen that name set in a pink and gold star on LA’s Hollywood Walk of Fame.
America Revisited : Leaving LA
Eight years ago, black Americans were talking about pride and history – Barack Obama in the White House. In the last two days, I’ve been hearing stories of frustration and disappointment. Not with him – the people I’ve been talking to in Los Angeles have mostly been his liberal supporters. But with what they think his elevation unleashed in some of their fellow Americans. Take one young woman, LaRayia Gaston, supercool, super confident, making her name as a “street wear” entrepreneur.
America Revisited road trip : LA
When the dawn comes, I’ll be able to see palm trees. That’s jet lag in Los Angeles for you. I’ve surfaced in an eccentric little house in somebody’s back yard – built purely I reckon for the AirBNB economy – eager for daylight and a bike ride down to Venice beach. The last time I blogged, it was with the confident expectation that Donald Trump would by now be a footnote in American political history. Ha! Now it’s California primary day.
The State Department spokesman and the Prisoner in the Brig
I just heard an extraordinary remark from State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley. He was speaking to a small audience at MIT on “the benefits of new media as it relates to foreign policy”, an event organised by the Center for Future Civic Media. Around twenty of us were sitting around the table listening to his views on social media, the impact of the Twittersphere, the Arab uprisings, and so on, in a vast space-age conference room overlooking the Charles River and the Boston skyline.
Making conversation with the man drilling into my head.
Two hours ago I was lying on the operating table while a surgeon chiselled a big lump of bone off the back of my head. And now I’m home with a nice cup of tea. Earlier this year, I went in to see UCH consultant Colin Hopper with a strange pointed bump of bone on the back of my skull, that definitely wasn’t there five years ago. It’s a funny growth called an osteoma and now that he’s held up a chunk of it in his fingers in the operating theatre, he’s pretty certain it’s benign.
Donald #Trump. Really? My take on the upcoming US elections.
All Republicans denouncing one – at least in name – of their own. Donald J Trump is not backing down over his call for Muslims to be barred from entering the United States. Donald J Trump has elbowed his way to the top of the political agenda with two huge assets – money and belligerence. What follows are extracts from my speech to the Mid Atlantic Club of London on Wednesday 9th December.
Whose #Detroit is it anyway? a story of #Race and #RealEstate
He is self obsessed. Annoying. A thirtysomething Yale graduate drifting through life. A white outsider who stumbles his way through this claustrophobic drama set in a semi-derelict stretch of Detroit. But his story is a very good read. The narrator of “You Don’t Have to Live Like This” is Greg Marnier. He doesn’t know where he stands between insiders and newcomers, dispossessed and profiteer, above all between black and white.
Philippa Thomas Online
In this financial year… I have LOST time. Extra minutes stolen before running to the tube for work. Guilty pages on the broken bench outside the fitness centre. Secret hours clocked up between sofa and shutters, home alone before shift work with no-one to account to. I have GAINED so much – from the inside of other peoples’ heads. Note to self. Try to be more mindful, more measured, less greedy a reader. Here are words to jog memories, from the books I’ve inhaled. An audit, of sorts.
London Mayor Boris Johnson: Extremists 'porn-driven'
Boris Johnson has described men who join religious extremist groups such as Islamic State as "losers" who are likely to be users of pornography. The Mayor of London told The Sun those turning to violence had low self-esteem and were unsuccessful with women. The Tory politician cited an MI5 report into extremism that had compiled psychological profiles of jihadists. Chancellor George Osborne said the mayor was "right not to be nice about these people".
Libby Lane: First female Church of England bishop consecrated - BBC News
The Church of England has consecrated its first female bishop during a ceremony at York Minster. The Right Reverend Libby Lane, 48, was made Bishop of Stockport in front of more than 1,000 people. The Church formally adopted legislation last November to allow women bishops, following decades of argument over women's ordination. Archbishop of York John Sentamu, who led the service, said he had been "praying and working for this day".
Libby Lane: First female Church of England bishop consecrated
The Church of England has consecrated its first female bishop during a ceremony at York Minster. The Right Reverend Libby Lane, 48, was made Bishop of Stockport in front of more than 1,000 people. The Church formally adopted legislation last November to allow women bishops, following decades of argument over women's ordination. Archbishop of York John Sentamu, who led the service, said he had been "praying and working for this day".
Making conversation with the man drilling into my head.
Two hours ago I was lying on the operating table while a surgeon chiselled a big lump of bone off the back of my head. And now I’m home with a nice cup of tea. I am always singing the praises of the NHS to American friends more used to dire warnings about the dangers of “socialised medicine”. And after today’s experience at UCH London, I’m reminded just how brilliant it is that here, we get medical interventions when we need them, not if we can afford them.
The Shape of Revolutions?
How much do we mistake the technology for the story? I’m always fascinated by the way in which social media networks connect activists and amplify their voices. But plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose – how about this observation by New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik ?
Boris Johnson's gay bus advert ban to be investigated
The banning of a London bus advert suggesting people could "get over" homosexuality should be investigated, the appeal court has ruled. Christian charity The Core Issues Trust accused mayor Boris Johnson of unlawfully using his position as chairman of Transport for London to obtain the ban to secure the gay vote. The High Court had upheld the ban. But the Court of Appeal has now ruled a probe is needed to consider whether the mayor acted "for an improper purpose".
New low-level traffic lights for cyclists at Bow go live
The first low-level traffic lights for cyclists have been activated at Bow Roundabout in east London. Transport for London said more than 80% of cyclists were in favour of the lights at the trial stage and it wants to install these at 11 more locations. The move comes after concerns over the safety of cyclists in London after six deaths over two weeks in November. The new signals are incorporated in to existing lights, which give cyclists an early start ahead of the traffic.
“The New Middle East” - a reading. #Egypt #Syria #Iraq #Libya #GCC #Obama
Trying to take the long view on the fallout from the Arab Uprisings? Paul Danahar’s “The New Middle East” is indispensable reading for uncovering the forces at work – religious, economic, historic. It also reads in part like a geopolitical thriller because, for much of the time, he was there - in Tahrir Square with the revolutionaries; in Libya talking to Gaddafi and then seeing the dictator’s brutalized body; witnessing the horror, hatred and hunger that’s destroying Syria.
Nelson Mandela death: Queen leads tributes
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionThe Queen talked about Mandela film premier 'coincidence' The Queen has led the UK in sending her "sincere condolences" to the family of Nelson Mandela and to the people of South Africa. The monarch said she was "deeply saddened" to learn of his death. A vigil was attended by hundreds outside Trafalgar Square's South Africa House, after David Cameron earlier visited to offer his condolences.
Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant cheered by crowds
More than one million rain-soaked people have watched the Queen's 1,000-boat Diamond Jubilee pageant weave its way along the Thames, organisers say. The Queen's barge travelled among the flotilla of tugs, steamers, pleasure cruisers, dragon boats and kayaks. The London event was the highlight of the Jubilee weekend, but a fly-past was cancelled because of the weather. Some 10,000 people joined a Greenwich street party, one of many in the UK marking 60 years of the Queen's reign.
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