La Caixa Foundation – No.4 December 18, 2014 Spain – £309m La Caixa Foundation’s chairman Isidro Faine likes to quote the words of assassinated senator Robert Kennedy to describe the Spanish bank’s attitude to charity. “Senator, Robert F. Kennedy, once said ‘the future is not a gift; it’s an achievement'. These words remind us that our efforts in the present will determine [...]
HSBC UK director Alan Thomson resigns over banking regulation threat as second exec ‘mulls exit’ October 7, 2014 One of HSBC's UK directors has resigned from his position ahead of new rules that strengthen the hand of regulators to penalised managers of failed banks. City A.M. understands Alan Thomson, a member of the audit and risk committees of HSBC Bank, has tendered his resignation and will leave the board in October. Sky News initially [...]
Sports Direct “to be held to account” over zero-hours contracts October 28, 2014 Sports Direct is being forced to make clear its zero-hours contracts do not guarantee work as part of a wide-reaching set of legally-binding promises agreed after an employee took legal action against the retailer. The Mike Ashley-owned business, which currently employs around 20,000 staff on the controversial contracts, has agreed to re-write its job [...]
Festive cheer: Even busy City workers should volunteer this Christmas December 11, 2014 It’s the season to be jolly, and the capital’s workers are flocking to celebrity-packed carol services, helping to swell the coffers of deserving charities. Just this week, guests joined the likes of Lesley Garrett, Dame Eileen Atkins and Colin Murray to raise £24,000 for children’s mental health charity Place2Be. And in the Square Mile, a [...]
Flexible working to the extreme: Dispersed office May 14, 2014 James Knight, founder of Keystone Law, talks to Liam Ward-Proud about gaining acceptance for a new business model, and how dispersed working can cut overhead costs and realise efficiency gains FOUNDED in 2002 by lawyer James Knight, Keystone Law brought an entrepreneurial streak to a centuries-old profession. Using advances in communication technology, including a remotely [...]
Sport Comment: Not all of Gazza’s old pals have fled – but now it’s down to him October 30, 2014 by Bill Bradshaw Walking towards City A.M.’s office the other day I saw a poster plastered across one of those new hydrogen-powered buses: “Help London Rebuild Gaza!” it pleaded. I did a double-take. It was advertising an event at the Troxy theatre in aid of the crisis-hit region but – for a moment – I [...]
Robert Walters: The recruitment boss who thinks your pay is set to jump in 2015 October 7, 2014 City jobs mogul Robert Walters tells Chris Papadopoullos why the future is bright Wages are a hotter-than-usual topic these days – at least as far as economists are concerned. The rate at which our pay goes up (or fails to) is said to hold the key as to whether the Bank of England finally [...]
Electra on hook for up to £3m to defeat Ed Bramson raid October 6, 2014 Electra will face a bill of up to £3m after facing down corporate raider Ed Bramson’s bid to wrest control of the fund yesterday. Roger Yates, Electra chairman, said the long running battle would cost the group between £2m and £3m in banking and legal fees. “I don’t think the way in which [...]
The Supper Club founder Duncan Cheatle talks cowboys, venture capital and safe spaces January 25, 2015 If you ask Duncan Cheatle, founder of members-only entrepreneur networking group The Supper Club, to describe his formative entrepreneurial experience, you’re instantly transported. “Like lots of entrepreneurs, the first early thing I did was to sell tuck,” he tells me. “I guess there’s a limit to what you can do as a kid to show [...]
The elder statesman: Lord Young talks motorways and tear gas September 21, 2014 If the Conservatives win next year’s general election, Lord Young will be the oldest person to work in Number 10 ever, beating William Gladstone, who was Prime Minister until he was 83. “Margaret Thatcher asked me to go into Cabinet 30 years ago. Now David Cameron tells everybody that he and I are the only [...]