A class of her own: Anthemis founder Amy Nauiokas talks gender and the future of banks May 10, 2015 What makes someone exceptional? Being chief executive of Barclays Stockbrokers by 34? Heading up four major departments at Cantor Fitzgerald in the wake of 9/11? Or setting up and running both a digital financial services investment and advisory firm and a media production company? These are just the highlights of Anthemis and Archer Gray founder [...]
Zenos to speed ahead with sports car production after raising £2m June 30, 2014 SPORTS car maker Zenos has won £2m funding from investors including Carphone Warehouse founder Sir Charles Dunstone. Zenos was founded two years ago by Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards, previously chief executive officer and chief operating officer respectively of Caterham cars. The firm plans to produce its first cars next year, with a starting price [...]
London’s best eats now within reach: New app Uncover aims to take the pain out of restaurant reservations April 22, 2015 Many of London’s top restaurants can be legitimately described as “exclusive”, primarily because they cost upwards of a hundred pounds a head – prices way out of most ordinary people’s price range. There is, however, another echelon of exclusivity inhabited by restaurants that aren’t only eye-wateringly expensive, but are also booked up for years to [...]
The latest gimmick (or the next big thing): Cheese and coffee March 17, 2015 How does a new restaurant make its mark on a London foodie scene already reaching saturation point? There’s the old fashioned way: serving great food at a reasonable prices. And there’s the 21st century way: coming up with a gimmick, a weird pairing, some novelty way of serving or ordering food, something to make people [...]
Fantasy football: Can BT’s dreams of boosting growth come true? May 7, 2015 The telecom’s move into TV sports gained credibility from its £900m deal to broadcast the Champions League, but it is not without problems BT BOSS Gavin Patterson didn’t waste any time in making his presence felt at the top of the FTSE 100 company when he was appointed chief executive in 2013. Just two months [...]
EasyHotel IPO raises just half of target £60m June 25, 2014 EasyHotel has raised just half of the £60m it had hoped to gain for its 30 June IPO on the AIM market. The company has now priced its shares at 80p for the company's flotation on 30 June, implying a market capitalisation of £50m. The £30m the IPO is set to raise will be used to roll out [...]
IonStar founders Liz and Tim Hughes talk connecting City talent, lifeboats, piano lessons and how to make a real difference March 15, 2015 Like most couples, Tim and Liz Hughes got to the stage in life where they wanted to start a family. The challenge they faced was that, as successful professional people, they wanted to make the most of their skills and abilities – but also their family life. “Throughout my career, I’ve watched women above me [...]
Microsoft Band review: The ultimate fitness tracker or another “wearable” damp squib? April 29, 2015 Back in the dark ages of the mid 2000s, the “quantified self” movement barely existed. Disparate groups of fitness and data geeks had just begun to measure every aspect of their lives, entering the results into creaking spreadsheets in the hope of gleaning some insight into the mysteries of the human body and soul. [...]
Mix it up: Take a tipple – it might even be good for your health March 24, 2015 As any good doctor will be all too ready to tell you, alcohol is bad for you. They’re right, of course – up to a point. Too much of the stuff is ruinous. But you can also drink too little. While ten cocktails a day may destroy your life, one in the evening might be [...]
Dealmakers thrive in City’s flotation frenzy September 14, 2014 DEALMAKER of the year Although there has been a dearth of mergers and acquisitions so far this year, there has been a rash of initial public offerings (IPOs) for our dealmakers to get their teeth into. There has been some exciting deals for bankers to get a buzz from. Verizon Wireless’ $130bn deal to take [...]