For their latest company interview, Lord Lee and Alex Newman sit down with Lawrence Hutchings, who joined Workspace as CEO in November 2024.

That conversation, which was taped on 9 January, was to be one of Hutchings' last in the role. Ten days after the recording, and amid mounting activist pressure from shareholder Saba Capital, Workspace abruptly announced Hutchings would be replaced as CEO by Charlie Green, co-founder of the Office Group.

Despite this, we are publishing the conversation below, together with some of John's initial thoughts. Commenting on his own appointment, Green said "the strategy in place is clear and provides the right platform to rebuild occupancy and drive income growth over time." Presumably that means a degree of continuity.

Let us know your thoughts on the move, or if you have any questions or any suggestions for future guests, by emailing alex.newman@ft.com

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Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

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It may be dry January for some, but this week we are settling down with the pub companies amid a raft of news for the sector in recent days. Mark Robinson is here to discuss the bumper Christmas periods that many in the sector enjoyed, the imminent U-turn on business rate hikes likely to be announced by the government in the days ahead, the US activist putting the pressure on Marston’s (MARS) and more.

After that we turn our attention to one government reform that’s not being reversed – the Renters’ Rights Act is due to come into force this year, and that puts pressure on landlords to comply. Holly McKechnie will explain what that means for the rental market, and also talk us through the other changes coming in that could have an even bigger impact on buy-to-let properties.

Lastly, we look at gene sequencing device maker Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), one of the 2021 UK IPOs that have done especially badly, but which has shown some signs of life in recent months. Julian Hofmann will examine the company’s full-year trading update for clues to its future prospects.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

01:06 Pubs winter rally

14:20 Renters' Rights Act

26:26 Oxford Nanopore

Read the articles highlighted in the show:

Mitchells & Butlers: Pricier pints power profit growth

Does it still pay to be a landlord?

Oxford Nanopore returns to growth

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re kicking things off with one of the big company stories of early 2026 – for a number of reasons. It was a busy December for BP (BP.), which junked its chief executive and made progress with some divestment plans. Alex Hamer and Mark Robinson are here to discuss what the imminent arrival of new boss Meg O’Neill might mean for the group and its strategy, all in the context of a dramatic start to the year in which the US has seized control of oil supplies from one of the founding members of Opec.

We will also touch on the wider commodities outlook for the year, before moving on to asset allocation in general – our big read this week is all about diversification, why it matters even if you have a high risk tolerance and high risk appetite. Val Cipriani will talk us through the ins and outs later on.

To wrap up, we look at the UK company that, it turns out, has been the subject of 11 bids over the past four months. That’s struggling online platform Auction Technology (ATG), whose shares rebounded this week as news broke. Valeria Martinez will discuss what’s next for the business.

Timestamps:

0:49: BP's new CEO

19:3: Diversification strategies

31:05: Auction Technology

Read the articles highlighted in the show:

The complete guide to diversifying your portfolio

BP announces surprise CEO change

BP heads further upstream after Castrol sale

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a week before Christmas, which means only one thing around these parts: our bumper double issue hits the shelves on Friday 19 December. In it, we look ahead to all things 2026, and we’re doing the same thing here today with our first segment. In a moment we’ll be taking a close look at the FTSE 100’s runaway performance this year and asking whether it can continue over the next 12 months. With a little bit of a glance across the Atlantic, too. Alex Newman will talk us through things.

After that, we turn to much shorter-term prospects. Because it’s Christmas, Mark Robinson has explored the origins of the Santa rally, and gets into the detail of when exactly we might expect one to take place this year, and why.

To wrap up for the year we finish with a special interest story of sorts: Holly McKechnie is here to discuss why crypto assets’ existential crisis, legally speaking that is, may have finally come to an end.

Timestamps:

0:59 FTSE's big year

16:57 The Santa Rally

26:15 Crypto ownership regulation

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ethical investing is often seen as a way to align your money with your values, but what does it really mean in practice? In this episode of Women and Wealth, Investors’ Chronicle’s Val Cipriani is joined by Madi Apthorpe to explain how ethical investing works in practice, covering ESG labels, exclusions, impact, engagement and how investors can avoid greenwashing.

As more investors seek to support environmental sustainability, social responsibility and good governance, the ethical investing landscape has become increasingly complex. Val and Madi discuss how investors can navigate this space with confidence, the trade-offs involved, and whether investing ethically means sacrificing returns. They also explore how women investors in particular are approaching ethical considerations and what questions to ask before committing your money.

Women and Wealth is the monthly podcast series from Investors’ Chronicle. You can listen to and watch the episodes, alongside our other podcasts, on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex Newman and Lord Lee are joined by Jerry Randall, CEO of Venture Life (VLG), a leader in the consumer self-care market. They discuss the company's history, the outlook for the wider sector and potential upcoming acquisitions.

Alex and Lord Lee then discuss recent changes to Lord Lee's portfolio, including his moves involving British house builders Taylor Wimpey (TW), and new position in food and beverage operator SSP Group (SSPG). Alex and Lord Lee end with a look back on the last year of investing and how Lord Lee's Isa and non-Isa portfolios have performed.

Timestamps

0:00 Intro

2:15 Background on Venture Life

3:36 Selling off the manufacturer

6:09 How Lord Lee found Venture Life

8:03 Jerry Randall's background

9:07 Raising money from markets

11:59 Wellness industry & compliance

16:18 Acquisitions & future deals

28:20 Potential for dividends

32:41 Lord Lee on the budget

33:58 Update on Lord Lee's portfolio

35:47 ISA changes

38:03 Taylor Wimpey (TW)

40:03 New position in SSP

42:02 End of year portfolio roundup

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start today with a look at the potential megamergers in Hollywood as the battle to take over Warner Brothers Discovery (US:WBD) comes to a head. Both Netflix and Paramount Skydance have made big bids for Warner Bros this month. Who will prevail? Will politics have the final say? Will competition regulators? Julian Hofmann is here to discuss.

Then our cover feature this week is all about the driverless car revolution. Long-promised, long-awaited in some quarters, is the big sea change in transportation finally here? As self-driving vehicles prepare to take to the streets of the UK, Michael Fahy will examine the prospects for the sector and for traditional automakers.

Last but not least we look at housebuilder Berkeley (BKG). The housebuilder reported half-year figures earlier this week, Hugh Moorhead is here to talk through the implications of the Budget and the outlook for higher-end London housing.

Timestamps:

0:56 Warner Bros bidding war

15:33 Self-driving cars

29:30 Berkeley results

Bidding war breaks out for Warner Bros

How to profit from self-driving cars

Resilient Berkeley Group looks undervalued

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Investors’ Chronicle associate editor Simon Thompson joins Dan Jones to discuss what 2026 might hold for smaller companies and the market in general.

Simon and Dan discuss how equities are positioned for the year ahead, as well as the impact of the Budget and how measures including the reduced Isa cash cap could impact UK stocks. They conclude by previewing what to expect from Simon’s Bargain Shares selection for 2026 – due to be revealed in February – and how taking on more risk might be on the cards.

Timestamps:

1:27 How UK equities are positioned

7:08 Economic outlook

11:32 The Budget

19:24 Mergers and acquisitions

33:52 UK tech companies

41:32 Impact of high interest rates

44:14 Preview of 2026 Bargain Shares Selection

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.