#28 - Robert Wigley – Author, former-CEO of Merrill Lynch, and Chairman of UK Finance

Published on April 27, 2021

80% of under 8s have their own tablets – there’s no doubt that the impact of technology on the next generation will be huge. The Chairman of UK Finance and author of ‘Born Digital’ joins the show to distil his research on why we need to alter our relationship with technology.


Robert Wigley backs young entrepreneurs in cutting edge technology businesses and Chairs UK Finance. He spent 25 years as a banker, rising to be EMEA Chairman of Merrill Lynch and a member of the board of the Bank of England during the 2008 financial crisis. 


Tune in as we discuss the impact of technology on empathy, Generation Z’s values, UK vs UK banking cultures, concorde flights – and Margaret Thatcher’s attention span.


Talking Points

  • Meeting Margaret Thatcher when as a teenager (5:44)
  • Lessons learnt from working at Merrill Lynch (8:22)
  • Cultural differences between Wall Street and the City of London (10:43)
  • Navigating through the 2007 - 2008 financial crisis (12:40)
  • The stages of a digital detox (14:16)
  • Research findings from his book (16:40)
  • The rise of the ‘nones’ (21:22)
  • What parents can do about digital overload with their children (27:19)
  • What we can learn from Gen Z (33:04)
  • The post-covid economy (37:58)
  • The development of central bank digital currencies (39:59)


Links

bedigital