‘Tragedy’ if John Lewis ownership changes, says ex-boss 'Rocket fuel' mutuals bill John Lewis changing its ownership model would be “a tragedy”, a former top boss has said. Reports last week suggested the retailer is considering ending its fully staff-owned structure, with the partnership’s chairwoman, Sharon White, exploring plans to sell a minority stake. West Midlands mayor Andy Street, John Lewis managing director until 2016, acknowledged the [...]
Old Mutual: South African savings firm reports subdued growth after pandemic woes Pandemic impact South African-based investment group Old Mutual experienced subdued growth in 2021 as the country’s economy bounced back from the pandemic. The company’s CEO announced its gross flow increased four per cent to R194.8bn (£9.8m) following a spike in sales over the course of last year. The pandemic however led to it paying out hundreds of [...]
Old Mutual restores dividend despite annual loss Old Mutual restores dividend despite annual loss South Africa’s Old Mutual declared a dividend of 35c per share on Tuesday after swinging to a pre-tax loss in 2020. Group profits were slashed by the pandemic, forcing the company to set aside billions of rand in provisions. Old Mutual cut final dividend by 53 per cent to 35c per share, equating to a [...]
Quilter claws its way back to net inflows but re-platforming nerves hit January 29, 2020 Wealth manager Quilter said it returned to net inflows by the end of 2019, reversing three consecutive quarters of outflows, but overall flows still lagged behind the previous year. Quilter, which was spun out from Old Mutual in June 2018, said flows remained “subdued” in the fourth quarter of 2019 amid adviser nerves about the [...]
Old Mutual suspends chief executive Peter Moyo over ‘breakdown in trust’ May 24, 2019 Insurance giant Old Mutual has suspended its chief executive over what it termed a “material breakdown in trust”. Read more: Merian Global Investors boss steps down after Old Mutual spin off Peter Moyo is suspended with immediate effect, the board told investors this morning, with chief operating officer Iain Williamson stepping in to fill the [...]
Quilter boosts profits despite challenging market conditions March 12, 2019 Wealth management firm Quilter reported increased profits last year despite challenging market conditions. The figures Shares rose six per cent this morning as the firm reported that profit before tax was up 11 per cent to £233m, in its full-year results to the end of December 2018. Read more: Quilter blames market for fall in [...]
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 [...]
Richard Buxton steps down as chief executive of Merian Global Investors after Old Mutual spin off January 8, 2019 Richard Buxton has stepped down as the chief executive of Merian Global Investors following a management buyout and rebranding of the business from Old Mutual Global last year. As a major shareholder, Buxton will remain on the Merian’s board and continue to lead the equities team and manage his UK Alpha fund. His successor, Mark [...]
Why investors should be wary of star managers December 12, 2018 For a long time, it seemed like Neil Woodford could do no wrong. That was until 2017, when the UK’s best known fund manager seemed to lose his magic touch – and since then, the returns from his three popular funds have been struggling. His flagship Woodford Equity Income fund has lost investors almost 10 [...]
Showdown: Barclays boss set to meet troublesome activist investor November 11, 2018 Ever since the activist investor Edward Bramson revealed his 5 per cent stake in Barclays in March of this year, the two sides have danced around each other. The bank's chief executive, Jes Staley, aspires to lead an investment banking powerhouse. Bramson, on the other hand, wants that operation scaled back – favouring, in its [...]