British tech firms defied a wider UK slowdown at the end of 2014 February 22, 2015 BRITAIN’S tech sector dodged a slowdown across the wider UK economy during the fourth quarter of 2014, driven by new business and a supportive funding landscape. A cross-sector benchmark of UK businesses pegged activity at a score of 55.2 at the end of last year. But KPMG/Markit’s Tech Monitor UK survey said that UK tech [...]
From Burma to the City, trust and accountability are essential for growth February 22, 2015 I returned this past weekend from one of my most exciting overseas business trips so far, visiting the burgeoning international markets of the Philippines, Burma and Thailand. Although these countries in South East Asia are all at different stages when we talk about the size, growth and focus of their economies, the common factor is [...]
City Moves for 20 February 2015 | Who’s switching jobs February 19, 2015 Hausfeld The law firm has appointed Ed Coulson (pictured) as partner in its London office. He joins from Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), where he worked on complex competition and commercial litigation. His appointment follows that of James Henson, who joined in January from BLP, and Shirley Clarke, who recently joined Hausfeld’s financial services litigation practice [...]
Red faces at Naibu Global International as KPMG are called in after execs go Awol February 18, 2015 Well, this is awkward. Chinese sportswear brand Naibu Global International has called in the auditors after its chairman and executive director failed to update on its trading operations. Neither Lin Huoyan, chairman of the Aim-listed company, nor Lin Congdeng, the executive director, have returned calls from UK-based directors. In order to clarify the situation, the [...]
City Moves for 19 February 2015 | Who’s switching jobs February 18, 2015 JLL The real estate services firm has announced two appointments. Richard Servidei joins the alternatives team from Colliers International, where he was a director for out of town retail investment. Oliver Jordan (right) has joined the retail investment team from BCL, where he was a partner. Seddons The law firm has appointed Mark Lewis as [...]
City Moves for 17 February 2015 | Who’s switching jobs February 16, 2015 KPMG The professional services firm appoints Ken Hall as partner and Curtis Baron as director to its UK security and business resilience practices. Hall joins from Wipro, and has over 25 years of IT experience. Baron joins from RBS, where he was group head of Resilience. Linklaters Matt Peers has been appointed as the law [...]
ACA, ACCA or CIMA: How to choose and which is better? February 12, 2015 Each qualification has its own merit for those seeking a career in accounting but there are key differences. Each accountancy qualification on the market has its own strengths and weaknesses in terms of course structure and career focus. Arguably, the most prestigious qualifications are offered by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Institute [...]
Morrisons, Tesco, Ocado and Marks & Spencer’s share prices soar after UK food sector shows signs of growth February 10, 2015 Supermarkets led the FTSE 100 higher this afternoon, after figures revealed the grocery sector was in growth once again. Morrisons' share price had recorded the biggest gains at pixel time, rising 5.5 per cent. This was on the back of Kantar figures out this morning, showing its sales had fallen 0.4 per cent, the [...]
Shoppers spend petrol savings on new clothes February 9, 2015 BARGAIN-HUNTING British shoppers splashed out in January, transferring their savings from lower food and petrol prices towards other spending, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said today. Total retail sales in January were up 1.6 per cent on the year, with food up 0.2 per cent and non-food sales up 2.7 per cent Clothing, toys and household [...]
How London is leading the charge on a radical employee rent scheme February 5, 2015 Two years ago, Vodafone became one of the first big businesses to issue a warning over Britain’s housing costs. It said that the sheer cost of renting was making it harder for firms to attract talent. Within weeks, its concerns were echoed by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and KPMG’s London Business Survey. London’s [...]