Chris Hirst of ad agency Grey London believes it’s all about talent August 10, 2014 Liam Ward-Proud talks to Chris Hirst, chief executive of ad agency Grey London. It's fair to say that Grey London is one of the hottest creative agencies around at the moment. After a spell in the wilderness, the WPP-owned company returned to the limelight in 2012 with a series of gripping pieces, including the [...]
Arm shares hit as profit growth begins to slow April 23, 2014 ARM Holdings, whose chip technology powers Apple’s iPhone, saw its shares slide yesterday after a disappointing end to 2013 resulted in first-quarter profit rising less than in previous years. Sales of top-end smartphones, a market dominated by Apple and Samsung, were lower than predicted during the Christmas holiday season, leading to worries that the market [...]
Nokia gets the go-ahead for Microsoft sale April 8, 2014 The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has approved Nokia's planned sale of its devices & services business to Microsoft, the company said on Tuesday. The deal reached in September saw Nokia sell the business to Microsoft for €5.4bn (£4.4bn). However, Nokia retained its patent portfolio, which is seen by some analysts as an up-and-coming source of [...]
Jade Jagger talks motherhood, design and building a matriarchal paradise in Ibiza September 23, 2014 Jade Jagger is tired. She yawns through much of our interview as she potters around her 16th century villa. Perhaps she just feels relaxed in her sleepy village in Ibiza, where she spends the summer with her family. Or maybe it’s only to be expected from this daughter of rock royalty, now an international [...]
Novartis and GSK agree $16bn oncology deal April 22, 2014 Another pharmaceutical deal this morning. Swiss drug maker Novartis has announced that it’s doing an exchange of certain assets with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), as part of its company overhaul. It’ll buy the latter’s oncology unit for $14.5bn (£8.6bn), with up to $1.5bn also being paid to reach an agreed development milestone. The deal will also see [...]
China greenlights Microsoft’s €5.4bn Nokia handset takeover April 8, 2014 CHINESE regulators have finally approved Microsoft’s takeover of Nokia’s mobile phone business after a series of delays. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce officially approved the deal worth €5.4bn (£4.4bn) yesterday after a lengthy study of Nokia’s patent licensing practices. China is the latest antitrust regulator to approve the plan to sell the Finnish technology firm’s [...]
Chip king ARM hurt by phone sales slowdown February 4, 2014 BRITISH chip designer ARM said a slowdown in demand for Apple and Samsung smartphones was behind a smaller than expected rise in fourth-quarter royalty revenues. ARM, whose technology is in nearly every smartphone, reported processor royalties of £80.8m, up seven per cent, but shy of analyst forecasts of £84.5m. Shares in ARM closed down six [...]
Odey joins illustrious group of investors backing biotech firm March 17, 2014 HEDGE fund guru Crispin Odey has added his name to a gilded list of investment royalty by taking a stake in biotech firm Circassia. Odey joins top fund veterans Neil Woodford, Sir Paul Ruddock and Paul Tudor Jones as a backer of the firm, which is developing a drug to make cat allergies a thing [...]
Global hunger for smartphones sees ARM profits boom February 4, 2014 Chip designer ARM Holdings has announced a rise in normalised profit before tax of 19 per cent to £95.5m for the fourth quarter ended 31 December. Normalised Profit before tax for the full year rose to £364m – a 32 per cent increase on the previous year. ARM cited 26 processor licences signed for a [...]
City & Gild: Has Gary Barlow shattered a dream brand? May 16, 2014 When I was a child and believed in Father Christmas, I bought into the whole “Ho ho ho” thing hook, line and sinker – to the point where I would lie awake on Christmas Eve, terrified that a complete stranger was going to come down the chimney and pad about the house. (To be honest, [...]