The Season of Christmas and New Year Message

In a year filled with global, geopolitical and financial challenges and dramatic changes for everyone, we share gratitude with all our trusted colleagues, family, friends, and network.

“The future is always stranger than we imagine.”
— Arthur C. Clarke

The year was marked by events including Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th U.S. President, the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, and the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

Other significant events were a release of the experimental GPT-5.5, India establishing a lunar station, and continued conflict in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine.

There were also major disasters, such as a devastating earthquake in Afghanistan and a significant air crash in India, and a budget in the UK by the chancellor Rachel Reeves who announced yet more big tax-rises. The budget that will take more money from workers, people saving for a pension and from investors for greater room to meet her deficit-reduction targets.

The year 2025 will end with the feeling that the impacts on growth of the various supply shocks and the heightened uncertainty have been limited and far lower than expected following the noise generated during Donald Trump’s first few weeks in office. The global economy continues to show significant resilience and the business cycle is maintaining a cruising speed of around 3%, although the disparities in growth between Europe (1.3%), the US (1.8%) and Asia (4.5%) persist.

The list of factors that may explain this strength in economic activity include a milder-than-expected impact of the tariff hikes now that an all-out trade war has been avoided and the flexibility of private agents in anticipating and adapting to the noise of the new economic environment, in addition to the existence of favourable financial conditions.

As we approach 2026, the global economy is once again demonstrating greater-than-expected resilience to uncertainty and geopolitical noise. However, growth and welfare will depend on how the division between economic blocs, the rise of artificial intelligence and fiscal challenges are managed, in a context of transition and increasing complexity.

Christmas is an incredibly busy period; however, this should not stop neglecting the ones who are closest to you.
The festive season is a wonderful time of year, filled with love, excitement and Christmas cheer. But for many people, including older people, the season can be challenging, and leave them more susceptible to feelings of grief and depression.

Maintaining social connections is crucial for good mental health, especially for seniors, but the power of Christmas to bring people together can also accentuate someone’s sense of loss and loneliness. This time of year, can bring back vivid and often painful memories of past Christmases’ and lost loved ones. Older people living alone may also experience acute loneliness at this particularly social time of year.

With the festive season revolving around tradition and sparking memories, it can bring into sharp focus the changes that have occurred in someone’s life, health and capabilities. Whether it’s realising that you can no longer cook your signature Christmas dinner, or that you’ll have to skip the traditional Boxing Day family walk, this time of year can be overwhelming for older people, or those who have seen a swift decline in health.

I have always said we need to take care of our mental health with the same attention we take care of our physical health, building a culture of workplace health takes time and commitment, but it can be done, and it needs to be done.

Christmas is a special time of year, and for many of us, it’s a time to come together with loved ones and celebrate the season. Spending time with family at Christmas can be a wonderful opportunity to create traditions, build bonds, and make lasting memories and feel the magic.

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season can be overwhelming, and it’s important to make time for meaningful connections and communication with your family. Plan dedicated time for family meals, conversations, and activities, and make sure to listen and engage with one another. This can help you strengthen your bonds and create a sense of togetherness.

This Christmas time is especially poignant, as we reconnect with our loved ones, families and friends internationally. We wish you a very happy, harmonious and safe holiday season and let us look forward to a positive new year in 2026.

May peace fill all the empty spaces around you, your family and your friends and your colleagues at this special time of year, and in you, may contentment answer all your wishes.

Raise a toast to yesterday’s achievements and tomorrow’s brighter future.

May comfort be yours, warm and soft like a sigh.

And may the coming year show you that every day is really a first day and a new year.

Let abundance be your constant companion so that you have much to share.

May mirth be near you always, like a lamp shining brightly on the many paths you travel.

Work with the best of your abilities in 2026 and show to the world your power to create wonderful and superior things.

New Year 2026 may turn out to be a year when you are put on the road to everlasting success, love and prosperity.

Be the change that you wish to see at your workplace and take initiatives to make things better.

Wish your tomorrow is more prosperous, happy and successful than yesterday and today.

Looking forward to another year with hunger and passion to exceed at work and you are sure to meet with success.

Let new beginnings signify a new chapter filled with pages of success and happiness, written by the ink of hard work and intelligence.

May the New Year bring us more wonderful opportunities for success.

HERE’S WISHING YOU THE GIFT OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY THROUGHOUT 2026