Laird chief executive Hill steps down over illness November 28, 2011 BRITISH electronics group Laird said yesterday its chief executive Peter Hill would step down immediately due to ill health, but it kept its outlook for the full year. Chairman Nigel Keen will take on the role of executive chairman while the company searches for a new chief executive. The company also formed an executive committee [...]
Rio Tinto joins BHP Billiton in warning over weaker demand as economies dip November 28, 2011 GLOBAL miner Rio Tinto yesterday warned on that further cracks may be emerging in global commodities markets as the economies of Europe and the United States waver, with its customers increasingly cautious on the outlook. Prices of iron ore, copper and aluminium — among Rio’s biggest income earners — have tumbled by more than 20 [...]
Anadarko doubles its gas forecasts in Mozambique November 28, 2011 US oil company Anadarko Petroleum said yesterday its major gas finds in offshore Mozambique were around twice as large as it earlier thought, adding support to hopes that East Africa will become another major gas production centre. Anadarko said yesterday that the results of its Barquentine-3 appraisal well showed its fields had recoverable reserves of [...]
Experian buys fraud expert November 28, 2011 Experian, the credit checking business, yesterday said it had agreed to buy 192business for an undisclosed amount. 192business – which provides services such as personal data verification, fraud screening, online document verification and voice verification – posted revenue from continuing operations of $11m (£7.1m) in the year to 31 March and has gross assets of [...]
WS Atkins wins £65m road deal November 28, 2011 Design and engineering firm WS Atkins said it has won a contract worth over £65m to improve Doha’s roads and drainage systems, as Qatar steps up infrastructure improvements ahead of the 2022 soccer World Cup. Atkins, which helped design the London 2012 Olympic site and operates across Britain, Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle [...]
ITE expands in Ukraine November 28, 2011 Exhibitions group ITE has snapped up a raft of small Ukrainian exhibitions with the acquisition of Autoexpo, it said yesterday. ITE’s chief executive officer Russell Taylor said: “The addition of this portfolio of exhibitions to ITE’s Ukrainian business is consistent with our strategy of building market leading positions in core markets and sectors.”
Charter chair vents ire over Schroders November 28, 2011 THE CHAIRMAN of Charter International, the engineering group that roused its shareholders’ anger during a £1.5bn takeover battle in August, has hit out at fund manager Richard Buxton for criticising the deal. Lars Emilson (right) attacked Buxton, head of UK equities at Schroders, for his outspoken views on the sale process. Charter rebuffed two offers from [...]
Richard Desmond’s office block in the Docklands sold for £12m November 28, 2011 THE HOME of part of Richard Desmond’s media empire has been sold by Standard Life for £12.2m. Standard Life Investment Property Income Trust has sold the Northern & Shell Tower, an office block in the Docklands, to a private buyer. Desmond’s rental contract will run until 2022 as planned at the previously agreed £909,000 a [...]
Death bonds blasted over losses danger November 28, 2011 RETAIL investors were warned in the strongest terms not to invest in highly risky “death bonds” by the finance watchdog yesterday, in a bid to stop a repeat of the Keydata collapse in 2009 in which 30,000 investors lost £450m. The Financial Services Authority branded the so-called death bonds, otherwise known as traded life policy [...]
Patsystems gets £29m offer November 28, 2011 SHARES in Patsystems, a supplier of derivatives trading technology, jumped almost 30 per cent yesterday after its biggest shareholder came forward with a bid valuing it at £29m. Patsystems admitted it had been hit hard by the shock collapse of US broking group MF Global, its biggest customer, in October. But it welcomed the 14p [...]
