Geneva watch fair cancelled on coronavirus concerns February 27, 2020 A major watch convention in Geneva was cancelled today due to worries over the spread of the coronavirus. Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, organiser of the Watches & Wonders gathering, today announced the cancellation of the event which was due to be held from 25-29 April. “In order to protect the health and wellbeing of [...]
RSA beats expectations on record year for underwriting profit February 27, 2020 RSA posted a record year for underwriting profit as the insurance giant beat analyst expectations for 2019 after restructuring its international business. The figures The British firm posted an operating profit of £656m, up from £517m in 2018 and ahead of forecasts of £644m. A record year for underwriting profit was the main driver of [...]
London St Pancras tops list of Europe’s best train stations February 20, 2020 Europe’s best train station for passengers has been revealed, with London St Pancras taking the top spot. A new survey from the Consumer Choice Centre has ranked Europe’s fifty largest train stations by a series of metrics including accessibility, cleanliness, number of platforms, hospitality and number of strike days, to give a composite score out [...]
UBS hires ING boss Ralph Hamers as new chief executive February 20, 2020 UBS has named ING boss Ralph Hamers as successor to current chief executive Sergio Ermotti. In a surprise announcement late last night, UBS said Hamers would leave Dutch lender ING in June. Hamers will join Ermotti for a transition period in September before taking the helm at Switzerland’s largest bank in November. ING said that [...]
The best luxury resorts in the Alps – where to stay and where to ski February 17, 2020 Tap your ski pass, perch on our comfortable chairlift and let City A.M. take you for a tour of the Alps’ best new (or newish) hotels. We’ve had the enviable task of spending the early part of this winter season reviewing the peaks of high-end hospitality and the black runs of flashy facilities; a blizzard [...]
Zurich Insurance’s strong performance aided by its UK business February 13, 2020 Zurich Insurance Group’s stellar performance was boosted by a strong showing by its UK business, Zurich UK. UK earnings were up 59 per cent to £413m from £260m in 2018. General insurance gross written premium increased 4 per cent to £2.5bn from £2.4bn in 2018. In its general insurance business, business operating profit grew 97 per [...]
Bittersweet farewell for Tidjane Thiam as Credit Suisse profits soar February 13, 2020 Credit Suisse has reported its highest annual profits in almost a decade, just days after chief executive Tidjane Thiam was ousted in the wake of a lurid spying scandal that erupted last year. The figures Credit Suisse’s pre-tax profit rose 40 per cent to 4.7bn Swiss francs (£3.7bn) for 2019, the highest figure since 2010. [...]
Tidjane Thiam’s resignation signifies perfect PR storm for Credit Suisse February 7, 2020 The shock resignation of Tidjane Thiam is a leadership clusterbuster. Over the last three years, Credit Suisse have had numerous opportunities to move on from the embarrassing series of revelations that have dogged their leadership. The resignation of their CEO will do very little to dispel the image of a toxic culture at the top. [...]
Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam ousted in wake of spying scandal February 7, 2020 Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam has stepped down from his role following a bitter power struggle which was sparked by a lurid spying scandal that erupted in September. Thiam’s departure – the board said it had “unanimously accepted” his resignation today – came despite powerful investors only this week backing the chief executive and [...]
Credit Suisse shareholders back chief executive in board battle February 5, 2020 Three top Credit Suisse investors have backed chief executive Tidjane Thiam in a power struggle with chairman Urs Rohner as the Swiss bank grapples with the aftermath of a spying scandal. Relations between the pair are understood to have come under increased strain since the revelation that the bank had hired a corporate espionage agency [...]