Mark Kleinman: Aviva’s missed deadline ensures brickbats February 15, 2019 Viva Aviva? For such a stalwart of blue-chip boardrooms, Sir Adrian Montague suddenly can’t put a foot right. Four years after taking over the chairmanship of Aviva when John McFarlane scuttled off to Barclays, he’s ended up in a rather large pickle of his own making. Sacking Mark Wilson as the insurer’s chief executive last [...]
RPC Group takeover: US-based Berry Global threatens to crash Apollo’s party January 31, 2019 Private equity firm Apollo’s takeover of plastic packaging manufacturer RPC group has come under threat after US company Berry Global said it was considering making a counter offer. Berry, another a plastic packaging supplier, said it had reached out to RPC for the due diligence information needed to make an offer, but also stressed it [...]
RPC Group’s £3.3bn private equity takeover sparks disquiet among top shareholders January 23, 2019 Private equity firm Apollo Global Management’s £3.3bn buyout of packaging manufacturer RPC Group has sparked a row among investors, who feel they are getting a raw deal. Each RPC shareholder will get 782p cash for every share they own, 15.6 per cent up on the 683.6p closing price on 7 September, the last day before [...]
City Moves for 21 January – who’s switching jobs at Superunion, Opengamma and Aviva? January 21, 2019 Who’s changing jobs today? Superunion WPP global brand agency Superunion announced the appointment of Holly Maguire as UK managing director to drive the growth of its UK business. Holly will be responsible for managing key client relationships with the likes of Coca-Cola, IAG, Nestle, Tesco and Vodafone, and building the success of Superunion since its launch [...]
Mark Kleinman’s big predictions for the Square Mile in 2019 January 11, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP exit, Unilever’s HQ U-turn, Melrose’s swoop for GKN: 2018 was a year full of surprises in the City. And while forecasting might be a fool’s errand, here are 10 predictions for the year ahead. •Theresa May will decisively lose next week’s “meaningful vote” on Brexit: that’s not a punt that will [...]
Aviva chief executive Mark Wilson steps down after almost six years in charge October 9, 2018 Aviva chief executive Mark Wilson stepped down today, with the insurer looking for new leadership for what it called its next stage of development. Wilson, who was brought in to enact a business turnaround in 2013, claimed he succeeded in this goal, with its latest financial results showing it should deliver earnings per share growth [...]
Unilever to stay on FTSE 100: How investors reacted October 5, 2018 Unilever’s awkward climbdown over its attempt to move its main listing to the Netherlands is unlikely to be the last, according to one financial expert, as investors reacted to the company’s decision to retain its London headquarters today. Unilever this morning pulled plans to make the Netherlands its sole headquarters and quit its UK offices, after [...]
Unilever shareholder threatens to vote down Dutch headquarter move September 17, 2018 Unilever's plan to move its headquarters from London to the Netherlands and be removed from the FTSE 100 was sharply criticised by a top shareholder today. Top 20 investor Aviva, which holds around a 0.6 per cent stake in the company, said it would vote against the move, which requires 75 per cent of shareholders to be passed. Read more: [...]
Aviva to cut hundreds of jobs in Manchester area as part of cost-cutting plan June 15, 2015 Aviva will cut hundreds of jobs in the Manchester area over the next 18 months as it closes offices in Stretford and Salford. Following the £5.6bn takeover of rival Friends Life, the insurer has embarked on a cost-cutting plan to deliver £225m in savings to its business by the end of 2017. On top of [...]
Insurance giant Aviva to slim down with sale of property debt June 14, 2015 Aviva, the FTSE 100 insurance firm, is said to be selling off property loans to the value of billions of pounds. One source familiar with the matter told City A.M. that big four audit firm Deloitte is currently working with Aviva. The property debt reportedly includes loans secured against House of Fraser’s department store in [...]