More than a rugby coach: Venter the visionary September 2, 2010 MAYBE it’s because Brendan Venter spent the summer back home in South Africa working as a doctor in his own practice, an environment in every sense half a world away from top-level English sport. Or perhaps it’s down to his singularly utopian philosophy for running Saracens, where he insists rugby is “a side issue” and [...]
CONTROLLING COSTS August 26, 2010 Q.I am thinking about selling my business in the near future. How do I go about finding a buyer? A.The most common route is to get in touch with corporate finance advisers, says Jenny Robertson, senior associate at Stevens & Bolton, a law firm. “The first thing you need to do is to get a [...]
SELLING August 26, 2010 MANAGING DIRECTOR, PROPERTY HUNT Q.Dear Russell, with property prices projected to fall and interest rates forecast to rise, should I buy? A.As with anything to do with property, it is all about timing. The latest surveys – whether they are from the major lenders, the high-street banks or the online property portals –are all pointing [...]
Go surf ‘n’ turfing in Farringdon August 18, 2010 Redhook 89 Turnmill Street, EC1M 5QU Tel: 020 7065 6800 FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: £40 THE restaurant industry has a huge crush on Farringdon. Farringdon is the cool girl that couldn’t care less, twiddling her hair and looking this way and that, with her grimy streets and warehouse-style apartment buildings. The [...]
SMITH JETS OFF ON LAST MINUTE HOLIDAY August 17, 2010 IN THE wake of the crisis, understated chic is still the name of the game for City top dogs – even when they’re kicking back on their summer hols. Who should be spotted by one of The Capitalist’s spies yesterday in Juan Les Pins, France, but Tullett Prebon boss Terry Smith, still pale-faced on the [...]
Eastern lights: Asia’s sleepless city August 15, 2010 A BRILLIANT meeting of East and West, it offers an unforgettable introduction to the Orient, and is the perfect place to explore a different culture while taking in the rugby at the Hong Kong Sevens (and, for the sports-mad, the golf at the Hong Kong Open Championship and the horse-racing at Happy Valley). Or just [...]
A high-flying PR success story August 12, 2010 A DEGREE in law couldn’t stifle Anthony Payne, the founder of Peregrine Communications, from unleashing his entrpreneurial spirit. Even when he was completing articles – the early stages of legal training – he took time out to start a pizza delivery business called Moonlight Munchies. Skip forward a couple of decades and Payne is eating [...]
Sven back on Fulham radar after Jol blow July 22, 2010 FULHAM could revive their interest in former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson after a drawn-out attempt to lure Martin Jol from Ajax ended in embarrassing failure yesterday. Ivory Coast coach Eriksson was on the Cottagers’ initial shortlist to replace Roy Hodgson and was said to be aggrieved at the club opting to pursue ex-Spurs boss Jol [...]
BANK CHIEF ‘OGRE’ GETS AN IMAGE OVERHAUL July 20, 2010 FAIRFAX chief executive Stefan Allesch-Taylor is on the blower following a story in this column yesterday about the boutique bank scouting around for a new investor – a move which could potentially usurp the big man’s family trust as the firm’s largest shareholder. Not that Allesch-Taylor’s particular beef is with the story itself, mind. He’s [...]
The Cornwall haven that’s just for grown-ups July 18, 2010 THE Scarlet. Where to begin? The 37-bedroom eco-hotel in Mawgan Porth, northern Cornwall, is a nexus of cutting-edge green technology and style; of character and sleekness. It’s cosy yet minimalist; an architectural statement yet completely at one with its environment. Of all the above, the latter is the most impressive. The boundary between inside and [...]