Baer bankers accused of tax evasion role October 12, 2011 US PROSECUTORS indicted two private bankers with Julius Baer for helping wealthy Americans evade taxes, drawing yet another Swiss bank into the crosshairs of the US Justice Department amid a widening crackdown on offshore tax evasion. While the indictment of the two bankers, Daniela Casadei and Fabio Frazzetto, did not name their employer and referred [...]
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES NEED AN EYE ON RISK October 10, 2011 HEAD OF CORPORATE, ZURICH INSURANCE THE UK is a world leader in professional services and the sector has grown rapidly on the back of corporate and property deals as well as private and public sector businesses outsourcing work. According to the Professional and Business Services Group, professional service firms such as accountants, actuaries, engineers, surveyors, [...]
AUSSIE COULD FALL BEYOND EXPECTATIONS October 4, 2011 VISTING Australia on business I am astounded at the cost everything. For an American, Sydney is now as prohibitively expensive as Zurich. A simple cup of coffee and a mineral water cost more than $12 at any sidewalk café. The high cost of living is a testament to the Aussie’s strong appreciation over the past [...]
London clings to top spot as finance hub September 26, 2011 LONDON clung to the top place on a list of the most important global financial centres yesterday but saw its lead over rivals slashed to almost zero as its competitive edge vanished, a new report showed. In a worrying sign that the City is losing its place as the world’s leading finance hub, London’s competitiveness [...]
WORKING WITH INSURERS CAN CUT OUT FRAUD September 26, 2011 UK CLAIMS FRAUD & INVESTIGATIONS MANAGER, ZURICH INSURANCE DAY in day out, we hear about the impact of fraud on the personal insurance market. The industry-led Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) was formed to work on this area specifically and their hard work, alongside insurers has really helped to bring the issue to the forefront of [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS September 20, 2011 Wrigley Hamish Thomson has been appointed as general manager for the confectioner’s UK business, replacing Ian Burton, who has been promoted to run Wrigley’s European operations. Thomson, who currently leads Wrigley’s Pacific region, will relocate from Australia to London to take up the role in October. Prior to joining Wrigley in 2005, Thompson spent eight [...]
Tech Skills a worry despite the optimism September 12, 2011 SENIOR MARKET UNDERWRITER, TECHMEDIA, ZURICH INSURANCE THE technology sector is under continual pressure to adapt, develop and deliver with a high expectation for innovation. The UK economy thrives in the technology arena as we have a rich vein of creativity and entrepreneurialism, especially emanating from universities and other further education facilities. Arguably the greatest invention [...]
Russian bank pounces for Austria’s VBI September 8, 2011 RUSSIAN lender Sberbank has snapped up Austrian multinational Volksbank International (VBI) in its second multi-million euro purchase of the year. An adviser on the deal said that it provides an example of how Western European banks are missing out on growth opportunities due to being embroiled in the region’s debt crisis. At a stroke, the [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS September 6, 2011 Emap International Duncan Painter has been appointed as chief executive of the publisher and events business to replace David Gilbertson, who stepped down in May. Painter is currently managing director of the BSkyB subsidiary Sky IQ, which provides customer intelligence services to BSkyB and FTSE 100 firms including Centrica and Zurich Financial Services. Previous roles [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS September 1, 2011 Brooks Madonald Funds The fund management arm of Brooks Macdonald Group has appointed Mark Watson as new business development manager. Watson, based in Brooks Macdonald’s London office in Mayfair, will develop relationships with IFAs, discretionary fund managers and other business professionals to promote BMF’s fund proposition. He joins from Zurich Assurance Company, where he worked [...]