MALMAISON TAKES NO PRISONERS AS BANKER COUPLE TURN JAIL BAIT
EVEN if you have never stayed at Oxford’s Malmaison hotel, you may know the former jail from its TV appearances in Porridge, Inspector Morse and The Italian Job.
The boutique hotel – which until 1996 was known as Her Majesty’s Prison Oxford – is now a home from home for the bankers of Britain, who pay up to £345 to spend the night in “A-Wing”, where three prison cells have been sensitively knocked through to create a four-star suite with adjoining bathroom.
The one-time jail has become so popular in City circles that it welcomed its 500th banker through its doors this week and, to mark the occasion, general manager Mark McSorley left a note on said banker’s pillow that called to mind the spectres of Strauss-Kahn, Madoff, Leeson and friends. “Enjoy your stay,” he wrote. “But remember, next time it could be the real thing.”
Luckily, the banker and his wife have stayed at the Malmaison “a number of times”, so they saw the funny side rather than calling in their lawyers. “They took the joke in the humorous spirit in which it was intended,” said a lawsuit-free McSorley.
ON YOUR BIKE
DAVID Sproul (right) is not resting on his laurels after being appointed as Deloitte’s new chief executive. After just 17 days in the top job, he is spending this Sunday cycling 95 miles from Ludlow to Bath as part of the Deloitte Ride Across Britain, accompanied by six senior partners and 100 Deloitte colleagues to raise £1m for Paralympics GB.
Matt Brittin, managing director of Google UK and Cisco’s UK & Ireland chief executive Phil Smith are also taking part in the ride, which Sproul described as “slightly daunting”.
RAISING THE BAR
INTERESTING times at the Bar Council, which is developing closer relations with the City of London as it looks to increase UK barristers’ international arbitration work, ahead of the appointment of Michael Todd QC as chairman next January.
“UK barristers are recognised experts in their fields and we believe there are exciting opportunities for the Bar abroad, particularly in the Gulf, India and China,” Mark Hatcher, director of representation and policy at The Bar Council, told The Capitalist.
Perhaps it’s one for the in-tray of Alderman David Wootton, understood to be the preferred candidate to take over from Michael Bear as Lord Mayor in November.
As Hatcher continued: “When the Lord Mayor goes abroad on a trade mission to extol the City’s virtues, we want to ensure he understands the important part the Bar plays in contributing to London as a leading global financial centre.”
CODE BREAKERS
CALLING all readers who like fast cars and solving puzzles. The “ethical hackers” at PwC have hidden a coded message on the bodywork of an Aston Martin V8 Vantage that is racing in the British GT Championship at Brands Hatch on Sunday.
Crack the code for a chance of winning prizes such as having your name emblazoned on the sports car at races around the country. If you can’t make it to Brands Hatch, pictures of the car will be posted at www.secureracing.org after the race.