Shell’s Linda Cook to stand down in June May 26, 2009 OIL giant Royal Dutch Shell said yesterday that Linda Cook, an executive who lost out on the battle for the top job at the company, was standing down from her role as head of its gas and power division. Cook’s resignation comes ahead of current chief executive Jeroen van der Veer standing down on 1 [...]
US consumer confidence rises but house prices continue to fall May 26, 2009 FURTHER evidence of green shoots in the US emerged yesterday as stronger than expected consumer confidence data for May boosted optimism the recession could be nearly over. The Conference Board’s sentiment index jumped from a revised 40.8 in April to 54.9 in May, well above forecasts for 42, and suggesting underlying improvement in the economy. [...]
Luxury car sales fall after millionaires hit by crunch May 26, 2009 SALES of luxury cars have plummeted after the number of UK millionaires fell sharply on the back of the credit crunch. Sales of Bentleys are down 66 per cent so far this year, while sales of BMWs are down by 35 per cent, against a 29 per cent fall for the entire car market. In [...]
South African economy hit by recession May 26, 2009 SOUTH Africa’s economy suffered its sharpest contraction in a quarter of a century, declining by an annualised 6.4 per cent in the first three months of 2009 and confirming its first recession in 17 years. Africa’s biggest economy has been hard hit by global woes, with recession in developed countries slashing demand for its minerals [...]
LINDA COOK SHELL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GAS & POWER May 26, 2009 Linda Cook joined Shell in Houston in 1980, and has been chief executive of Shell Gas & Power since 2000. She has also been a group managing director at the company. Born in Kansas City in 1958, Cook graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Petroleum Engineering. She moved with her family [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS May 26, 2009 PricewaterhouseCoopersThe business advisory firm has appointed Ashley Unwin as head of its performance improvement consulting practice. Unwin joins from Terra Firma Capital Partners. Until recently, he was acting chief operating officer for EMI Music in North America and chief executive officer for EMI Music in the UK and Ireland. Prior to that, he was a [...]
Staff cash in after record Tesco profits May 26, 2009 MORE than 207,000 Tesco employees are to scoop up share bonuses worth a total of £98m, it was revealed yesterday, after the giant retailer posted record annual results. Under the group’s “Share in Success” scheme, checkout workers to store managers that have worked with the supermarket for at least a year by the end of [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS May 26, 2009 PREMIER FOODSInvestec upgrades Premier Foods to “buy”, in spite of only recently downgrading it to “hold”. It says the drop in the share price following its recent trading update, together with likely better news on bread, makes it a more attractive proposition once again. Maintains 40p target price. “The foundations are in place for better [...]
MUTUEL TAKES THE MICKEY May 26, 2009 FRENCH bank Crédit Mutuel has signed a deal with Disneyland Paris that will see it use Disney branding to promote accounts for young people. The bank will also have exclusive rights to provide certain banking services at the resort.
Landmark for lottery boosts Camelot sales May 26, 2009 NATIONAL Lottery operator Camelot yesterday posted its best sales performance in a decade –as it kicks off its third licence period for the game played by 70 per cent of the adult population. The group recorded sales of £5.1bn, an increase of £182.8m on the £4.9bn posted a year earlier. During the past year Camelot [...]