Interim KPMG CEO quits after being passed over for permanent role April 29, 2021 Interim KPMG CEO Mary O’Connor, the first woman to lead the Big Four firm, has quit after she was passed up for the permanent role. O’Connor took over as chief executive of KPMG UK following the sudden departure of Bill Michael earlier this year, after he made controversial comments about unconscious bias training during a video call [...]
Schroders’ assets under management edges up £9 billion in three months to new record April 29, 2021 Assets under management (AUM) at Schroders jumped £9bn in the first three months of the year, up to £672bn in total – a record high for the group. In a previous trading update the asset manager said the rise in AUM showcased “the benefits of active investment management and our ability to deliver a good [...]
Keystone Law CEO: ‘There’s always been a culture of presenteeism in law firms – but that makes less sense now’ April 29, 2021 AIM-listed Keystone Law has enjoyed a good financial year, with profits and revenue at the firm up, something it attributes to being accidentally pandemic-ready thanks to its flexible approach to work. Revenue for the year jumped nearly 11 per cent to £55m, while profit before tax rose to £5.4m, some £200,000 more than the previous [...]
Some 600 jobs at risk as Nestlé closes UK factory and moves some production to Europe April 28, 2021 Nestlé plans to close its Fawdon factory near Newcastle, putting 573 jobs at risk in the process. Under new proposals, the Swiss food and drinks conglomerate said products currently made at Fawdon would move to other plants in the UK and in continental Europe. If the plans go ahead, the Fawdon factory will close “towards [...]
Litigation funders’ cash pipeline hits £2bn for the first time amid growing popularity April 28, 2021 The value of the pipeline of court cases and cash held by top UK litigation funders has hit £2bn for the first time as the asset class grows in popularity. The value held by litigation funders has rocketed in recent years, according to data by law firm RPC, with funding doubling in three years from [...]
Compensation scheme that cost £23m to set up has yet to pay any redress April 28, 2021 A compensation scheme for victims of banking scandals that cost millions of pounds to establish is yet to pay out even a penny in redress. The Business Banking Resolution Service (BBRS), which was formed in 2019 and cost £23m to set up, has run up huge bills for staff and third-party advisers, but is yet [...]
KPMG staff fired after rowdy ‘boys’ night out’ featuring binge drinking and strippers April 28, 2021 Staff from KPMG’s private equity division in Melbourne were fired after a wild ‘boys’ night out’ that featured heavy binge drinking and strippers. A 2015 video invitation to ‘boys’ night’, sent to 80 male employees at KPMG’s Melbourne office, with women excluded, has just recently come to light. According to the Mail Online, the video [...]
Equiniti receives sweetened £661m takeover bid from US private equity firm April 28, 2021 Equiniti Group has received a revised offer from US private equity investor Siris Capital, to buy the outsourcer for around £661m in cash. Siris revised its bid to 180 pence per share following discussions, London-listed Equiniti said. In early April, Siris submitted a non-binding proposal for 170 pence per share, which Equiniti said it would evaluate “carefully [...]
Dixons Carphone to close all Dixons Travel airport stores as it repays £73m furlough cash April 28, 2021 Dixons Carphone will close all of its Dixons Travel stores, having made the decision to shut down the business after the government removed airside tax free sales for most retailers. All 35 stores, found in airports around the UK including at Heathrow and Gatwick, as well as two concessions on P&O Cruises, will close, after [...]
Co-op bank reports ‘resilient’ performance in first few months of 2021 April 28, 2021 Co-op Bank reported a small underlying profit in the first three months of 2021 of £2.6m, with statutory profit before tax of £7.2m. CEO Nick Slape said the bank had delivered a “resilient” three-month performance, that should position it well to deliver overall profit in 2021. “We have delivered a resilient performance by maintaining our [...]
