Brickgate: A war is kicking off in the construction industry after estate agents claimed there is a shortage of bricks August 25, 2016 Forget Jeremy Corbyn versus Owen Smith – there's a new feud in town. You might say relations between these two are rather stony… Brick makers have taken issue with research put out earlier today by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), which suggested not only [...]
City Moves for 25 July 2016 | Who’s switching jobs July 25, 2016 Towergate Insurance Towergate Insurance has appointed Neil Pearce as managing director of Towergate London Market. Neil will join Towergate in September this year and will report directly to group chief executive David Ross. He joins Towergate from RKH Specialty where he was executive director responsible for the UK and international liability team. He was previously [...]
US hedge fund eyes up property in European countries set to benefit from Brexit August 28, 2016 US hedge fund Marathon is investing in property in European hubs that it expects will benefit from Britain leaving the EU. The $13bn (£9.9bn) fund is looking at Germany, Ireland, France and the Netherlands in particular, according to the Financial Times. Bruce Richards, co-founder and chief executive of Marathon, said these countries "have the most stable outlook [...]
Number of mortgage approvals down by over a fifth in August September 26, 2016 House purchase approvals dropped by more than a fifth in August, according to figures from the BBA. The number of approvals was down by 21 per cent as compared to August 2012. In the first eight months of this year, approvals were two per cent lower than in the same period of 2015. Read more: [...]
Reflections on my year as lord mayor – and why London will remain the world’s greatest city October 31, 2016 As I enter my final fortnight as lord mayor, I have spent some time reflecting on my year in office. I have been privileged to witness and support many areas of commercial progress during my international visits, domestic travels, and here in the City of London. I am also greatly looking forward to a number [...]
We need to raise our ambition on mega-infrastructure projects October 4, 2016 As commuters, we are only too aware of the increasing strain being put on our roads and railways. The problem we all face on our crowded journeys to work is one of capacity, and this acutely highlights the need for sustained infrastructure investment across our transport network in the years ahead. For Londoners at least, [...]
China sees Brexit as a huge opportunity to forge new trading links with Britain September 19, 2016 I returned last week from a key overseas trade visit as lord mayor, to China and Hong Kong. I was accompanied by a number of City firms, and because the trip followed the G20 Summit, held just before our arrival there, all of them expected an exciting and illuminating visit. One of the big topics [...]
Fundraising is more beneficial to your business than you think September 28, 2016 Fundraising in the workplace is an excellent way to engage staff, build relationships, generate positive PR and boost morale among colleagues. However, the benefits of a proper commitment to corporate fundraising can go further than this, and offer many institutional, HR and commercial benefits. In every business I have run, I place great importance on [...]
Bankers need to hold themselves to account, says former Lord Mayor of London September 1, 2016 The financial services sector needs to hold itself accountable, rather than merely relying on regulators, to truly regain the public's trust, a former Lord Mayor of London has said today. Sir Alan Yarrow was speaking at the launch of the Certificates of Professionalism initiative from the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) and the Chartered Banker Institute, [...]
Standard and Poor’s: The good times may be over for Europe’s top companies July 19, 2016 Brexit could spell the end of a relatively benign period for the UK and Europe's biggest companies, according to Standard and Poor's (S&P). In a new report, the ratings agency warned: "The UK's decision to leave the EU is likely to knock the European corporate sector out of the 'sweet spot' it has been enjoying". The body cited [...]