Politicians need to stop moralising – and reform our taxes December 3, 2012 LIKE many people, I loathe the UK tax system. It fails to treat everyone equally and is either extraordinarily punitive or pathetically soft. Scandalously, some big companies pay huge amounts of corporation tax while other similar businesses don’t. The aim must be revolutionary tax reform – all streams of income from labour and capital generated [...]
Hobbs gets the ladies on board without quotas December 2, 2012 NICKY Dulieu, the boss of fashion retailer Hobbs, has managed to recruit a nearly all-female board since taking up the helm in 2008 but insists that imposing quotas is not the way to increase the number of women in the boardroom. Asked whether she was in favour of quotas, Dulieu told City A.M: “I genuinely [...]
London rejoices as Megafon IPO defies the odds November 28, 2012 MEGAFON, the mobile telecoms group controlled by Russia’s richest man, Alisher Usmanov, became the second largest share offering in Europe this year as it raised $1.7bn (£1.06bn) yesterday in London and Moscow despite concerns which had earlier led Goldman Sachs to step aside from the deal. The deal was assisted in its final stages by [...]
Great Scot! It’s Aberdeen Asset’s Caledonian awards November 28, 2012 TO Ranald MacDonald’s Boisdale restaurant for the Aberdeen Asset Management Great Scot Awards 2012. Bagpipes were blaring to welcome tartan–clad guests to the patriotic dinner, held in association with City A.M. and Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Winners included Lord Steel of Aikwood, fashion designer Pam Hogg, actor Jamie Sives and Olympic gold medallist Tim Baillie [...]
Gatwick looks to grow through single runway as traffic rises November 28, 2012 GATWICK executives talked up the airport’s chances of competing with London’s biggest hubs yesterday as the firm posted rising revenues and traffic. Britain’s second-biggest airport said passengers rose 1.2 per cent on last year to 19.9m in the half-year to the end of September. Turnover jumped 3.6 per cent to £325.8m, helped in part by [...]
CBRE and Winterflood Securities are the current Mo Bros to beat November 27, 2012 MASSES of Mos of all shapes and sizes have been terrorising The Capitalist’s inbox this week. And none more so than CBRE analyst Tim Monger-Godfrey’s Anchorman-inspired tache: “If I say so myself, the likeness is uncanny.” Frightfully so, The Capitalist reckons. Not to be outdone, traders at Winterflood Securities also deserve special mention for their [...]
Meet Mark Carney: the Canadian flown in to save the UK economy November 26, 2012 IN APPOINTING Mark Carney the new governor of the Bank of England, the government has found an ex-Goldman Sachs director comfortable with garnering the views of the City – yet unafraid of standing his ground at times of conflict. The Canadian famously clashed with JP Morgan chief Jamie Dimon after a fierce disagreement over the [...]
Deutsche hires in Birmingham as it cuts back in expensive City November 26, 2012 GERMANY’S Deutsche Bank has hired up to 50 new front office staff in Birmingham as the firm’s efficiency drive forces it to look at less expensive operations centres than London. The fixed income and equity sales workers will focus on serving smaller clients – those which it may not have been cost effective to serve [...]
Cobham recruits chief financial officer from listed peer Senior November 26, 2012 DEFENCE manufacturer Cobham yesterday poached the group finance director of its FTSE 250 aerospace technology rival Senior to become its new chief financial officer. Simon Nicholls will leave Senior at the end of April next year after five years in the post to replace outgoing Cobham CFO Warren Tucker, who will stand down at the [...]
Post Office puts out first results for 370 years November 22, 2012 THE Post Office has today published its first trading statement in its 370-year history following its split from the Royal Mail earlier this year. The government owned business, which is the largest retailer in the country, became an independent business for the first time in April after its historic divorce from Royal Mail. The company [...]