CAUGHT IN THE THROES OF A NIGHT OF PASSION March 10, 2010 AS AN elite bunch of the City’s most successful ladies and gentlemen left the Mansion House last night after a fundraising “Passion and Performance” evening hosted by Lord Mayor Nick Anstee, they should have been justifiably proud. For between just 320 guests from blue-blooded institutions such as Barclays, Accenture, Linklaters, HSBC, RBS, Lloyds Banking Group, [...]
EX-BANKER FOLLOWS HIS RUGBY DREAMS February 24, 2010 RUGBY-lovers in the City can be rightly proud that one of their own is putting his money where his mouth is in terms of promoting the game of Rugby Sevens around the world. Sevens – a speedier, shorter version of the traditional game – has recently enjoyed a bit of a boost from the announcement [...]
Finding a solution to the problems of old age February 21, 2010 FOR TOO long the issue of long-term care for the elderly – one of the most important challenges facing our generation – has remained unresolved. Last week, as it shot up the news agenda following public disagreements between all three major political parties, it became clear that this issue will now, quite rightly, be a [...]
CITY SET FOR HERON’S ROOM WITH A VIEW February 18, 2010 BUSINESS hotshots out to impress in the City’s culture of superlatives, take note: plans are finally afoot to find a restaurateur to take on what will soon become the venue with some of the best views over the Square Mile. Heron Tower, the 46-storey Bishopsgate glass and stainless steel giant due for completion just over [...]
Politicians begin to focus on real City issues February 14, 2010 Fresh from leading a City delegation to UAE and Qatar last week and before I head out to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia tomorrow, I see that the debate on reform of the financial services industry is slowly beginning to shift. Talk of a global bank tax is rife following Gordon Brown’s declaration that he expects [...]
Mayor urges end to bank bashing January 31, 2010 The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Nick Anstee, will tonight urge a new ‘social contract’ between the City and the UK public and will also challenge politicians to stop ‘banker bashing’. In a speech at London’s Guildhall, Anstee will address the breakdown of trust between the UK public and the City by asking politicians [...]
Global perspective needed for City reputation January 31, 2010 IT’S Monday and, having just returned to the Square Mile after leading a City delegation to the US, I now have to prepare to leave London again on Saturday for the first of two visits to the Gulf. The close proximity of these business visits throws up some major contrasts between these two markets. In [...]
Brown: plans to levy banks gaining force January 25, 2010 PRIME Minister Gordon Brown yesterday claimed plans to impose some form of international levy on the banks to shore up the industry in future crises were gaining traction with policymakers around the globe. “As a result of the advancement by US President Obama and financial secretary Tim Geithner about their levy on wholesale lending, I [...]
Bankers must highlight skills to rebuild trust January 17, 2010 When people talk about the UK financial services industry they inevitably associate it with the Square Mile. But in fact the industry is spread across the entire country. As Lord Mayor, I take an active role in highlighting the sector’s vital contribution to the broader economy both in London and beyond. My visit to Manchester [...]
BANKERS STAY QUIET ON UNITED BOND DEAL January 11, 2010 CITY bankers are not usually backwards in coming forwards when it comes to getting publicity for their transactions, so why the reticence yesterday when it came to taking the credit for Manchester United’s £500m bond issue. United’s initial press release was as brief as could possibly be, with no mention even of the banks involved [...]