Council boss who led Rotherham abuse scandal response named City of London’s new chief exec November 18, 2022 A high-profile public sector chief, who led Rotherham council’s response to the town’s sex abuse scandal, is set to take on a new position as the City of London’s Town Clerk. Ian Thomas CBE will leave his position as head of the Royal Borough of Kingston to succeed John Barradell as the City of [...]
Lloyd’s of London to face £735m court battle over Dubai owned aircraft seized by Russia November 18, 2022 Lloyd’s of London is being sued for $875m (£735m) over its failure to pay out on a multi-million-dollar insurance claim filed over the Russian state’s decision to seize hundreds of planes this March. Airplane leaser Dubai Aerospace Enterprises Ltd (DAE) has filed a High Court claim against Lloyd’s seeking more than $875m from the insurer, [...]
Biffa CFO to leave waste management firm for packaging manufacturer DS Smith November 18, 2022 Biffa’s financial chief has stepped down from his position as the waste management firm’s chief financial officer to join packaging manufacturer DS Smith. Biffa CFO Richard Pike is set to leave his position after four years at the UK’s second largest waste manager. Pike’s exit comes after US private equity firm Energy Capital Partners (ECP) [...]
Liontrust doubles down on current strategy in face of ‘challenging’ economic conditions November 18, 2022 Asset manager Liontrust today vowed to maintain its dividend as it doubled down on its current strategy in the face of “challenging” macro-economic conditions. The FTSE 250 asset manager’s chair said Liontrust remains “steadfast” in its belief that its current strategy is “the correct one” and that is being “implemented effectively as possible,” as he [...]
Nationwide’s incomes boosted by higher interest rates November 18, 2022 Nationwide Building Society today posted a more than 13 per cent uptick in its underlying profits after its incomes were boosted by higher interest rates. The Swindon headquartered building society saw its pre-tax profits for the six months ending on 30 September 2022 increase 13.6 per cent to 969m. The uptick came as Nationwide’s net [...]
EY split could undermine audit quality, former partners warn November 17, 2022 More than 150 former EY partners have written a letter to the accounting firm’s board, warning its plans to split in two could weaken both segments of the business and undermine EY’s audit quality. The ex-EY partners noted the firm’s new standalone audit business – AssureCo – will have “significantly lower” earnings than its advisory [...]
Former FCA risk manager fails to revive whistleblowing claim against UK’s financial watchdog November 17, 2022 A former risk manager at the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has failed to revive his employment lawsuit against the City watchdog, after claiming he was pushed out of his job for whistleblowing. FCA exec Walker Sigismund claimed he was unfairly fired from his job over his decision to file 27 separate whistleblower reports, about [...]
UK law firms hit harder by global economic headwinds than US rivals November 17, 2022 Law firms worldwide have seen demand for their services slow over the first half of 2022, according to new research. US law firms are however seeing stronger growth than their British and Australian rivals, the research from Thomson Reuters shows. The situation has seen demand for US law firms’ services continue to grow over [...]
Tencent vows to ‘distribute’ $20.3bn Meituan shares to investors November 16, 2022 Tencent has vowed to give its shareholders $20.3bn (£17.4bn) worth of shares in Chinese food delivery firm Meituan as it seeks to reduce its holdings in China’s tech sector. The Shenzhen conglomerate’s “special dividend” comes as its sales dropped two per cent year-on-year, to £16.6bn, on the back of a five per cent drop in [...]
Zurich sets out more ambitious financial goals after posting highest profits since 2008 November 16, 2022 Zurich Insurance today vowed to “build a clear leadership position in the insurance industry” in pledging to pursue more ambitious financial targets over the next three years. The Swiss insurer said it is now aiming to grow its annual earnings per share at a rate of eight per cent each year over the period 2023-25. [...]