Ministers to start searching for new audit watchdog chair May 7, 2021 The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will shortly kick off the search for the new chair of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC). BEIS will advertise for the role in the coming weeks, Sky News first reported. The FRC’s current interim chair Keith Skeoch has reportedly had his contract extended in recent weeks [...]
New Ocado finance chief to take helm next month February 15, 2021 British online grocer Ocado said on Monday that its new chief financial officer Stephen Daintith will start his role on 22 March. Ocado had announced in August that Daintith, the current finance chief of Rolls-Royce, would be joining the group. Daintith has previously held senior roles at Daily Mail and General Trust, Dow Jones and [...]
1MDB and Malaysia sue 44 KPMG partners for $5.6bn July 9, 2021 Malaysia govt, its Ministry of Finance and 1MDB are suing 44 KPMG Malaysia partners in a $5.64bn suit for their part in auditing the state investment fund. The lawsuit, which was filed earlier this week, accused KPMG of committing breaches of contract and negligence in its audit and certification of 1MDB’s financial statements for the [...]
Accounting watchdog: Third of all audits ‘unsatisfactory’ amid fears sector reforms will be watered down November 18, 2021 An “unacceptably high” number of audits still need improving, according to the UK accounting watchdog’s latest report, amid increasing concerns that the government may scale back long-awaited corporate governance and audit reforms. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) today published its latest annual report on UK audits, finding that 33 per cent of all audits still [...]
Hybrid future is ‘part-time work for full-time wages’, says City grandee September 24, 2021 Veteran city broker Andrew Monk has spoken out against government plans to legislate the right to request flexible working from day one, arguing that it should be up to business leaders and that many CEOs in the city believe it doesn’t work for financial firms. “Frankly, I know how to run my business better than [...]
Consumer confidence edges up on Eat Out to Help Out boost October 25, 2020 Consumer confidence continued to climb over the last three months from a record low at the height of the pandemic, after the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme provided a welcome boost to Britain’s ailing high streets. Deloitte’s quarterly Consumer Tracker found British shoppers’ confidence edged up one percentage point to minus 16 in [...]
Deloitte fined £6.5m for role in Serco tagging scandal July 4, 2019 Big-Four auditor Deloitte was today fined £6.5m and “severely reprimanded” for its role in Serco’s electronic tag scandal. The Financial Reporting Council fine was reduced to £4.2m after the auditor admitted misconduct in connection to the scandal Serco yesterday agreed a deferred prosecution agreement with the Serious Fraud Office over three offences of fraud and [...]
GDP growth falls short of expectations, inching 0.1 per cent higher in October December 10, 2021 The UK’s economic growth inched just 0.1 per cent in October, according to the latest figures. The figure remains 0.5 per cent below its pre-pandemic level, the Officer for National Statistic found, falling short of economist and analyst expectations after experts had forecast a 0.4 per cent increase. Construction and hospitality were among the hardest [...]
Asos buys Arcadia’s Topshop and Miss Selfridge in £330m deal, leaving thousands jobless February 1, 2021 Arcadia’s Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT brands have been sold to online retailer Asos in a £330m deal. Arcadia’s administrator Deloitte this morning confirmed Asos would buy the brands for £295m, and would also take on certain liabilities for forward committed stock orders. Asos paid around £265m for the brands, some £30m for the [...]
UK housebuilder Berkeley Group expects profits to flatline despite housing boom March 12, 2021 Berkeley Group said this morning that profits are set to flatline this year, in line with expectations. The UK housebuilder said it is on track to post a similar profit to last year’s £503m, and that forward sales are expected to be more than £1.7bn for the year. It estimated that future gross margin in [...]