BT denies boardroom rift led to chairman’s resignation March 8, 2021 BT has hit back at reports that a boardroom row led to its chairman’s resignation, insisting there was “no misalignment” over the company’s strategy. Sky News last week reported that chief executive Philip Jansen threatened to resign unless Jan du Plessis stepped down as chairman. The veteran South African director announced his departure a week [...]
International Women’s Day: London gives green light to traffic-light women March 8, 2021 Londoners out and about today may notice something different about the capital’s traffic light men — they’ve been transformed into women. New ‘green woman’ pedestrian signals have been installed at more than 20 locations across the city, including Exhibition Road in South Kensington and high streets such as Clapham and Tottenham. The redesign has been [...]
Richard Branson sues train partner for £180m in Virgin brand dispute March 8, 2021 Sir Richard Branson is suing a former US partner for $250m (£180m) over its decision to drop the Virgin name from its trains due to a perceived decline in brand value. Virgin and Brightline inked a 20-year licensing deal in 2018 that allowed the American company to rebrand trains on its service as Virgin Trains [...]
Pearson maintains dividend as it unveils plans to slash office space March 8, 2021 Education giant Pearson today said it will maintain its dividend for the full year as the firm unveiled plans to “significantly” reduce its office space. The publisher proposed a final dividend of 13.5p, bringing its full-year payout to 19.5p — in line with 2019. It came as Pearson announced plans to slim down its property [...]
London cyber firm Kape acquires Israeli rival in $150m deal March 8, 2021 London-based cybersecurity company Kape Technologies has snapped up Israeli IT firm Webselenese in a deal worth almost $150m (£108m). Kape, which provides privacy-focused software, said the mixed cash and share deal will help expand its audience and fuel organic growth. Shares in Kape jumped by more than a fifth after the deal was announced this [...]
Starling Bank secures unicorn status with £272m funding round March 8, 2021 Starling Bank today confirmed it has raised £272m in its largest ever funding round, confirming its status as Britain’s newest unicorn. The digital bank raised the funds in a series D round led by Fidelity Management and Research. The Qatar Investment Authority, Railpen — the investment manager for the £31bn Railways Pension Scheme — and [...]
Ministers in talks over post-Brexit global services deal March 8, 2021 The government is said to be in talks to create a global trade agreement in services in an effort to boost the UK economy after Brexit. Senior ministers and City lobby groups have held discussions over a plan that would allow countries including Britain to export services such as banking, insurance and legal advice to [...]
Service sector confidence hits 12-month high on UK vaccine rollout March 7, 2021 Service sector confidence has risen to a 12-month high amid hopes the UK’s successful vaccine rollout will fuel an end to lockdown measures. The services optimism index, compiled by accountancy firm BDO, surged to 94.13 in February from 86.60 the previous month, marking its highest level since the Covid-19 outbreak last year. The rising index, [...]
Celebrity expats handed right to vote in Budget boost March 7, 2021 Some of Britain’s richest expatriates and tax exiles will be granted the right to vote for the first time in two decades under new rules buried in last week’s Budget. The government has scrapped a 2002 rule that prevents Brits from voting in UK elections if they have lived abroad for more than 15 years. [...]
Suitors circle Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG as Greensill nears collapse March 7, 2021 Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance is said to be on the brink of a potential fire sale as embattled finance firm Greensill, its main source of funding, nears collapse. Rivals are eyeing up key assets from GFG’s Liberty Steel arm amid expectations that Gupta could start selling off parts of his business in an attempt to [...]
