An increase in Professional Services M&A May 26, 2021 In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in M&A and corporate transactions involving professional services firms, for instance law firms, accountancy practices and consultancy businesses. This has been driven by a number of factors, including the growing revenues and earnings in certain sub-sectors of professional services; the increasing appetite of certain private equity [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? May 26, 2021 City A.M.‘s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Johnson & Johnson hires EU consumer health director US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has hired a new London-based area managing director for consumer health in northern Europe. Charmaine England, who [...]
London and south east now accounts for £4 in £10 of total UK economy May 26, 2021 London accounts for almost a quarter of the UK’s total economic activity, according to new figures from the Office of National Statistics. The capital accounted for 22.7 per cent of total UK Gross Domestic Product in 2019, and 23.8 per cent of total Gross Value Added. Read more: Beyond Pret sandwich sales, how do we [...]
Directors’ case studies on their wider section 172 responsibilities May 26, 2021 ICAS has published a collection of case studies to support the application of directors’ section 172 duties. Our publication consists of real-life case studies that have been gathered from a wide range of CAs in their capacity as board members in both private and listed companies. They outline the judgements board members applied and how different [...]
Using The Power of One to build public trust May 26, 2021 Bill MacLeod CA, member of the ICAS Ethics Board, talks about putting ICAS’ The Power of One into practice and why it’s important for chartered accountants (CAs) to put ethics at the heart of their professional responsibilities. Bill was the Ethics Partner and Partner Responsible for Independence at PwC until his retirement in 2020. Since his retirement he has become a [...]
Rishi Sunak to propose new powers to block London listings over security fears May 25, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to propose new powers which will enable companies to be prevented from listing on London’s financial markets over security concerns. Sunak will launch a consultation on the plan in the next two weeks as the government tries to crack down on “dirty money” in London’s financial bodies. A Treasury spokesperson [...]
US businesses team up to oppose Biden’s tax rise proposals May 25, 2021 Business groups in the US have formed a coalition to oppose tax increase proposals by the Biden administration. The US government has proposed a global minimum corporation tax rate, as well as increasing tax payments in the US in order to pay for infrastructure projects. The tax proposals “could not come at a worse time”, [...]
Claims against top City law firm Dechert ‘the stuff of conspiracy theories’ May 25, 2021 Allegations that a top City lawyer leaked confidential information about a Kazakh mining giant under investigation for alleged corruption are “the stuff of conspiracy theories”, the High Court has heard. Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) is suing its former lawyers and the Serious Fraud Office over an SFO investigation into claims of bribery, corruption and [...]
Deutsche Bank to move another 100 jobs out of London in post-Brexit overhaul May 25, 2021 Deutsche Bank is moving 100 jobs out of London and relocating the roles to the EU and Asia as the lender overhauls its corporate bank in the aftermath of Brexit. Germany’s biggest lender is making a quarter of the division’s 400 staff redundant, with their roles moved to Dublin, Berlin, Frankfurt and cities across Asia, [...]
Over half of financial services professionals claim ‘greenwashing’ is rife in the industry, study says May 25, 2021 More than half of financial services professionals believe ‘greenwashing’ is rife within the industry, according to a study released today, as employees fear competitors intentionally inflate their sustainable practices. The study by data agency iResearch Services, which polled 550 decision-makers at financial institutions, also found that 38 per cent believe every business is operating ‘unethically’ [...]