Executives beware the winds of shareholder activism April 30, 2012 BARELY a day goes by without another incidence of shareholder activism. Investors in blue chip firms ranging from hedge funds to pharmaceuticals have been flexing their muscles with remarkable frequency recently, expressing their displeasure on executive pay and strategic direction. It is debatable how much of this is to do with policy changes. In the [...]
SHAREHOLDERS STEP UP THE PRESSURE April 30, 2012 Today – Man Group Man Group chief executive Peter Clarke will face pressure from investors at the hedge fund’s AGM to improve performance or step down. The firm’s share price has fallen by almost 60 per cent since September last year. Yesterday – Aviva Chief executive Andrew Moss waived a £46,000 pay rise after criticism [...]
Aviva boss waives pay rise April 30, 2012 The chief executive of insurer Aviva, Andrew Moss, has waived his 2012 salary increase as part of a review of its executive pay policy launched in response to pressure from shareholders. The review will look at whether senior executives’ pay is justified by shareholder returns, and will also examine how much Aviva compensates executives who [...]
Trinity Mirror shareholders still unimpressed as meeting looms April 29, 2012 SLY Bailey faces an investor rebellion over changes to her pay packet at Trinity Mirror’s annual general meeting next week. Following shareholder unrest, the publisher of the Daily Mirror proposed a £500,000 cut to Bailey’s short-term cash and stock bonuses. But the Trinity Mirror chief executive will be eligible to receive 144 per cent of [...]
Quins marry grace and grit, says Greenwood April 25, 2012 EX-HARLEQUINS and England centre Will Greenwood insists his former club are a different prospect to years past as their bid to reach the Aviva Premiership final edges closer. Quins have been superb this season and top the Premiership with their semi-final position already secured, despite last weekend’s 43-33 defeat to nearest challengers Leicester. Though often [...]
Canopius finally gets the nod on a £164m offer for Omega April 25, 2012 LLOYDS of London insurer Canopius said it had agreed to buy rival Lloyd’s insurer Omega after raising its offer to £164m in a recommended cash deal, thereby putting to an end a near 16 month process. Canopius said it will pay 67p per share, increasing an offer it made earlier in April by 2p per [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS April 24, 2012 DC Advisory Partners The corporate finance advisory firm has announced the appointment of Terry Huffine as executive director in its European consumer, leisure and retail team. Huffine joins after eight years with ABN AMRO and, following its acquisition, at the Royal Bank of Scotland, where he was a director on the consumer team. He also [...]
FTSE in modest rise as investors eye Fed April 24, 2012 The FTSE 100 saw a modest rally this morning led by banking and commodity stocks as investors looked for signs that the Federal Reserve will inject more liquidity into markets. London’s blue chip index was dented yesterday by uncertainty over who will be the next president of France, the collapse of the Dutch government and [...]
Aviva prepares to take a £1bn hit on US unit April 22, 2012 INSURANCE giant Aviva is expected to announce the sale of its American life assurance business next month, on which it will make a loss of £1bn. Chief executive Andrew Moss is set to announce the sale at an investor day on May 24 as part of a wider strategic overhaul of the company, according to [...]
Quins eye Tigers final rematch April 22, 2012 HARLEQUINS boss Conor O’Shea cannot wait to collide with Leicester again in the Aviva Premiership play-offs, despite seeing his team brushed aside by the Tigers over the weekend. A 43-33 bonus-point win for Leicester on Saturday lifted them to within a point of Quins at the top of the table with just one round of [...]