How the King of the UK back office plans to keep his business growing June 21, 2009 IT is fascinating to listen to David Andrews talk about his business. For most of us, back offices may seem deadly boring – but when you discover Andrew’s passion for Xchanging, the FTSE 250 back office outsourcing giant he founded 10 years ago, you suddenly realise just how true it is that finance and corporate [...]
Bang for your buck: what the world’s best business hotels offer June 7, 2009 BUSINESS hotels often promise the world, but they often disappoint. Small things like a slow internet connection, a restaurant that closes early or trouble getting hold of an iron can play havoc with your plans. To work, they have to get so many things right. Let’s face it, you’re only going to remember the one [...]
How comics can teach you to be a better communicator May 13, 2009 WHAT’S the difference between a pizza and a banker? Now, you might say that now is not the time for joking in the City, and indeed some might argue that the Square Mile already has more than its fair share of comedians. But I say that there are not enough. One of the keys for [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 13, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMESCCB SHARE DEAL VOLUME SURGES AFTER BANK OF AMERICA SELL-DOWNThe volume of share dealing in China Construction Bank soared yesterday, fuelling speculation that some buyers of Bank of America’s $7.3bn (£4.8bn) sell down had flipped their holdings to pocket huge gains. The troubled US bank on Tuesday sold 13.5bn shares in the mainland lender [...]
VT is building a great warchest so get ready for a spending spree May 13, 2009 For a man with cash burning a hole in his back pocket, VT Group’s chief executive Paul Lester looks surprisingly unruffled. He sits in the airy second floor boardroom of the defence and support services firm’s London offices in the Blue Fin Building and is happy to tell City A.M. what he plans to do [...]
Back to work but challenges of a tough economy remain September 1, 2008 For most of us, today marks the official close of the holiday season. This summer has not been as angst-free as in previous years, because of ongoing concerns over jobs and pay – and, for those in managerial positions, how to steer a course through choppy waters over the next year. My choice of holiday [...]
Brain-drain? It’s nothing but a blip September 10, 2008 Lots of City workers are heading for Dubai at the moment, but don’t worry: London will lure them back soon, says Max Orbach We all know somebody who has re-located to Dubai, Singapore or even Moscow in the last few months, as the British economy has wobbled, house-prices have fallen and inflation has risen. While [...]
Allianz sells Dresdner in £8bn deal September 1, 2008 German insurance giant Allianz last night agreed to sell its beleaguered banking arm Dresdner to rival Commerzbank in a deal worth €9.8bn (£7.9bn) – a tie up that will lead to at least 1,000 job losses in the City. In what will be the biggest German banking merger in nearly a decade, Commerzbank will buy [...]
Nomura in bid talks with Collins Stewart August 8, 2008 Cash-rich Japanese bank Nomura is believed to be in talks with small cap stockbroker Collins Stewart, while Australian bank Macquarie and Israeli multi-national Delek Capital, a subsidiary of Israeli conglomerate Delek, are also understood to have shown an interest in acquiring the broker. Collins Stewart said on Wednesday that it had received a preliminary approach, [...]
Blackberry on the up despite Apple iPhone August 12, 2008 The BlackBerry has cornered 10 per cent of the American mobile phone market for the first time, a research firm said yesterday – despite concerns about its ability to give Apple’s iPhone 3G a run for its money. Strategy Analytics said that BlackBerry maker RIM had increased its share of both the consumer and corporate [...]