Rolls-Royce powers change - think what might be possible at Unilever and BP, says ALEX BRUMMER

Several of the biggest beasts of UK corporate life have been in the limelight this week. The slow pace of change at Unilever saw the chief executive Hein Schumacher thrown overboard in record time for an energised, Argentine-born replacement Fernando Fernandez. The long-awaited capital markets day at BP, designed to signal a rapid change of direction, did nothing to curb the unrest among investors with activist Elliott leading the charge against an ineffectual board, led by chairman Helge Lund. Instead of repainting the sunburst symbol again, a fresh start at the top – with a chairman and chief executive capable of genuine dynamism and change – should be the obvious course. It is easy to deride the pace of travel to net zero, but for the world’s big insurance beasts climate change is a clear and present danger.