PANELLISTS Nicholas Jeffrey, Grant Thornton (seconded to Department of Business Innovation & Skills) world T Marc Jobling, Assistant Director Investment Affairs Association of British Insurers Matthew Whyte, Assistant Company Secretary Rio Tinto hroughout history, the minimalist theory that ‘less is more’ has had some powerful proponents. In the ancient civilisation of Sparta, citizens adhered to a set of moral codes based on simplicity and precision. The underlying philosophy is that only through reduction and simplification can we see the real essence of people and things. It is a concept that many in the world of business would do well to consider – particularly in the arena of corporate reporting, where an excess of material is leading to clutter, repetition and imprecision, and where companies’ key messages and stories are becoming woefully obscured. www.blacksunplc.com © Black Sun Plc 2011 5