Royal Mail ’embarrassed’ at lack of shareholder engagement over executive pay October 16, 2018 Royal Mail’s remuneration committee chair Orna Ni-Chionna told MPs today she was “embarrassed” at the failure to engage with its shareholders before a major revolt over the pay for its outgoing chief executive Moya Greene. Ni-Chionna, appearing before the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy select committee, said it was a “huge disappointment” and “shock” that [...]
Rio Tinto iron ore production slips after death halts work October 16, 2018 Iron ore production at mining major Rio Tinto slipped in the third quarter (Q3) after the death of a worker at a mine in Western Australia. The company said a truck operator at its Paraburdoo iron ore mine was fatally injured on 15 August and on 9 July a security contractor was killed after a “serious [...]
Scottish Power to use 100 per cent wind power after £702m Drax deal October 16, 2018 Scottish Power is set to become the first major UK energy supplier to be powered 100 per cent by renewable energy after it today announced a £702m sale of its gas and hydro stations to Drax. Scottish Power had previously closed its coal powered facilities and today agreed to sell a 2,566 megawatt portfolio to [...]
HSBC hiring senior former JP Morgan banker to co-head its global investment bank October 11, 2018 HSBC is set to announce the hire of a senior former JP Morgan banker to co-head its global investment bank. It is understood that the hire of Greg Guyett, who held senior roles at JP Morgan in the UK, US and Asia, will be announced in the next few days. Guyett’s hire, first reported by [...]
Supermarket chain announces $300m London float plans in first overseas Belarusian listing October 11, 2018 Grocery chain Eurotorg today announced plans to float on the London Stock Exchange in what would be a first overseas listing for a Belarusian business. Eurotorg is the largest grocery chain in Belarus with a market share of approximately 19 per cent of the food retail market. The float will mark the first overseas listing [...]
London’s status as a tech hub helping drive transatlantic deals October 11, 2018 London's status as a hub for technology and financial services is helping drive a strong flow of deals between the US and the UK according to audit firm Deloitte. Deloitte said deal volumes between the UK and US “remained buoyant” in the first half of 2018, with 238 completed deals in the period. There were 152 [...]
Leaseplan cancels planned float as stock markets wobble October 11, 2018 Car leasing group Leaseplan today announced it was cancelling its planned initial public offering (IPO) just a week after confirming its float plans. The private equity-backed company, which has a market capitalisation of more than €6bn (£5.2bn), blamed market conditions for its decision. Leaseplan said last week that it was planning to float on the [...]
Tesco boss Dave Lewis tells court of ‘shock’ at discovery of accounts misstatement October 11, 2018 Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis told Southwark Crown Court today of his “genuine shock” at being presented with an internal memo detailing a £250m misstatement in the supermarket giant’s accounts. Lewis, a witness at the fraud trial of Tesco’s ex-managing director Chris Bush and ex-UK food commercial director John Scouler, said he was presented with [...]
Litigation funder Vannin Capital pulls London float blaming market conditions October 10, 2018 Litigation funder Vannin Capital has cancelled its London initial public offering (IPO) blaming market volatility. Vannin, which finances litigation for businesses and law firms in exchange for a slice of any settlement, announced its intention to float last month. Market sources said the projected float could have valued the business at up to £1bn. Read [...]
Supreme Court backs Northern Irish bakery in gay cake fight October 10, 2018 The UK Supreme Court ruled today that a Northern Irish bakery that refused to decorate a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan acted lawfully. In 2014 the Ashers bakery refused to fulfil an order from the customer Gareth Lee who had asked for a cake to be decorated with the Sesame Street characters Bert and [...]