Relax to the sounds of the City January 17, 2013 MOST City workers down a speedy sandwich during their lunch hour, while others make a dash for the gym – but how many actually relax when away from their desk? This is the question being posed by the City of London Festival, which is touting its annual free Winter Concerts programme to encourage us all [...]
Britain must reverse its appalling export record in high-growth markets January 13, 2013 EUROPE continues to dominate the agenda, as the Prime Minister’s eagerly-awaited speech on the subject lies on the horizon. As Europe’s financial capital, there is no doubt that this issue is of critical importance to the future prosperity of London and the UK. The EU accounts for half our exports and is responsible for a [...]
Costume party at the Lord Mayor‘s Mansion January 7, 2013 FOCUS is firmly on the youth of the City this week, with the Lord Mayor Roger Gifford opening up Mansion House over the weekend to host 350 children from London boroughs for a fancy dress party. A source tells The Capitalist he even led a conga line at the end of the day – but it [...]
London must regain its Victorian spirit to capitalise on the triumph of 2012 January 1, 2013 NOW the curtain has closed on a glorious 2012 for London and Britain, the stage is already being prepared for a very different year ahead. We’ll need to build on recent achievements to deliver a tangible legacy for future generations. We must up our game, rather than lower our expectations for 2013. This means focusing [...]
Putting philanthropy at the top of the City’s agenda December 20, 2012 Look out your office window and you will see a “philanthroscape” – the City’s bridges, hospitals, schools, prisons, alms houses and churches we walk past everyday were built on the donations of the wealthy businessmen of yesteryear, including its most famous lord mayor Dick Whittington. The City’s rich philanthropic tradition continues today – but quietly. [...]
Queen and Prince Philip inspect Bank of England’s gold stash December 13, 2012 WHEN they weren’t making insightful observations on the state of the UK’s financial regulation yesterday, The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh seemed to enjoy the rest of their visit to the vaults of the Bank of England yesterday. As tradition dictates, the Queen and Prince Philip both signed an unissued £1m [...]
Christmas is the ideal time to revive the City’s tradition of charitable giving December 9, 2012 FEAR that the UK could slip into a triple-dip recession heightened last week, as the services sector posted an unexpected slowdown. Yet remarkably, over half of us are still giving to good causes, despite the challenging economic outlook. This encouragingly high proportion of the population, includes many in the Square Mile. Contrary to myth, City [...]
Red carpet is rolled out for charity traders December 5, 2012 IT is not everyday on a lunchtime stroll down Broadgate that a shark, cowgirl and giant armadillo can be spotted drinking beers outside Icap’s City offices. However yesterday was no usual trading day, but the firm’s 20th annual charity extravaganza, which has grown into something of a City institution. Among those hurtling through the revolving [...]
Ex-investment banker is Cupid for City singles December 3, 2012 LONELY City hearts searching for love this Christmas, look no further than ex-investment banker Salima Manji to play Cupid and gently tug on the heartstrings. Having worked at JP Morgan, Credit Suisse and the now-defunct Dresdner Kleinwort, Manji left the City to set up a matchmaking supper club for singles, the London Dinner Club, and [...]
Paralympian David Weir given Freedom of the City of London December 3, 2012 PARALYMPIAN David Weir was awarded the Freedom of the City of London yesterday in a ceremony at the Guildhall. Weir, a winner of six gold medals, is in fine company with recent holders of the Freedom of the City of London having included author JK Rowling, chef Raymond Blanc and actress Joanna Lumley. The City [...]