Google keeps top ranking as best employer September 27, 2010 GOOGLE is the most attractive employer in the world, according to new research, which shows that fewer students and graduates are turning to the financial services industry for work. Up to 130,000 job seekers with either a business or engineering background have voted the internet giant into the top spot in employment consultancy Universum’s annual [...]
The housebuilding chief executive who can see clear blue skies ahead September 26, 2010 FOR A MAN who took over a housebuilder in the middle of a devastating financial and property crisis, David Ritchie, the chief executive of Bovis Homes, looks remarkably relaxed. But it is certainly fair to say the pain has eased in recent months for the firm, even though Ritchie remains in the middle of turning [...]
PwC first to add senior City figures to the board September 26, 2010 ACCOUNTING firm PwC is set to become the first accountancy practice to add independent directors to its board after the appointment of three senior businessmen as non-executive directors. Former Rio Tinto chairman, Paul Skinner will be joined by WM Morrison chairman Sir Ian Gibson and Cable & Wireless chairman Sir Richard Lapthorne as independent directors [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS September 26, 2010 Barclays Leigh Clifford, the chairman of Qantas Airways, is to step down from his role as a non-executive on the Barclays board at the end of the month. Clifford joined the bank’s board in October 2004. In addition to his position at Qantas, he is also a director of engineering giant Bechtel Group and a [...]
HSBC’s spectacular boardroom row September 23, 2010 BIG companies need to get their PR in order. BP’s reaction to its oil spill was all over the place at first, with its CEO Tony Hayward repeatedly putting his foot in it; the Prudential failed to communicate adequately to the media and shareholders during its hopelessly mismanaged bid for AIA. Now, disappointingly, it is [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING September 23, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES HARMAN COOL ON PLAN TO HALVE DEFICIT Harriet Harman has suggested that Labour should scrap its pre-election plan to halve the deficit by the end of this parliament, becoming the latest senior figure to intervene in the debate over economic direction. Labour’s interim leader said the UK was now in a “new situation” [...]
For accountants, qualifications are a matter of taste September 22, 2010 WHEN they get their first job, many accountants worry that they will be pigeon-holed by their qualification. ACA is seen as the City gold standard in some quarters, and those who aren’t offered it might worry that their ambition of becoming a FTSE 100 CEO will be thwarted. On the other hand, ACCA is a [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS September 15, 2010 Jefferies The investment bank has appointed Julian Smith from Collins Stewart as its new head of UK corporate broking. Smith has over 16 years of corporate broking and equity experience. In addition to his role as a managing director at Collins Stewart, he previously spent 15 years at Dresdner Kleinwort in corporate broking and equity [...]
KPMG sells Connaught contracts September 13, 2010 HOUSING support services firm Mears has taken over eight of stricken peer Connaught’s jobs and 600 workers, auditor KPMG said yesterday, leaving rivals to fight for the handful of remaining contracts. Mears acquired the work for a nominal sum from auditor KPMG, a company spokesperson confirmed yesterday, and will now speak to customers and Connaught [...]
Big four accountants warned by FRC to improve on audits September 13, 2010 THE FOUR largest accountancy firms need to improve the quality of audit services, a body within the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has warned. A report into the auditing practices of the “big four” accountancy firms, including Deloitte, Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and KPMG, found that in three cases KPMG had signed off on audits [...]