The Allen & Overy Podcast archive

#Employmenttalk live: Whistleblowing

Nach acht Ausgaben unserer Client Call-Serie werden wir uns dieses Mal anhand des nun vorliegenden Referentenentwurfs für ein Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz mit dem Thema Whistleblowing und Hinweisgeberschutz auseinandersetzen. Unter anderem werden wir die folgenden Schwerpunkte behandeln:

 

•Inwieweit geht der Referentenentwurf über die EU Vorgaben hinaus?

•Wer muss eine Meldestelle einrichten?

•Wie muss ein Unternehmen mit einer Meldung umgehen?

•Was sind die Konsequenzen, wenn ein Unternehmen die neuen Vorgaben nicht umsetzt?

•Wie weit geht der arbeitsrechtliche Schutz eines Hinweisgebers und welche Anforderungen werden an eine schutzwürdige Meldung gestellt?

•In welchem Umfang dürfen Meldestellen personenbezogene Daten verarbeiten und welche Informationspflichten gelten?

 

In Credit Podcast - Episode 6: Key takeaways from the Financial Conduct Authority’s finalised guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable c...

In this episode of In Credit, A&O consumer finance team Joanne Owens, Victoria Ferres and Sophie Skeet are joined by A&O Consulting executive director Claire Haydon to discuss the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) long-awaited finalised guidance on vulnerable customers. This guidance applies to all firms where the FCA’s Principles for Businesses apply, regardless of sector and to the supply of products or services to retail customers even if a firm does not have a direct client relationship with the customer.

In this episode, the panellists explain how firms should understand the harms their customers may be vulnerable to throughout the whole customer journey so that those firms can ensure that vulnerable customers receive the same fair treatment and outcomes as other customers. The panellists also look in detail at the specific chapters including:

• Understanding the needs of vulnerable customers
• Skills and capabilities of staff
• Taking practical action
• Monitoring and evaluating compliance

For information on this or any related topics, please get in touch with the speakers, or your usual A&O contact.

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Virtual hearings – the psychological aspects of virtual hearings

As part of Allen & Overy’s interview series on virtual hearings, Frankfurt partner Anna Masser interviews Dr Ula Cartwright-Finch on the psychological side of virtual hearings.

SPACs and Luxembourg – a success story in the making?

Jacques Graas, partner in the Luxembourg corporate team, Paul Péporté, a partner in the Luxembourg ICM team, and Victoria Woestmann, a senior associate in the Luxembourg corporate team, talk about the SPACtacular world of Special Purpose Acquisition Vehicles (SPAC), how de-SPACing is as important as getting the SPAC listed, and why Luxembourg is a great market to absorb the SPAC wave that is flooding into Europe over the Atlantic. 

Keen to learn more? Then listen to the newest A&O Luxembourg Podcast.

Trust Us Season 2 – Episode 1: Market developments in Asia Pacific impacting trustees in 2021

To kick off Season 2, our panellists take us on a whistle-stop tour across Asia-Pacific, discussing the latest capital market and restructuring developments and their implications for trusts and agencies. Topics include:

Topics include:

• Emergence of sustainable bonds in Asia Pacific: from green bonds to blue bonds to social bonds and now, transition bonds 
• Rise of alternative clearing options in China. Understanding this system and its requirements
• Update on regulatory capital requirements in Asia Pacific
• State of play with restructurings in Indonesia and expectation for a wave of bond defaults in China 
• Rise of high-yield issuances in Southeast Asia in 2021 
• Development of sustainability linked products and the increasing presence of convertible and equity linked securities in the region

The discussion, which is moderated by Holly Hart, senior associate in the Asia Pacific Corporate Trust and Agency Team, features the following speakers:

• Tim Beech, partner and head of the Asia Pacific Corporate Trust and Agency Team
• Jaclyn Yeap, partner, advising on capital markets transactions across Greater China
• Felipe Duque, partner, advising on strategic debt and equity investments, and product innovation across Asia 
• Aloysius Tan, partner, advising on debt and equity capital markets in Singapore and cross-border
• Rivan Supriadi, senior associate in Jakarta, advising on financing and restructurings in Indonesia

The Trust Us series presents succinct overviews of hot topics for trustees in the APAC market. These podcasts are based on webinars hosted for clients. Please note this episode was recorded on 3rd March 2021 and references developments occurring at that time.

Great Fund Insights: In conversation with PRI – navigating the ESG landscape in 2021 from a manager and investor perspective

As part of our focus on ESG, Paul Sampson and Ellie Wells from our Funds & Asset Management practice speak to Peter Dunbar at the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in relation to ESG issues on the horizon for fund managers and investors. Peter shares his insights on the importance of managers and investors participating in the discussion around ESG, navigating the regulatory, commercial and market pressures that stakeholders face and the due diligence questionnaire developed by PRI for LPs.

Implications of DORA for technology service providers

In this second podcast, members of Allen & Overy’s FinTech team Heenal Vasu, Ben Regnard-Weinrabe, and Catherine Di Lorenzo, discuss the changes that DORA will bring for technology service providers in the EU, and some of the practical steps that these service providers should take to prepare. 

Implications of DORA for financial entities

In the first podcast on the European Union’s Digital Operational Resilience Regulation, known as DORA, members of Allen & Overy’s FinTech team Heenal Vasu and Nikki Johnstone, together with Tom Anderson of A&O Consulting look at the changes that DORA will bring to the financial entities across Europe.

#Employmenttalk: Impfen

Nach sieben Ausgaben unserer Client Call-Serie rund um das Themengebiet Covid-19 möchten wir nun auf das Thema Impfen im Detail eingehen. Thematisch tauschen wir uns über die folgenden Themen austauschen:

• Dürfen Arbeitgeber eine Impfung für den Beginn oder die Fortsetzung des Arbeitsverhältnisses vorschreiben?
• Müssen Arbeitgeber eine Impfung (kostenfrei) anbieten?
• Dürfen Arbeitgeber von den Mitarbeitern einen Impfnachweis verlangen?
• Sind finanzielle Anreize für Impfwillige durch den Arbeitgeber zulässig?
• Kann ein Arbeitnehmer eine Dienstreise in ein Land mit geringer Impfquote verweigern?
• Wie sollten Arbeitgeber handeln, wenn ein Kunde nur Mitarbeitern mit Impfnachweis den Zutritt auf sein Betriebsgelände erlaubt?

How does a material adverse change clause work in these uncertain times?

The enforceability of material adverse change clauses (“MAC clauses”) in commercial contracts is an area which has come under increased scrutiny in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In this episode, litigation counsel Helen Biggin, litigation consultant Peter Watson and structured asset finance senior associate Chris Mitchell discuss the scope of MAC clauses, what clients need to consider when drafting or seeking to rely upon such clauses in their contracts and the approach taken by the English courts to the interpretation of the MAC clauses.

Cases referred to in the podcast:

Grupo Hotelero Uvasco v Carey Value Added [2013] EWHC 1039 (Comm)

Travelport Ltd v Wex Inc [2020] EWHC 2670 (Comm)

Decura IM Investments v UBS [2015] EWHC 171 (Comm)

Cukurova Finance v Alfa Telecom [2013] UKPC 2