Perfect timing August 23, 2015 Harriet Green talks pub food, capitalism and the importance of shiny things with Watchfinder’s Lloyd Amsdon When I ask Lloyd Amsdon’s seven year-old step-daughter if she knows what an entrepreneur is, she draws a blank. It may be age-related, but there’s no reason why she would have heard the word. “I’m only an entrepreneur when I’m [...]
Pocket money inflation exceeds parent wage hikes August 18, 2015 Bad news for working parents: the average allowance for UK youngsters is growing at an unprecedented rate, and it’s even outstripping their parents’ wage growth this year. Average pocket-money for eight-15 year olds has soared by 448 per cent in nearly 30 years, compared with just a 193 per cent increase in parents’ income over [...]
Why the government should take outsourcing a radical step further August 17, 2015 Government raids on the methodology of business are commonplace. Some are more successful than others. But as the challenge of George Osborne’s edict to contemplate departmental cuts of as much as 40 per cent sinks in, the search will intensify. As I sat recently in the splendidly refurbished BT Tower – a guest of [...]
Nomura opens doors for disengaged kids August 16, 2015 DISADVANTAGED kids celebrated a victory this weekend as investment bank Nomura hosted a graduation ceremony in their own offices for those enrolled in a rigorous programme from education charity ThinkForward. The course has a big City backing, including from Barclays, EY, ICG, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan and UBS. Go team! ■ WANT to see something [...]
Don’t be quiet: Why the City needs to shout about its good work in wider society August 16, 2015 Over the past year, I have said frequently that firms in the City are too quiet when there is good news to tell. All too often, the negative stories are the ones that gain the most headlines – normally involving rogue operators or massive fines. This coverage is wholly disproportionate – and wholly depressing. This [...]
UK immigration: Businesses including Asda, Lloyds Banking Group, Rolls-Royce, Siemens warn Tories over migration curbs August 14, 2015 Britain’s biggest businesses have warned the government against tightening rules for employing foreign workers, saying that new restrictions could increase costs, jeopardise graduate schemes and encourage firms to move their operations overseas. Asda, Lloyds Banking Group, Rolls-Royce, Siemens and others made their case in formal submissions to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), a group of [...]
City Moves for 14 August 2015 | Who’s switching jobs August 13, 2015 Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking Thomas Sandberg has been appointed associate director in the bank’s relationship solutions team within its financial institutions business. He joins from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he was vice president of the Nordic market solutions group. Sandberg has also previously held senior structured finance positions at RBS, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley [...]
City Moves for 13 August 2015 | Who’s switching jobs August 12, 2015 Weightmans The law firm has appointed Seva Singh as partner in its large loss and technical claims insurance division. He joins from DAC Beachcroft, and specialises in high value personal injury litigation handling. Octopus Investments Pete Daffern has been appointed venture partner at the venture capital firm. He joins Octopus with 25 years’ experience, and [...]
London house prices up 45pc in five years: Home movers put off as figures soar August 9, 2015 The number of people moving home is in decline, new figures out today show. Rising prices, which many attribute to a lack of house building, may be hindering people from moving up the rungs of the housing ladder, according to the study from Lloyds Bank. The number of home movers reached 155,000 in the first [...]
British firms’ output grows robustly in July August 9, 2015 UK BUSINESSES are growing strongly, with those in London expanding most quickly, new survey data show this morning. Lloyds Bank’s purchasing managers’ index scored 56.7 in July – above the 50 score that signals no change. Although it marks a slight decline on June’s 57.4, Lloyds Bank said the figure represented robust growth. It said [...]