Investors urge FTSE 350 firms to link executive pay to performance November 5, 2019 Listed companies must make a clearer link between pay and performance and justify executive remuneration levels to avoid shareholder dissent, the Investment Association (IA) has said. The IA has written to all FTSE 350 firms outlining the standards it expects their remuneration policies to meet ahead of the 2020 annual general meeting (AGM) season, when [...]
Female representation on FTSE boards climbs by 50 per cent, finds Hampton-Alexander Review February 23, 2021 The number of women on boards of the UK’s largest public companies has risen by 50 per cent since 2015, according to a landmark government report. The Hampton-Alexander Review, which was launched five years ago, found that women representation on FTSE 350 boards has risen from 21.9 per cent to 34.9 since 2015. The final [...]
Big Four auditors will be forced to share FTSE business December 10, 2021 Plans to force FTSE 350 companies to use challenger audit firms have been signed off by the business secretary as pressure for reform mounts, according to reports. Kwasi Kwarteng wants to push ahead with a proposal to break up the dominance of the Big Four accounting firms: Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC – and is [...]
FTSE 100 chief execs continue to feel the pinch with lower pay packages November 22, 2021 The pay cheques of FTSE 100 company chief executives have taken a hit this year, as executive rewards were curbed during the pandemic, according to reports.
Challenger accounting firm to list on London AIM with £21m market cap December 13, 2021 Professional services company DSW Capital will make its initial public offering (IPO) debut today, while Big Four firm rivals focus on fending themselves off from more scandals. DSW, which owns advisory firm Dow Schofield Watts, plans to place five million shares at 100 pence per share to raise gross proceeds of £5m when it lists [...]
Audit reform: FRC asks for power to cap Big Four’s audit clients October 12, 2021 The chief executive of the UK’s accounting watchdog has asked ministers for the authority to enforce a cap on the number of large companies that any one accountancy firm can audit, in an attempt to break up the dominance of the Big Four firms. Sir Jon Thompson went on to question the likelihood of the [...]
FRC to ‘strengthen’ audit governance code to tackle Big Four accounting scandals August 26, 2021 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has today announced proposals to update and “strengthen” its Audit Firm Governance Code and establish “operational separation” at the Big Four firms. The proposed changes are aimed at clarifying the role of partnership boards in holding management to account, said the UK accounting watchdog in a statement. A key proposal [...]
How we proved to the world that a woman’s place is in a FTSE 350 boardroom October 7, 2019 With Brexit dominating the news, you may have missed an even-longer-in-the-making development last week: women now make up 30 per cent of the boards of the average FTSE 350 company – a “first” after 450 years of listings on the London Stock Exchange. It took 350 years to reach 10 per cent women on UK [...]
Challenger accounting firm DSW shares rise 15 per cent in AIM debut December 16, 2021 Shares in DSW Capital rose 15 per cent today, following the professional services company’s debut on London AIM, marking a warm welcome to the market for the ‘Big Four’ challenger firm. After raising £5m in its initial public offering (IPO), DSW achieved a market capitalisation of £21.4m, based on a share price of 100p. Shares [...]
Weir Group names Barbara Jeremiah new chair September 3, 2021 Weir Group has this morning announced that Barbara Jeremiah will take over as the FTSE 100 firm’s chairman after next year’s AGM. Jeremiah, who spent 30 years at global aluminium giant Alcoa, will replace Charles Berry at the completion of his full nine-year tenure. Under his leadership the Scottish firm made its long-expected exit from [...]