Lord Davies report: Politicians and business groups say they are disappointed by final recommendations October 29, 2015 The final Davies Review report has been criticised by politicians and business groups for not going far enough to address gender diversity among senior managers. In his final Women on Boards report this morning, Lord Mervyn Davies, a former chairman and chief executive of Standard Chartered, said that 33 per cent of all board seats [...]
Lord Davies’ review: Government-backed report targets women holding one third of board seats by 2020 October 28, 2015 The Davies Review is setting a new target for a third of all board members at Britain’s biggest listed companies to be women, as a separate new study warns that the country’s boardroom diversity “risks going into reverse gear”. In his final Women on Boards report tomorrow, Lord Mervyn Davies, a former chairman and chief [...]
Cyber security talent shortage: Business is struggling to keep up with sophisticated criminals October 26, 2015 Concerns about cyber security are growing in prominence, but companies and law enforcement agencies are still playing catch-up in their attempts to counter ever more sophisticated cyber criminals. While the cyber attacks on TalkTalk and Ashley Madison have made headlines around the world, the day-to-day business of protecting a company against attack goes largely unnoticed. [...]
City Moves for 26 October 2015 | Who’s switching jobs October 25, 2015 KPMG Catherine Grum has been appointed head of the professional services firm’s family office. She joins from Salamanca Group, where she was head of the private office. Grum has also previously worked as head of wealth advisory, for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, at Barclays Wealth & Investment Management, and for the private client [...]
City of London police are training Standard Chartered bankers to catch fraudsters October 25, 2015 City of London police has started a programme to train bankers to fight fraud, starting with Standard Chartered who will be descending on the City this week. The programme was designed to standardise investigative techniques within Standard Chartered's multitude of regional offices. Kathy Hearn, director of the Economic Crime Academy, which has helped design the [...]
Business groups warn that UK gender pay gap can’t be eradicated with “box-ticking” October 25, 2015 The government has announced new requirements for big businesses aimed at getting rid of the gender pay gap “in a generation”. Under new rules set out by Prime Minister David Cameron and equalities minister Nicky Morgan yesterday, large employers will now be required to publish information about bonuses paid to men and women as part [...]
Tax gap falls to record-low, revealing the failings of Corbynomics, claims secretary to the Treasury David Gauke October 22, 2015 The UK's tax gap has fallen to an all-time low, prompting Labour's critics to ramp up their arguments against Corbynomics. Figures released today by HMRC reveal the tax gap – the difference between the amount of tax that should be collected against what is actually collected – in 2013/14 fell to a record low of 6.4 per [...]
Bank of England’s new stress test: Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, RBS, Santander UK and Standard Chartered to face risk tests twice a year October 21, 2015 The Bank of England has today announced that it will apply new stress tests to Britain's biggest banks and building societies over the next three years, taking into account both domestic and global risks. Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, RBS, Santander UK and Standard Chartered will face at least two stress tests per year under the [...]
President Xi Jinping’s UK visit: How Britain can truly become China’s best partner in the West October 19, 2015 As the Queen welcomes the President of China to Buckingham Palace today for a state visit, both leaders can reflect on the significant progress made in UK-China relations. Indeed, much has changed. The Chinese economy, despite its slowdown, has grown massively in recent decades; it is eight times larger today than in 1999, when the [...]
FTSE ends lower on China and housing data – London Report October 14, 2015 THE FTSE 100 closed down for the third session in a row yesterday following data from China that showed deflationary pressures mounting. The index was 1.15 per cent lower at the close, at 6,269.61 points. Stocks with exposure to China fell, including Standard Chartered and luxury retailer Burberry Group, which ended the session 1.46 per [...]