HEDGIE IAN WACE TAKES CHAIRMAN JOB AT ARK October 3, 2010 THE GLAMOROUS world of hedge fund philanthropy had a shuffle at the top over the weekend, as Ian Wace – co-founder of Marshall Wace – took over from hedgie “godfather” Stanley Fink as chairman of Arki Busson’s charity, Absolute Return for Kids (ARK). Wace will now be tasked with the dual responsibilities of overseeing ARK’s [...]
Business leaders say public sector cuts are the way to reduce deficits September 30, 2010 THE Conservative party conference starts on Sunday and George Osborne may take some comfort from a new KPMG report that supports the case for austerity, though he may find it too radical in other ways. Meeting the Deficit Challenge is a comprehensive analysis of the historical evidence on deficit reduction. It concludes that decisive, front-loaded [...]
Government to meet suppliers to discuss cuts September 29, 2010 FRANCIS Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, will hold discussions on Friday with major defence, IT and other equipment suppliers aimed at shaving billions of pounds from its annual procurement bill. Companies such as Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Cisco Systems, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Slaughter & May and Tata Consultancy Services are expected to be at [...]
Auditor calls for shake up September 28, 2010 GRANT Thornton, the fifth largest audit firm, has urged the government to review the market share held by the big four accounting firms in a bid to reduce threats to the financial markets should one of them fail. In a submission to the House of Lords’ inquiry into auditors, and as reported by the Financial [...]
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” [...]