N + 1 PLUS ANOTHER ONE………
Life in the City’s financial advisory sector has been full of change lately, especially at the firms which tailor their expertise to the small to mid-cap corporates.
There’s been a merging of Evolution and Investec; there’s a possible merger between Canaccord and Collins Stewart to come, with likely job cuts on the cards; there have been job cuts this week at Oriel Securities; and there’s been the merger of the Spanish group N + 1 and Brewin Dolphin’s advisory business to make N + 1 Brewin.
Now the Capitalist is hearing tales, sadly uncorroborated, that N + 1 Brewin itself could be looking at merging its operations with another.
Sources have suggested there have been talks between it and Singer Capital Markets but a phone-call to Singer chief executive Tim Cockcroft leaves us none the wiser.
Cockcroft, who is away from the office nursing a sports injury, declined to comment on market speculation.
Our sources suggest that if a deal went ahead, Cockcroft, a former Peel Hunt man, would be in charge rather than N + 1’s James Cumming. Sadly Cumming was unavailable for comment.
It would be very soon after the launch of N + 1 Brewin for such a deal to be contemplated but it is a fast-moving world for the sector’s top players at the moment, whether they’re injured or not. The Capitalist would love to hear more from anybody who manages to eke out some details.
City workers may have noticed a rise in the number of lycra-clad runners pounding the pavements during lunchtime breaks, as the date of the London marathon (22 April) draws nearer.
Yet two Linklaters lawyers are going far further: Richard Youle and Peter Lewis are running the Marathon des Sables next month, a gruelling 150 mile trek through the Sahara Desert. Three charities will benefit from the pair’s arduous adventure – Missing People, Neuro Foundation, and the Morocco-based Solidarite.
To contribute to their fundraising, readers of the Capitalist can visit: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/teamshuffle