Mark Kleinman: Aviva’s missed deadline ensures brickbats February 15, 2019 Viva Aviva? For such a stalwart of blue-chip boardrooms, Sir Adrian Montague suddenly can’t put a foot right. Four years after taking over the chairmanship of Aviva when John McFarlane scuttled off to Barclays, he’s ended up in a rather large pickle of his own making. Sacking Mark Wilson as the insurer’s chief executive last [...]
HSBC, Goldman and Lord Fink back City fintech firm Bud February 4, 2019 Fintech startup Bud has closed a $20m (£15.3m) funding round from investors such as HSBC, Goldman Sachs and former Man Group boss Lord Stanley Fink. Other investors included Investec’s INVC fund, ANZ Bank, the corporate venture arm of Banco Sabadell and 9 Yards, the venture capital firm which lists former chancellor George Osborne among its [...]
Plastic packaging giant RPC Group revenues down after weak Christmas, as it ramps up Brexit stockpiling February 1, 2019 RPC Group’s shares fell slightly this morning as the company admitted weak Christmas trading had impacted revenues. The firm, one of Europe’s biggest plastic packaging makers, said Brexit stockpiling had also hit cash flow in the period as it looks to alleviate disruption from the UK’s exit from the EU. Read more: Private equity group [...]
Ollie Phillips: Ireland are favourites but the opening round could shape a tight Six Nations January 31, 2019 The Six Nations finally gets under way tomorrow and the fixture list has thrown up some fascinating ties to kick off with. England travel to Dublin to face defending champions Ireland on Saturday, which I think might actually prove to be a blessing rather than a curse as there is little pressure to improve their [...]
A family affair: England captain Owen Farrell must unlock an Ireland defence organised by father Andy January 31, 2019 England kick off their Six Nations campaign with the toughest test possible when they face Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, but for the Farrell family it is a game with extra meaning. Owen Farrell, England’s captain, will not only be coming up against the world’s No2 side but also his father, Andy, Ireland’s defence coach [...]
RPC Group takeover: US-based Berry Global threatens to crash Apollo’s party January 31, 2019 Private equity firm Apollo’s takeover of plastic packaging manufacturer RPC group has come under threat after US company Berry Global said it was considering making a counter offer. Berry, another a plastic packaging supplier, said it had reached out to RPC for the due diligence information needed to make an offer, but also stressed it [...]
Law firm DWF announces intention to float in UK’s largest legal listing January 31, 2019 Law firm DWF yesterday announced its intention to float on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in what would make it by far the largest law firm to go public worldwide. The firm would become just the sixth publicly traded UK law firm, the first to list on the main market and the [...]
Investors demand environment action from KFC, McDonald’s and Domino’s January 29, 2019 A group of investors representing over $6.5 trillion (£4.9bn) in assets has today demanded more transparency and commitments to tackling emissions from fast food chains Domino’s and McDonald’s. An open letter from investors including BMO Global and Aviva has called on the restaurants to publish plans to tackle the environmental risks from their suppliers by [...]
RPC Group’s £3.3bn private equity takeover sparks disquiet among top shareholders January 23, 2019 Private equity firm Apollo Global Management’s £3.3bn buyout of packaging manufacturer RPC Group has sparked a row among investors, who feel they are getting a raw deal. Each RPC shareholder will get 782p cash for every share they own, 15.6 per cent up on the 683.6p closing price on 7 September, the last day before [...]
City Moves for 21 January – who’s switching jobs at Superunion, Opengamma and Aviva? January 21, 2019 Who’s changing jobs today? Superunion WPP global brand agency Superunion announced the appointment of Holly Maguire as UK managing director to drive the growth of its UK business. Holly will be responsible for managing key client relationships with the likes of Coca-Cola, IAG, Nestle, Tesco and Vodafone, and building the success of Superunion since its launch [...]