AA puts former deal king Martin Clarke in the finance hot seat November 13, 2014 Roadside recovery giant AA yesterday appointed an ex-senior private equity dealmaker to take the reins as chief financial officer of the 110-year-old business. Martin Clarke, a former executive at private equity firm Permira, will replace Andy Boland, who stepped down earlier this year as the finance chief of the firm. Clarke was part [...]
Aviva Investors’ Euan Munro on why markets will see more Wobbly Wednesdays November 11, 2014 It’s lunchtime at Aviva Investors’ offices at No.1 Poultry, but the three platters of fish, meat and vegetable sandwiches supplied by catering lie untouched on the table. Euan Munro, chief executive of the fund management house, is sitting drinking full fat Coca-Cola from a glass, while the pungent aroma of the Coq d’Argent restaurant upstairs [...]
England warned that Springboks want their scalp November 11, 2014 ENGLAND coach Mike Catt expects to feel the full force of South African retaliation at Twickenham on Saturday even if their humbling at the hands of Ireland forces the Springboks to modify their attacking instincts. Heyneke Meyer’s side were brushed aside 29-15 at the Aviva Stadium, a defeat which punctured the euphoria surrounding the defeat [...]
Aviva closes IPO of Turkish arm November 10, 2014 INSURANCE company Aviva yesterday confirmed the closing of its Turkish arm’s IPO, following its announcement in September that it was offering to the public market a minority stake in the shares of its joint venture with Sabanci Group, AvivaSA. The company, which will be listed as Avisa on Borsa Istanbul, the Turkish stock exchange, from [...]
City Moves for 10 November 2014 | Who’s switching jobs November 9, 2014 Lombard The asset finance provider has appointed Greg Chiappini as head of aviation and marine. He was most recently head of specialist asset management at Lombard, and started his career as an officer in the South African Navy. MetLife UK Simon Massey has been appointed wealth management director at the insurance and investment firm. He [...]
Merchants Walk in east London: Affordable house prices, yet very commutable October 30, 2014 As the fringes of the City soar in both popularity and price, first-time buyers and young professionals on modest incomes are looking to move a bit further afield. In this case “further afield” means 15 minutes away by Tube. Bow in Tower Hamlets, east London, has seen a spurt in popularity as a result, [...]
Aviva sees new business rise by £690m after major restructuring October 30, 2014 Restructuring at insurer Aviva is paying off as reforms pushed through by chief executive Mark Wilson delivered a 15 per cent increase in new business in the year to date, worth £690m. Especially strong performances in Europe and Asia, which saw rises of 40 per cent and 47 per cent respectively, boosted the growth. Wilson, [...]
Investment boss Abberley takes over as Charles Stanley’s chief October 27, 2014 CHARLES Stanley yesterday promoted chief investment officer Paul Abberley to the role of chief executive. The top job became vacant last month when new EU rules forced chairman Sir David Howard to relinquish his executive role – the Capital Requirement Directive argues the chairman should oversee the executives, rather than holding both jobs at once. [...]
Ex-Stobart boss back at the controls October 27, 2014 A NEW investment vehicle led by ex-Stobart boss Avril Palmer-Baunack and backed by blue chip investors braved choppy markets yesterday to announce a float of the business. Haversham, a specialist vehicle set up by executive chairman Palmer-Baunack and investment firm Marwyn, said investors from Invesco, Artemis, Aviva and Schroders will support the share placing, which [...]
Banks to report as BT is likely to reveal growth – London Report October 26, 2014 THIS WEEK sees a number of banks reporting, with four of the UK’s five biggest lenders due to reveal third-quarter results. Lloyds and Standard Chartered report tomorrow. With Lloyds the focus is expected to be on 9,000 job cuts and a string of branch closures. Standard Chartered’s execs have been under pressure this year. After [...]