Pandora lists in strong $2bn market debut October 5, 2010 Pandora, the Danish jeweller, made a strong debut in one of Europe’s largest bourse listings this year, worth up to $2.1bn (£1.3bn), as investors bought into prospects for its main product – charm bracelets. Analysts said Pandora’s high growth and strong margins made its initial public offering (IPO) attractive to investors hungry for new stock [...]
NatGrid hires finance boss from Cadbury October 4, 2010 National Grid said yesterday it had hired Andrew Bonfield, who was Cadbury’s chief financial officer during its takeover by Kraft, as new finance director at its energy transmission business. Bonfield will take over the post from current finance director Steve Lucas at the start of next month as Lucas prepares to retire. Lucas will leave [...]
Rolls-Royce gets new chief September 30, 2010 BRITISH engine maker, Rolls-Royce has confirmed that the Royal Ahold boss is to become new chief executive as Sir John Rose prepares to retire. John Rishton, who is currently chief executive at the Dutch supermarket group, will take up the post next March when Rose stands down. Rose will leave Rolls-Royce after 26 years, of [...]
IP PROTECTION Q&A September 30, 2010 Q. What do I need to know about intellectual property? A. Intellectual property rights are determined by a tangled ball of varying categories of legislation that requires patience to unpick. The categories are wide, overlapping and vague. Certain components entitle you to rights over your property while others require you to take prior action to [...]
Dudley begins BP makeover post Gulf spill September 29, 2010 BP is considering linking bonus payouts to the group’s safety performance as part of a radical makeover, which has also seen a shake-up of the board’s structure, announced yesterday by incoming chief executive Bob Dudley. Dudley, who takes over from Tony Hayward on Friday, has launched a review of how the oil giant pays out [...]
The defence industry boss who is reshaping his firm for new realities September 28, 2010 FOR Cobham’s chief executive Andy Stevens, life is measured out in five-year plans. The head of the FTSE 100 defence company first joined the business in 2003 as head of its aerospace division and played a key role in the 2005 strategic review that “took a root a branch look at our operations and decided [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING September 27, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES BRAZIL IN GLOBAL CURRENCY WAR’ ALERT An “interntaional currency war” has broken out according to Guido Mantega, Brazil’s finance minister, as governments around the world comcompete to power their exhange rates to boost competiveness. Mantega’s comments in Sao Paulo follow a series of interventions by central banks in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan [...]
McGrigors looks at UK expansion with new post September 26, 2010 MCGRIGORS, one of Scotland’s largest law firms, has overhauled its management structure after appointing Kirk Murdoch as the new UK-wide senior partner. Murdoch, who has been a partner with the law firm for 28 years, will assume the newly created role at the start of next month. His new post, which will effectively see him [...]
It’s a landlord’s market for hungry Londoners September 23, 2010 THE period of fear, uncertainty and stagnation in the aftermath of Lehman Brothers’ collapse is well and truly behind us – if you’re looking at the rentals market, that is. Prices in central London are at levels not seen since before the meltdown, according to property services firm LSL. Rents in London rose by 2 [...]
RSM Tenon in profit boost September 22, 2010 ACCOUNTANCY?firm RSM Tenon posted a 37 per cent increase in full-year adjusted pre-tax profit yesterday, thanks to two acquisitions. The accountancy and advisory firm, which moved to London’s main market in May, said adjusted pre-tax profit was £24.1m, up from £17.6m a year ago. It raised its dividend by seven per cent to 1.6p per [...]