Business

Mercedes-Benz has placed a significant vote of confidence in the UK’s advanced manufacturing sector after confirming a £20 million partnership to develop high-performance electric vehicle technology, creating 150 skilled jobs across Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire.

The German manufacturer will invest £10 million of its own capital, matched by a further £10 million from the UK government, to develop next-generation high-power drive systems for electrified and hybrid performance cars. Crucially, the work will draw on Formula 1 engine technology from Mercedes’ world-leading High Performance Powertrains division, headquartered in Britain’s motorsport heartland.

The project brings together Mercedes-Benz and a cluster of UK engineering SMEs, forming a new industrial supply chain intended to move the technology from prototype to production within three years — a timeline that underscores the pace of innovation in the performance EV race.

Announced during the state visit of German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the partnership is framed as a strategic moment for both countries. For Britain, it represents fresh inward investment at a time when the automotive sector is grappling with global competition, supply chain pressures and the transition to net zero. For Germany, it secures access to the UK’s unrivalled expertise in high-performance electrification and motorsport engineering.

Business secretary Peter Kyle said the deal demonstrates the depth of Anglo-German industrial ties and highlights the UK’s capability in cutting-edge EV development.

“This investment demonstrates the strength of our partnership with Germany in driving innovation and creating good jobs across our communities,” Kyle said. “By keeping advanced manufacturing expertise here in the UK, we’re building the supply chains and skills that will power our auto industry for decades to come.”

The new technology aims to deliver the holy grail for performance-led brands: combining zero-emission driving with the power, responsiveness and refinement expected of Mercedes-Benz’s premium models. As consumer appetite for luxury EVs grows — and regulatory pressure intensifies — carmakers are accelerating investment in propulsion systems that distinguish their vehicles in an increasingly crowded market.

The 150 new roles will support engineering, testing and low-volume production, with the potential to scale further as the technology matures. For SMEs involved in the project, the partnership offers access to global supply chains and long-term commercial opportunities.

For Britain’s automotive sector — still recovering from years of uncertainty — the Mercedes-Benz investment sends a clear signal: UK high-value manufacturing remains competitive on the global stage, and performance electrification is an area where the country can continue to lead.

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Mercedes-Benz backs UK with £20m Formula 1–powered EV investment creating 150 high-skill jobs

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Asif Sheikh grew up in Chicago, surrounded by the steady rhythm of a working-class city. That environment shaped how he saw responsibility, teamwork, and long-term commitment.

He often says that growing up in Chicago taught him the value of “showing up every day and doing the work, even when nobody is watching.” That mindset would later guide his entire career.

Asif didn’t take a traditional path through business school. Instead, he strengthened his education over time with programs through Harvard Online and eCornell. He describes his learning journey as “something I kept building on. I always wanted to sharpen what I knew so I could better support the people around me.” That mix of real-world experience and continued learning became a core part of his leadership style.

Starting a Career: A Long-Term Commitment

More than 30 years ago, Asif joined the workforce. At the time, he was simply looking for a place where he could grow. What he found instead was a company that matched his values: consistency, service, and long-term partnerships. He took on early roles that demanded patience and attention to detail. He worked closely with operations teams, clients, and project leads. Those early years gave him firsthand insight into how every part of the business connected.

As he recalls, “I learned quickly that listening mattered as much as speaking. Understanding a client’s needs or a team member’s challenges always helped us find better solutions.” This ability to understand the full picture would eventually lead him into leadership.

Rising to Vice President of Sales

After decades of steady growth within the company, Asif became Vice President of Sales. By then, he had seen the industry change many times. Technology reshaped communication. Marketing demands shifted. Client expectations grew more complex. But Asif approached each change with a focus on problem-solving and clarity.

“In sales, your job isn’t to push something,” he explains. “Your job is to understand the goal, guide the process, and help teams deliver what they do best.”

As VP of Sales, he now plays a central role in driving revenue, supporting business development, and strengthening key client relationships. His work goes beyond numbers. He is known for the way he empowers teams and helps clients navigate both routine projects and high-stakes deadlines.

He says, “If I can remove obstacles for our team, they can focus on great work. That’s how we keep clients happy and keep the company growing.”

A Leadership Style Built on Collaboration

Asif’s leadership comes from a simple idea: people produce their best work when they feel supported. His team describes him as calm under pressure and consistent in his expectations. He prefers to lead by example rather than authority. He believes trust is earned through action, not title.

“When people know you’re willing to do the hard work beside them, everything changes,” he says. “They communicate better. They take ownership. They push for solutions.”

He is also known for being a steady voice during fast-paced or high-pressure projects. Colleagues often turn to him for clarity when teams are juggling multiple deadlines. He guides decisions through logic and experience, especially when project management and negotiation play major roles.

Driving Growth Through Innovation and Practical Thinking

One of the reasons Asif has thrived in the industry for decades is his ability to adapt. His company has expanded its offerings to deliver more innovative marketing solutions, and Asif has been part of that evolution.

He believes in solutions that are both creative and practical. “Innovation doesn’t mean forgetting what works,” he says. “It means improving it. Making it faster. Making it easier for the client. Making it stronger for the team.”

His balanced approach has helped serve a wide range of industries with reliability and flexibility. He understands how small improvements in workflow, communication, or planning can create large improvements in results.

A Career Driven by Mission and Long-Term Relationships

What motivates Asif after more than 30 years in the same company? The answer is simple: relationships.

He explains, “Our job is about trust. Clients trust us with their deadlines, their marketing needs, their challenges. And our team trusts leadership to guide the process. When trust is strong, everything else falls into place.”

For Asif, long-term partnerships are the measure of success. Many of the clients he works with have been with his company for years, and he sees that loyalty as a sign that the team is doing its job right.

Continuing the Work

Even after decades in the industry, Asif remains focused on growth. Not just for himself, but for the people he leads. He continues to study, refine his skills, and strengthen his leadership approach. He is committed to helping maintain a mission of delivering high-quality service across a diverse client base.

“My goal hasn’t changed,” he says. “Empower the team. Support our clients. And do the work with consistency.”

It’s a simple philosophy. But for Asif Sheikh, it has guided a long, steady, and impactful career—one built on loyalty, service, and the belief that good leadership starts with showing up every day and setting the example.

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How Asif Sheikh Built a 30-Year Career Through Steady Leadership

Labour has suspended one of its own MPs after he broke ranks to vote against the party’s contentious inheritance tax changes for farmers, deepening internal divisions over the reforms and fuelling anger in rural communities.

Markus Campbell-Savours, the MP for Penrith and Solway, was the only Labour member to oppose the measure in the Commons on Tuesday night. The proposal – part of the Budget resolutions – passed comfortably by 327 votes to 182, but more than 80 Labour MPs abstained, reflecting widespread discomfort within the party.

Campbell-Savours, who represents one of England’s most rural constituencies, said he could not support changes to agricultural property relief (APR) that he believes will devastate family farms. The reforms introduce a 20 per cent tax on agricultural land and businesses worth more than £1 million, despite earlier assurances from Labour figures that APR would be left untouched.

Speaking during the Budget debate, he warned that many elderly farmers still making arrangements to transfer assets now faced “devastating” consequences.

“I was one of those Labour candidates who reassured farmers that APR would not be touched,” he told MPs. “I want to be able to walk around my community knowing I did all I could for them. I cannot break my word.”

On Wednesday, the Chief Whip Jonathan Reynolds informed him that he had lost the Labour whip, effectively expelling him from the parliamentary party.

Labour sources confirmed the decision, making Campbell-Savours the latest MP to be sidelined for refusing to back the government’s economic programme.

The reforms have sparked furious criticism from farming organisations and rural MPs across the political spectrum. Opponents argue that the majority of farms affected are small, family-run operations – not “wealthy land barons” – and that the reforms do little to curb tax avoidance by celebrities and billionaires buying farmland to shelter wealth.

Senior Conservative MP Victoria Atkins, the shadow environment secretary, accused Labour of waging an “assault on farmers and family businesses”.

“Suspending their only MP who dared to vote against their vindictive Family Farm and Business Taxes proves how out of touch they are,” she said. “Only the Conservatives will stand up for rural and agricultural communities.”

In the Budget, the Chancellor sought to soften the blow by allowing unused portions of the £1 million APR and business property relief allowance to be transferred between spouses and civil partners. But the concession has done little to calm farming groups, many of whom had believed the previous shadow Defra team’s public commitment that APR would remain intact.

The reforms were first proposed in last year’s Budget, prompting months of lobbying from the agricultural sector. Despite this, Labour pressed ahead, insisting the changes target wealthy estates while protecting the majority of working farms.

Campbell-Savours’ suspension now places Labour under fresh scrutiny over its relationship with rural voters – a constituency the party has publicly vowed to rebuild trust with since winning the General Election.

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Labour suspends MP Markus Campbell-Savours for defying party over inheritance tax raid on farmers

An aerospace engineer who challenged her employer’s transgender toilet policy has lost her discrimination case, after an employment tribunal ruled that Leonardo UK’s approach was lawful and proportionate.

Maria Kelly, a people and capability lead at the defence giant, claimed she experienced harassment, direct sex discrimination and indirect sex discrimination after the company allowed transgender women to use female toilets. Her grievance centred on an incident in March 2023, when she said she encountered a transgender colleague in a women’s bathroom. She told the tribunal she subsequently began using a “secret” toilet due to discomfort and concerns over privacy.

The claims were dismissed in full by employment judge Michelle Sutherland in a written judgment published on Wednesday following a hearing in Edinburgh in October.

Leonardo UK employs around 9,500 people. Judge Sutherland noted that Kelly was the only employee to raise concerns about the policy, despite multiple channels being available to do so.

She found that Kelly had not been put at a legal disadvantage, writing: “Any fear or privacy impact could be addressed by affected female staff making recourse to the single-occupancy facilities.”

The tribunal also rejected arguments that safety risks increased, ruling that the possibility of 0.5% of male staff using the women’s toilets “would not have changed the overall risk profile”.

The judgment concluded that Leonardo’s toilet access policy was “a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”.

The ruling comes in the wake of the UK Supreme Court’s decision in April, which held that “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex — a landmark judgment invoked heavily by Kelly’s legal team.

Kelly said the tribunal “fundamentally misunderstands both the law and my case”, adding she intends to appeal urgently to the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

Sex Matters chief executive Maya Forstater claimed the judgment was “incompatible” with the Supreme Court’s ruling in For Women Scotland, criticising what she called the tribunal’s “gender identity–based” interpretation.

Leonardo UK acknowledged the tribunal outcome, saying in a statement: “Our focus now is to ensure workplace conduct remains respectful and our facilities’ policies continue to meet legal standards. We will review forthcoming Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance when published.”

Employment lawyer Hina Belitz of Excello Law said the ruling illustrates the “complicated picture” facing courts and employers following the Supreme Court’s clarification of biological sex in equality law.

“This is particularly the case when determining whether individuals have rights to protected single-sex spaces,” she said.

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Engineer loses discrimination case against Leonardo UK over transgender toilet access policy

Spotify has unveiled its annual Wrapped rankings, revealing the most-streamed business and technology podcasts of 2025 — a list dominated by breakout British talent, Wall Street heavyweights and format-shifting creators.

The streaming giant said users spent more time listening to—and watching—podcasts this year than ever before, with video podcast consumption jumping 54% year-on-year. More than 390 million listeners streamed a video-based show in 2025, marking a major shift in how audiences engage with long-form content on the platform.

Topping the business and tech charts is The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, which continues to pull in a global audience with its interviews spanning entrepreneurship, psychology, leadership and culture. Bartlett’s show also ranked second across all podcast categories on Spotify this year, cementing its position as one of the biggest media properties in the world.

In second place for business and tech is the The Journal. from The Wall Street Journal, followed by Chris Williamson’s Modern Wisdom, which climbed the charts after several viral episodes and a large leap in video engagement.

Spotify’s top 10 business and tech shows of 2025 are:
1. The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
2. The Journal.
3. Modern Wisdom
4. Lex Fridman Podcast
5. PBD Podcast
6. TED Talks Daily
7. The Mindset Mentor
8. The Ramsey Show
9. Freakonomics Radio
10. All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

Speaking to Business Matters, Modern Wisdom host Chris Williamson reflected on the long road to building an audience.

“It took about four years before the show really found meaningful traction,” he said. “Around episode 450 is when things truly started to click. If you’re just starting a podcast — stay patient. The early grind feels endless, but momentum does come.”

Williamson credited leaning into video and prioritising “timeless, evergreen conversations instead of chasing the news cycle” as major reasons for the show’s growth.

Joe Rogan tops Spotify’s global chart — again

In the overall global rankings across all categories, The Joe Rogan Experience remains the most popular podcast on Spotify for 2025. Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO took second place overall, while The Mel Robbins Podcast came in third.

Spotify’s top 10 podcasts of the year across all genres are:
1. The Joe Rogan Experience
2. The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
3. The Mel Robbins Podcast
4. Call Her Daddy
5. This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
6. Huberman Lab
7. Crime Junkie
8. Modern Wisdom
9. On Purpose with Jay Shetty
10. The Tucker Carlson Show

With creators increasingly treating Spotify as a video-first platform and audience behaviours shifting accordingly, the company says the lines between streaming music, podcasts and video are becoming more blurred than ever.

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Spotify Wrapped 2025: the top business and tech podcasts revealed

UK businesses cut staff at the quickest pace in nine months in November, as uncertainty ahead of the Budget and fragile client confidence triggered a renewed slowdown across the economy, according to new data from S&P Global.

The latest purchasing managers’ index (PMI) showed that economic growth stalled over the month, with the composite reading slipping to 51.2 from 52.2 in October — only marginally above the 50 threshold separating expansion from contraction. Workforce numbers declined at the steepest rate since February, marking the thirteenth consecutive month of falling headcounts.

Respondents to the survey pointed to higher payroll costs, rising taxes and fast-increasing wages as key reasons for reducing staff levels. Firms also reported an “abrupt end” to the recent improvement in new orders, while overall optimism softened as companies scaled back investment plans.

Tim Moore, economics director at S&P Global, said the findings reflected the impact of business caution during weeks of intense speculation over tax rises and spending cuts.

“Lower workloads led to a renewed slowdown in business activity growth across the UK service economy, with the latest expansion much softer than the post-pandemic trend,” he said. “Survey respondents widely commented on business challenges linked to fragile client confidence, heightened risk aversion and elevated policy uncertainty in the run-up to the Budget.”

The services PMI — covering around 650 companies — slipped to 51.3, while manufacturing output offered a rare bright spot, posting its first positive reading in 14 months and helping to prop up the overall figure.

Economists argue that weeks of conflicting Treasury briefings on potential tax rises kept the economy in a holding pattern, as businesses paused hiring and delayed major capital spending until after the Budget.

“The Budget did nothing to boost growth prospects, but at least firms now have some clarity over taxes,” said Elliott Jordan-Doak, senior UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. “The employment balance continues to suggest downside risks to the job market, but we expect GDP growth to pick up a little now that the Budget has passed.”

The PMI readings for October and November imply quarterly GDP growth of around 0.1 per cent — still weak, but avoiding recession.

Jordan-Doak added that softening price pressures in the services sector bolstered expectations that the Bank of England is now “pretty much locked in” to cut interest rates at its next meeting. Governor Andrew Bailey cast the deciding vote this month to hold rates at 4 per cent, but has signalled he wants clearer evidence of slowing inflation before loosening policy.

With vacancies rising on some measures and inflation easing, analysts expect the Bank to loosen policy early in the new year, offering some relief to businesses facing the most protracted hiring slump since the pandemic.

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Business students at the University of Sunderland have smashed fundraising records after turning a £25 seed fund into more than £12,700 for a North East children’s charity.

First-year Business and Management students took part in the university’s annual “Take £25 Challenge”, working in teams to raise as much money as possible from a starting budget of just £25 each. Over four weeks, 24 teams generated an impressive £12,743.30 with Gift Aid for The Children’s Foundation — the highest total since the challenge began.

Fundraising efforts ranged from bake sales and raffles to food stalls, lucky dips and carnival-style games, culminating in a celebration event at the Reg Vardy Centre on St Peter’s Campus.

Lecturer in Marketing and Business Iraa Wimpenny, who leads the challenge, said students had shown “exceptional entrepreneurial drive”.

“As their lecturer, I’m very proud of the amazing determination shown by our students,” she said. “Their creativity, teamwork and willingness to take risks reflect the mindset that defines successful founders and business leaders.

“This is a core first-year module, which means students begin building these capabilities from the very start. By the time they graduate, they will have the practical experience, confidence and commercial awareness that employers look for.”

The winning team, North East Giving, raised more than £2,500 — the highest individual team total in the challenge’s history.

Team member Farhan Peeran said the experience had been “incredible”.

“Raising just over £2,500 taught us how powerful teamwork and community engagement can be when combined with a meaningful cause,” he said. “We hope our efforts make a meaningful contribution to The Children’s Foundation.”

Founded in 1990, The Children’s Foundation supports vulnerable and marginalised young people across the North East, funding mental-health programmes in schools, baby boxes for new families and community allotments.

Chief executive Sean Soulsby said the students’ achievements had been “nothing short of inspiring”.

“Turning £25 into over £12,000 is an extraordinary achievement,” he said. “Their entrepreneurial spirit reflects the very best of what our region’s young people can achieve.”

Dr Yvonne Dixon-Todd, Head of the School of Business, Management and Tourism, added: “It is brilliant to see our students really engaging in this entrepreneurial initiative. So many business skills are being developed, and a fantastic sum has been raised for such a worthy cause.”

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Sunderland business students turn £25 into £12,700 for charity in record-breaking fundraising challenge

Jaguar Land Rover has parted ways with Gerry McGovern, the veteran design chief responsible for the company’s highly polarising pink-themed rebrand — a marketing campaign criticised for featuring high-fashion models, avant-garde slogans and not a single Jaguar car.

Industry publication Autocar reported that McGovern, 69, was asked to leave the business on Monday and was “escorted out of the office,” bringing an abrupt end to his 21-year tenure as one of the most influential figures at the carmaker. JLR declined to comment on the departure.

McGovern’s exit comes just weeks after PB Balaji, previously chief financial officer at parent company Tata Motors, took over as JLR’s new chief executive. The leadership reshuffle follows a turbulent year marked by falling demand for premium cars in China, semiconductor supply concerns and a major cyberattack that halted production for five weeks.

Jaguar’s December 2024 relaunch — revealed at Miami Art Week — was widely ridiculed for ditching the brand’s famous “growler” emblem in favour of a high-fashion aesthetic. The glossy campaign featured models with angular haircuts walking through a pink, sci-fi landscape, accompanied by slogans such as “delete ordinary,” “copy nothing,” and “live vivid.”

There were no cars in the campaign video, a decision the company defended at the time as “bold and imaginative.”

The controversy deepened when Jaguar unveiled a concept model in neon “Barbie pink,” prompting comparisons to Lady Penelope’s car from Thunderbirds. Critics on social media labelled the campaign “woke” and out of touch.

Former US President Donald Trump accused JLR of being in “absolute turmoil,” branding the rebrand “stupid.” Tesla chief executive Elon Musk mocked the campaign, asking: “Do you sell cars?”

Despite the uproar, McGovern remains widely respected for reshaping some of JLR’s most iconic models. He led the reinvention of the Defender, elevated Range Rover as a luxury sub-brand and oversaw Jaguar’s transition towards an all-electric lineup, including the “neo-brutalist” Type 00 concept.

Raised in Coventry, McGovern studied at the Royal College of Art before embarking on a career that included roles at Chrysler, Peugeot, Austin Rover and Ford’s Lincoln division. He joined Land Rover as director of advanced design in 2004 and later became JLR’s chief creative officer, also joining the company board.

McGovern’s departure comes as JLR battles production volatility and macroeconomic strain. Dutch semiconductor firm Nexperia has warned it can no longer guarantee deliveries due to political tensions with China, while October’s phased restart of production followed a cyber incident that forced Tata Motors to take a $228.5 million charge.

The pink rebrand had come to symbolise, for some critics, a period of misjudged corporate experimentation — a trend analysts say is now reversing, aided by a shareholder push for more commercially grounded marketing. Retailers such as American Eagle have recently enjoyed strong stock performance after returning to more mainstream, celebrity-driven campaigns.

With Jaguar’s first new electric model due next summer, McGovern’s departure raises fresh questions about how much of his creative vision will survive under JLR’s new leadership.

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Jaguar ‘dumps designer’ behind pink rebrand after backlash over ‘car-free’ campaign

Instagram will require its workforce to return to the office five days a week from early next year, becoming the latest major tech company to crack down on remote work.

In an internal memo titled “Building a Winning Culture in 2026”, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri told employees that full-time office attendance would be mandatory from 2 February 2026 for US-based staff. He argued that teams in the company’s New York office were already benefiting from a stronger in-person culture, which he linked to greater creativity, momentum and collaboration.

Mosseri, who has led Instagram since 2018, said: “Being nimble and creative is as important as strategy in making progress after a tough 2025. We’ve made good progress this year, but we still need to do more if we want to lead.”

The move makes Instagram stricter than its parent company, Meta. While Meta requires most staff across Facebook and WhatsApp to be onsite three days a week, the company said Instagram was free to set its own rules.

“We still have full-time remote work, and those eligible can apply,” a Meta spokesperson said. “Department heads can determine what works best for their teams. The Instagram policy is solely for Instagram, not company wide.”

Other major tech firms have been rolling back flexible work policies. Amazon reintroduced full-time office working earlier this year, and Elon Musk has required X (formerly Twitter) employees to work fully onsite since late 2022. Google and most of Silicon Valley now follow a hybrid three-day office model.

Alongside the back-to-office order, Mosseri announced new initiatives intended to reduce bureaucracy and speed up product development. Instagram will now cancel all recurring meetings every six months and reinstate only those that are “absolutely necessary”.

He urged staff to prioritise product prototypes over slide decks, writing: “I want most of your time focused on building great products, not preparing for meetings.”

The shake-up comes as Instagram attempts to sharpen its identity. Mosseri has said he wants Instagram to “stand for creativity”, while positioning Meta’s Threads app as a space for “perspectives”.

Despite stricter internal policies, Meta continues to post robust results. In its most recent quarterly earnings, revenue grew 26 per cent year-on-year to $51.2 billion, while daily average users across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads reached 3.54 billion — up 8 per cent from the previous year.

Instagram itself employs around 20,000 people across Meta’s global workforce.

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Instagram orders staff back to the office full-time as Mosseri pushes for ‘creative and collaborative’ culture