Indulge in Pippa Middleton’s favourite pastime in Oslo September 26, 2014 What do you think Pippa Middleton’s secret is? Cross-fit? Pilates, maybe? Wrong: cross country skiing. The Duchess of Cambridge’s sporty sister took on the infamous nordic skiing marathon at Vasaloppet in 2012, taking seven hours and thirteen minutes to complete the 90km course. Anyone who does that is going to be in the best shape [...]
Three things you didn’t know about… June 9, 2014 PwC UK head of insurance Jonathan Howe 1 The intrepid Howe once rode a mountain bike across Madagascar. Keen to try something different and outside his comfort zone while raising money for charity, he claimed success on both counts after pedalling between stays in remote rural villages without any modern amenities. 2 He has a [...]
As the Tour de France leaves the UK, have the economic benefits been over-hyped? July 7, 2014 Henry Overman, professor of economic geography at the London School of Economics, says Yes. When a major sporting event is announced, it’s common to see politicians use economic arguments to justify public investment. But there’s a danger these impacts may be over-inflated, in part because they’re often difficult to measure. Our recent evidence review of [...]
Bank of England seeks hackers to test defence ability against cyber attacks June 10, 2014 Banks are being urged to hire hackers to attack their computers and see what they can steal, under Bank of England plans to improve defences against cyber attacks. Previously banks have focused on keeping attackers out. But the regulator fears some hackers will break through – so banks must be able to limit the damage [...]
Scottish independence: Commission declines to comment on reports Juncker “sympathetic” to Scotland joining EU July 20, 2014 The European Commission has declined to comment on reports that its new president Jean-Claude Juncker would be "sympathetic" to an independent Scotland joining the European Union. An article in Scotland on Sunday published today included comments from an unnamed "high-ranking EU official", who was quoted as saying that former Luxembourg Prime Minister Juncker "would not want [...]
City Moves for 08 July 2014 | Who’s switching jobs July 7, 2014 Novae Reeken Patel has been appointed chief risk officer at the insurer and reinsurer. He joins from PwC, where he was a partner in the general insurance division and had been its London market actuarial leader. Patel is also chairman of the London Market Actuaries Group. Macquarie Investment Management Macquarie Group’s investment management arm has [...]
Bankers dash for the cash in Standard Chartered’s 5k race July 10, 2014 Some 6,500 City workers ran through the streets of the Square Mile last night, not to All Bar One for first dibs on Thursday drinks, but as part of Standard Chartered’s annual 5k Great City Race. The rain held off as teams from firms such as Investec, KMPG, Lloyd’s of London, PwC and [...]
Why Tesco’s share price just fell to an 11 year low September 22, 2014 Another surprise announcement this morning from Tesco has further dampened the supermarket’s outlook when it really must have been hoping to move on from recent rough times. Shares fell more than 11 per cent to an 11-year low after announcing a £250m error in its first-half results. Whether its an accounting error or something worse, investigating the [...]
EngageSciences CEO Richard Jones on the science of social media marketing August 31, 2014 Between 2011 and the end of 2013, social media ad spend in the UK rose from £265m to £585m, according to PwC and the IAB. Last year alone, it increased by 71 per cent. Amid the boom, however, marketers have voiced concerns that increased spending has not been accompanied by a commensurate rise in effectiveness. [...]
Big firms open up their books May 13, 2014 BRITAIN’S biggest businesses are publishing increasing amounts of information on their tax statuses, according to a PwC report published today. It found 49 of the FTSE 100 firms disclosed information on their approach to tax payments in 2013, up 50 per cent on the 32 who did so in 2012. The businesses have opened up [...]