Johnson prepares to scrap Huawei from UK 5G network July 5, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to draw up plans this month to start phasing out Huawei from the UK’s 5G infrastructure in a major U-turn following pressure from security agencies. A security review from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a branch of GCHQ, is understood to have revised assurances that risks posed by [...]
Saatchi & Saatchi appoints new chief executive July 1, 2020 London advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi has appointed Sam Hawkey as its new chief executive, as the firm’s headquarters prepare to reopen after months of lockdown. Hawkey has served as Saatchi & Saatchi’s chief operating officer since 2018, after being promoted from managing director several years earlier. Since joining the firm in 2012, Hawkey’s clients [...]
Cobham chief to take top job at Babcock July 1, 2020 Defence firm Babcock has announced that David Lockwood will take over from chief executive Archie Bethel in September. Lockwood, who is currently chief executive of FTSE 250 defence firm Cobham, comes after Babcock swung to a £178m loss this year. Prior to Cobham, he was chief executive of tech firm Laird, and has previously held [...]
Huawei: Johnson vows to protect UK from ‘hostile vendors’ June 30, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has beefed up his rhetoric on Chinese tech firm Huawei, warning China that he will protect British infrastructure from “hostile state vendors”. Johnson has faced mounting criticism over his deal with the Chinese firm allowing Huawei to produce 35 per cent of the UK’s 5G infrastructure. Senior figures from both sides [...]
Covid consolidation bears low-hanging fruit for traders June 29, 2020 No understatement is truer than the one about how “nothing will ever be the same again” following the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses in the hundreds of thousands will not reopen. Millions of jobs have been lost. Billions of dollars have been wiped off the valuations of household brands and City darlings. Past worries about Brexit seem [...]
Vodafone likely to snub the City for Frankfurt in towers business listing June 29, 2020 Vodafone is veering away from the City, and is instead eyeing up Frankfurt for the listing of its multi-billion-pound European towers business, in a move that will further position the firm away from Britain. The telecoms firm last week invited advisers to pitch for a role on the planned flotation of its European tower units, [...]
Government urged to fast-track 5G roll out to boost coronavirus recovery June 29, 2020 The government could boost overall economic activity by £150bn if the UK were to speed up 5G rollout by two years, a new report has found, as Britain seeks to bolster its economy from the financial turmoil of coronavirus. A new report published today by Vodafone found that the British economy could see productivity gains [...]
Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund ‘builds stake in BT’ June 21, 2020 Saudia Arabia is thought to be buying up a stake in BT, as the kingdom looks to take positions in blue chip companies at a knock-down price during the pandemic. The $325bn (£263bn) Saudi sovereign wealth fund, has reportedly been building a stake in BT on the open markets in recent weeks, with the company [...]
Exclusive: Elixirr seeks London IPO to end coronavirus drought June 19, 2020 Management consultancy firm Elixirr, whose clients have included Barclays, O2 and RBS, is seeking a London IPO, ending a two-month drought in flotations on the London Stock Exchange. Elixirr will seek a listing on London’s junior AIM exchange this summer, City A.M. can reveal. The company, founded in 2009, plans to go on an equity-funded [...]
Wirecard chief quits as shares plummet over missing €1.9bn June 19, 2020 Wirecard chief executive Markus Braun has resigned with immediate effect after the German payments firm’s disclosure of a €1.9bn (£1.7bn) accounting black hole sent shares into a tailspin. Shares have plunged more than 80 per cent since Wednesday’s close after auditor EY yesterday refused to sign off Wirecard’s financial accounts after discovering that €1.9bn of [...]