Mad Men of Whitehall in TikTok blitz for NatWest

NATWEST hit a milestone last week when the Government’s stake in the bank fell below 30 per cent, meaning it is no longer a controlling shareholder.

It comes as the Treasury draws up plans to offer some of its remaining stake to individual investors over the summer – a far cry from when it bailed out the bank in the 2008 financial crash.

Whispers hears Whitehall is considering pulling out all the stops in a marketing blitz to spread the word to the investing public. Among the options said to be under consideration are advertising the sale on video sharing app TikTok, which has a large audience of young people.

Whitehall has also hired crack ad agency M&C Saatchi to help market the sale, while a team from Barclays will aim to ensure any campaign does not fall foul of strict rules around financial promotions.

We eagerly await what the Mad Men of Whitehall will cook up.

WHEN recruiting a boss you would think organisational skills would be at the top of the wish list. But there may be such a thing as being too organised.

A new report from Durham University Business School found bosses who ‘prioritise planning and organisation’ can be a handicap if a firm must adapt to external shocks.

Being ‘more rigid in their practices’ made it ‘more difficult for them to change their ways’. Less surprisingly, those who are ‘anxious and stressed easily’ also did not fare so well.

As a result, the researchers recommended firms facing a volatile business environment would do better to seek a boss ‘who is less conscientious and neurotic’. Overbearing bosses, you’re on notice...