Director Podcast

In this snap reaction episode, Anna Leach (IoD Chief Economist) and host Ben Walker break down the Chancellor’s Spring Forecast and the latest outlook from the Office for Budget Responsibility. With no new tax announcements but higher public spending and shifting fiscal headroom, what does it mean for business confidence and competitiveness?
We explore downgraded growth projections, pressure on the labour market, rising employment costs, and why the UK’s economic outlook is becoming increasingly fragile.

As geopolitical tensions rise and protectionist policies re-emerge, the global trading environment is becoming increasingly fragmented. Against this backdrop, the UK government has maintained a globalist approach, seeking to balance its relationships with the US, EU and China. But how sustainable is that strategy in a more divided world?
In this episode, Emma Rowland (IoD Trade Policy Advisor) and Marco Forgione (Director General of The Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade) join host Ben Walker to assess the viability of balancing Britain’s major trading partners.
Together, they explore the opportunities and trade-offs across priority markets, the case for - and risks of - closer regulatory alignment with the EU, and whether ideas such as dynamic alignment or cooperation among middle powers offer a workable path forward. They also consider if retaliatory tariffs should ever be part of the UK’s toolkit, and what practical steps businesses should take to navigate a more uncertain global trading landscape.

“NEDs Reimagined: A post-Higgs review of the role and contribution of non-executive directors” is a landmark report from the IoD’s independent Commission chaired by The Rt Hon. Baroness Evans of Bowes Park.
The report calls for a fundamental rethink of what makesboards effective in today’s complex business environment – more than two decades after the influential 2003 Higgs Report first set the blueprint for non-executive leadership in the UK.
While the principles of the Higgs Review remain vital, the IoD Commission argues that the time has come for boards to evolve from a model of periodic oversight to one of active, informed, and adaptive stewardship.
In this episode, Jonathan Geldart (IoD Director General) andIrene-marie Esser (author of the report) take a look at what the Commission investigated, the key themes emerging from its work, and the implications for boards and non-executive directors in practice.

The policy landscape of 2025 presented a demanding set ofconditions for businesses, with economic and political developments creating persistent uncertainty. For many businesses, much of the year was spent absorbing and planning for the measures announced in last year’s Budget. As these policies began to take effect, director confidence fell to its lowest point on record.
In this episode, host Ben Walker is joined by Hugo Legh (IoD Head of Media, Campaigns and Public Affairs) and Anna Leach (IoD Chief Economist) to unpack the defining policy developments of 2025 and their impact on business.
Together, they explore why director confidence remained subdued throughout the year, how business leaders are reacting in the wake of the 2025 Autumn Budget, and what support they want to see from government in 2026. They also look ahead to the IoD’s policy priorities for the coming year.

With the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget now unveiled, businesses are already assessing what the new measures mean for them.
In this special rapid-reaction episode of the Director podcast, IoD Chief Economist Anna Leach breaks down the key announcements - from headline tax decisions to the policies shaping the business landscape in the months and year ahead.