The cliche of how unprecedented 2020 has been for individuals and businesses is well-worn, and it's hard to imagine how 2021 could have more surprises for us, but nevertheless, in our final episode of the year we will try to look ahead to next year.

Economist Henk Potts joins Nazreen Visram to discuss everything from the impact that Covid-19 has had on the global economy in 2020, to the US election results, and Brexit.

Please note this podcast has been recorded on 16 December, before any final news about a deal or no-deal scenario had broken, and before Tier 4 restrictions were announced in the UK.

Whilst the pandemic has placed immense strain on the majority of businesses, it has forced rapid transformation in order to adapt to the new, digital world. Research has shown that companies who have adapted through innovation and empowerment have been most successful in thriving during this time, rather than just surviving. But which of these changes do we really want to hang on to as Covid-19 becomes history - which of these adaptations do we want to become permanent transformations?

From the basics of e-signatures, to the re-strategising from physical businesses to online platforms, innovation has been turbo-charged by Covid-19. Empowerment has led to process and product improvements, acceleration of decision-making, and a heightened resilience from employees. We need to ask ourselves what this pandemic has done positively for the culture of our businesses, and what do we really want to hang on to?

We invited our host and Barclays experts to dive into the different ways companies across sectors have mastered adaptation during this time.

In what has been a seismic year for the Black Lives Matter movement, our host Nazreen Visram welcomes two colleagues to discuss whether 2020 and specifically Covid-19 has seen diversity and inclusion take a backseat or whether it has actually increased the focus. Research suggests some companies have put some of their diversity initiatives on hold.

In what is Black History Month in the UK, we discuss how the Black Lives Matter protests have added urgency to concerns over inequality, both in society and the workplace, and whether Covid is being used an excuse to put D&I on hold, or if it could be the catalyst for positive and lasting change.

Our guests are Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy and David Shinkins, who alongside their day jobs are, respectively, Co-Chair of Barclays’ Black Professionals Forum and Co-Chair of Barclays Corporate Banking’s Diversity and Inclusion Council.

Most companies are focused on the challenges of Brexit, and meeting them will be highly important, but there are also potential opportunities ahead with new trade deals that will bring new exporting and importing opportunities.

In this podcast, recorded on  Friday 11 September, Barclays' Global Head of Trade and Working Capital and Sophie Wheeler-Traherne from Barclays' Government Relations team, join Nasreen Visram to discuss what the global trading economy might look like after December 31st 2020.

Welcome to our new podcast, where each month we'll be picking a major theme impacting businesses and the world and asking, 'what is possible?' In this episode, we look at how retail, hospitality, and professional services buinesses are set to navigate the Covid-19 recovery. We also speak to our Head of Sustainable Finance to ask if the recovery is set to be a green recovery?

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