City A.M. Unregulated podcast: Mad Men on a shoestring? The art of marketing on the cheap July 22, 2016 This week City A.M. Unregulated comes over all Don Draper, as it discusses the art of marketing on the cheap. Are big campaigns just for the multinationals or can small businesses play the game too? We're joined by Barry Jones, chairman of WPP's Hogarth Worldwide, and Shona Ghosh, producer of the Marketing Mind podcast. Enjoyed this [...]
Sorry, Prime Minister: Legislation won’t end excess in the boardroom July 19, 2016 A key element of our new Prime Minister’s platform is to curb what she perceives to be boardroom excesses. “It is not anti-business to suggest that big business needs to change”, she said. One of her proposals is to allow employee and worker representatives to sit on company boards, a suggestion which has not gone [...]
Sir Martin Sorrell and wife Cristiana Falcone are about to diversify July 18, 2016 WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell wooed wife Cristiana Falcone by requesting a "strategic partnership" – but now it seems the pair have taken their synergies a step further, after it emerged Falcone is pregnant with their first child. World Economic Forum adviser Falcone – who is also on the boards of Viacom and Revlon – is due in November, according to [...]
WPP’s Sir Martin Sorrell targets expansion in rest of Europe ahead of UK after Brexit July 3, 2016 Advertising giant WPP is likely to expand faster into the rest of Europe following the UK vote for a Brexit. Sir Martin Sorrell, the chief executive of WPP and Remain campaigner, also expects his company to experience a short-term boost from Brexit. Read more: Sorrell on Brexit and ad industry: "It is not good news, [...]
Investors told to reject Sainsbury’s incentive plan at the annual general meeting next week July 1, 2016 A shareholder advisory group has told its members to oppose Sainsbury's incentive plan at the retailer's annual general meeting (AGM) next week. In a report for investors, Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (PIRC) said of Sainsbury's long term incentive plan: "The maximum potential award under the proposed plan is 250 per cent of salary, which is considered excessive, [...]
“It is not good news, to say the least”: WPP’s Martin Sorrell on what Brexit means for ad industry June 24, 2016 Sir Martin Sorrell, the founder and chief executive of advertising giant WPP, has said a Brexit vote "is not good news, to say the least". Sorrell, who spoke out against the prospect of a Leave vote on numerous occasions, said today he is "very disappointed". And he raised fears over what impact Brexit will have [...]
Going, going, gone: Harris and Hoole sale marks end of Tesco ambitions June 23, 2016 First Giraffe, then Dobbies, now it's Harris and Hoole which Tesco has sold off in its efforts to get back to what it's good at (being a supermarket). The sale marks the last of the major assets that are not part of its core retailing to go, and a curtailing of previous ambitions to expand beyond [...]
“Project Fear” blamed for adspend slowdown in run-up to referendum June 21, 2016 Politicians and "Project Fear" have been blamed for reduced spending in the UK’s advertising market. GroupM, part of Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP, has reduced its forecast for adspending growth in 2016 from 7.2 per cent to 6.3 per cent. The TV industry and national newspapers have been worst hit in the forecasts. The former is expected [...]
Vast majority of financial services chiefs expect shareholder rebellions over executive pay to continue, according to report released by Per Ardua June 20, 2016 Finance bosses are braced for more shareholder activism over executive pay, following a string of rebellions so far this year. More than eight in 10 respondents (82 per cent) to a Per Ardua Associates study said they were expecting to see more remuneration-focused activism from shareholders. A quarter (25 per cent) also said their companies were [...]
City Moves for 17 June 2016 | Who’s switching jobs June 17, 2016 PwC Andrew Kail has been appointed as leader of PwC’s UK financial services practice, succeeding Kevin Burrowes who is joining PwC’s executive board as head of clients & markets. Andrew has over 25 years of experience with PwC, having operated in a variety of financial services roles, most recently as head of the FS Assurance [...]