No more Woori for Aviva after sale of South Korean insurer April 14, 2014 INSURER Aviva yesterday sold its 47.3 per cent stake in the insurance unit of South Korea’s largest financial group but said it remained committed to the Asian region. The FTSE listed business will sell its interest in Woori Aviva Life Insurance, a joint venture it launched with Woori Financial, the group behind South Korea’s second [...]
Aviva sells US equity manager River Road March 28, 2014 Insurer Aviva’s announced that Aviva Investors, its asset management business, has reached a deal to sell equity manager River Road Asset Management. They've found a buyer in the form of Affiliated Managers Group, a Massachusetts-based investment firm. The move comes as the group looks to simplify its business, making it “more focused”, with an integrated operating [...]
Alliance Trust gets a year to show results as Elliott Advisors gives 12 months’ notice April 28, 2015 Investment firm Alliance Trust has been put on 12-months’ notice by activist investor Elliott Advisors to show results or be forced to change its strategy. In a vicious battle over the past month, both sides have been rallying support among shareholders, with Elliott pushing for three new directors to join the board, and Alliance [...]
Jimmy Wales-backed mobile network The People’s Operator celebrates better than expected six months January 12, 2015 Commercial mobile phone network The People’s Operator (TPO) saw subscriber numbers grow by 140 per cent in the second half of last year, to 14,032 from 5,800. The final two months of 2014 saw the number of subscribers for the cause-based mobile operator, which is led by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, go up by 28 [...]
City Moves for 21 November 2014 | Who’s switching jobs November 20, 2014 Berenberg The bank has announced the promotion of David Mortlock to head of its London office. He joined Berenberg in 2010 as head of sales and has been global head of equities since 2013. Mortlock previously held positions at Schroders, Citigroup and MF Global. Edmond de Rothschild Group Marcus Money-Chappelle has been appointed head of [...]
City Moves for 20 January 2015 | Who’s switching jobs January 19, 2015 HSBC David Phythian has been appointed head of corporate real estate for the bank in the UK. He joined HSBC in 2006 and was head of its London corporate real estate office. Phythian has also held roles at UCB Bank, the United Bank of Kuwait, and a number of private property companies. Square Mile Investment [...]
City Moves for 19 January 2015 | Who’s switching jobs January 18, 2015 BirthStar Target Date Funds The solutions provider for asset managers and intermediary firms has announced two appointments. Tony Hicks joins as head of business development from Aberdeen Asset Management. He has also held roles at Scottish Life and Gartmore Fund Managers. Rachael Harris (pictured) joins as head of key accounts from Just Retirement, where she [...]
City Moves for 16 January 2015 | Who’s switching jobs January 15, 2015 Baker Tilly The accountancy firm has appointed Ian Williams as a director in its restructuring and recovery service line. A solicitor with over 25 years’ experience, he previously worked at SGH Martineau, specialising in international corporate recovery cases. ING Investment Management The investment management firm has appointed Bart Oldenkamp to its integrated client solutions team. [...]
Aviva’s back in the black with profits of £2bn March 6, 2014 INSURER Aviva announced a strong set of annual results yesterday, following a £2.9bn loss in 2012. Profits rebounded to £2.1bn in 2013, allowing the company to issue a final dividend of 9.4p per share. The value of new business to the group rose by 13 per cent. Although the insurer estimates the cost of UK [...]
Petrofac slump weighs on FTSE amid M&A flurry – London Report November 24, 2014 BRITAIN’S top share index edged lower yesterday, weighed down by a slump in Petrofac after it predicted low net profits, but M&A talk kept it near a two-month high. Smith & Nephew and Friends Life were said to be likely subjects for bids, and BT confirmed it might expand into mobile communications. The benchmark FTSE [...]